CAMILO

The moment he shapeshifted into Santiago…well, his relationship with Mirabel changed forever. (It just went downhill from there, honestly).

Camilo had never meant for it to go that far. But then again, his own longingness to spend time with her alone won over his conscience.

"Santi!" Mirabel dropped the tree branch she was holding and wrapped him in a bear hug. "I thought you weren't coming."

Camilo as Santiago reluctantly hugged her back. "I nodded, remember?" He reminded her. "Sorry it took me a while. I had to wait for my hermanos to go to their rooms before leaving."

"It's okay," Mirabel smiled, then shrugged it off. "I know the feeling." She then pulled his hand. "Now, come on." She said, dragging him to the picnic blanket where she had set up.

"Oh, wow," Camilo smiled. "This is nice. Maybe I should've brought food before coming here."

Mirabel brushed him off. "No, it's fine." She said as she sat down and patted the spot on the blanket next to her.

Camilo sat down next to her and cleared his throat. "So, what's…uh, all this about?" He asked.

Mirabel simply shrugged. "I just wanted a place where I can talk to you freely and not worry about my prima Dolores being able to hear us." She took a paper bag from the picnic basket and gestured to him. "Buñuelos?"

If it was just Camilo, he would have taken the paper bag and eaten the buñuelos one by one in one bite. But he had to remind himself that he was Santiago dela Cuesta.

"Uh, sure," Camilo said as he grabbed one from the paper bag and munched on it. "Hmm, are these your Mamá's food?"

Mirabel nodded, then took a buñuelo from the bag.

"Wait," Camilo frowned. "Does your familia know you're here or-?"

"Nope," She said, shaking her head. "No one knows I'm here. I had to sneak food from the kitchen ahead of time." She explained. "And Camilo almost caught me."

Camilo froze when she mentioned her name, but began to relax while she continued talking.

"Thankfully," She continued. "He bought it when I told him the food was for a late-night snack. I had to sneak in another batch for him just to throw him off of his suspicions on why I'm suddenly sneaking food from the kitchen."

"You know," Camilo spoke up. "Your primo seems like a nice guy, but-"

"I know," Mirabel interjected. "He's overprotective. Maybe a little too overprotective, but you don't really need to worry about him. He's just like that because, well, he's obliged to take care of us since he's the oldest male grandson in the family. And well, because I didn't get a gift."

That was true. And Camilo had to smile and admire how Mirabel often spoke highly of him to other people despite him being a tease and annoying her most of the time.

"You don't need a gift to be special," He said. "You already are, by just being you."

Mirabel rolled her eyes as she took another bite from her buñuelo.

Camilo looked away in embarrassment. Why did I say that? "I'm sorry," He spoke up. "I-I didn't mean to, you know. I just-I heard the stories of how you restored the magic of Encanto. I mean, that's…wonderful."

Mirabel made a face. "I mean, it is, sure." She said. "That's enough about me. What about you?"

Camilo only knew little about the dela Cuestas but he told Mirabel what he knew regardless. He told her that he has two other siblings besides Javier and Pablo. Their eldest brother, Manuel was married and has a son; and there's a ten-year age gap between him (Santiago) and their younger sister, Gabriela. Camilo also told her that his father was ill, but he didn't mention what type of illness because he didn't know.

"Hey," Mirabel interjected. "Have you tried giving Mamá's food to your Papá?" She asked.

"No," Camilo lied, because he had thought about it. "I haven't really thought about that. Does your Mamá's healing food even work outside Encanto?" Then he flinched. What the hell, Camilo? He thought.

"I mean, I'm sorry that sounded bad," Camilo apologized. "I'm not saying Señora Julieta's food doesn't work, I was just-"

"It's okay," Mirabel assured. "I actually wonder the same thing. I mean, I know Dolores cannot hear beyond the mountains, but I can't say the same for my other family members with gifts."

Well, Camilo's gift obviously still works. He was beyond the Pass when he shapeshifted into Santiago, but he didn't need to tell Mirabel that.

