estamos enamoradas

Okay so I added a page with the chapters in order so it could be easier to access the fic from the beginning! I'll be editing the page as the fic continues. You can see it on desktop under the name FOREVER: CHAPTER LIST

We must remember this fic takes place in 2020... we will NOT touch covid or the real life timeline for my own sanity. All will continue as ORIGINALLY PLANNED. Aka road trips, concerts and all the good things I could not fathom writing three years ago when I tried to get back into it. I will most likely rewrite some pre-written chapters but the goal is end of March.

So I changed the blog name from juliantinafics to emotionsofthesoul. That was mostly for wattpad reasons but I also have written a few other things for different fandoms that I might upload one day so decided to do the name change across platforms just in case

I also might be uploading Forever to AO3 soon (same name). Still deciding whether I want to wait till I finish it or do it now. We'll see. I have 40 chapters written so far so hopefully I'll edit and upload those soon.

“Amor… I… I think my water just broke.” Renata said standing in the doorway of the loft. They were having Lunch with Valentina and Juliana, totally not expecting the baby to come 4 days early.

Guillermo’s face turned to panic. “What! What do we do!”

Valentina grabbed her brother and told him to breathe. He needed to calm down. “We’re gonna make our way down to the hospital. Thankfully it’s only a couple blocks away and you’re gonna help your wife deliver those beautiful babies. I will call everyone and handle everything else. You just relax and focus on Renata.”

They grabbed their jackets and purses and made their way down to the garage. All the while Valentina and Juliana made phone calls to the family.

“Val, were you able to get ahold of Hope?” Guillermo asks looking in the rearview mirror as he drives and hold his wife’s hand. Hope would be their photographer for such a momentous occasion. Renata had asked Valentina to be present during the birth and she didn’t want her focused on taking pictures, she wanted her present and in the moment.

Valentina covered the speaker of her cellphone as she responded with a quick, “Yeah she’s gonna meet us there. She’s driving from campus so it shouldn’t be too long.” Juliana was holding Valentina’s hand and rubbing relaxing circles with her thumb. Something she knew Valentina found comforting.

As they made it to the hospital, there was a nurse waiting to escort them up to the maternity wing. Renata’s mother arrived soon after and was very excited to be present for the birth of her granddaughters.

Leon and Lucia made it to the hospital half an hour after the parents to be. By that time Renata was already in a hospital gown and walking down the hall with her mother and Guille on either side.

Renata having already spoken to Hope about the pictures let her do her job. She was to take candid pictures of the whole experience.

When the time finally came the only people inside the room aside from the doctor and nurse were Guillermo holding Renata’s right hand, her mother to her left, Hope in charge of picture practically invisible, and Valentina was off to the right near her brother in complete awe.

It was such a surreal experience for the family. Valentina got the chance to call the birth time for both babies. Cecilia Esmeralda was born at 5:10pm and Sofia Aurora was born at 5:15pm.

After what felt like ages for a nervous Juliana, Valentina finally stepped out of the room to let the new mommy rest and meet up with her father and the rest of the family. “We have two beautiful baby girls!” She squealed as she ran to lift Juliana in an excited spin. She then walked over to her father and congratulated him on being a new grandpa.

Valentina sat in the waiting room with her arms wrapped around Juliana. She was trying to explain how surreal it was to see the births. Hope walked out, her camera in hand and she went to congratulate everyone and handed over the SD card to Valentina. She too sat in the waiting room for a bit just enjoying the feeling of happiness coming from the entire family.

Around 6pm Lizzie stopped by to pick up Hope and Valentina and Juliana walked her down to the main entrance. On their way back up Valentina, who still had her arm around Juliana as their fingers interlocked, turned to look at her girlfriend and said in a tender voice, “I didn’t know it was possible to love your sibling’s children this much but these two completely stole my heart. If I feel a love this deep for my nieces I can’t wait to feel a deeper love for our own little ones.”

Juliana simply smiled and hugged Valentina tightly. “One day you’ll be the best mom in the world.” She whispered as the elevator doors opened.

They made their way to the suite, it was filled with balloons and flowers to celebrate the new additions to the family. Juliana got to carry Sofia while Valentina carried Cecilia and Guille snapped a picture of the two. Juliana’s left index finger has become hostage of the sleeping baby and she couldn’t stop the tear that ran down her cheek.

Turning to Renata and Guillermo who were watching the two from the bed, she told them how happy she was to be a part of such a beautiful moment and how excited she was for them.

The family left a little past 8pm in order to let the new parents try to get some rest. Renata’s mother would be staying with them to help out in anything they needed.

