THE TEST

She's just like candy.,
She's so sweet,
But you know that it ain't real cherry.
Know that it ain't real cherry.

***

CHAPTER XXXII

*****

AS SOON AS I had stepped into the house, my eyes had landed on Teo who was being rocked to sleep by Pablo as he walked quietly around the living room.

I stopped by the door, my heart warming at the sight of the both of them. As if sensing a disturbance, Teo raised his head, his eyes clear of sleep as he scanned over the room before his gaze landed on me. Confusion was the first thing to set in before realisation dawned on him and a large smile that melted my heart stretched across his lips.

“Mama!” he exclaimed around his pacifier, struggling in Pablo's arms to let him down so he could run to me. Pablo let out an exasperated huff, but set him on his feet anyway, allowing him to sprint over to where I stood by the doorway.

I crouched down to his level and opened my arms wide for him to run into me before closing them around his small body and holding him to me. He buried his head in the crook of my neck, one hand rested on my shoulder and the other grabbing a fistful of my shirt in a tight grip as he held onto me for dear life.

I bet if he could talk, he would be telling me to never leave him like that ever again.

“My baby,” I cooed, standing up straight with him in my arms. “I missed you so so much. You know that?” I asked as I placed multiple kisses on his cheek, making him giggle and pull away before leaning in again so I could kiss him more. “I love you so much, mi amor.”

He closed his eyes and rested his head on my shoulder, letting the sound of my voice comfort him as he let out a deep, exhausted breath. I kissed his cheek one last time, unable to help myself before picking up where Pablo left off and rocking my body gently to coerce him to sleep again.

“Pablo,” I acknowledged with a small head nod before rolling my eyes at the look on his face. I let out a small laugh and walked over to him before entrapping him in a large hug that he had no room to escape from. “It's so good to see you again.”

He kept his arms folded against his chest stubbornly for a while longer before he huffed again and wrapped his arms around me tight. He lifted me slightly into the air, making me wack his shoulder and glare at him once he put me down.

“Watch the baby,” I scolded before looking to see how Mateo was doing. His sleepy eyes lazily met mine and despite the pacifier in his mouth, he smiled at me.

“Mama,” he said happily, reaching out to touch my face.

“Shh, baby. I'm right here, okay? You can go to sleep now,” I cooed, rubbing his back as he slowly dozed off on my shoulder. “You don't have to look at uncle Pablo's ugly face again, okay?”

“Hey, watch the way—”

Before Pablo could finish saying whatever it was he wanted to let come out of his mouth, Teo had perked up on my shoulder as if he hadn't been on the verge of being fast asleep only a few seconds. I turned around to see what had got his attention only to roll my eyes at the sight of Daniel and some guards placing some of my things from my old apartment as well as my suitcase down onto the floor by the door.

“Danny!” Teo exclaimed around his pacifier, staying up straight in my arms and reaching over for Daniel to take him.

At the sound of Teo's voice, the smile that had graced his face I really didn't know how to describe. For one, it was damn near identical to Teo's and everyone practically already knew how Teo's smile took my breath away. It was also really the first time I had seen him smile so wide and genuinely mean it.

I had been so enraptured by his smile that I hadn't even realised when he had ended up right in front of me. I stared up at him in awe, even as he took Mateo out of my arms and held him in his instead. He met my gaze briefly, his eyes mischievous because he knew exactly why I was watching him before he turned his attention to Mateo.

“Bubba,” he cooed, holding him up in the air before cradling him tighter to his chest and placing a small kiss on his cheek. “You missed me?”

Teo nodded as he reached out his hand for me to take it. As I took his hand and placed a kiss on the back of it, I knew I couldn't blame him. All he wanted was the both of us with him after spending so long with the two of us absent.

That wasn't to insult Pablo as his uncle, but there was something quite different about having your parents with you. Plus, he was more used to us, but then he was taken to an unfamiliar environment with someone he didn't fully know. Any normal adult would be distressed too, not to talk of a toddler. I smiled at him and brushed his unruly curly hair out of his face as he rested his head on Daniel's shoulder.