Mirabel then gave him a curious look. "Have you tried bringing my Mamá's food with you to your parents?" She asked.

Camilo shook his head. "I don't think so, no."

"Maybe you should bring some when you do," She suggested. "That way, we'll know if Mamá's healing food would work outside Encanto. Plus, it'll heal your Papá if it does. It's like killing two birds with one stone." Then she gasped, covering her mouth. "Do not tell Antonio I said that."

Camilo snorted. "I won't," He promised. "Don't worry."

It was true. Antonio gets upset when things involved hurting animals. And Camilo was convinced Antonio's ability to talk to animals is the reason why his hermanito does not eat meat at all. But again, he had to remind himself that Santiago didn't know that.

"Anyway," Camilo spoke up, eager to change the subject. "I cannot get enough of these buñuelos." He said before taking another bite. "But next time, I don't like that you're sneaking out food."

Mirabel frowned at him. "Next time?"

Camilo could feel himself turning red from embarrassment. "Uh, I mean, if you still want to meet up like this."

"Of course!" Mirabel said way too quickly, then straightened. "I mean, of course. I'd love it." She admitted. "It's a lot better and quieter than meeting in the streets of Encanto."

"And there's no teasing," He brought up.

"Yes, there's no teasing," Mirabel agreed. "You have no idea. My hermanas and primos make it worse at home."

Camilo chuckled. "Javi and Pablo are getting more annoying everyday." He said.

Of course, he didn't know if that was true or not. But Camilo was already very familiar with sibling relationships. In his case, it extended to cousin relationships. And yes, Camilo had established himself as the annoying brother/cousin in the family.

They locked eyes and just started laughing awkwardly.

Camilo cleared his throat. "Anyway, next time," He said. "I think I should bring the food. I mean, not that I don't like Señora Julieta's cooking, I do. But honestly, I think her food would benefit the sick rather than just us eating it out here beyond the Pass."

"I only took the leftovers," Mirabel reasoned. "But I see your point. Maybe I should buy food in town more often."

"No, no," Camilo disagreed. "You don't have to worry about that. Because I will take care of it."

Mirabel raised an eyebrow at him. "Really?"

"Yeah," He said. "I'll get the food. There's actually a lot of great food in Encanto other than your Mamá's. And trust me, it's a lot better than the food sold where I'm from. Well, that's excluding my Mamá's cooking, of course."

Mirabel chuckled. "Okay, I'll take your word for it."

"Great," Camilo smiled. "And also, this-" He gestured at the picnic basket and the blanket they were sitting on "-setup. Just leave it to me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you made all this possible," He pointed out. "Next time, I will take care of it. Like, the blanket, the food, and hopefully…a song?"

Mirabel's eyes widened. "You're gonna sing me a song?"

"Well, I mean…if you'd like it, I will." He forced out a smile.

Mirabel smiled half-heartedly. "You continue to surprise me, Santi."

Camilo simply shrugged, but his chest pounded hard. "Well…I've had a lot of practice." He lied.

He's so screwed. Camilo can sing, but cannot play the accordion for shit. He'll have no choice but to learn to play it if he's to impress Mirabel.

Mirabel continued to ask him questions about music while they ate. Camilo answered as best as he could with what he knew, while constantly reminding himself that he's answering the questions as Santiago.

Sometime later, they both had to lie on the blanket and went stargazing. Mirabel pointed at the constellations she knew and told him facts about them.

Camilo found himself staring at her in awe. He loved the way she lights up whenever she talked about the things she likes.

"I used to climb to the Casita's roof," Mirabel recalled. "I would map it out with the map from one of Papá's books. Well, actually I still do. And sometimes, Camilo would climb up with me."

That was true. He did accompany her sometimes. But he was mostly there to hold the lámpara and to keep her from slipping off the roof tiles.

And actually, the first time he climbed up the roof with her, was just sort of, an accident.

Camilo had sneaked into the kitchen to get some late-night snack when he saw Mirabel on the roof. He had to climb with Casita's help to reach her. There was a little argument that involved telling on their parents and Abuela until Camilo came up with a proposition: he will never tell anyone about her climbing the roof and she wouldn't tell anyone that he sneaks out food from the kitchen every night, to which Mirabel agreed. They then shook hands to seal the deal. And they were only eight back then.

