Hi, there! Well, if it's not too much to ask, I would like some flozmin+estrella sisters (any of them, all of them!). And since I'm asking, it would be great for it to be in English. Thanks!
There isabsolutely no sound coming from downstairs. Flor found the skirt exactly whereshe knew she would find it: in the pile of clothes in the corner of Jazmín´swardrobe, just under the place where her jackets are hanging. It´s not a permanentpile of clothes. Flor´s clothes never stay in Jazmin’s house. Never for morethan a couple of days and never on purpose.
It´s not arule, exactly.
She´s prettysure that Jazmín wouldn’t mind. She had suggested, one morning while they hadbreakfast and Flor made sure to put her pajamas back into her bag, that shewould be more than okay to give Flor one of her drawers. She had to spare, andit would be more practical, she had told her casually. Flor had laughed, as ifJaz had told her a joke, and deflected the conversation to talk about how goodthe muffins were that morning.
She justwasn´t ready.
And sheisn’t ready now, as she starts making her way downstairs. She isn’t sure why,because the truth is she wants so many things with Jazmín. Things she nevereven knew she wanted. Things she didn’t dare to want. And it’s very overwhelming;to want so much and to be so certain that she will probably get them. Andperhaps it’s that, that overwhelming feeling that has her wanting and notwanting at the same time.
When shefinally maker her way down, Jaz and Carla are sitting exactly as she left them.They are both sipping tea and avoiding eye contact. It’s not terrible, shesupposes. With Jaz and Carla, it’s usually more yelling and eye rolling and thekind of tension that comes from two people who don´t really get along. Still,Flor can’t help the way her shoulder moves up and down and the little soundthat come out of her mouth.
Both hersister and her…and Jaz- because that is a conversation that they haven´t yethad, but that doesn’t make her anxious, so it’s okay- turn around to look ather. They both also smile at her, and Flor supposes that’s kinda nice.
“Found it,”she announces, before handing the skirt to Carla and sitting down.
“Great,”her sister says, eying the piece of clothing carefully.
“So, whereare you off to now?” she asks, trying to bring conversation back into the room.
“Well,Fernan has this medical thing in Mendoza,” she starts, and Flor usually doesn´task too much about Carla’s new relationship. Not because she doesn’t care,because she does, but because she doesn’t need to. Carla is always ready tooffer information although she is not pressed to do so.
She wouldnever say it out loud, but she would like for Carla to ask about Flor’srelationship, too. She finds herself wanting to talk more and more about Jazmínwith her sisters lately. With Miru, she doesn´t even have to ask. Her littlesister is all about inappropriate questions that sometimes Flor answers,because Miru likes to be like that, and Flor loves the way that kind ofconversations make her feel.
Vir isalmost never inappropriate, but she likes talking about it as much as Flordoes. She can’t believe, sometimes, how long she kept her feelings for Jazmín asecret from her big sister. Vir always makes sure to include Jazmín in familyactivities, and Flor is already dreading the day her sister leaves forPortugal. And lately, Flor has even gotten away with sneaking Jazmín into someof the conversations she has with Lucía. It is always a bit more one-sided, butlast week, Lucía even stayed in the kitchen to have dinner with them after along day at the hotel. It was a big win for Flor, and it was also kinda weird,but the best kinda weird.
With Carla,though, those types of conversations are non-existing. Flor is not sure why.Her sister isn’t against the relationship, and she is even trying to get betteralong with Jaz – and Flor only knows that because Vir told Miru and Miru toldher- but still, the topic is never addressed with Flor herself. Flor is alittle surprised Carla agreed to stop by Jazmín’s house to pick up the skirt.She figures she really wants it, and she is leaving in just a few hours.
It feelslike hours when Carla finally stops talking about Fernan, and just when Flor isabout to say something, Jazmín’s cellphone rings. She can tell by Jaz face thatthe caller is Javo, and Jazmín excuses herself to take the call outside. Florgets so hang up thinking about Javo and what happened with Vir, that Carlatalking takes her by surprise.
“So, thisplace is nice,” her sister says, more to no one in particular than to Flor. Itis enough, however, to get Flor ranting.
“I know,right? Jazmín decorated the place herself. It was her grandma’s, but she has hmm given it such a…I don’t know. It’stotally hers. And it has such great lightning, I swear. It’s great forpainting, not that I paint, of course, I mean it’s just not really my thing,but Jaz always says that, and I guess it’s true because…”
Flor stops,embarrassed, when she notices Carla looking at her weirdly.
“And you already have your things here,” hersister adds, pointing to the skirt.
“No”, Floris fast to correct. “This was just here, but hmm, I don’t have my things here. It’s too soon for that,” shecontinues, although she is sure Carla doesn’t care.
“Okay”, Carlaanswers. “I just figured…” but she stops herself before continuing, dismissingthe whole thing with a hand gesture.
“No”, Florsays, “you just figured what?”
Because nowFlor is a bit curious, and she doesn’t know if what Carla is about to say istotally insensitive, but she still wants to know,
“Well, thatmaybe it hasn’t been long, but you guys look, you know…solid”.
And maybeit has to do with the need Flor has been having for this kind of conversationwith Carla, and maybe it is just what is it, but it feels as if that last wordcarries the special kind of warmth that Flor is now associating with all thingsJazmín. Flor smiles, suddenly feeling a bit shy and also a bit proud, becausethey are. They totally are. They are solid.
And Flor isnot exactly used to that. To solid.And to have heard it from her sister, from the one sister Flor least expectedit, well, it makes her feel strong. She is strong, after all. A few tears threatento escape her, and Flor doesn´t want to take things that way, so she justsmiles at Carla, who now is again looking at her strangely.
“We are,”she says simply, and just then Jaz makes her way inside.
Theyabandon the topic as fast as they had approached it. Carla stays for a littlelonger. She eats another muffin and doesn’t compliment Jaz, but, when shementions that one of their new suppliers is charging them too much, Jazmínverbally agrees with her and they spend a few minutes complaining about it andFlor feels so happy about it that she is sure she has gone crazy.
That night,while Jazmín gets ready for bed, Flor takes a bottle of perfume that she alwayskeeps in her bed and leaves it in Jazmín’s bathroom. To stay.
Because thesteps don’t have to be big. They are solid, after all.
