·26·

"Abuela's Journal"

"How are you two better at this than I am?" Estella asked the two boys, looking at her beautifully painted nails in awe before looking apologetically at Mirabel since she didn't really do a great job painting her nails.

"Skill," Enrique boasted, looking proudly before taking it back, "No, just kidding. My cousin's wife lives at our place, she's got a habit of styling things."

"And I live with a lot of women," Camilo says, making his cousins and his sister eye him, waiting for him to continue like lionesses waiting to see what emerges from behind the tall grass.

"What? It's not like I said I didn't like it whenever I get pampered," He defended himself, "A handsome face like mine doesn't come by often."

"Wow," Enrique laughed and so did Estella as everyone else either just rolled their eyes, scoffed, or covered up Antonio's ears.

"Seriously Camilo, stop lying in front of Antonio," Luisa joked.

Mirabel watched as everyone got along with each other well; painting nails, making jokes and doing each other's hair. She smiled, treasuring the moments of the night and seeing her friend warm up to her family.

And the fact that her jealous cousin is getting along with who he used to have marked as his "love rival."

Rolling her eyes, Mirabel just shakes her head in amusement while her confident cousin continues to joke around looking like the most ridiculous boy in the room with his hair tied up with a ribbon and not to mention the facial mask on his face.

★ ★ ★

Everyone was gathered around Antonio who fell asleep on a bed of flowers in Isabela's room, looking like a complete, peaceful angel who was sent directly from heaven.

"Aw, look at him, he's so adorable," Isabela whispered, admiring the little boy in front of them.

"We should get him to his room now," Dolores says softly, looking at Camilo who agreed. "I got it," He said, picking him up gently, and taking him to his jungle room with his comfy bed.

"I don't know about you guys but I'm gonna go pass out on my bed," Luisa yawned, waving goodbye to everyone else and giving a gentle pat on Estella's head.

"We should probably do the same," Enrique suggested, also letting own a yawn, infecting Dolores and afterward, Isabela.

"Yawns really are contagious," Mirabel said mid-yawn as everyone said their goodnights to each other.

"Good night, primo. Good night, Enrique," Mirabel smiled, rubbing her eyes on her way to her room with an already half-asleep Estella trailing behind her.

"Good night, Camilo," She said, turning around to follow Mirabel, still waving her hand, "Good night," She yawned, just about to close Mirabel's door, "Hermano."

Enrique smiled, touched by how Estella just called him "brother" – He always wanted a sister.

"Sleep tight, hermana," He murmured happily to himself, though Camilo managed to hear it since both of them were not that far from each other.

Confused, he tried to shrug it off, starting to get sleepy himself as soon as he caught a glimpse of his heavenly, comfortable, warm bed.

But as soon as he did manage to lie down, a question popped up in his head, only realizing why he got so confused earlier now.

Did they just refer to themselves as each other's siblings?

★ ★ ★

Estella's eyes slowly opened, searching for a nearby clock to check the time as she slowly sits up, already 100% awake.

She exits Mirabel's room as quietly as possible, trying not to wake anyone up so early in the morning.

"You're up early," She heard a voice whisper, the early morning silence making it easy for her to hear Enrique even from the other side.

"You too," She replied, smiling, carrying the folded nightgown she changed into last night while she goes down the stairs with Enrique.

"What're you going to do with that?" He asked curiously, pointing at what she was carrying.

"I'm going to wash it when I get home, dry it, press it, and give it back," She informed him, making him laugh.

"Maybe I should let you borrow MY clothes," He joked, walking with her as they exit the Madrigal house, the sky still a little dark, the moon still visible.

Estella scoffed at his remark, her early good mood fading as she remembers how he'll be leaving soon today. Putting up a tight smile, she tries her best to make sure she sends him off with a smile for his last day in their town.

"Do you normally wake up early and skip breakfast too?" Estella asked, bringing up something to talk about to make up a conversation.

"More or less," He admitted, "I usually skip breakfast but my sleep schedule is a total bust." He explained, asking, "What about you?"

"Once my eyes open, all traces of sleep just dissolve into nothing," She replies, the two of them laughing softly as they walk the quiet streets of the small town in the Encanto, greeting a few neighbors who were also up so early in the morning.

"You know," Estella said, both of them stopping right in front of Cortez's door. "Maybe you should have breakfast with the Madrigals. It is your last day today," She suggested.

"I will," He answered, flashing her an assuring smile, "I'll see you later, 'Stel." He said, waving before walking back to La Cass Madrigal.

Estella watched as he walk farther away, smiling at the way he called her.

They may have met just two nights ago, but they already established a pretty great relationship as friends.

Not long after Estella arrived, her parents finally woke up and found their daughter putting up clothes to dry outside.

"Where have you been all night, niña?" Her mother asked, walking to help her hang up the laundry.

"Lol Siento, Mama. I spent the night with the Madrigals. Did I worry you?" The girl asked, tucking her loose hair behind her ear.

"No, no, It's fine, Corazon," Tacita said, planting a kiss on Estella's forehead. "You were right, you know," She sighed, gently caressing her daughter's face with a warm smile.

"About what?" Estella chuckled, a bit confused.

"You're fifteen already and you just keep growing older. It wouldn't be fair if we kept holding on to you too tightly. I'm sorry for not realizing this until now," The woman apologizes, making her daughter's eyebrows furrow.

"I'm sorry too," Estella smiled before telling her mother to go back inside and let her do her chores, insisting that pregnant women shouldn't be overworking themselves.

After hanging up the laundry she did to dry, Estella had breakfast, helped her father with the crib he's been struggling to build forever – knowing the fact that they'll need two now, took a shower, and now, she had just finished folding up the clothes.

"Who's is this?" Tacita asked, holding up the nightgown Estella borrowed from Mirabel. Her daughter took it from her hands, saying, "Oh, Mirabel let me borrow her nightgown last night. I wanted to wash it before giving it back."

The woman simply nodded, reaching out for the basket of folded clothes, planning to put them in each person's respective wardrobes, when Estella gently slapped her mother's hands away.

"Uh-uhn, you're supposed to be resting," She said, sounding like her own mother who keeps on telling her to rest.

"Like mother like daughter," They heard Benito say aloud as he goes up the stairs, making them laugh.

"Just leave it to me," Estella chuckled, kissing her mother on the cheek before snatching the basket and making her way upstairs to their rooms.

Almost finished with putting some of her parents' clothes in their drawers and cabinets, Estella seemed to find one drawer difficult for her to close. Figuring that something must be stuck at the back end, she tries taking out some of her mother's blouses to clear the way and possibly remove whatever was stuck behind when her eyes land on a book.

She takes it out carefully, eyeing the old book hidden under her mother's clothes in one of her drawers. Estella opens the book to a random page, seeing unfamiliar yet neat handwriting. Taking a moment before she finally realized whose handwriting it was, she couldn't help but notice the name written at the end of every page.

Antonella.

"Is this Abuela's Journal?" She asked herself just a little before deciding to keep it to herself for a while.