Now, Mirabel's telling 'Santiago' about it.

"Camilo, really?" Camilo repeated his name.

"Yes," Mirabel confirmed. "Well, he's mostly there to hold up the lámpara and to keep me from falling off the roof. I've had several close calls and would have definitely fallen off the roof if it weren't for him."

Camilo was strangely intrigued and nervous now that they were talking about him.

"You two are close, huh?" He said before he could stop himself.

"Of course," Mirabel said without hesitation. "We're primos, we grew up together. And even though his crazy antics make me want to clout him, he's my bestfriend." She said. "Don't ever tell him I said that. He'll find a way to use it against me somehow."

Okay, now he's slightly feeling guilty about lying to her, but he agreed to not tell 'Camilo' about it.

They continued stargazing and talking until he noticed Mirabel yawning, which meant she was already sleepy.

"So, when are we going to do this again?" Camilo asked.

"I don't know," Mirabel shrugged. "Same time tomorrow?" She suggested.

Camilo nodded. "I'll look forward to it."

He helped her pack up and they walked back into Encanto. Camilo insisted on walking her back to Casa Madrigal but agreed that they shouldn't speak a word to each other to avoid being discovered by Dolores.

Once they were above Mirabel's bedroom window, she turned to him and mouthed buenas noches to him.

Camilo then took her hand, kissed it, and mouthed buenas noches. He saw Santiago kiss her hand after he danced with her during the fiesta celebrating Dolores' engagement.

She smiled after he did it before climbing up to the window, with him watching as she did. Mirabel waved at him once more before closing the window shutters.

Camilo had then started walking to the other side of the Casita. Once he turned the corner, he glanced around and made sure no one else was there before transforming back to himself.

He took a deep breath before climbing up to his bedroom window. This wasn't the way he went out as he had gotten out the Casita from Mirabel's bedroom. Nevertheless, Camilo simply knocked on the window shutters with the specific three-knock rhythmic pattern to let Casita know that it was him and he needed something opened. In that case, it was the windows of his bedroom.

Camilo jumped into his room and instantly, the window shutters closed.

"Gracias, Casita." He said, then clapped twice.

It turned on the lights in his bedroom, illuminating everything from the tiered seats, the wall of mirrors, and his draped bed on the stage.

Yes, by the looks of his bedroom, he was obviously the theater kid since it's a literal theater complete with two-tier ten-row seating, great acoustics, spotlights, and a special effects machine that would make his Tío Bruno jealous.

Camilo got out of his clothes and put on his pajamas before jumping into his bed. Once his head hit the pillow, Casita had already dimmed the lights in his room.

But he didn't sleep yet. He couldn't sleep because he kept thinking about what happened earlier. He's not sure to call it a blessing in disguise, but sort of, felt like it was. He wanted to spend time with Mirabel alone and it happened.

Was that how dates go? He wondered. Did that even classify as a date?Nevertheless, Camilo enjoyed it. He loved spending time with Mirabel. It also made him fall in love with her even more. But also it made him slightly guilty.

The following day, when they were in town for their chores, Camilo kept Mirabel busy. And by busy, it meant gathering more children for them to babysit and play with while their parents were busy with work.

On the contrary, Mirabel is better with the children than he is. Between him and his prima, she was the nurturing one. She'd tell them stories, answer their questions, sing them songs, teach them to dance, and occasionally braid some of the children's hair. While Camilo himself was the playful one. He'd play games with them and of course, entertain them with his shapeshifting abilities.

But since 'Santiago' promised to get everything for the picnic date with Mirabel, he had to occasionally sneak out. He bought a picnic basketful of food from several of his favorite stalls in town and readied a picnic blanket and juices for their drinks.

One of the vendors even became suspicious he bought so many, but thankfully she bought it when Camilo said he'd be too tired to rummage the kitchen at midnight for a snack. He had then walked home to the Casita and hid all the things he bought in his room.

