Beautiful Bruises ~ Camilo Madrigal x Reader

Unspoken Secrets

"Of course, Amor."

You raced to the nursery as soon as he left, quickly hopping into the shower.

"A present, a present..." you mumbled to yourself, stressed. "What do I even get my boyfriend?"

You sighed, stepping out and hurriedly drying your hair. You ran into Tara, who was curled up on your bed, eyeing you suspiciously. You then jogged into town, struggling not to trip over the hem of your skirt. You stopped in front of the antique store you had bought the fake candle at, hesitating. 

What on earth would you find here?

Still, something propelled you inside, and you spotted the old woman who had been there before. She looked up and you waved shyly, her returning the gesture with mild awe in her eyes, as well as apprehension. Surely everyone in the village knew what had happened by now, even the youngest children.

You walked to the back slowly, peering at the oddities stacked on the ramshackle shelves.

A lump of dried river clay shaped into a butterfly. A ball of yarn glued to the inside of a race trophy. A dusty chandelier missing the candles.

Finally, something caught your eye. You carefully picked up two interlocked gold bracelets with tiny chains. Hooked onto both of them was half of a heart, but one side was gold and the other silver.

You hurried to the front, placing coins down on the counter. She nodded at you, raising her eyebrows slightly when she noticed what you were buying, and you left, the bells on the door jingling behind you.

It was nearly 6:00; the party would be starting soon. You raced back to Casita, quickly changing into your favorite outfit. You stared at your face in the mirror for a long time, wishing the ring of bruises had disappeared by now. Instead, they were a sickly purple, even darker than before.

Something wet brushed your hand, and you jumped, holding in a scream. When you turned, realizing it was only Tara, you immediately felt embarrassed.

"Stop being so jumpy," you scolded yourself firmly.

The wolf-dog looked up at you with her dark eyes, nudging your hand again. You squinted at her in confusion, picking it up to realize that the bruises your papa had given you long ago were still there.

And they probably weren't leaving anytime soon.

"(Y/N)!" Mirabel called, grabbing your hand and spinning you along with her before you could do anything more. "We have to go - the party is starting now!"

You struggled not to flinch as she pulled you along, memories of your papa flashing back.

You would meet him tonight, at the party. He had decided to come so that he could see you.

Would he be different? Your mind spun with unanswered questions as you followed Mirabel, arriving in Antonio's large room.

Villagers spun around in circles, dancing and laughing as they ran into plants. Many were already slipping into a drunken haze, the comfort of safety settling over them like a blanket now that your mama was dead.

Forever.

Mirabel pulled you out of your thoughts, dragging you over to the giant, sloping tree in the middle of the room.

"Let's climb! There are birds at the top," she said eagerly, and you lifted your skirt, following her. The tree was slanted enough that it was like climbing a twisting slide. "And butterflies, too. You like those, right?"

"Mariposa," Camilo had called you. The thought made you blush, and you quickly nodded, glad you were behind her.

"Yeah, I think they're pretty."

Luisa waved from where she was throwing kids up into the air, a lopsided grin on her face. You smiled, returning the gesture and slipping. You stumbled, eyes widening as you realized you were going to fall off the edge.

"Mirabe-"

"Whoa!" Camilo shouted behind you, snatching your waist and pulling you against him. "Careful, (Y/N). Seriously." His concerned frown turned into a smirk as you stared at him wide-eyed. "Feel familiar, amor?"

You fiddled with the bracelets in your pocket so you wouldn't have to look at his face, skin tingling where he touched you.

"Oh, shush. I've saved you plenty of times." 

He laughed at your response, taking your hand and following after his younger cousin, who was still oblivious to what was happening.

"Whoa. It's beautiful up here," you breathed when you finally emerged from the treetop. The three of you looked down on the entire village, dancing to their hearts content. The flowers Isabela had grown shone brightly, like tiny multicolored fireflies dotting the room.

"Not as beautiful as you, Mariposa," Camilo whispered in your ear, making you jump. You rolled your eyes, leaning the side of your head against his.

"Camilo, Carlos is flagging you down," Mirabel said. She shoved him gently, and the two of you left Mirabel to gaze at the view.

"Hey, before we make it back to the crowd..." you hesitated.

"C'mon, spit it out," your boyfriend said, closing his hands around your wrists.

"I have a present for you." You slid one of your hands out of his grasp, carefully pulling the silver heart bracelet from your skirt pocket and snapping it onto his wrist. He raised an eyebrow and you quickly grabbed the gold one as well, sliding it onto your own arm.

He smirked, fiddling with the heart charm on your bracelet.

"So we'll always be together."

"We always will be together, no matter what," he insisted, sliding his hand through your hair and pulling your face closer to his. Your foreheads pressed together, his focused hazel eyes melting you. "I'll never let you out of my sight, Cariño."

You glanced down at the bruises on your hand, bruises that would never fade. Camilo's reflective eyes followed your gaze, and his grip on your waist tightened.

"These bruises will never disappear, will they?" you whispered, struggling not to choke up. "They'll always be visible."

"You bruises are beautiful," Camilo said fervently, kissing your hand softly. "Every single one of them."

And so the evening faded into a beautiful memory, filled with laughter and dancing and friendship and love. You didn't meet your papa - the fear that he would hate you terrified you. And yet you were happy. Everything seemed perfect.

But at the top of the tree, a lonely Madrigal stared down at the festivities, her heart burdened by unspoken secrets.

The End

A/N - So that's the end... of this book. I'm going to be making another one, but I'm not sure whether or not to simply make a completely new story or add it on to this one! This one has been getting kind of crowded and that's the reason I would change it. Suggestions?

Edit: The next book will be the same series... sorry I forgot to specify! So it will have the same characters and storyline.