The day of the competition had finally arrived. Juliana was nervous; as were most of the contestants. There were three hundred entires in total but only 50 made it into the actual show. The competition was broken up into two segments. The first was a secret session where the judges would get to view all the pieces as they looked on the mannequin. The second would be the runway show.

The night before the runway show the contestants were to deliver their pieces and set them up on mannequins to prevent them from getting wrinkled. What they didn’t know was that they each had a judge helping them set up their piece.

The students were divided in groups of ten. The first group arrived and Penelope was among them. She was helped by the magazine editor who would be featuring the winning pieces. Josie arrived in the third group and was aided by Lucia who had been asked to be judge by Renata. Juliana arrived in the fifth and last group and had her favorite professor help her, Mr. Contreras.

Once the students had all come and gone, Valentina was summoned by Renata to photograph every piece. Valentina was to print ten copies of each piece for the judges for the following morning. Valentina didn’t get much of a chance to spend time with Juliana on the eve of the competition or the morning of. She did a quick edit of all the images the night before and printed and filed every one with Hope’s help. She and Hope were enamored by each piece.

The competition was to begin at noon. For this occasion Valentina had recommended her friend Jerome to Renata to photograph the event as she would be Juliana’s model.

At 10:00am, Hope Valentina met up with Juliana and the rest of the girls at the loft as planned. Lizzie was to be Josie’s model and Penelope had chosen one of her mothers to be her model. The girls had decided to all get ready together. Penelope’s mothers were there as well since Penelope would be doing her mom’s hair and makeup. Kim, Penelope’s model had fallen in love with the loft and the view from the living room.

“Love of my soul, what do think Zach would say of the view?” Kim asked her wife in a joking yet curious manner.

Trini smiled at her wife adoringly and proceeded to say, “He would say that I’m the luckiest woman alive.”

While all the girls awed, Penelope laughed as Kim blushed and told Trini she meant the view from the window.

Everything was laughter and joy until Valentina received a call from Renata. A call that would change the mood in the entire room. Renata called to inform the girls that there had been an incident with their pieces and they had to make their way to the auditorium as soon as possible to salvage what they could. They still had an hour before the show began.

Juliana’s piece was the first in sight. It had been cut up and there was no way it could be salvaged. The second piece was Josie’s, the white organza fabric had paint splatters in hues of blue. Penelope’s piece was next and it had been cut in half vertically.

The girls dried their tears and got to work. They would save their pieces no matter what it took. The other three contestants affected were not as optimistic and decided to drop from the competition all together.

Valentina drove Juliana home in silence, simply holding her hand. Juliana had been working on three pieces for the show and that narrowed it down to the one that was now ruined. Once inside her apartment Juliana walked to her studio with Valentina in tow. She had been silent since the incident and Valentina knew she could burst any minute now.

“I know who did it.” Was all Juliana said as she packed up the new piece leaving Valentina dumbfounded.

“What do you mean? Who did it? Why didn’t you say anything to Renata?” Valentina asked in an urgent tone.

Juliana finally able to look up at Valentina, tears filling her eyes as an expression of anger took over her beautiful features, said, “Juan Carlos. He was in my delivery group. He walked around eyeing everyone’s pieces and I didn’t like the way he was looking at mine. He had an expression of anger that he quickly masked when he noticed me watching him, but obviously I have no proof it was him.”

“You might not but the cameras had to pick up something, anything. I’ll give Renata a call. Valentina pulled out her phone and dialed Renata’s number telling her what Juliana had said. 

Renata informed her that they were already going through the camera feed. While on the phone they too came upon the culprit and confirmed Juliana’s theory. 

The couple made their way back to the auditorium and upon arrival they saw people already in line ready to take their seats.

Once inside they made their way to Juliana’s cubical to get Valentina ready. The taller girl now wore a beautiful tan ball gown. The dress had fuchsia rose vines running up the right side and making a loop around the waist of the dress and going up the left side to wrap around the neck.

Two cubicles down Penelope was finishing up her piece. She had made a black business suit with a blood red edging along the bottom of the suit jacket and sleeves as well as the bottom of the suit pants. The suit would be accompanied with a white high-neck ruffled blouse. To fix her suit jacket Penelope decided to add buttons along the back where it was cut, in order to add a blood red corset lace. Her mothers were incredibly proud of her quick thinking and ability to work with what she had. The pants were reattached seamlessly and still fit Kim perfectly. Once Kim was all dressed up and ready Trini could not take her eyes off her wife leading their daughter to make a gagging noise to show her fake disgust.