He bumped into Tío Bruno when he got out of his room.

"Whoa, there, Cami." Tío Bruno said as he held him upright, then frowned. "What are you doing back home?" He asked.

"I just…forgot something." Camilo lied. Nervous and slightly panicking, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a trompo one of the kids had given him yesterday. "I left this."

Tío Bruno narrowed his eyebrows suspiciously. "So you came back to the Casita because you forgot a…trompo?"

"Yes?" He said forcing out a smile.

"You don't sound so sure," Tío Bruno noticed.

At that point, he didn't know what else to say. "I have to go, adios!" Camilo said quickly before heading out of the Casita.

That was close, he thought. Hopefully, his Tío Bruno won't be suspicious.

Camilo went back to the town square where Mirabel was telling a story to the children they were looking after. She was sitting on one of the benches with about a dozen children surrounding her. He found himself staring at his prima. Just the way Mirabel's face lit up as she described details to the kids made him smile.

Dios mio, she's so beautiful, Camilo thought. And he probably would've stared at her all day until…

"Camilo!" Dolores whispered right into his ear out of nowhere.

It was enough to make him jump. "Ah!" He shrieked as he turned to his sister. "Would you ever stop doing that?"

"Stop doing what?" Dolores asked.

"Just…" He faltered, then sighed. "What do you want from me?"

A hand patted him on his shoulder. He turned and saw his eldest prima, señorita perfecta herself, Isabela. "Hmm," She said. "Seems like we interrupted you with something. Are you okay, primo?"

Camilo frowned. "What kind of a question is that?" He scoffed. "Of course, I'm okay."

"Really?" Isabela crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "So you're just standing in one corner alone, while the children surround Mirabel. Hmm, seems like someone's not in the middle of everyone's attention." She teased.

Oh, Camilo thought. To Isabela, she probably thought he was mad because the crowd's attention wasn't on him. It used to be the case with him when he was a kid, but not anymore.

He decided to grab the opportunity and used it as an excuse than actually knowing about him staring and admiring her youngest sister from afar.

"Uh, fine," Camilo said in his best-annoyed tone, being the brilliant actor that he is. "They chose to listen to Mirabel's story rather than play fútbol with me."

"And there it is," Isabela said. "Thank you for admitting it."

"What do you want?" Camilo asked again.

"Luisa needs help," Isabela suggested. "She's going to help Señor Ortiz's donkeys with Diego and-"

"Espera un segundo," Camilo raised his hand, interrupting her. "Why is she going with this Diego person?" He asked.

"Uh, because he's Señor Ortiz's son?" Dolores replied. "How do you not know him?"

"Of course, I know him," Camilo insisted. "He's been giving Luisa this weird smile, and I think he's freeing the donkeys on purpose so he can spend time with her. It's either that or their caretaker's actually just terrible at fixing the fence. But whatever it is, I don't like it."

"Ay, hermanito," Dolores rolled her eyes. "You're overreacting again. Diego is actually nice and I think he really likes Luisa. And I also think she likes him back, but she just doesn't know it yet."

Camilo knitted his eyebrows. Suddenly, he was back into his protective cousin mode as he turned to Isabela. "You're encouraging this?" He demanded. "That's your sister."

"Cami, relax, okay?" Dolores assured. "There's no harm in a simple crush."

"Oh, did you tell Luisa that?" Camilo asked. "Or Mirabel with Santiago? Or is that what you did with Mariano?"

Dolores squeaked. "Jokes on you, we're getting married."

Camilo shook his head in disbelief. "What?"

Isabela cleared her throat, while also making tiny cacti pop around by her feet. "Lola, you didn't let me finish." She said, gritting her teeth. "As I was saying, Luisa will be helping Diego with the donkeys and you need to help."

Camilo raised an eyebrow at his eldest prima. "And by help you mean watch over Luisa and make sure Diego doesn't do anything weird, right?"

"Good," Isabela nodded in agreement. "You're catching on."