“I love you so much,” I muttered, pressing myself into Daniel's chest so I could kiss his cheek.

“This is disgustingly cute,” Pablo interrupted the cute moment, making Daniel and I look over to him to see him watching us with a fake disgusted look on his face as he leaned against the doorframe. “Look, I just want to tell you this now. You better call someone—anyone else—to come stay with us while we're here because I am not going to be the thirdwheel on a trip I didn't even want to take in the first place.”

I had no other response but to snort at his dramatic ass. To him, we were only being civil with each other for the sake of Teo and he was already acting this way. I didn't want to see his reaction once he found out that Daniel and I had got back together again. Afterall, it was no secret that he wouldn't approve it.

There was never a time where he had ever approved our relationship truly. Not even back when it had first started. He could only allow it to happen because what other choice did he have in the matter? We both wanted each other enough to take on a problem with him if he even tried to come in for either of our wellbeing.

Despite this it was obvious that if Pablo did have a say in the course of our relationship, he would say so much about how much he didn't approve of us that I would want to cut off my ears and bury them.

“Actually Pablo, speaking of thirdwheel,” I said, drawing his attention to me, “something happened on our trip here that I need to talk to you about.”

Knowing that he was only going to be against this, I still knew that I had to tell him. Better he knew from the get-go than he found out himself and threw a fit again. Plus, the sooner I told him, the more time it gave him to accept it.

He narrowed his eyes at me, a suspicious look in them before he looked over to Daniel who had also been staring intensely at the side of my head. The tension in the room was so thick, I felt I could slice it with a knife. It only added to the weight on my shoulders and made me want to slump into one of the sofas in exhaustion.

“You fucked, didn't you?” he said, making my eyes widen in shock and Daniel's narrow as he glared at him instead.

“Language.”

Pablo only rolled his eyes at his words, not paying him any attention as he looked to me. “It's either that or you,” he sent an accusing glance in Daniel's direction, “lied and manipulated her into getting into a relationship with you again.”

My reaction had been quick. As Daniel took a step towards Pablo, I stepped in front of him and looked between the two. “Maybe you could try put him down for a nap now,” I suggested to Daniel, making the two of them look down at the child that was dozing off on his shoulders.

Seemingly, the reminder of the fact that there was indeed a child present was enough to diffuse the situation enough to make Daniel decide take the higher ground. He cast Pablo one last chilling glare before making his way up the stares to the second floor. I hadn't said anything until I was sure that both Daniel and Mateo were completely out of hearing distance.

“We did get back together,” I confirmed, yet Pablo remained quiet, a blank expression on his face as he stared at me emotionlessly. I couldn't help but stare back at him, desperately yearning for him to speak because the longer he went without saying anything, the more I realised just how disappointed he was. Whether it was at me or at the situation we were in, I didn't know. “Say something,” I begged, my voice coming out meek because I knew I was in no position to be making demands.

“Congrats,” he said sarcastically, making me frown as I crossed my arms over my chest.

“Pablo...”

“What else is there to say?”

I couldn't help but stare at him silently, watching his eyes in a bid to find out what it was he was thinking, but I was only met with a blank stare back. “You don't approve of it,” I concluded to which he didn't deny.

He sighed and brought his hand to his temples as he closed his eyes. “I just don't understand why you guys are together when it didn't work out the first time.”

“Because... because we still have deep feelings for each other.”

“Just because you have feelings for each other doesn't mean you should be together,” he said, making me narrow my eyes at him. Why did it feel like he was villainising me again? Was he or was I just guilty?

“Tell that to you and Emma,” I said, pointing an accusing finger in his direction, yet he didn't bat an eyelid.

