Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!Thank you for beta'ing, MsSchneeheide!
"Who the hell is that?" Flaca asks worriedly as the pounding on the door continues. Armaria buries her face into Flaca's shirt and clings to her. She rubs the baby's back in soothing circles as well as she can.
"I-I don't know..." The panic on Maritza's now pale face is clear. "I'm gonna vom, I'm seriously about to blow chunks..."
"Go hide in the bathroom with Raiza!" Elena whispers. "He has nothing against the rest of us, we'll make him leave..."
"I'm gonna carry her out of Karla and Ramón's bedroom window and down the fire escape," Maritza informs them in a shaky murmur. "Laronne, go find the other niños, okay? You gotta comfort 'em. I know you're afraid, but try to be brave. The only person Dean would hurt is your dad, not you. Diablo ain't here."
He nods fearfully, rises to his feet, and tiptoes away.
Blinking back tears and panting heavily, Flaca sees the door jiggling as the asshole knocks impossibly louder, probably using his feet instead of his knuckles. "Nah, just hide under their bed, Mari! You're shaking way too much, you could drop her."
Maritza stifles a sob and her horrified eyes widen. "Mami tried that once when he was all angry and chasing her with his baton, it didn't work, he found her almost immediately. He'll get down on his hands and knees and see us! Ay dios mio...Flaca, no se que hacer..."
I don't know what to do...
"The deep corner of their closet on the floor!" Elena realizes aloud. "Maritza, get into Karla's oversized suitcase, zip it up, but leave it open just far enough for your hand to get in and out of it. Then put Raiza into that oversized shopping bag next to it. I've found Benji there before when we played hide and seek."
"You're a fuckin' genius, gracias," Maritza breathes out. She and Raiza quickly crawl away.
Flaca high-fives Elena. "Okay, ahora I'm gonna call Charles. Maritza doesn't have the phone she shares with Blanca. Ceci, abre la puerta before he kicks it in," Flaca directs her. "Stall him until la policia get here."
open the door
She appears to be uneasy with doing this task. "Fine."
"I'll have the babies," Elena volunteers.
"Okay." After handing a sniveling Armaria to Elena, Flaca rounds the corner and enters Karla and Ramon's bedroom. She whips out her phone and dials Katie's dad's number. Her heart beating a mile a minute, she dives under Karla and Ramón's bed just as he's answering. "Hey, it's Flaca, there's a man pounding on the door and attempting to break in...it sounds like boom, boom, boom! Maritza, Elena, Ceci, and I are scared out of our wits 'cause we're alone babysitting several children!"
"Thank you for telling me, I'm on my way with backup!"
"Gracias, Señor Ford..."
"The hell you want?!" Ceci calls out from the other room. The response is muffled shouting.
"What the fuck's up with all this noise?!" Cesar yells moments later and Flaca stills at his loud voice while rolling her eyes. Even though the sound has her startled, she relaxes slightly. At least the cops know where he hangs out usually. "I could hear y'all as I was drivin' up the block!"
"We were playing with the younger children, that's all. Aleida said she was getting them...she didn't say anything about you," Elena says.
"I'm here to pick up the kids! They're mine, too! She'll appreciate my help."
"Flaca? You there?"
"Mm-hm, it was a false alarm. I thought Dean Juarez was trying to get in. Just that overexcited hoodlum Cesar Velazquez, but he ain't gonna do shit to us. Lo siento."
"It's all right, don't worry about it. My partner Donna and I are still coming. In the meantime, call nine-one-one and stay on the phone with the dispatcher until I get there."
"I will! Bye!"
"Bye," he echoes.
Quickly, she rings the emergency number and a dispatcher picks up right away. "Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?"
Flaca repeats what she's told Charles, and then gives the woman Karla's address in Queens, New York, and apartment number, five-nineteen.
"Thank you, I will be sending someone right away. What's your name, miss?"
"Marisol Gonzales." She sniffles and wipes a hand across her wet nose. "I'm fourteen...calling from my cell phone. The number is seven-one-eight, three-zero-five, nine-four-two-seven."
"All right. Did you get a good look at the suspect?"
"I-I dunno, I'm hiding under a bed...hold up a sec." Using her elbows and feet, Flaca scoots out from beneath Karla and Ramón's bed.
"Okay. Don't hang up."
"I won't."
She throws the phone on the bed and sneaks into the closet. "Mari, it's not Dean, you and Raiza gonna be fine. It's just Aleida's dumbass other novio."