Dolores frowned at Isabela. "Isa, what-why are you suddenly so overprotective?" She asked. "You weren't like this when we found out about Santiago's crush on Mirabel."

Isabela took a deep breath. "Lola, Luisa is not Mirabel," She explained. "She might be brave and strong on the outside, but deep inside she has a soft heart and is very sensitive. You know how she reacts during the emotional scenes of Tío Bruno's telenovela."

"Finally, someone gets it," Camilo said. "Don't worry, you can count on me. But I am wondering why you weren't like this when it came to Mirabel and Santiago."

"Oh, Mirabel can handle Santiago," Isabela said confidently. "It's weird, but I can sort of see Papá in him. Except, he isn't accident-prone."

"Ooh-kay," Camilo spat out, not knowing what else to say.

"Oh, also," Dolores raised her hand. "Take Mirabel with you."

"Yes," Isabela agreed. "She's one of the few people who could calm Luisa down."

Camilo sighed. "Fine."

It wasn't easy, but he eventually managed and succeeded in pulling Mirabel away from the children and dragged her on the road to where Señor Ortiz kept his donkeys.

"Where are we going?" Mirabel demanded.

"To help Luisa," He replied. "Isa and Lola said I should take you with me."

His prima frowned. "Why would they suddenly ask that?"

Right on cue, they saw Luisa with donkeys on her shoulders and getting them one by one into the encircling fence Diego held together.

"Oh, I see it now," Mirabel said. "They've sent us to annoy him."

"Good," Camilo said. "You're getting it."

Diego was calling the donkeys by the names Antonio had told them about. All while holding the gate together so that the donkeys won't be able to get out. He then turned to Luisa. "Thank you for helping," He sighed, petting one donkey near him. "What are we gonna do without you?"

Camilo cleared his throat as he crossed his arms. "Funny, you should ask."

"Or maybe," Mirabel added. "You should fix your fence?"

Both Luisa and Diego turned to them with surprised expressions on their faces.

"Hey," Diego said, his tone relieved. "The Madrigal twins are here."

Diego Ortiz had a lean build and was just about the same height as his Tío Agustín. His dark hair was in a pompadour fade hairstyle. He wore a white long-sleeve shirt folded to his elbows, pants, and chanclas, which all had splotches of mud on them. It was like he rolled in a puddle of mud and wrestled with a donkey.

Luisa had one donkey on her shoulder. "What are you both doing here?" She asked, still confused.

Mirabel shrugged. "Isa said you need help."

Camilo raised an eyebrow. "And with good reason."

Diego beamed. "Your timing couldn't be any more perfect," He said.

Normally, any guy who's either courting or getting close to one of his primas would be nervous when Camilo shows up out of nowhere. He had scared the living daylights out of Mariano when he courted Isabela and even more so with Dolores. But strangely, it isn't the case with Diego at the moment. And yes, it was the same with Santiago dela Cuesta.

Camilo frowned. "And why is that?"

"You can hold the gate, while I get the tools," Diego pointed out. "Mirabel, hold this side, please. And Camilo, the other side." He instructed.

Camilo and Mirabel did as instructed. Donkeys herded towards the gate, and one almost licked Camilo's cheek.

"Ah!" Camilo complained.

"Now, don't worry," Diego assured. "They won't bite, they just needed to be petted once in a while, mostly for attention."

Luisa placed two more donkeys into the fence. "Just go already."

"Right, of course," Diego nodded. "I'll be back, Lulu. I promise."

Once Diego went to fetch the tools, Mirabel turned to her older sister with a smirk. "So, Lulu, huh?" She repeated.

"What?" Luisa asked, placing a donkey on her shoulder. "It's the first syllable of my name. Nothing wrong with that."

"But you let him call you that?" Camilo asked, matching Mirabel's smirk.

"You both call each other Mimi," Luisa stated. "What's your point?"

"Ay, Dios mio," Camilo sighed. "Obliviousness runs in the family."

Mirabel kicked his shin in protest.

"Ow!" Camilo shrieked. "What? It's true."

Luisa placed the last of the donkeys into the pen. "Cami, what are you talking about?" She asked.