“Me and Emma aren't together,” he said, making me roll my eyes and fold my arms over my chest. Of course he had to be smart about it. “Plus it was one night where we both weren't thinking straight. It's not going to ever happen again and you know that.” They got together? In all honesty, I didn't know anything but I did want to know more and that's something I couldn't help. “I don't even know why she told you that.”

“Told me what, Pablo? She didn't tell me anything.”

He looked at me, realisation slowly dawning on him as he finally figured out that he had just ratted on himself. “Fuck.”

I couldn't help but feel pity for him despite the situation we were in. Clearly, the guilt was eating him up too much for him to just keep silent about it. It must've been why he spilled it so easily. Because he needed to get it off his chest.

“Does Daniel know?” I asked in a softer, more comforting voice, but he only returned it with a glare sent in my direction.

“He doesn't need to know. It's none of his business,” he said, making me raise my arms in surrender. “And that's not what we're talking about right now so don't try and change the subject.”

I sighed and massaged my temples in a bid to calm the raging migraine in my head. “Look, Pablo, at the end of the day, you're not my dad so you can't tell me what I can and can't do.”

“I don't have to be your dad to have yout best interest in mind,” he said, making me frown at him. “You know me. By now, I am your brother. Doesn't matter if it's by blood or not. You're my little sister and that's that. All I want—all I've ever wanted—was for you to be safe and happy. How the fuck do you expect me to be okay with you getting back with him when I've only ever seen you cry because of him?”

I couldn't help but look down at my feet to hide the doubt in my eyes. Before, I had been so sure about Daniel, but Pablo was forcing me to take the rose-coloured glasses off before it blinded my vision again. Daniel was changing, but I wasn't sure how much. Did I want to risk putting my heart on the line again just for it to get shattered? Again?

It was no secret. Well, to myself at least it wasn't a secret that I was incredibly mentally unstable. I wasn't sure what could trigger another breakdown, but there was a high chance that a heartbreak most likely would.

“He's...”

“Listen—” he cut me off, as if knowing I didn't actually have anything to say. “I know Daniel. I know the shit he's been through and I know how fucked up it's made him. I love you. I do. But there's nothing you can do to fix or change him. You can't fix him.”

“I'm not trying to fix him,” I said, irritated that he thought that. “I've never tried to fix him. Every moment I've loved Daniel, it has always been for who he was. Not who I wanted him to be.”

Pablo snorted and turned to look the other way before muttering lowly under his breath, “You never loved him. You just pitied him.”

I couldn't help but take a step back at his words, my heart lurching in my chest because now it just created a whole knew bunch of insecurities for me. What Pablo had just said could've been potentially true. That all that time I had fawned over him was only because I felt obligated to do so. I felt obligated to comfort him and help him because I felt I was the reason his life was ruined.

I knew it was no longer the case anymore, but I didn't want our relationship to be built on the foundation of pity. How was I ever going to be able to explain that to Daniel?

At the mention of Daniel, my body had tensed up unexpectedly, alerting me of the fact that it was no longer the two of us in the sitting room. I looked up at the balcony from the second floor overlooking us, only to meet Daniel's gaze immediately as he leaned against the railing and stared down at me. Or more rather glared.

I was not getting out of this one easily.

Pablo, noticing my silence stepped out from the kitchen doorway and looked also in the direction I was looking. His reaction came quick, his eyes narrowing and his lips pulling into a scowl before he rolled out his shoulders and walked away.

Why did this feel like having two big territorial wild tigers in the same enclosure? Not that they were animals or anything, but they sure were acting a lot like them.

I remained in the same spot, maintaining eye contact with Daniel and not backing down because I didn't do anything wrong and I stood firm in that. He raised an eyebrow at me, as if to ask me what I was going to do before rolling his neck and walking away also.

With a sigh, I stood there for a minute, my mind going a mile a minute before I walked through the doorway leading into the kitchen and set my sights on Pablo who was pouring himself a glass of whiskey.

