Amor Prohibido | r. martinez

cincuenta y dos

Arcelia stared at Jamal, and he glanced to Cesar and Sebastian, silently asking for help. "Who?"

"Ruby, Monse and Jasmine." Jamal gulped. "They're sitting at one of the back tables."

Arcelia closed her eyes and started to take deep breaths, making Jamal back up to be far away. "I'm not going to say anything. As long as they don't talk to me, everything's fine."

The four of them had finished their first dance and after dancing with everyone for half an hour, they left to get ready for their surprise dance. Right after Arcelia was changed, Jamal couldn't hold in his secret. "Where are your Air Forces?" Arcelia looked down at her feet, noticing that she was still in her heels, before groaning and walking back into the bathroom.

"So, is your dad nice?" Sebastian nervously asked Cesar.

Cesar looked up in thought, and Sebastian watched his face scrunch up before he shrugged. Jamal looked at the two and saw that Cesar was no help. "He's like Oscar, but scarier. Why?"

"Oh I don't know. Maybe because he just got released from prison and I'm dating his daughter, but he's never met me."

Jamal made a face of realization before nodding his head once he understood. "Oscar likes you, right?" Sebastian took a second to think, but then he nodded his head. "You'll be fine then. They're basically the same person."

The bathroom door opened and this time Arcelia had her heels in hand and was about 4 inches shorter.  "Alright, putos.  Let's go wait by the doors." Arcelia grabbed Sebastian's hand and the four walked down the hallway to get back to the party. "Wait, un beso de buena suerte." Arcelia suddenly said before waving Sebastian down.

Seba bent over as Arcelia stood on her toes and they both started kissing in the middle of the hallway. "Ahem." The two pulled apart and saw Ramón. While Arcelia smiled out of happiness, Sebastian was smiling out of fear and nervousness. "Your other chambelanes are waiting."

(We'll pretend they can bachata)

× × ×

It was almost 2 hours into the party when the DJ announced the cakes.  Arcelia and her chambelanes were at their table, so they stood up to go to the dessert table. 

"Why are there four cakes?"

"There's 200 people here, first of all. But two are mine and two are Cesar's."

Cesar looked up when he heard his name, and looked at Arcelia with his eyebrows scrunched.  "Why do I have cake?"

"Because it's our birthday, stupid head.  Why do you think you have a present table?"  Arcelia pointed to across the room where two tables with gold cursive were stacked with gift bags and boxes.  "Vámonos.  Necesito cortar el pastel."

"Wait what flavors are they?"

"Um, chocolate, vanilla, and this one is red velvet, but these two have strawberry filling, this one has coconut and that one has banana."  Arcelia explained.  "Can we cut it now?"

"Espera, dad's getting the knives."

"Are you sure you trust him with knives?"  Arcelia asked. "Remember our 5th birthday?"

Cesar and Jamal nodded their heads and the twins looked up to Oscar. Before he could say anything, their dad announced his presence. "I got the knives and no one lost fingers this time."

All the Diaz kids and Ramón surrounded the main cake, Arcelia's, which was four tiers. "It's so pretty." Arcelia smiled. She was then handed a knife, but she started messing around with it so the cameraman could take pictures. Then, she joking started swinging at Cesar.

Oscar grabbed her wrist from behind her and turned her back to the cake. "Okay, no more knife."

Arcelia pursed her lips as Oscar guided her hand to cut the cake, then smiled for the cameras.  "I know how to cut a cake."

"You know how to cut people too."  Ramón commented.  "Mijo, cut your cake."  He told Cesar as he slid over another knife. 

Jamal laughed and made them all look at him.  "Cesar can barely cut a sandwich in half."

Arcelia laughed with Jamal and Sebastian, but Cesar glare at all of them. Arcelia cut herself a piece and put it on a plate. "Seba, cual quieres?"

Sebastian leaned over to look at the cakes, trying to remember the flavors Arcelia told them. "That one, but a big piece."

"Yo sé. I've seen how much you eat."

Sebastian didn't know how to take that, but shrugged. "You do eat a lot." Jamal commented with a nod. "Is that why your arms are that big?"

"Kinda."

Jamal looked down to his own arms as he took a mental note. Arcelia handed Sebastian her plate and his to take to the table before asking Jamal which one he wanted. Once the chambelanes has their pieces, Oscar helped Arcelia and Cesar with cutting the other cakes while the two other chambelanes and Ramón went around asking people what cake flavor they wanted before taking them some plates.

Cesar looked at all four cakes, then to Arcelia. "What do we do with the leftovers?"

"Take them home, duh. We have people over all the time, so they'll be gone in a day or two depending on how much we have left over."

The two walked over to their table once they felt like cut enough cake and went to eat their own. "Boop." Arcelia smiled and Sebastian looked to the tip of his nose that now had frosting on it.

From the back of the room, Ruby watched the two with his eyes squinted. "This cake is so good." Jasmine moaned, chewing her cake in pure bliss.

"He's breaking every rule of bro code right now." Ruby told his table. Arcelia's cousins, who didn't know what he was talking about, ignored him and went back to their phones. "You don't date your friend's ex."

"Ruby, get over it. It's been almost two months and they're both happy. As their friend, you should be happy for them."

"Well I can't knowing that it was my fault and that the person making her happy is in the next room over every night." Ruby whisper-yelled to Monse. "Look, even Oscar and the Santos love him. Do you know how long it took for the Santos to even stop making fun of me? But with him, they're best friends. This is bullshit!" A table full of Arcelia's older relatives gasped and Ruby looked over. "What?"

"Sorry about my friend." Monse apologized with a sheepish smile. "Dude, don't ruin their party because you're jealous. We're not even supposed to be here, so I'm surprised Arcelia hasn't thrown us out yet."

"Are you guys going to eat your cake or not?"