Camilo dodged a donkey trying to lick his face. "Luisa, he obviously likes you." He said.

Luisa rolled her eyes. "Look, I don't have time for this." She said. "If this is your way of distracting me from doing my chores, it's not going to work."

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Mirabel spoke up. "But I think he's right."

Luisa looked more annoyed now. "You really brought Mirabel to back you up in your schemes again?" She shook her head. "Did Isabela even send you here?"

"Of course, she did," Camilo replied. "You think I want to be around donkeys?-Ah!" He screamed as a donkey succeeded in licking his face.

Before Luisa could give a reaction, Diego came back with a satchel hanging on his shoulders, full of tools.

"I'm here!' Diego announced, fumbling with the satchel. "But I can't fix it completely," He said. "I'll have to ask the carpenter tomorrow."

"Yeah, you definitely should." Camilo insisted. "Because this-" He gestured to the hastily fixed fence. "-isn't gonna last."

"Right, of course," Diego smiled, scratching his head. "Thanks for all your help today, Luisa."

Camilo raised an eyebrow. "Just Luisa, huh?" He asked. "What about us?"

"And to you and Mirabel too," Diego added.

Mirabel smiled. "You're welcome, Diego."

At that point, Camilo thought Luisa was able to pick up that he and Mirabel were up to no good, so she instantly grabbed them by their waists and carried them both on her shoulders.

"Okay," Luisa spoke up. "I think we should head home. Mamá will need our help in the kitchen."

Luisa carrying them over her shoulder was almost normal. At least, in his case. As he'd always get seconds during meals and Luisa often pulled him away from the table. As for Mirabel, she's just unlucky to be paired with him most of the time.

"Please," Mirabel spoke up, adjusting herself onto her sister's shoulder. "Like Camilo actually helps in the kitchen."

"Hey," Camilo complained, clinging to his cousin's shoulder. "I eat the leftovers."

"I'll see you around, Diego," Luisa said as she turned to leave carrying both Camilo and Mirabel with her.

"See you tomorrow, Luisa," Diego said as he waved back at them. "Thanks again."

"Make sure to actually fix that fence!" Camilo shouted back.

Once, Diego was out of earshot, Luisa turned to them. "I'm going to ask you again. What were you both doing there?" She asked.

"We already told you, Luisa," Camilo answered. "Isa sent us because she said you needed help."

"Yeah," Mirabel confirmed. "That's true. Also, I doubt Diego would ever get that fence fixed."

"Oye, sí," He interjected. "So that he'll have another excuse to spend time with you again."

"Definitely," Mirabel said, then raised her hand for a high five, which he gladly did.

Luisa suddenly stopped in her tracks. "Did you seriously just high-fived behind my back?"

"Uh…" He faltered.

Luisa dropped them both on the ground and glared at them.

Personally, Camilo had never seen Luisa that way. He was slightly terrified of her expression and almost hid behind Mirabel.

"So, uh…" Mirabel started to say. "What do you think about Diego?"

"It's not what you think, sis," Luisa insisted. "And can we please stop talking about Diego? I've had enough of this from Isabela and Dolores. I don't need this from you too."

Camilo raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, sheesh."

Luisa rolled her eyes at them. "I'll see you at home." She said before turning her back to them and walking ahead.

Camilo and Mirabel exchanged looks.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" He asked.

"Sí," Mirabel nodded. "She definitely likes him."

They both walked back to the Casita. And just as they got through the front door, his eldest cousin, Isabela blocked their way. She had her arms crossed and had an eyebrow raised.

"Well?" Isabela asked. "What do we got?"

"You were right," Camilo confirmed. "She does like him back."

"Yeah," Mirabel shrugged. "But she's still in denial about it though."

Camilo turned to Mirabel "Hey," He smirked. "Just like you were with Santiago!"

Mirabel looked offended and hit him in his gut.

"Ay!" Camilo yelped as he doubled over from the pain. He definitely didn't see that coming. "Why do you hate me?"

All Mirabel did was roll her eyes at him before all three of them headed to the kitchen to help prepare dinner.