“I don't want to fight with you, Pablo,” I said, softening my voice so he didn't think I was being confrontational. People responded better when they felt they weren't being confronted. He let out a breath at the sound of me and his shoulders deflated as he finally looked at me again with softer eyes. Showing me more that he was being honest. All he ever wanted was my best interest. “But I do love Daniel.”

“And you love the way he treats you?”

“He treats me well,” I answered, yet the unconvinced look on his face told me all I needed to know. “You can watch us,” I proposed. “Watch the way he treats me in the time that we stay here. And if you tell me that you don't like it, I'll end it with him.”

He snorted again, not hiding the fact that he found it hard to believe that I was actually willing to end things with Daniel for him. “No, you won't.”

“I'll consider it, Pablo,” I rephrased, bringing a humoured smile to his face. “I know you won't ever lead me astray so if you say he doesn't treat me well, then he doesn't treat me well. I'll end it. I give you my word.”

“And how is Daniel supposed to feel about this deal that we're making behind his back?” he asked, making me think hard about his question.

I knew Daniel wasn't going to like it. That was a given. Even as I stood there talking to him, it felt like I was coming up with a test that he was now expected to pass, but what else could I do?

I knew there was nobody—apart from Daniel himself—who quite had my best interest at mind all the time like Pablo did, so I knew his judgement was going to be fair and just. I had reason to trust Pablo and it was because his loyalty was unmatched. He was so heavily family-first that I had no doubt that he would've already killed Daniel for being with me if it wasn't for the fact that they had been friends ever since they were thirteen.

On top of that, Pablo wasn't the one head over heels in love with Daniel so he would be able to see things that maybe I would miss. Both in Daniel's behaviour but also in mine as well.

“I'll talk to him about it later.”

“You trust me too much,” Pablo shook his head, making me narrow my eyes at him and fold my arms over my chest.

“I do,” I agreed with a frown, “so don't abuse it.”

“Never.”

***

“When did it happen?” I found myself asking as I took a seedless cherry out of its bowl and tossed it into my mouth. “I mean your affair.”

Pablo turned to look at me from beside me, a glare on his face before he focused his attention back onto the wide lawn in front of us. In the far distance, the sun was setting, painting the usual blue sky with warm yellow, orange, pink and red colours. I could only spot a singular cloud in sight.

“That doesn't matter,” Pablo said, breaking the silence that had began to surround us. “All that matters is that it won't happen again.” He didn't say anything more for a couple seconds before he turned to me sharply with his eyes narrowed at me. “And you better not tell anybody either.”

“I won't. I'm not stupid,” I said, but he looked unconvinced.

“I know you, Araceli. You can't keep a secret for your life.”

I frowned at his words, but kept serious as I looked at him. “I swear. Nobody will hear a peep about this topic from me.”

His eyes scrutinised me for a second, searching for any falter in my presence before he closed them, let out a deep breath, perhaps to calm himself and relaxed against the wall of the house. Slowly, he opened his eyes again.

“Thank you.”

I didn't respond. I didn't need to. Instead, I took the time to properly take him in. After four days, a lot seemed to have changed very quickly. Pablo always looked stressed. That was something about him no one could change, but now he looked more stressed than ever. He looked exhausted. The bad kind of exhausted.

Not the exhausted you felt after a long day of working hard. It was the kind you felt when life had taken another blow at you. This one a little bit too hard, that makes you feel like you can't take anymore.

“How are you?” I found myself asking. My voice was soft and tentative, because really, I was dreading the answer yet I needed to know.

He looked at me as if he didn't fully understand why I was asking such a question, but responded nonetheless. “I'm fine as you can see.”

“No, I mean how are you?” I asked again, this time putting more emphasis on 'you' in hopes that he would understand.

He snorted and looked away from me. “I finally understand what you were going through when you began messing around with Daniel behind everyone's back,” he answered, his voice sounding like he found something amusing yet his eyes told a completely different story. “It feels like shit,” he continued, “I don't know how you did it.”

