Meanwhile...

Bruno slumped down on his red chair in his main room, and stared at the wall in front disinterestedly. He'd just endured another depressing, boring day inside the walls of Casita. He looked at one of his rats, who was sat calmly on the table next to him, and sighed. 

Bruno was in a bad mood that day, mainly because of the hurried frenzy of people that he could hear on the other side of the wall. It made him miss his family a bit more, but he knew not to miss them too much only because of the trouble 'he caused' to the family. He just wanted everything to be ok between him and the family, especially Alma and Pepa, as well as his gift being used in a positive way instead of a negative way.

Bruno was on the verge of falling asleep, but was startled slightly by a new voice speaking on the other side of the wall. The voice was... different, calm, broad... and familiar. Bruno got up from his chair and slowly walked over to the wall in front, which had a small crack. He looked through the crack, but immediately stepped back in surprise as he realised who the owner of the voice was.

It was his childhood crush, Valentina. She was accompanied by Julieta, but was about to go upstairs. Bruno's heart skipped a beat. He never managed to tell her how he felt before he left, or even say a proper goodbye, and because of it his crush for her stayed longer, getting worse with every passing year. Valentina and Julieta left the room, and Bruno stumbled back into his chair. 

"What's going on?" Bruno muttered, pulling his hood over his head, "Why do I feel like this?"

Another one of Bruno's rats, who had a small piece of arepa con queso in its mouth, scuttled over to him, trying to console him even though he didn't know what was going on. Bruno soon realised the rat had joined him, and he gently took the offering.

"Gracias, mi amigo..." He whispered, smiling as the rat sprinted away. 

He looked at the small piece of arepa, and blushed as he recalled all of the memories he'd had with Valentina. It was all so long ago, but it felt as if it was yesterday. Bruno ate the piece, and smiled as he replayed her voice in his mind. It was clear he was still in love, but due to his circumstances, his unconfessed love turned him into a hopeless romantic. He just hoped that the dinner tomorrow for his sobrina (niece) Isabella's engagement would bring him a bit closer to Valentina, even if she knew nothing about his whereabouts, or what he had been doing for the past 10 years.

Bruno removed his hood from his head and got out of his chair again, wandering off out of the main room and down one of the narrow parts of Casita's walls. He needed to be alone for a while, even away from his rats. His heart ached, and it was beating so heavily that it felt as if it was going to burst. Yet again, he sighed, and muttered something under his breath.

"I love you, Valentina... I miss you..."

(541 words)