. . .

Later that night, Camilo hurriedly went up to his room to 'sleep early', but in reality, he was getting ready to set up his picnic date with Mirabel beyond the Pass.

Of course, he had to shapeshift into several people to not get recognized by some townspeople. And once he got to their spot, Camilo set up the picnic just in time before hearing a rustle in the bushes nearby. He quickly shapeshifted into Santiago a mere seconds before Mirabel came into view.

"Oh, wow!" Mirabel said in awe. "You've really outdone yourself, Santi."

"Why, thank you, my lady," Camilo mockingly bowed, then gestured to the picnic blanket. "Now, shall we?"

Mirabel giggled as she took his hand and allowed herself to be led to sit across from him.

They ate the food he bought and talked about the most random things. Afterwards, they both lie on the blanket to stargaze.

A moment later, Mirabel sat up. She took out a book from her mochila and flipped through its pages.

"What's that?" He asked as he also sat up.

Mirabel grabbed the small lamp he brought to see it better. "It's the map I told you about," She replied. "It has maps of the constellations in both the northern and southern hemispheres."

"Which part of the hemispheres can we see?"

Mirabel tilted her head, the way she does when she's thinking. And it's absolutely adorable. He could stare at her all day.

"Actually," She started to explain. "The earth's equator passes through Colombia, so it depends on our geographical location. But from where we are, the constellations visible are that of the Northern hemisphere."

"So what's your favorite constellation?"

Mirabel thought for a moment. "I would have to say, the Ursa Minor or the Little Bear."

"Why?" He wondered.

"Well, mostly because Polaris is in it," Mirabel explained.

"Polaris?" He repeated as he sat up and crawled next to her.

"The North Star," Mirabel said, pointing it at the map.

Camilo looked confused.

"Let's put it this way," Mirabel explained. "Do you know in the daytime, we could tell where we are by looking at the sun, right?"

"Because it rises in the East and sets in the West?"

"Yes, that," She said. "But at night, we can't see the sun. That's how Polaris comes to mind. Because the earth moves, the constellations also seem to move across the sky. That's except for Polaris. It got its name because it's located above the Earth's north pole. It's…constant, I would say. If you know where it is, you'll never be lost and you'll always find your way."

Looking at her, Camilo couldn't help but smile. Everytime Mirabel talked about something she was interested in, she'll always have that twinkle in her eyes as her face lights up. It made him fall in love with her even more than he would admit out loud.

He was staring at her and so lost in thought that Mirabel had to snap her fingers to get his attention back.

"Santi!" She called, snapping her fingers in his face.

"Oh, uh, sorry," He apologized. "It's just…I've never really thought about that. I'll definitely keep that information in mind."

After their picnic, Camilo walked her back to the Casita, just like the night before. And right before they walked through the Pass into Encanto, they agreed to meet again the following night.

Right before Mirabel climbed up to her bedroom window, Camilo took her hand and kissed it. Then suddenly, Mirabel gave him a peck on his cheek in return, which definitely surprised him. But he was glad it happened.

Did she just kiss me on my cheek? Camilo mentally asked himself.

At that point, he was restraining himself from screaming in joy and waking the whole town. But instead, he simply smiled, then mouthed, te veo mañana, before winking at her.

Mirabel giggled, the mouthed in reply, buenas noches, before climbing up to her bedroom.

Suffice to say, Camilo went to bed that night with a smile on his face.

. . .

Their third night beyond the Pass, was a night Camilo would never forget.

He had still volunteered to bring the food like the night before. So, once again, he bought food in town and hid it away in his room. Also, this time, he had brought her a gift.

As far as he knew, Mirabel loved sewing and embroidery and was a frequent customer of Encanto's only textile shop. Camilo came in and bought spools of yarn and threads and patterns for embroidery. But of course, he didn't go in as himself. He had to shapeshift into some random townsfolk so it won't be suspicious.

"I got something for you," Camilo said as he pulled a small package about the size of a shoe box. "Hope you like it."

Mirabel smiled as she took it from him. "Santi," She giggled as she turned to look at him. "You didn't have to."

