[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/200504/26e6bffca8753c889ea2d73c9a1bf8a2.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/SBv0YAv.png[/img]

[color=darkgray][i]A [@metanoia] & [@Rosalia] Collaboration
[b]Featuring [color=D11717]Santiago Fernandez[/color] & [color=pink]Stella Lambert[/color][/b][/i][/color]
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[color=silver][indent][indent]When Santiago’s Lambo started to move, something that Stella immediately noticed was how smooth it drove. She had never been in one before. Despite growing up pretty well off, her parents weren’t [i]that[/i] wealthy and they personally weren’t the types to buy one. The closest to one she had been was seeing the person driving her to the country club show it off around school. 

She chose to remain quiet for the most part during the drive. It wasn’t that Stella couldn’t talk about what had literally just happened. She could talk Santiago’s ear off, use him as a quality venting space, and maybe get some advice if that’s what she was in the mood for (it wasn’t). She didn’t do that because she didn’t want to think about it. She didn’t want to focus on the negative that was Chrissie or how her cousin was becoming a bigger pain in her rear than — hell, than Santiago was, which even then he never made her cry so much in her life.

Oops, guess she let that one slip.

Yeah, Stella was a wreck, but she didn’t want to think about any of that, especially with how terrible she’s been handling the Chrissie drama. She wanted to block it all out for tonight. Nothing brought her greater joy than knowing she and Santiago were in a good place and that she might even be able to have some fun with Carter (if she was lucky).

[color=pink]“Hey, listen.”[/color] Stella saw they were approaching the Country Club (the lights stuck out in the post-sunset evening like a sore thumb. [color=pink]“I’m sorry I’ve been so quiet,”[/color] Stella said, somewhat frowning at Santiago. [color=pink]“And I’m sorry you had to hear all of that back at the house. There was a lot going on. Chrissie got on my last nerve and--”[/color] She stopped herself. She felt the knot in her stomach start to tighten, signalling her she was near the point of doing [i]exactly[/i] what she told herself she wouldn’t. [color=pink]“--And, I just didn’t want to lay that on you or give my cousin the benefit of ruining what I hope is an amazing evening with my new friend!”[/color] As they came to a stop at a red light, she gave Santiago a warm smile, hoping he knew that she meant every single word.

Santiago tore his eyes from the road ahead and turned towards Stella with a soft smile. [color=D11717]“Hey, don’t worry about it, Stella,”[/color] he reassured her in a surprisingly gentle tone. [color=D11717]“Families fight all the time. Sorry I was quiet all the way here, though. I figured you wanted some space. I didn’t want to make you feel any worse by saying the wrong thing.”[/color]

Stella shook her head at his last comment. [color=pink]“Oh no. you could never. I mean, not anymore.”[/color] Oh there she went, foot in mouth again. [color=pink]“What I mean is now, you’re the only person right now who is making me smile,”[/color] she clarified. [color=pink]“In this god awful time of my life, the time spent with you has brought me more joy than, well a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips. And I [i]love[/i] sour cream and onion potato chips!”[/color]

The young man couldn’t help but chuckle at her words. It was nice to know that she was on her way to being her usual cheerful self. The silence that had reigned between them along the way had been a tad unsettling. [color=D11717]“As good as it feels to hear that I make you so happy, I’m glad you don’t smell like the chips. Lils used to love them too, but ever since she got pregnant even the tiniest whiff of ‘em makes her throw up. Funny how that happens, huh? How women get pregnant and suddenly something they used to love eating makes them stupid sick all of a sudden…”[/color] he rambled, his eyes now back on the road.

There was something comforting about how Santiago talked about April. Always she saw him as the kind of guy that was macho and obnoxious, but she truly was starting to see him in a different light and it always seemed to happen when he talked about April. And that was something Stella found truly endearing about him. How sweet he was, how down to earth he was. Everything that had been thought about him wasn’t accurate. The more time Stella spent with him, the more she was starting to see that.

After a few moments of silence and the country club practically within sight, Stella’s voice cracked as though it sounded off before anything coherent formed, causing her to cough. [color=pink]“I meant to say it before,”[/color] her voice was raspy and she coughed a few more times. [color=pink]“Do you happen to have anything to drink?”[/color] She asked him, coughing every other word.

Diablo smacked his head against the steering wheel. [color=D11717]“Shit, yeah. Sorry about that, I meant to ask you earlier. Go ahead: open up the glove compartment and pick your poison. I’ve got water, ginger ale, juices, sparkling water... No alcohol, though. Reformed man with a kid on the way and all that,”[/color] he joked with a grin.