"We ain't comin' back out 'til he's gone," Maritza whispers with terror seeping into her tone. "His voice scares me. You remember what Daya told us?"
"He's not doing anything dangerous right now...but Charles is arriving soon anyway," Flaca murmurs. "You can stay there and hide if you want, but I'm goin' back out there." She brandishes a mop. "I can try kickin' his ass if I have to!"
Maritza gives her a weak smile. "Buena suerte."
"Gracias." She picks her phone back up and exits, still clutching the mop's handle.
Cesar claps his hands just as she's rounding the corner. She stops at the entrance of the living room, but she doesn't go all the way in there. "Okay, Christina, Emiliano, and Eva, let's go! I've got Armaria and Lucy."
"No, you don't, we can't just let you take them without Aleida's approval...and we know you ain't got it," Ceci snaps. Lucy is wailing and clutching tight to Elena as the girl holds her. When Cesar reaches for Armaria, the older baby pulls away from him, sucking her thumb anxiously.
"I don't wanna have to get the you know what when I take you all back home!" Cesar warns the kids.
"His name is Cesar Velasquez, he's Hispanic, bald, wearing a black wifebeater, camouflage jacket, a silver watch on his left wrist, and blue jeans...got a gold chain necklace on," Flaca whispers, taking a few steps back so Cesar doesn't notice her. He seems to just be focused on finding the children. "I...I think he's threatening the little ones with a gun he's gonna pull on 'em when he takes 'em home, but I ain't too sure. He's inside of the house right now."
"Is he armed?"
"No."
"Is anyone hurt?"
"Mm-mm." Trembling, Flaca shakes her head as she watches Christina come out of Benji's room, holding hands with her younger brother and sister. Eva leans fearfully against Christina, who puts an arm around her. They all stand behind Elena and Ceci.
"Remember what happened with Emiliano? He got in trouble for not eating his fries that Margarita heated in the microwave!" Cesar wags his finger at the kids, who gulp nervously. He's such a fucked up adult.
Flaca remembers that Cesar had jumped up and grabbed a gun out of a drawer. The gun cocked and Emiliano stuffed the fries into his mouth. The boy had run off when Cesar kicked him out of the room. She's prepared to strike him in the back of the head.
"Stay on the line," the operator instructs Flaca. "Are you there?"
"Yes."
"Police officers will be at the door in just a few moments."
"Gracias," Flaca breathes out.
"I gave your mom money to buy you and Eva scooters," Cesar growls, snatching Christina to his side. He gestures to the smaller children. "I got you all movies and candy so you'd behave...am I just wasting my time with shitty bribes?" He glares at Eva. "I bought you a Barbie doll just for you to flush it down the goddamn toilet! You runts are always breaking your stupid-ass toys, like that blue star-!"
"¡Yo, basta!" Elena yells. "Mira, you bald fuck, you're scaring them. We were told specifically to watch 'em until Aleida got here."
He grits his teeth and points at her as she holds Lucy away from him, shushing the tiny human gently. "You're testin' me, huh?" He puts his hands on Eva's and Emiliano's heads. Christina stands next to him with her arms folded across her chest. Elena and Ceci are scowling at him and the poor kids look so solemn and frightened.
They're all saved by a knock on the front door. "It's unlocked!" Flaca shouts, closing her flip phone. She's distracting him so that Ceci can open up and let the cops in.
"What the fuck?!" Cesar bellows as Flaca drags her mop across the floor while smirking. She doesn't even need to use it; help has arrived.
He walks up behind Ceci as she's holding Daya's infant, now swaddled in a pink polka dotted blanket, and slams the door. Agents barge in. Cesar tries in vain to escape through a window, then decks one of the men and wrestles with another. The girls and boys gasp worriedly as Cesar throws the third guy onto a sofa. Another agent grabs him from behind, but Cesar sends him crashing down on the coffee table, making all the kids cry out. Donna holds back Eva. Charles, Wade Donaldson, and a male officer Flaca doesn't know, bring Cesar down. Face down on the ground now, Cesar watches the smallest girls leave the room. Charles, Donna, and Wade Donaldson pounce on him. They force him into handcuffs and push him out.
"¡Ay dios mío, gracias!" the teenagers call out in unison, waving.
"Hey, Emiliano, don't use tongue when you kiss your mom, you fuckin' pervert!" are Cesar's last words.
