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    "LET ME GET AN apron for you", felicia stated, as she took the one that her mother wore all the time and handed it to the boy.

camilo tied the strings back as felicia gathered up all her hair into a high ponytail.

     "so when exactly is your father's birthday?", the sixteen year-old asked, having to have already set out all the ingredients.

     "next wednesday; he doesn't really have a favorite flavor though. he likes everything", camilo informed.

"I see...so are the madrigals not hosting a party for him?", felicia asked, washing her hands, as she gestured for camilo to do the same.

"nah! my papá doesn't really care for over the top parties. though if someone decided to throw him one, he wouldn't object either. he's just very much a go-with-the-flow type of guy", the middle madrigal explained.

"hm, well, is there a flavor in mind that you'd like to make for him?", the teenage girl inquired.

"maybe tres leches?? he seemed to like it a lot when you guys brought it to the party", camilo shrugged.

     "alright! then let me teach you how to bake a tres leches cake then. it is moister than most cakes, so you want to make sure that you don't over bake it and suck all the liquid out of it", felicia instructed.

camilo just nodded, as he watched the girl crack the eggs and separate the yolks from the egg whites.

whisking away, she insisted on letting camilo pour some of the flour into a measuring cup first, only for the smoke of white substance to combust upon his face.

"princesa, I think I uhh..."

felicia glanced up from her bowl of foaming egg whites, as she instantly turned her head to the side to stifle the laughter that was threatening to erupt.

"h-hold on", felicia managed to choke out with a neutral expression, her lips faltering every so often, "let me get you a moist towelette".

camilo softly groaned to himself, as embarrassing himself was not on the list of how to get your crush to like you back.

     pulling a random stool from under the counter, camilo grumpily took a seat meanwhile he awaited for felicia's return.

     the oldest diaz had a smile plastered across her face, as she startled camilo by gently cupping the right side of his cheek with her slightly cold hand.

'she's touching my face. she's touching my face. she's touching MY FACE!', he internally screamed, meanwhile the middle madrigal had outwardly displayed a calm expression with his eyes closed.

felicia's fingers guided the warm cloth all across camilo's face, helping him recover his smooth, terra-cotta-colored skin.

as she exposed his usual glowing skin, the diaz had lightly gasped at the freckles that littered across the bridge of his nose and partially on his cheeks.

"you have freckles?", felicia marveled, causing camilo to peek open one eye, as he decided to close it once again — not being able to face the girl this close.

"yeah", he simply answered.

"well...they're cute", felicia muttered beneath her breath, her thumb grazing over the uneven yet perfectly scattered speckles.

camilo swore that at that very moment, a hundred thousand butterflies had spluttered out from the pits of his stomach, all fluttering towards a single destination: his heart.

     snapping his eyes wide open, a brief look of shock had taken over camilo's face.

     "ah! I also didn't know that your eyes were actually green instead of brown. from afar, they give off a bronze tint", felicia explained, backing away, as she was finished with assisting in cleaning camilo's face.

     "y-yeah", camilo clumsily choked out, scratching the back of his head, as he diverted his gaze.

     a harsh gulp was swallowed, though before felicia could continue with the lesson, the bell to the shop had rung.

"pardon me real quick", the sixteen year-old stated, her fingers tickling the edge of camilo's shoulder, before disappearing into the front of the store.

camilo just sat there, recouping his thoughts and covering his bashful face with both hands.

'dios mío, can somebody please relieve me of my uncontrollable heartbeat?!'

     a giggle suddenly erupted from the front, causing camilo to snap out of his thoughts, as he curiously and cautiously pressed his back against the wall in an eavesdropping manner.

     "damn, if only I had dolores's gift right now", camilo frowned, squinting his eyes at the arrival of the seventeen year-old boy that he instantly recognized as valentina's older brother.

     "oh please, save me the flattery, nicolas. anyways, here's the loaf of bread that your parents requested — fresh like always", felicia smiled, handing over the bagged bread, meanwhile nicolas lingered a while longer.

     "thank you, felicia. by the way, are you free this weekend? like...for a picnic?", nicolas questioned.