Stella half-coughed, half-laughed and grabbed the small, 8oz bottle of apple juice. She twisted off the cap and drank about a third of it before coming up for air. [color=pink]“That’s much better!”[/color] She could talk again! [color=pink]“Now, where was I?”[/color] She thought for a moment. [color=pink]“Oh right! With all the family drama that happened, I wasn’t able to tell you, but I bought you and April some gifts for the baby!”[/color] Stella told him with a gleaming smile on her face.

That brought a genuine, thankful grin to the young man’s face. [color=D11717]“Oh yeah?”[/color] he asked, playfully raising his eyebrow before letting out a small laugh. [color=D11717]“Damn, Stella: that’s really sweet of you. Lils is gonna love to hear that. We really do appreciate it.”[/color]

[color=pink]“I just hope you guys will like it,”[/color] Stella said, slightly nervous. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling at Santiago. [color=pink]“I can give it to you guys tomorrow or tonight even if there’s still time when we get back to my house.”[/color] She looked ahead for a brief moment, noticing the cars in front of them starting to move and that’s when she saw the green light.

[color=D11717]“Fine by me,”[/color] Santiago answered, turning his attention back on the road. He let some silence fall between them as they finally reached the parking lot of the country club before he eventually blurted out, [color=D11717]“I’m going to propose to her, you know? Not tonight, obviously, but definitely before summer ends.”[/color]

The brunette remained silent, trying to register exactly what she just heard; even as she did, it still didn’t click with her brain until it was about twenty seconds later. [color=pink]“You’re going to do what now?” [/color]She asked, turning her entire body as much as she could to face Santiago. [color=pink]“It sounded like you said you said you were going to propose to April…”[/color] Stella had a bad history of hearing things that weren’t actually said and thinking they were true, so hopefully Santiago would forgive her if she needed him to repeat himself.

The young man couldn’t help but chuckle loudly at his date’s disbelieving expression. [color=D11717]“That’s exactly what I said. What, you have [i]that[/i] little faith in me?”[/color] he teased, not waiting for her answer before adding, [color=D11717]“I mean, I wouldn’t blame you. But I’m dead serious, Stell: I want to propose to April.”[/color]

She laughed, though felt guilty for jumping to the wrong conclusion. [color=pink]“No, it’s just--”[/color] She stopped herself. She was focusing on the wrong details. Stella took a breath, studying Santiago’s face and seeing a familiar expression of nervousness, one she often saw on her own but there was also a conviction she rarely saw on her own (though it existed somewhere). That gave her all of the proof she needed. He was as serious as she had to imagine he had been about anything else. [color=pink]“So you’re really--that’s amazing! Does anyone else know?”[/color] She inquired.

Santiago shook his head. [color=D11717]“Nah. Haven’t wanted to freak anyone out with the news,”[/color] he confessed, turning over to look at her with what was probably the most open, honest expression he had ever given someone outside April, Max or his family. [color=D11717]“And I feel as if I start saying it to people, everyone will be trying to tell me what to do, or pull me in all sorts of different directions. I don’t want that. I wanna be able to do things on my own terms and at my own time, you feel me?”[/color]

[color=pink]“I totally understand.”[/color] The scary part was she knew exactly what it felt like to want to tell someone something without another someone doing that for her. She knew the feeling all too well that it twisted her stomach whenever she thought about how Chrissie robbed her of telling Carter what she wanted to tell him. [color=pink]“You want to make sure when she hears it, it’s from you first and not planted in her head by someone who might twist things.”[/color] She took a moment to pause, shaking off the rising, almost boiling current of anger threatening to come to the surface. [color=pink]“Don’t worry, Santi! Your secret is safe with me!”[/color] And when she said that, unlike a certain drama queen who was faker than American cheese, she meant what she said.

Diablo gave Stella a bright smile. [color=D11717]“Thanks, girl… For the gifts for Mila, the company-- everything. Sorry I just went ahead and dumped all of this on ya like that, but I really appreciate you listening to my ramblings,”[/color] he chuckled, scratching the back of his neck like he always did when he was nervous or embarrassed.

Stella gave Santiago a smile as she grabbed her clutch. [color=pink]“Of course! You made me forget all about that awful fight I had, so I needed it just as much as you seemed to have.”[/color] She offered him a smile. [color=pink]“So should we go in now? I think any more time spent sitting and my butt will get too numb for me to walk,”[/color] she laughed.

[color=D11717]“Yeah, sure!”[/color] he responded, finally killing the engine of the Lambo. He exited the car and quickly made his way over to the passenger seat to help Stella gracefully step out, and once the doors were closed and safely locked behind them, the two made their way past the country club’s doors and into the already bustling ballroom.[/indent][/indent][/color]