"Look at this asshole...Emilio's only five!" Flaca mutters, ruffling the boy's hair.
"You're welcome," Charles tells them without turning around. They laugh softly to themselves as Cesar is shoved into the back of the squad car with Charles' hand firmly on top of his head. He appears to be angry and he's struggling.
"I'd flip him off, but I'm afraid he'll send his cousin Duardo after us," Ceci murmurs. "He's el jefe...and his Jewish friend's like a shark when it comes to the heroin packing business, Daya said."
"Yeah, we can't rile him up. We just gotta hope Aleida throws him out of her life for good," Elena adds.
Putting her hands on her hips, Flaca nods in agreement. "It'd be like, everyone's dream come true! I'mma get Maritza and Raiza." She turns on her heel and rushes to where they're concealed. "Yo, it's safe to come out now!"
A couple seconds pass until Maritza and Raiza emerge. They let out relieved sobs as they hug Flaca, one on either side of her. Flaca then lovingly tousles Raiza's locks and holds Maritza securely, rocking her back and forth in her embrace. She strokes Maritza's hair and then they kiss.
"Muchas gracias, Flaca..."
"De nada, mi princesa." Flaca strokes her thumb across Maritza's damp cheek a few times.
Maritza's crying slows, but Raiza's doesn't. She clings to Maritza's leg and Maritza picks her up. She guides Raiza's head down to her shoulder and sits on Karla and Ramón's bed with Raiza on her lap. Flaca places herself beside them as Raiza hyperventilates between wails in Maritza's arms. "Where's my dolly?!" Raiza screams.
"I'll get Dora, no te preocupes, nena," Flaca assures her. She gets up right away and retrieves it from the living room couch, then she hands it to Raiza, who snuggles her comfort toy close to her chest while openly weeping.
"Thank you," she chokes out.
Flaca kneels down in front of her and chucks her chin gently. "You're welcome, mini chiquita."
Maritza sends her a grateful smile and Flaca beams sadly back at her.
"The scariest thing happened, Mami! Mientras cuidábamos a los niños, César golpeaba la puerta y Ceci tuvo que dejarlo entrar porque, de lo contrario, derribaría la puerta...she and Elena were protecting the smallest babies while the older children hid in Benji's room...y Raiza y yo nos escondimos en el armario de Karla y Ramón... ¡y Flaca llamó nine-one-one! Hasta que Cesar se reveló, pensé que era Dean..." Maritza sinks into Blanca's warm, firm embrace. "Thank Lucifer it wasn't."
While we were babysitting the kids, Cesar was banging on the door and Ceci had to let him in because he'd break the door down otherwise...and Raiza and I hid in Karla and Ramón's closet...and Flaca called nine one one! Until Cesar revealed himself, I thought he was Dean...
"Ay dios mío, that's still horrifying!" Blanca pecks the top of her head a few times and holds her close. "Lo siento mucho, mija. I'm so glad you're all okay." She rubs her daughter's back soothingly. "I hope he's put away for a long time!"
"Yo también..."
"Mommy!" Raiza squeaks and joins their hug, still grasping the front of Dora's pink cotton shirt. Meanwhile, Daya, the other moms, Ramón, and Diablo are having similar reunions with their respective children.
"Oh, Marisolita Fajita, ¡estoy tan orgullosa de ti!" Theresa exclaims as she and Flaca envelop each other.
I'm so proud of you!
Flaca giggles. "Aw, gracias, Mami. It was nada."
Theresa just presses a kiss to her temple and taps her nose sweetly.
"Can we go to Fahri's apartment now, Mama?" Benny asks as he and Julio peer up at Gloria. "Leon's staying there overnight, Chrissy said! He's so much fun to play with!"
"We wanna see him! Please, please, please?" Julio adds, jumping up and down.
Ceci frowns. "Guys, really?"
"Yeah, don't you wanna stay with us...like we should be together as a family...Cesar could've come unhinged and really hurt your babies bad..." Elena trails off and gives her mother a questioning stare.
"They thought it was my ex at first," Blanca chimes in as she and Diablo melt into each other. Within his folded arms, she allows herself a sigh.
"That's awful! They must've been scared to death." Gloria touches her youngest daughter's cheek affectionately. "You're right, Ellie."
"You can come with us!" Benny tells his sisters happily.
