Amazon Adventures
Chapter Twenty-Three: Head Vs. Heart
One morning in the Amazon, Bia was eating her breakfast faster than usual.
"Careful, sweetie." Blu told her. "You don't want to choke now, do you?"
"Sorry, dad." Bia said through a mouth full of star fruit. "I'm just going to see Miguel. He said he has something incredible to show me, and I don't want to miss it."
"I think your boyfriend can wait a minute or two." Jewel declared.
Bia almost choked on her fruit.
"Mom!" She coughed. "Miguel's not my boyfriend!"
"Of course not." Jewel smirked.
"He really isn't!" Bia blushed. "We're just friends!"
"Friends who spend all day together." Tiago teased.
"Don't even start." Bia glared.
"Why so shy?" Carla smirked. "You two are a perfect match."
"Not you too, Carla." Bia groaned.
"Well, it's true." Carla shrugged. "You're smart, he's smart. You like bugs, he likes bugs."
"So by that logic, we should fall madly in love with each other?" Bia snorted. "I fail to see the reasoning behind that."
"Come on, guys." Blu stepped in. "Leave Bia alone. If she says she and Miguel are just friends, that's all there is to it."
"Thanks, dad." Bia smiled.
"Though you would make a cute couple." Blu admitted.
"Dad!" Bia yelled.
"Sorry." Blu chuckled. "I couldn't resist."
"That's it." Bia pouted. "I'm out of here."
"Have fun, sweetie." Jewel smiled.
With a huff, Bia flew out of the hollow.
"Unbelievable." She muttered to herself. "What, a boy and a girl can't hang out without everyone assuming they're dating?"
Bia remained in a foul mood until she met up with Miguel, over on the red macaws' side of the jungle.
"Hi, Bia." Miguel smiled.
"Hey, Miguel." Bia smiled back. "What did you want to show me?"
"It's right over here." Miguel flew upwards, prompting Bia to follow.
Miguel led Bia to a small corner of the jungle, where numerous chrysalises were hanging from tree branches.
"Are those blue morpho chrysalises?" Bia asked, judging by their size.
"Sure are." Miguel nodded. "And they're about to open."
The two macaw watched and waited as, one by one, the large butterflies slowly broke out of their chrysalises.
"Incredible." Bia smiled.
"No kidding." Miguel grinned.
The butterflies dried their wings in the sun, then took off into the sky.
"What a beautiful sight." Bia sighed.
"Hey, look." Miguel pointed at Bia's feet. "There's an empty chrysalis."
They both reached for it at the same time. Their wingtips touched. They both pulled away.
"Sorry." Bia blushed. "You take it."
"No, you." Miguel countered. "I insist."
"Okay." Bia picked up the chrysalis. "Thanks."
I'm sure it'll look great in your collection." Miguel smiled.
"I'm sure it will." Bia smiled back. "That was really nice of you, Mig."
"It was nothing." Miguel said humbly.
The sun shone though the canopy, reflecting off Miguel's feathers, causing them to gleam. Bia stared for a moment, transfixed.
"Everything okay, Bi?" Miguel asked.
"Oh, sure." Bia nodded awkwardly. "It's just a... really beautiful day, isn't it?"
"You've got that right." Miguel nodded. "You know, I'm getting kind of hungry. Wanna go get some berries?"
"I'd love to." Bia nodded.
As they flew over to the clay banks, Bia found herself glancing at Miguel every few seconds.
'What is wrong with me today?' She thought. 'I can't stop looking at him. Almost like I'm... No, I'm not! We're just friends, that's all! No matter what my family says!'
They landed on a branch with berries, and started eating. While they eat, Bia tried her best not to look at Miguel for too long, focusing on her food instead.
"Mmm, that was good." Miguel smiled. "You must've thought so, too. You couldn't keep your eyes off those berries."
"Oh, yeah..." Bia played along. "Those were some good berries."
"Miguel!" A female scarlet macaw called.
"Gotta go." Miguel sighed. "My mom's calling."
"Okay."Bia nodded. "See you later."
As Miguel flew away, Bia breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for the chance to marshal her thoughts.
"Okay Bia, just relax." She said aloud. "You are not in love with Miguel. Miguel is your best friend. He's smart, fun, sweet, has the cutest green eyes... no, stop it!"
Bia groaned. Like her father, she was a smart bird, grounded in reason and logic. Alas, there wasn't much place for reason and logic in matters of the heart.
"Why'd mom and dad and everybody else have to put that idea in my head?" Bia lamented, as she flew back home.
Tiago was inside the hollow when Bia returned.
"Back so soon?" He smirked. "What happened, you and your boyfriend have a tiff?"
"I am so not in the mood for this." Bia snarled at her little brother, getting right in his face. "So back off. Okay?!"
"Okay." Tiago gulped, unnerved at his sister's display of uncharacteristic anger.
Bia walked into her room. She laid down on a patch of leaves, and sighed heavily.
That evening, as the family ate dinner, Bia was barely touching her food.
"So, did you have fun with Miguel, sweetie?" Blu asked.