"oh, like with—"

"hey princesa, we're still on for our date this weekend, right?!", camilo called out, sauntering out from the kitchen, as he smoothly wrapped his arm around felicia's waist — grinning at the girl.

     felicia nearly jumped out of her skin at the physical contact, the tips of her ears burning red, as she struggled to form complete sentences.

     "I-I...n-nicolas...he...um..."

     "it's okay, I understand. you two enjoy your little date then", the seventeen year-old smiled, taking his bread, as he headed towards the door.

     though before pushing open the exit, nicolas spun around on his heels with a teasing grin.

     "also, I didn't take you to be the type to date a madrigal, especially him. would've thought you preferred someone more...mature".

     after the bell chimed again, camilo's hand had dropped. realizing what he's done, he looked up to see whether the oldest diaz was angry or not.

"prin—"

a flushed felicia who had her hands masking her mouth and nose, had completely diverted her gaze from the middle madrigal.

"s-sorry? I mean—I shouldn't have—"

felicia had then mumbled something, causing camilo to plead for the statement to be repeated.

taking a big breath in, the sixteen year-old swallowed down her nerves and fiddled with her fingers instead.

"I was wondering if you really meant that", felicia muttered.

camilo tilted his head to the side, confused.

"meant wha—OH, OH! yeah, I...I did. if you want, we could..."

felicia nodded with a small smile.

"that'd be nice. I'd like that, camilo".

was the air around them depleting? because camilo swore he felt the room spinning from the lack of oxygen traveling down his esophagus.

"yeah...", he breathed out, "it's a date then! you and me, princesa...just you and me..."

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during dinner, camilo was seen poking at the egg's yolk until it popped and spilled all over his beans.

     "camilo? why're you playing with your food?", pepa questioned, finding her son's unusual behavior almost frightening, for camilo never stalled when feasting.

     camilo didn't even hear his mother's question until antonio had elbowed him in the stomach.

     "ow! toñito, what was that for?!", camilo harshly whispered.

     "mamá asked you a question", antonio replied.

     "camilo, are you okay? you're spacing out during dinner time", his aunt worried.

     "yeah I'm fine", the boy simply answered, only creating more suspicion.

     however, dolores knew. after all, dolores always knows.

     "dolores definitely knows something. I can see it in her eyes!!", mirabel accused.

     everybody's eyes were now honed in on the recently engaged madrigal, who had squeaked in response.

     "I-I don't know anything", she denied.

     "LIES! TELL US—"

     "that's enough, mirabel. if dolores and camilo both have something they don't wish to share, then it's—"

     "camilohasadate!"

     pepa and félix dropped their utensils, as camilo facepalmed, rolling his eyes in the process.

     "say that again?", luisa requested.

     "camilo...has...a...date...", dolores slowly repeated.

     a lightning bolt had suddenly flashed between pepa and bruno's chairs, causing the latter to flinch and clutch tightly onto his rats.

     "camilo has a date?! with who?!", isabela gasped, as the entire family started bombarding the poor boy with questions.

     "is she pretty?"

     "how old is she?"

     "when's the date?"

     "IS IT FELICIA?!", antonio loudly questioned, to which everyone else had silenced themselves and waited for the teenager's answer.

camilo usually loved being the center of attention, but after developing a crush on the oldest diaz, his perspective was slightly tweaked.

"okay, fine...yes, it is felicia. she's sixteen, and we're having a picnic date this weekend...", camilo grumbled, causing an uproar of cheers, squeals, and claps.

"oh, my mijo's growing up!! I cannot believe that he's going to go on his first date!!", pepa weeped, as droplets of rain started to fall despite the sun above her head.

félix managed to calm his wife, meanwhile julieta had offered to help camilo bake some goods for the picnic.

"camilo", alma singled out, causing everyone to quiet down.

the fifteen year-old madrigal unconsciously clenched onto his pants, as he listened with great anticipation.

"bring her home to us sometime, would you?"

camilo's face combusted into flames, as the rest of his family all laughed in agreement.

"aw, abuela...not you too!!"

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