"To Fahri's? He doesn't even love our mom anymore, she said!" Ceci protests. "That'd be so fuckin' awkward! Why don't we just hang out with Abuela and Lourdes?"
"They're still working at the bodega...they can't leave since their shift ends later than mine." Gloria beams at Blanca, Karla, and Aleida. "My friends encouraged me to pay him a visit...but we can just go tomorrow, if you don't mind? Instead of tonight? We'll chill here."
"Sure," Elena agrees.
"Okay," Ceci mumbles.
"Yaaaaay!" Benny and Julio cheer at the same time.
Blanca gazes around at all the parents interacting with their kids. She beams as Daya swings little Armaria up in her arms and nuzzles noses with her as she coos, and then Karla gives Benji's nose a tap while pressing her lips to his cheek. She hands him to his father, who tosses him slightly in the air as he squeals happily. "Oh, mijo," Diablo murmurs as he and Laronne hug and he hoists his son a few inches off the ground before setting him down again. "Buen trabajo, protecting those kids!"
"¡Gracias, Papí!"
As she bounces Lucy in her arms, Aleida's brood chatter at the same time about how Cesar had gotten in and what he was saying. "He almost made us cry!" Christina lets her know.
"Yeah, super, duper scary!" Eva tacks on.
"He's the monster under our beds," Emiliano finishes.
Aleida sighs sharply. "Lo siento, niños...I'll be having a talk with him! I'll let his ass fry."
"Good plan, Ma!" Daya tells her.
Gloria has her arms around Ceci and Elena as she guides them to the sofa. They snuggle into her, one on each side, and she strokes their hair. Benny and Julio climb into her lap. She's saying they're so brave to face Cesar. "I wish you didn't have to, but-"
"We know, Mami," Elena states.
"All we really were concerned with was protecting the younger kids and Maritza," Ceci puts in.
Hugs are exchanged when the Flores, Zuniga, Gonzales, and Diaz families leave.
"Hey..." Blanca walks beside Theresa down the narrow pathway as they follow Diablo, who has Raiza sitting high up on his shoulders. She's just laughing her little head off as she pats his hair a few times and waves her hands in the air. "That's adorable!" Blanca gushes as she points to them.
"I know, right?"
Blanca nods vigorously, grinning. Holding hands with their fingers interlinked, Maritza and Flaca run ahead to his truck. He's giving Theresa and Flaca a ride home since they're on the way. "I know this is a weird time to ask, but...are you and Yuri together yet, o ¿qué pasó con Tetas Brilliantes?"
what happened with Sparkle Tits
Theresa stifles a giggle. "Eh...I think we're getting somewhere!"
"Ooooh!" Blanca laughs out loud and nudges her playfully. "They really divorced, then?"
"She left him for good this time, so he's a free agent! He was dying to get rid of her, she was starting to drive him loco. They had their last explosive fight a week ago, and then she went to Sheepshead Bay. Unfortunately, she took the kids, too, and he's fighting her for joint custody. She wants full."
"Ugh! I hope she doesn't get it...she sounds like a bitch!"
"She is." Theresa rolls her eyes. "Poor guy. What kind of pendeja takes her babies away from her decent husband?"
"Mm-hm."
"I hope our coffee date goes well on Friday!"
"Same here! Buena suerte, amiga."
Theresa grins and snickers. "Gracias, hermosa."
The girls are now at Barney's, buying bath products such as sweet smelling soap. After their frightening experience, they need some retail therapy while their parents are at work.
"Make sure to click on our website, PoPi dot org," Piper tells them cheerfully from the checkout counter. "We have peppermint, lavender, vanilla, and blueberry scented soap to choose from!"
"I know, I see it all," Maritza quips, exchanging a perplexed look with Flaca, Elena, Ceci, Daya, and Katie. "See, what'd I say before? She's too chirpy!"
"Yeah!" the others concur. Ceci links arms with Katie. "I'm so glad your dad arrested that cabrón!"
"Me too, once he told me, I just had to see you."
"Mm-hm, I came since Armaria is down for a nap and my mom's with all the kids. Besides, I'm celebrating her possibly finally seeing the light!" Daya exclaims.
"Yay! Well, gracias for joining us, chicas!" Flaca tells them enthusiastically.
"You're welcome!" Katie and Daya chorus.
"Sí, it's great that y'all are here!" Maritza chimes in.
"Yep, and roomin' with Mami is gonna be excellent, too!" Elena squeals.
