Chapter 1
Flash
"Eliza, there you are! May I have this dance?"
She smiled at the handsome man offering his arm to her:
"Of course you may."
The song was starting, the chords of the guitars beginning to fill in the entirety of the space. It wasn't the first time they danced, she was already used to the way he led her, just like this, hand resting on the small of her back and the other one holding her right one, twirling among the other couples.
Not a care in the world, not a worry, everyone clapping when the instruments left just a lingering echo.
"Eliza, hija."
"Father?"
"I'll steal her from you for a moment, César, if you don't mind."
"I do mind, but I can wait. I'll be around."
"Hija, I want you to meet an old friend of mine."
How many old friends did her dad have? Dozens. Hundreds, it seemed sometimes.
Don Rodrigo guided his daughter to the other side of the household's large patio. The chandeliers, the people, the flowers, everything was abundant and bright, all of the colors coming together for a perfect picture.
"Don Alejandro, this is the daughter I used to talk about all the time: Eliza."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, señorita. I see your old man wasn't exaggerating when he said he had a beautiful child."
"The pleasure's all mine, don Alejandro, and thank you, you're very kind."
"Oh and I'd like you to meet my son. Hijo! Señorita Eliza, this is-"
It took her a second, maybe a second and a half. An instant enough to look at him, to recognize, to be blinded by a flash of overlapping memories that floated back to the surface all at once.
"-my son, Diego de la Vega."
"Hello."
"It's an honor, señorita. I think we've met once before, at a reception in Madrid."
"We did" she offered her hand. The touch of his skin and the kiss on her knuckles were all too familiar, like coming back home: "It's good to see you again, Diego."
"Likewise" he replied, his eyes, always so expressive, locked on hers.
And there's something like a shelf inside of our heads, where we (attempt to) organize all of the aspects of our lives. Eliza's was in order, each thing in its rightful place. Until now, when a rumbling of crystalware smashing into pieces and scattering around filled her subconscious. The previous calm was stirring up, catching fire.
"What a small world." Don Alejandro was way too perceptive for anyone's own good: "Don Rodrigo, I'd like you to meet some friends that came from Los Angeles, so, if you'll excuse us."
She finally let go of the broad grin she'd been holding back:
"You have a mustache now. I almost didn't recognize you."
"I, on the other hand, recognized you immediately: no one else could be this beautiful."
"And still the silver tongued. How are you?"
"I'm better now, that's for sure." So many men made a habit out of complimenting the ladies around; it had always seemed like a social formula to her, a topic on small talk. Not with Diego; every word he said, every gesture, was always sincere and unrehearsed. "I'm good, living in Los Angeles. When did you get to Monterrey, how long will you stay?"
"A week ago. My father has some business here now so it looks like this will be home for a while."
"Well, that's excellent news."
"Is it?"
"The best I've received in ages. I-"
"Everyone! May I have your attention, please?" Just like everyone else, she turned to see César, who had stepped front and center. "My parents and I would like to thank everyone for being here tonight. However, a confession needs to be made. We… well, I have lied to you all." A few puzzled expressions among the crowd, a little whispering here and there. Then, complete silence. "We invited you here with the excuse of celebrating our moving into this new ranch, which is great and all, but certainly not the ulterior motive of this gathering."
Eliza and Diego shared a glance. No, neither had the slightest clue.
"The true motive is… standing right there."
César looked at her and so did a multitude of faces, her father's knowing nod over there, so many strangers, people she'd never met before, maybe just this night, except for Diego.
Diego…
César overcame the distance that separated them: "Señorita Eliza Torrealba, ever since the first time I laid eyes on you, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. So I'd like to know…" She felt small, tiny, like a little mosquito about to be dissected in the spotlight of a microscope, if mosquitoes could be dissected, who knows, but that's how she felt when he got on one knee and pull out a ring: "Would you like the same? Would you… marry me?"
(...)
Before
The night's fresh air hit her in the face as she stepped out into the balcony. It was a metaphorical and a literal relieve. Back at the party, the air was so heavy that-
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there."
"Nothing to be sorry about. There's room for the both of us" he said, as he scooted over the windowsill.
She didn't hesitate in taking a seat by this stranger's side. He'd right away given her that hunch of being trustworthy.
The bell tower rose few blocks away, pointing at the sky. It'd soon announce midnight. The music and noise of the reception reached their ears but barely and muffled, like it was coming from another time.
"Would you like some?" she offered him the cup in her hand. Not at all an elegant thing to do, her old governess would cringe at the sole idea.
"Sure, thank you." He put the cigar away, then took a sip. "Hm. Alsace wine. 1814, if I'm not mistaken."
"You can just tell by tasting it?"
"Of course…" a sly look in his eye. She liked it. "...not. I heard a server mention it."
"That makes sense."
"I don't think we've met before, have we? I'm sure I'd remember you. I'm Diego de la Vega."
"Eliza Torrealba. Nice to meet you, Diego." He held the hand she offered and kissed it.
"I'm your servant, señorita."
At first look, his eyes seemed black, but now she could see they had a bit of hazel in them.
"So what are you doing here all by yourself, when there's such a… fun party downstairs?" she asked.
"I could ask you the same thing."
"Well I asked first."
"Fair enough. I… I'm leaving Spain, I'm going back to California in a couple days and I just wanted to have a good look at the city. I wanted to see it all from the distance and reflect on the years I spent here and what lies ahead."
"Ah, a turning point. Those are always… different."
"Different?"
"Out of the ordinary, I guess. Will you miss it here?"
He didn't think about Spain or the university or the frequent parties in big mansions, not even about the friends he'd made, when he counted the two, three, four, five freckles on her cheeks and replied:
"I will. I'll miss it."
(...)
It's not like she rekindled the whole scene word by word, but the feeling of it, the warmness of a coincidence and the coolness of the air; it was a good feeling. This one, wasn't.
"César, this is so… unexpected."
"I wanted it to be a surprise. Evidently, I talked to your father before, he gives us his blessing."
"I see. I… this is a surprise, for sure."
"So, what do you say? Will you be my wife?"
A bunch of expectant stares on her, starting with César's, who looked almost like a child with that enthusiastic expression. Eliza's mind didn't see that, or anyone else; she saw blank, she heard a beep inside her head, there was only a magnetic force that fought to pull her back, to turn and see Diego, see his eyes, same as they were that night two years before.
(...)
Note: hi there! As you might have already guessed, this is yet another fanfiction about Diego de la Vega and some random girl XD Guess I should start repeating the girls in my stories. Anyway. Just wanted to mention that so far, in my stories, I've wanted to highlight the fact that Zorro doesn't have to be around for a girl to fall in love with Diego; I know that that's an important point in the series (1957). Girls like Rosarito and Anna Maria don't like Diego, they like Zorro instead. And I'm like, dude, Diego is amazing enough to fall in love with. So yeah, that's what I've been wanting to write about for the moment. Of course Zorro has shown up too.
Thanks for reading and please drop me a review! This story will be about 3 chapters long, btw.