“I rationalised it a lot,” I answered as if that was supposed to help him or something. “I told myself that it wasn't even cheating because they didn't even like each other. That he liked me. It didn't make me feel better, but it made me feel better, if that makes sense?” It sounded like it didn't, but he nodded his head as if he did making me consider the fact that he really mightv6e understood me. “It helped ease the guilt a little bit, 'cause I knew I was fucking her over. Celeste, I mean. No matter how awful she was to me in the beginning.”

Pablo looked at me, a small smile on his face. “I think the both of you have a lot to talk about. Clearly, you both like each other more than you think you do.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, unable to make sense of his words no matter what abstract way I thought about it.

He let out a big breath and relaxed further into the wall before he started speaking. “When you "disappeared" let's call it, a lot of people were pointing their fingers at Daniel. Everyone either partly or fully believed that he had a hand in your disappearance. By then, we had nothing from you. He didn't want to show us the single letter you "left" to him, I guess because he wanted to preserve the little he had left from you. I don't know. What that meant though was that everyone naturally thought he had gotten rid of you.

“Celeste gave him shit for it day and night. She wouldn't leave him alone. She constantly insulted him, attacked him, belittled him. Anything you say, she probably did it. She went snooping through his office when he was out and found the letter, brought it to me to make sure it was truly your handwriting and with Anna, we all concluded that Daniel had been innocent after all,” he explained, maintaining a nonchalant form as if he was only talking about the groceries he had bought the previous day and not information that I found highly valuable. “It was the last thing I expected to see from someone like Celeste, but when you really think about it and consider how loyal she is to the women in her life, you realise it does make sense.”

I stared out into the far distance for a while, lost in my own thoughts before letting out a groan and burying my face into my hands. I could feel a headache starting at the sheer volume of information I had received, further yet clashing with the previous information I had. Conflicting me even more.

Not only was I learning that so many people had fought for me when I was taken, but I was also learning that so many people had attacked Daniel. Everyone had believed the worst of him and I was among those people. I couldn't even begin to imagine how draining it must've been for him after he was made to believe that I left him and he had lost his child.

“I need to have so many conversations with so many people,” I muttered, rubbing my eyes in frustration.

None of this shit was fair. I hadn't even been the one to put myself in the position I was in, yet it was only I who needed to pick up the remaining pieces of something other people had broken and somehow figure a way to put it all back together.

“You do.” Pablo, as usual, proved to be of no help at all.

I glared at him, but he only took a sip of the whiskey I forgot he had with him. I remembered somehow, very loosely being made aware of a drinking problem he had developed when I had been taken.

I couldn't see it in him now. He seemed to be responsible as he took small sips of his drink and savoured each sip. Perhaps they didn't allow it get too serious before they put an end to it. I should probably do that with Daniel's smoking before the "minor" habit became a major one.

“I don't even know how I'm going to contact her,” I said, deciding to direct my bad mood towards something else instead of him. Despite his own predicament, he looked relaxed. I wanted to have what he was having. “Do you have her number?”

Pablo snorted and rolled his eyes. “I don't like her that much.” He looked over to me and took note of the dejected look on my face before sighing and putting his drink down between us. “But she'll be in New York soon.”

“Really?” I asked, my eyebrows farrowing. “Why?” Did she have something to do here as well?

“Guillermo is coming for obvious reasons,” he said, not bothering to explain what those reasons were. They most definitely were not obvious. “And wherever Guillermo is, Celeste is. It's like they're both attached to each other at the hip. It's cute. In a way.”

I watched him as he narrowed his eyes at nothing before he took a long sip of his drink. I then took note of how, at first his joke about being a thirdwheel seemed to be nothing else but a joke, but then realised how true it actually was. When people seemed to be in happy relationships all around him, it probably made him feel even more lonely. Especially when the only one he truly wanted was also in a relationship, but not with him.