"Ellie, no necesitamos dormir con Gloria esta noche, ¿de acuerdo? We're teenagers!" Ceci insists and raises a brow.
we don't need to sleep with Gloria tonight, okay?
"Yo quiero. No tienes que hacerlo," Elena mutters. "Y su nombre es Mami...o Mom."
I want to. You don't have to. And her name is
Narrowing her eyes, Ceci frowns. "You can't force yourself on her! Déjala tener su vida…we live with Abuela, or did you forget?"
Let her have her life
"She just stayed away for too long, but she intended to come back for us. You ruined it…gracias a dios she messaged me on MySpace and we talked one-on-one! She said I can make my own choices, I don't gotta do what you say. I can't break her heart like you did, Ceci. She's really coming around, can't you see that?!" Elena hisses.
Ceci shrugs. "She's trying, I guess...but you invited us to stay with her. She has to come over on her own."
"Okay, basta ya, las dos, I thought she does?" Flaca asks.
enough already, you two
"Yeah, but it's not enough," Ceci argues.
Elena swats her older sister's shoulder with the back of her hand. "¡Porque nunca la quieres cerca!"
because you never want her around!
"¡Ay dios mío, detente!" Maritza cuts in, holding up her hand. She turns to Elena. "Glo's only been at Karla's with her boys for what, three months now? That's not enough time for Ceci to rebuild her relationship with y'all's mami. Let her hold a grudge for a while. With lots more time, things should get better."
Oh my god, stop!
"Yeah!" Daya mutters.
Ceci nods, smirking at Elena, who just scowls.
"Understandable, but Ceci can't tell me not to see her," Elena points out, folding her arms across her chest. "She's our mother. Anyone else wanna weigh in?"
"That's true," Flaca agrees, and Elena smiles. "Mira, maybe you can go to Karla's without your hermana. You don't gotta follow her wherever she goes."
"Yeah, look at me, I don't do everything my big sis does and says," Katie chimes in.
Elena sighs. "On the other hand...Abuela has been working a lot and seeing her girlfriend, I'm starting to miss her...and our hermanitos might wanna share the bed with Mami tonight, 'cause they were more afraid than us...dormiré allí en otro momento. I just feel bad about hurting her feelings...I'll cancel now." She pulls her phone out of her purse and texts.
I'll sleep over there some other time.
"Why? Ella hirió nuestros sentimientos hace mucho tiempo. Could we just shop now?" Ceci wonders aloud, annoyance in her tone.
She hurt our feelings long ago.
They each end up getting a fancy soap and colorful bath bomb.
"Karla told us her baby shower is this Sunday, the eleventh," Blanca informs her daughters and Laronne as she and Diablo stroll into their room.
"So, we gotta shop for it mañana," Diablo puts in.
"Oh, the day after Ceci's seventeenth!" Maritza squeals. "I'm just glad we get to go...I love seeing those teeny tiny little dude outfits with mini baseball caps and dresses and onesies for bebecitas, they're so cute!"
baby girls
"Yeah! Daddy, isn't that just for girls, though?" Laronne wonders aloud.
"Traditionally, sí, mijo, but Karla invited all of us!"
"Cool!"
"What's a baby shower?" the youngest of them all wants to know. "Are we going to get wet?"
Blanca giggles and exchanges an amused look with Diablo. "No, mi pequeña niña, it's just that Karla's gonna get a lot of presents!"
"Oh, okay!"
Diablo takes a deep breath. "We also wanted to say that we're going to a trauma support group therapy session on Friday afternoon that Lourdes is the leader of. It'll really help Blanca!" He puts his arm around her and draws her closer. "I'm paying for it, so don't be concerned about the cost."
"Do me and Raiza have to go?" Maritza appears worried.
"Only if you want to," Blanca responds. Her gaze travels to her youngest child. "Raiza, there's someone named Debbie Denning who can help real little kids like you through bad things they've seen and experienced. Would you like to meet her Friday after Mami talks to Señorita Lourdes? She'll be there, too. Gloria says that her niños love her! She's nice, and Aleida's babies are gonna start seeing her también."
Raiza nods slightly. "Yeah," she says quietly.
Blanca grins. "Alright." She glances between her daughters. "Are you sure you don't wanna discuss what went down earlier today?"
Maritza shakes her head no. "Estamos contentas de que no fuera Dean," she states.
We're just glad it wasn't Dean.
