Portal to Encanto

Buckets of Emotions

It's been two weeks since Riley and Leo arrived in Encanto, and I'm proud of them adjusting so well. I'm actually quite surprised how close Riley has already gotten with Pepa and her side of the family. Pepa treats her like a daughter, which has Riley following Pepa like a puppy. Pepa doesn't seem to mind though. Leo and Luisa seem to be fast friends, and are constantly having log toss competitions. Poor Señor Rivera had his fence destroyed twice!

Bruno has been acting different since they arrived. He's more... Touchy-feely than before. Always has a hand on the small of my back, or an arm around my shoulder. He's even been caressing my face more, and it's not helping my heart rate. Today however, I'm not by his side. Agustín and Felix have joined me to help get gifts for the triplets' birthday.

"Hey Felix! Think Pepa would love this necklace?" I call out to him, holding up a star shaped pendant on an orange ribbon. He smiles when he sees it and tells me she would love it. Agustín found a beautiful teal hair comb for Julieta, and I find a picture frame that has pictures of herbs painted on the border. It would be perfect for the photo I took of Isa, Luisa and Mirabel candidly laughing one night. All that's left is Bruno. Out of everyone, I'm having the most trouble picking something for him. Nothing seems right, or perfect. I'm sitting with the guys, feeling down. The party is tomorrow, and I can't find anything for him!

"Peso for your thoughts?" Agustín asks.

"Nothing seems perfect for Bruno. I wanna give him something nice, that he'll love and cherish forever." I sigh. Felix coughs to cover his words, but I hear them: Give him your love. I turn my face to Felix with a raised eyebrow, and he whistles innocently. "Excuse me?" I ask.

"It's no secret, Rose. Everyone can see it. And Bruno would love nothing more than for you to love him in return." Felix smiles at me. I look away to hide my blush. Bruno is too kind, too sweet for someone like me. Someone who couldn't see the glaring red flags, someone who ran away and caused her little sister to be hurt. Then again, I've never seen him touch other people like he does me. In fact, he barely touches other people, even his own family. I push the warmth in my heart down, not daring to hope.

"Oh no, I see that dark cloud forming. What are you thinking?" Agustín sighs, putting an arm around my shoulders. I mumble that I'm not Pepa and he chuckles. "Even so, we can see you're thinking something sad. What's wrong?" He continues. I sigh and shake my head, then get up and take another look around the market. I'm at the blacksmith's stall, and am looking at the bracelets. They are either too plain, or gaudy. I go to walk away when one catches my eye. I pick up the bracelet and turn it in my hand. It's a row of beads, that alternate green, black and white, and is bordered by two strips of tan leather. The metal base is a shiny silver in color. My gut tells me Bruno will love it, so I buy it for him. I show it to Agustín and Felix, and they promise me he'll love it.

We make our way back to Casita and when the door opens, I can't help but laugh. Camilo and Riley are in the center of the courtyard, covered in powdered pigments from Isabela's flowers, and they look like deer caught in headlights. Apparently, they were trying to prank Isa, but she got them immediately. I chuckle at them as I help them up, then brush some pigments off Riley's face.

"Go get cleaned up before dinner you rascals." I chuckle. They run off and I drop off my bag in my room. When I step out, I see Bruno coming down the stairs from his door.

"Hey there! Did you and the guys have fun in town?" Bruno smiles. I nod and tell him about the gifts I got Julieta and Pepa. "Oh they will love those! So, what did you get me?" He asks with a mischievous grin.

"Well, if I told you it wouldn't be a surprise! Besides, who said I even got you one?" I tease, then stick out my tongue. He raises an eyebrow with a slight smirk, then grips the whole bottom of my jaw, his pinky grazing my lip and the side of my tongue. I lean in to the hold on my chin on instinct, my heart pounding in definitely Not Fear.