“Do you have Anna's number?” I asked, thinking of my only other single friend. Just mentioning her name made me miss her so bad. All I wanted was to hug her again. She was always a great hugger.

“I do,” he nodded. “You want to call her?”

“Yeah. Maybe tomorrow, though. I think right now, I'm just going to take a shower and go to sleep.”

Pablo stared at me for a little while, his gaze soft before he wrapped his arm around my neck, pulled me in and placed a small kiss on my temple.

“Take care of yourself,” he said, uncaring of how I got onto my knees and pulled his head into my stomach with my arms around his neck in a hug. I remembered how I always hugged him like this when we were younger, because it made me feel like the older sibling.

He used to always have a problem with it then. He'd tell me that I was doing way too much, but this time he didn't care. This time it was almost like he appreciated it.

I kissed the crown of his head and brushed his loose, black curls out of his face before saying, “You take care of yourself, okay Pablito?”

And to that he only laughed and patted my back.

***

I spent some time with Mateo even though he was sound asleep and really did not care who was in his room and who wasn't. Still, I did it for more reasons than to just be there for him.

For one, I myself missed the shit out of him so I found that actually being there for him helped comfort me as well. On top of that, it gave me a reason to avoid Daniel as long as I could.

I didn't know what mood he was in tonight, but if it was anything like I saw him when I was speaking to Pablo, then I knew it wouldn't be good. Despite that, I knew I couldn't avoid him forever so I decided to take a quick shower in the bathroom right beside the room Mateo was sleeping in and then slipping into a pair of cotton shorts and Daniel's shirt before heading over to the bedroom Pablo had said was prepared for Daniel.

Obviously, he had taken the liberty of claiming the master bedroom in this house as he had righteously deemed himself worthy of it for dedicating four days out of his life to caring for Mateo. I wanted to tell him to try do it for two years, but decided to bite my tongue and appreciate the fact that he had helped us anyway. Better him than a stranger.

He had also prepared a separate bedroom for me because obviously, he didn't know that Daniel and I were going to get back together but I didn't really mind the extra space. I was probably going to turn it into my sewing workshop for the few days we would be there anyway

It was dark by the time I found myself pulling down on the handle to let myself into Daniel's room. Teo was still asleep and was probably going to remain like that until the next morning. Pablo was doing God knows what in his room, so that left Daniel.

I let myself into the dark room, only to find his back to me as he looked out the window with a glass of the same whiskey Pablo had been drinking in his hand. I gently let the door shut behind me and made my way over to him, hoping that he was aware of my presence in the room so he wouldn't get startled.

As soon as I reached him, I placed my hand on his shoulders, loving the feeling of his bare skin against my fingertips as I glided my hand down his chest further and further down.

“Araceli,” he groaned as he caught my wrist before I could reach his dick.

“Daniel,” I whispered right into his ear, my voice breathy and seductive as I brushed my lips along the skin of his neck. “What was it you said you wanted to do to me?”

He tilted his head back, his eyes meeting mine in the dark room before looking down at my lips. I knew we needed to talk, but I also knew that I needed him. All of him. This night, talking could wait.

“Take off your shorts,” he said, his voice deep and his lips only millimetres away from my own. Tempting me. “And then bend over the desk.”

*****

Okay, so first of all idk why I sat there and said there was smut in this chapter. Its the next chapter so irdk why I lied like that. The good news is that unless I find a way to fuck it up, yall are getting a whole full chapter of smut next week???

The more I spoke, the more I realised how great that news actually isn't 😐

Anyways, what are your thoughts on the chapter? What do you think will happen next? I dropped some hints throughout the chapter. Almost the entirety of this chapter is a hint now that I think about it but whatever. I might fuck around and *smacks lips* bring back the triple threat.

And by triple threat, I mean create a girl trio of the baddest bitches for Ara to be friends with. Or I might not actually. If I knew wtf I was doing, that would be nice.

I'm gonna go and figure myself out cuz this is embarrassing now