"He yelled really bad, sissy. Can I sleep with you?" Raiza asks and then sucks her thumb.
Smiling down at her baby sister, Maritza tousles her hair. "Sí, hermanita."
Blanca kisses and hugs them good night. "Niñas, if either of you need me, I'm always here, okay? Come get me and I'll fly outta bed to comfort you!"
"¡Yo lo hare tambien!" Diablo says. "¡Estaré tan feliz de hacerte sentir mejor! Nunca debes tener miedo de acudir a ninguno de los dos por nada."
I will, too! I'll be so happy to make you feel better! You never have to be afraid to come to either of us for anything.
"¡Bien, gracias!" Maritza beams even more. "Buenas noches a los dos."
Okay, thanks! Good night, you two.
"¡Dulces sueños!" Diablo tells them both.
Sweet dreams!
"I love you both a lot," Blanca murmurs. "¡Hasta mañana!" She pecks their cheeks before departing with Diablo. "¡Y por supuesto, te amo mucho, querido!"
And of course, I love you so much!
That same night, Gloria stops by Fahri's with her boys in tow. Her girls have decided to hang out at their abuela's place instead of sleeping over at Karla's with her, so she and her boys plan to go there later. Lourdes is on another date with her new partner, Celeste Chapman. She rings the doorbell and Leon answers it.
"Stayin' over here another night?" she asks as they hug.
"Sure am!" He kneels down to Benny's and Julio's levels. "Hey, little dudes, bring it in!" He gathers them in his arms and messes up their hair. They laugh loudly while jumping up and down.
"Leon!" they holler enthusiastically. Gloria just has to giggle at how cute they are. She's also pleased that they've actually gotten to know some good men in her life, even though she's not in a romantic relationship or anything. The kids run off and start teasing each other loudly, making their voices echo around the big, empty house.
"Where's Fahri?" Gloria asks as Leon leads her inside. She gazes around the vacant space as she adjusts her twisted purse strap on her shoulder. "You know, without those thirty-five other guests from Thanksgiving, it seems pretty vacant here."
He chuckles and follows her gaze to the dining room. "Yeah! It really does. Uh...Fahri's out for the moment, but he'll be back soon...I wanna say ten minutes or so?"
Pursing her lips, Gloria nods in understanding. She brushes her hair aside and walks backwards until she notices the winding staircase in her peripheral vision. Leaning against the wall, she smiles sympathetically at Leon. "So, how you doin'?"
He steps closer to her and grins. "All right. I still see her kids, but when she's not home. It's too awkward to face her, no offense."
"None taken, man."
"So, how is Aleida?"
"Moping. Daya and I will give her a few days and then snap her the fuck out of it." Gloria shrugs her hands and slaps them against her thighs. "Yo, listen...she gotta figure this out on her own. Even if it's so obvious, she don't always know the right choice." Her eyes scan him and she shakes her head. "God damn. You're like, ten million times the man Cesar is...and more attractive, too."
"Thanks," he says bashfully.
She drops her gaze as she shuffles forward. "I know we're both hurting in our hearts, Leon...in your case, Aleida blew it, and I don't think I got a chance with Fahri...I don't mind at all being alone with you...it's cool to just vent and bond, right?"
"We are in the same boat," he concurs.
His fists are clenched and shoved into his pockets. There's a flash of a second where Gloria imagines those large, strong hands of his on her. She's suddenly squeezing the firm muscles in his biceps; it's like her body has a mind of its own. She's already had one naughty fantasy of herself giving him a lap dance and doing the salsa with him and it's just so weird. Aleida doesn't deserve him, Fahri isn't interested in her as anything more than a friend, and Leon isn't resisting her advances. Their brows are low and their jaws clenched. It's like there's a magnetic pull between them. Their foreheads press together, their lips brush, just barely, until Leon pulls away with a shaking exhale, his forehead dropping into Gloria's neck.
She takes a step back at the same time he turns away. Guilt immediately grips her, spreads through her veins, until she feels a twinge in her heart.
"We can't do this, it's not fair to Aleida, even though I'm not with her anymore...I still love her. I'm waiting to see if she'll continue to contact Cesar." Leon also appears to be remorseful.
"I know...I'm sorry," Gloria apologizes. "A best friend can't be with an ex, anyway." She notices Fahri in the background and jumps; realizing that he may have seen them almost kiss.
Thank you for reviewing, Juliette45!