"Of course." Bia nodded. "We watched some blue morphos come out of their chrysalises."
"Sounds like a pretty boring date to me." Carla teased.
"It was not a date!" Bia yelled. "Will you just get off my back about that?!"
"Easy there, sis." Carla frowned. "I was just ribbin' ya."
"Well, kindly don't." Bia growled.
Blu and Jewel shared a concerned look, knowing full well that Bia wasn't usually so testy. Tiago ate in silence, eager not to rouse his sister's ire.
After a restless night, Bia decided to simply ignore any feelings she had for Miguel. She convinced herself it was for the best, that it was highly unlikely that Miguel shared those feelings, and that it would illogical to risk ruining their friendship over them.
Over the next few days, she stuck to that plan, hanging out with Miguel, studying all manner of insects, and repressing any non-platonic feeling she would experience. But with each passing day, it became harder and harder. The feelings she repressed built up inside her, threatening to burst out into the open.
Miguel was smart enough to realise something was off about Bia, but he wasn't sure if he should bring it up or not. Surely if it was a serious problem, she'd see fit to share it with him.
One day, Bia returned to the hollow. Believing she was alone, she let out a loud sigh.
"Something wrong, sweetie?"
"Ah!" Bia yelped, turning to see Blu in the corner. "...Dad, you scared me."
"Sorry." Blu apologised. "But you didn't answer my question. You've been acting a little strange these past few days. What's the matter?"
"Well, I..." Bia stuttered.
"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Blu smiled encouragingly.
"Yeah, I know..." Bia said awkwardly.
"Well?" Blu urged.
"Okay, dad." Bia sighed. "It's about Miguel. I think I may actually... have feelings for him."
"Wow, really?" Blu gaped. "We were just joking before. You really do like him?"
"Yeah." Bia admitted, blushing. "But I have no idea if he feels the same way. If he doesn't, it could ruin our friendship. Logic dictates that I should keep those feelings to myself, and play it safe."
"And how's that working out for you?" Blu asked.
"...Not well." Bia sighed.
"That's the thing about love." Blu declared. "It's not the sort of thing you can analyse with logic. You have to feel it out, with your heart."
"Really?" Bia asked.
"That's how it worked for me." Blu declared. "In fact, that's how I got your mother. I stopped listening to my head, and started listening to my heart. You should do the same thing."
"But... what if Miguel doesn't feel the same way?" Bia asked.
"That's a risk you'll have to take." Blu declared. "It's better than resisting your feelings, believe me."
"Well, I guess I have no other choice." Bia sighed. "Thanks for the advice, dad."
"Anytime, sweetie." Blu smiled. "Good luck."
The next day, Bia flew out to meet Miguel, the same as usual.
"Good morning, Bia." Miguel smiled.
"Hi, Miguel. Bia said, her face impassive.
"What's wrong?" Miguel asked. "I didn't want to mention it, but you've been acting a little... odd lately."
"Well..." Bia took a breath. "Let me ask you a hypothetical question: How would you feel if I suggested we be... more than just friends?"
"More?" Miguel asked, tensing up. "You mean, like...?"
"Yes." Bia nodded.
"Well, in all honesty..." Miguel shuffled awkwardly from foot to foot. "I'd... be supportive of the idea."
"You would?" Bia smiled.
"Yes." Miguel nodded. "In fact, I've been experiencing decidedly more than platonic feelings towards you for a while now."
"You have?" Bia gaped.
"Of course." Miguel beamed. "You're the sweetest, prettiest bird I know. I always have the best times when I'm with you."
Bia blushed.
"But I didn't want to risk ruining our friendship." Miguel continued. "Logic dictated that I shouldn't chance it."
"It was the same with me." Bia chuckled. "Luckily, I had some help in figuring out what was really the best thing to do."
"Wow, we really do think alike." Miguel grinned.
"We do, indeed." Bia nodded. "We're a perfect match, alright."
The two chicks stood there for a moment, letting the revelations sink in.
"So... what now?" Miguel asked. "I'm not exactly an expert on this 'love' thing, you know."
"Neither am I." Bia added. "But I think two birds as smart as us can figure it out."
"We can give it our best shot, at least." Miguel smiled, kissing Bia's wingtip.
"All we have to do is put our heads together..." Bia whispered, edging closer to him.
"Yeah, together..." Miguel whispered back, moving closer too.
Their beaks met in a short, yet satisfying kiss.
"Wow..." Bia sighed.
"Wow..." Miguel grinned.
"But you know, it's not really the head that's important." Bia declared. "In love, it's the heart that matters, and the heart that you should listen to. A very smart bird taught me that."
"Teach me?" Miguel asked, nuzzling her lightly.
"Gladly." Bia giggled, nuzzling him back.
As her father had told her, Bia had managed to resolve her romantic problems without the use of her precious logic. A new horizon had been opened to her, one she would gladly share with Miguel. Even the knowledge that she would have to endure her siblings bombarding her with "I told you sos" couldn't dampen her spirits. After all, love has a way of making you forget your worries...
To Be Continued...
(Rio 2 and all associated characters are the property of Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox.)