As happy as he is being home, surrounded by peace and love, Ricardo does miss Alberto's erratic behavior, his hyper-focused view of their world, how things in wrestling should be, instead of how they are. So when his phone rings and he sees it's his former employer, he wastes no time in answering it. "Hola? El Patron? Are you alright?"

Old habits die hard, and Alberto hesitates for only a second before chuckling. "Si, si, everything's fine, Ricardo. I just... suppose I wanted to call and check in, see how you're doing." Things have fallen apart for them in the past, their friendship always just a little shaky whenever they get too close professionally, but with space and time, they always come back to this one place- where they miss each other and yearn for their presence in each other's lives.

"I'm doing well," Ricardo says honestly, casting a glance over at Alicia as she dances along to whatever it is she's listening to on her earbuds as she prepares lunch. He drinks her in for a moment, still in shock that this is his life, that he's so very happy, and it's so ridiculously easy to maintain. "Are you and Sofia doing alright?"

"Si," Alberto says, sounding a little absentminded all of a sudden. Ricardo waits, but nothing further is said for a long, tense moment. "Ricardo?"

"Si? Alberto, what is it? You're kind of starting to worry me," Ricardo murmurs.

"I don't mean to," he says softly. "I suppose I've just been wondering if perhaps I could come visit you? I, I don't intend on disrupting your new life, or anything, I just... I suppose I miss mi hermano."

Ricardo chuckles weakly, presses his knuckles to his forehead. Knew it, he thinks with a tired sort of fondness for the other man. "Hang on a sec," he says softly. "I need to run it by Alicia. Can I call you back?"

Alberto exhales, a rough burst of static through the phone that makes Ricardo wince. "Si, of course," he says softly. "I'll be waiting, mi hermano."

"Ok, talk to you soon." Ricardo sits there for a moment, casting a curious glance towards Alicia before slowly pulling himself up and joining her. Arms wrapping around her waist, he presses slow kisses to her jaw, up her cheek, before finding her lips and sighing softly as he licks off some sugar that had gotten smudged there. "Mm," he whispers as she giggles and takes her earbuds out, staring up at him adoringly as she kisses him back.

She turns and sighs as he holds her steady against the counter, body warming pleasantly as he twists his fingers in her hair and continues to press warm, eager kisses against her mouth. She flutters her hands against his neck, finally pulling away and staring at him with a mischevious grin on her face. "Now, Ricardo, you usually can wait until after I'm done cooking. What's up?"

"Alberto called," he says, deciding to delve right into it before either of them could get distracted again. "He wants to come visit."

She doesn't seem thrilled with the idea, and he doesn't fully blame her. Alberto is such a combustible personality, it's always difficult to know what you're going to get when you allow the man back in. He could just want some companionship, or he might throw a wrench in your life plans with another fly by night business opportunity that would move him to a whole other country before falling apart spectacularly, or... who knows what. "I mean, I'm not going to dissuade you from seeing him," she says quietly. "But... things are going so well right now. I'm finally in a good place, and you... you seem happy." She strokes his jaw. "I just don't want anything to risk that, you know?"

He grips her hand, kisses her palm. "I do know," he says softly. "And I promise you, right here, right now, if Alberto tries anything, I will remember this moment and tell him no." He stares into her deep, dark eyes. "I swear to you."

She exhales shudderingly and presses another slow, soft kiss to his lips. "I trust you," she tells him, eyes soft with adoration and love.

He presses his forehead to hers and smiles, love and guilt and everything in between warring for dominance in his chest. "Thank you. I love you."

She sighs. "I love you too," she murmurs before turning and getting back to finishing up lunch, even as he stays close and presses more, tender kisses against her skin.

After lunch, he calls Alberto and takes in a few, shallow breaths before the phone clicks. "Hola, El Patron," he says softly.

"Hola, mi hermano," Alberto responds, sounding uncharacteristically nervous. "How are things?"

Instead of beating around the bush, losing themselves in pointless small talk, Ricardo delves right in. "I discussed with Alicia and she agrees you can come visit." He continues speaking in a hurry before Alberto can say or do anything else. "But it has to be just that- a visit. Two brothers catching up on each other's lives, nothing to do with business or anything that will upend me from the life I'm building here right now. Si?"

Alberto takes a moment. "Si," he says softly. "I have no ulterior motives, mi hermano, I swear. I just want to spend some time with you, like we used to."

Ricardo closes his eyes. "I would like that," he admits, suddenly overwhelmed by a yearning for the past, when he and Alberto could just sit and talk for hours without anything painful between them. "How does next week sound then?"