Camilo shrugged. "Nah, I want to."

"This is amazing!" She exclaimed, then gave him a peck on his cheek.

Dios mio, Camilo thought. That's the second time she kissed me on the cheek.

Mirabel then recoiled and looked away from him. "Sorry," She apologized. "I didn't mean to-"

Camilo then cut her off by doing the most stupid thing he's ever done in his life so far. He pulled her closer and kissed her full on her lips.

When he broke from the kiss, Camilo saw that Mirabel stayed absolutely still, with a surprised expression written on her face.

"Um," Camilo pursed his lips as he backed away from Mirabel. He could feel himself turning red from embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I—didn't mean to—"

To his surprise, Mirabel cupped his chin and looked him in the eye. "Santi," She said. "It's okay. It's just…I—I've never kissed anyone before."

Camilo scratched his head. "Sorry."

Without knowing, they both laughed and somehow locked eyes.

Dios mio, she's even more beautiful up close, Camilo thought.

Camilo leaned in closer and caressed her cheek. "Me too." He said, before proceeding to kiss her again.

This time, Mirabel kissed him back. Then slowly, she wrapped her hands around his neck and then up to his hair.

Once they broke apart, they both stared at each other, still not believing that it happened. Then they both giggled giddily.

"Wow, um…" Camilo said, still dumbfounded. "I never thought this would ever happen."

He meant it. Not just as Santiago, but as Camilo as well. Kissing Mirabel, the love of his life…Camilo's entire body was on fire. Being gifted with a plateful of arepas was nothing compared to this feeling of joy. He doesn't want this night to ever end.

Then without warning, Mirabel smiled, grabbed his collar and pulled him closer. "Please stop talking." Then she kissed him again.

This time, Camilo did not hold back. He cupped her face and deepened the kiss. Her lips were starting to press hot against his so he took advantage of the situation. He parted his lips and tasted her with his tongue amorously.

Mirabel flinched in surprise, but eventually melted into the pleasure and did the same. Soon enough, they were exploring each others' tongues.

It would've gone on, but when Mirabel tried to get closer, she accidentally crushed one of the tamales that he had brought for them with her hand.

"Agh!" Mirabel shrieked, immediately wiping her hand on her skirt.

It made Camilo chuckle. Mirabel definitely took after her papá, Agustín's accident proneness.

They decided to just eat the food that they brought and talked.

Mirabel asked questions about what was it like living outside Encanto, and of course, Camilo answered as best as he could but mostly evaded those types of questions since he's never actually been outside of Encanto. Well, technically he was outside of Encanto, but he never got past the pink river and into other towns nearby. He answered based on the information he had heard from visitors, merchant traders, and tourists.

"I'll be late tomorrow," Mirabel informed. "It's telenovela night."

Camilo nodded. "Oh, okay," He said as if he didn't already know that. "I'll still wait for you."

As they walked back into Encanto, Camilo made the bold move: he took Mirabel's hand and held it. His cousin smiled when he did, squeezing his hand assuringly. She then moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

It honestly felt like one of those romantic scenes in Tío Bruno's telenovelas. Now, all they need was some sort of romantic music.

He kissed her good night and mouthed, See you tomorrow.

Mirabel simply nodded and waved goodbye before climbing up to her bedroom window.

Camilo watched her as she did and only left when Mirabel closed her window.

He then walked to the other side of the Casita and transformed back into himself before climbing up to his bedroom window.

The entire time he did, he still had a smile on his face. His head was still in the clouds from what happened earlier.

The instant his bedroom window closed, Camilo screamed in delight and did a victory dance.

"She kissed me." He muttered. "We kissed."

Even as he lie on his bed, he still couldn't stop thinking about it. Camilo kept touching his lips, knowing Mirabel had kissed them.

But, of course, there was a downside. Mirabel thinks the person she kissed was Santiago, and not Camilo. If she finds out…well, he doesn't want to think about it.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sorry for the long wait, but I'm finally updating because it's my birth month. This is my gift to you guys!