Summary:

Gabriela sees herself in Bruno's eyes before he asks her to marry him...again.

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Written in Gabriela's POV.

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"You seem awfully quiet. Is something the matter?"

Bruno restarts next to me, his eyes heavy with the lack of sleep. "Hm? No, nothing's wrong," He yawns. "I'm sorry. I haven't…slept as much as I should."

My brow furrows but I don't dare pry any further. We're enjoying a cool afternoon by the mountains, still out of sight from everyone.

I was surprised when his nieces suddenly appeared at my doorstep a few weeks back. They darted away before I could even ask them questions. It was puzzling, to say the least. However, a few days after that encounter, Bruno didn't visit. I thought maybe he was just busy. After all, the house was almost finished.

But then he didn't show up again the following day. And the next, still no Bruno.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't overthinking while he was away. My joy was through the roof when he finally came by.

"Bruno, do you want to call it a day?" I ask. "You're exhausted."

"No," He protests as he stretches himself out and motions for me to do the same. "I want to stay here with you right now, mi amor. I don't…want to go back home just yet."

My heart flutters when he calls me his love. He's not being careful with his words and part of me likes it. "Why?" I gently lie down next to him, leaving some space between us both. "You're not having problems with the family again, are you?"

Bruno hums but does not give me an answer. We stay there in silence, watching the clouds float on by. I feel content being here like this, but I sense I'm missing something important. There is a nagging feeling deep in my heart.

"Bruno?" My voice echoes throughout, breaking the stillness.

"Hm?"

"You know you can always tell me what's wrong, don't you?"

"Hm."

I turn my head to face him. His eyes are closed. For a brief moment, I thought he had fallen asleep. I almost jump out of my skin when he reached over to hold my hand.

"Gabriela?" He begins. "Can I kiss you?"

"What?" A heavy blush spreads across my cheeks. "You're not dreaming right now, are you?"

He doesn't say anything else, but he thinks them aloud. It engulfs me like a roaring river, drowning out all the other noises in my head. All his fears, the secrets that kept him up so many nights since the day we came face to face, laid out for me to see. His hand squeezes mine as I sift through his memories. Bruno bares his whole soul without even saying a single word and I'm blown speechless.

Time halts. "Lo siento." His voice breaks. Bruno's fingers lightly brush against my cheek. "Lo siento mucho, Gabriela. Now, you know everything."

"Bruno…please, look at me."

When he opens his eyes again, I see the two versions of myself.

My mind and my heart battle one another. I'm torn. No matter how painful and bittersweet the past is, it'll always guide the present. Is there ever a right or wrong choice when neither is the answer? How long will I keep pretending?

There's no need to.

"Besame," I whisper. "Por favor, besame, Bruno."

His lips are immediately on mine the moment the words fall out of my mouth. He kisses me fervently and holds me in his arms, never daring to let me go.

Life isn't a fairytale but finding someone worth fighting for, no matter what the odds, makes it feel like one. Nothing is set in black or white. There are no sides. We may know one thing, but what we don't see is a multitude of possibilities stretching out into the infinite abyss.

But I choose to be here.

We break away too soon. "Te amo, Gabriela," Bruno says as he brushes my tears away. "Eres hermosa, tal como eres. It's always been you."

"Bruno…you knew your nieces came by a few weeks ago?" It's the question that's been hanging on my tongue for so long. "Is that why…you didn't come to see me?"

"I took some time to think, to try and understand…everything. I must've worried you."

"A little."

"I'm sorry."

We stay like that a little bit longer before he continues. "Why didn't you leave?" Bruno plays with our entwined fingers. "You could've gone anywhere."

"Yes, I could've," I breathe. "But I stayed for the same reason as you. Family."

"I guess we're alike in our ways."

"Some, but not quite. When you left me, Bruno, I wanted to forget you." My lip quivers while I brood over the circumstances and consequences. "I wanted to leave my past life behind. The day I lost everything was the day I…changed. When I came to by Mamá's grave…"

"You were no longer the person everyone knew." He concludes. "Señora Elena protected you?"

"Maybe. It was hard to explain to the rest of my family, but eventually, they accepted my fate. I found it difficult, you know, having to be apart from them. There was no other way I could continue living my life when I look like someone else. I learned to grow content with watching everyone from afar."

"I know how that feels." Bruno chuckles. "I've been in the walls just lurking about, being there but not quite."

"That's true. Although, I still don't understand how it happened."

"Magic doesn't always have to make sense," Bruno says as he takes something that's hidden in his shirt. My eyes widen when I see the familiar golden gleam hanging around his neck. "But feelings, thoughts…they're miracles that happen every day. When I finally got out of my little hole, ten years later, the only thing I wanted to do was make it right. I'm happy I found you again."

"My ring! I knew you took it!"

He laughs when I smack his shoulder. "Ow. Yes, it's your ring." Bruno sits the both of us up. "Gabriela Álvarez," His tone becomes serious as he holds the ring out. "I have done a lot of wrong things in this life, with you, with our families…with myself. But you've always seen the best in me and understood my worst. You'll always be the same woman I fell in love with, ermitaña or not. I don't care what anyone else would say."

"Are you proposing to me again, Bruno Madrigal?" I blink in disbelief. I'm blown away by this man. "What would you do if I told you no?"

"I won't lie, you deserve so much more than me." He takes my hand and for a moment I thought he would slip the ring into my finger. Instead, he drops it into my open palm. "But if you'll still take my love, I would do everything and more for you. Marry me again, Gabriela…if you choose to. And whatever decision you make, I'll respect it."

"This is a lot to take in…"

"You don't have to answer right away." Bruno gently closed my fingers around the ring. "Do you want to know what Julián asked of me?"

"What is it?"

"They've been waiting for you, Gabriela." His eyes never once break away from mine. I'm lost in the sea of green. "Our words can only do so much. None of us get to decide how your life goes. It's all up to you."

"Bruno," I hesitate. It feels like I'm holding fire in my hands and I'm clutching on to its intensity, praying for strength. "And if I say yes?"

The smile he gives is enough to make me melt. "Wear my heart on yours…then come back home to me."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

I lay in bed staring at the ceiling later that night. I can't stop thinking about him. Mi amor, mi corazón, cariño…Bruno Madrigal.

Dios mio. He stole my heart again.

"It's always been you."

"What am I going to do, Mamá?" I ask no one in particular. "I'm…I'm scared."

Something inside me urges me to take a peek at the ring sitting at my bedside. My breath catches when I realize the answer staring me in the face.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Glossary of terms (in order of appearance in-text):
Besame - Kiss me
Eres hermosa, tal como eres - You are beautiful, just the way you are