Josie and Lizzie on the other hand had it much easier than Penelope and Juliana. Josie’s dress already had blue in the original design. Similarly to Juliana’s design it had flowers and branches but flowing down from the high-neck. The paint splatters were fixed by Josie, Lizzie, and Hope. They got to work as soon as Juliana and Valentina left to pick up her piece. The girls painted blue roses where the paint had landed. They ended up making 30 roses of different sizes all around the dress. Hope helped Josie get Lizzie in the white and blue dress which made Lizzie’s red lipstick pop. She had her hair in an updo with a tiara. She looked like royalty and Hope knew then and there that Lizzie would look beautiful on their wedding day, one day.

Meanwhile Renata and the judges were taking matters into their own hands in regard to Juan Carlos. Renata and Ricardo pulled him aside to talk, security not far away. They told him he was disqualified and expelled from RIC for playing dirty and to leave without making a scene. They warned him the contestants he interfered with could and should press charges for destruction of intellectual property. Juan Carlos tried to argue that they couldn’t expel him, that he had too much to lose and it was just a prank. He began shouting that it was unfair of them to expel him for a harmless prank. Juliana as well as the other contestants could hear the commotion and she couldn’t help herself. She grabbed her destroyed entry and walked towards him.

“This is harmless? This?” Juliana spout angrily, “This is destruction of property. This was done to keep me from competing. This was done to make sure I had no chance of winning. This was one of six you tampered with. This was my semester’s work. This is not a joke or a prank. This is evil. And I don’t care what you have to lose, you should’ve thought about that before you tried to play God with this competition. It was jus that, a school competition. What kind of petty bastard do you have to be to do what you did? I hope you learn from this and change your ways because life does not have mercy with people like you.”

Juan Carlos was left speechless as Juliana walked away having said what she needed to say and the rest of the people backstage clapped. Thankfully the DJ made sure the music was blasting loud enough that the crowd was not aware of what was occurring. Not long after, Juan Carlos was escorted off the premises by security.

The judges made their way to their seats while Renata went to check on Juliana. She found her in her cubical with Valentina talking to her calmly as she held her. At the sight of Renata and her open arms Juliana got up and hugged her. She thought Renata would scold her but instead she told Juliana that she couldn’t have said it better herself.

Soon after, the models were called to the line and Juliana was amazed with Penelope’s and Josie’s creativity. The designers made their way to their seats once they made sure their models were ready for the runway.

“Ladies and gentlemen, due to unforeseen circumstances 4 of our contestants are unable to participate in today’s runway but the judges did have the opportunity to see their pieces last night and will be including 3 of them in their judgement.” Renata told the audience with a bright smile. “And now, let the show begin!”

Guillermo was in charge of saying the names of the designers and the models as they walked the runway.

Juliana, Penelope, and Josie were seated together and were each holding hands, hoping their last minute changes were well accepted. Their nerves were calming down as the show went on and they began enjoying themselves. They loved being able to see the pieces their peers designed.

As the judges tallied up their points the models were told to return to the stage in order of how they walked out. The judges then asked 5 of the models to step forward 3 of which included Valentina, Kim, and Lizzie.

“Every piece was a work of art. Each and every one of you put all your effort into your design and for that you should all be proud, you did a fantastic job. These five designs stood out the most but every single one of you, who participated should be proud.” Lucia said on behalf of the judges. “I know this competition is supposed to have 3 winners but we wanted to honor the other 2 pieces. On behalf of the judges and with permission of the owner and director of this school, I’m honored to offer you a scholarship for the remainder of your studies at RIC.”

Everyone in the audience gasped and were excited at the news.

“Now without further ado, I have the name of the winners in my hands. First place goes to Ms. Josie Saltzman for such a creative rescue to her piece. With very little time left she able to turn a beautiful gown into a work of art. The roses were a late addition after the unfortunate incident of earlier.” The audience clapped for Josie as Lucia paused for a second. “Second place goes to the brilliant Penelope Park. She too was under tremendous pressure after having her design tampered with but overcame that obstacle with tremendous grace and added the beautiful lace going down the middle.” At that Kim spun slowly so the audience could get a better look at her daughter’s work.

“And lastly it is with great joy that I announce 3rd place, Juliana Valdes, who went above and beyond with her submission. Unfortunately she too was an undeserving victim of the sabotage. She lost her original piece completely as it was ripped to shreds but being the over achiever we all know her to be, she had not one but two back up pieces.” Lucia said with pride in her voice.

Once the group made their way back to the loft with their family to celebrate, Juliana was taken aside by Lucia and handed a glass of champagne. Lucia praised her work and told her that even though the first was ruined the judges had unanimously decided that had it not been for the incident with Juan Carlos and Josie and Penelope’s creativity in such a devastating situation, she would’ve received first place and as such she too was being offered a scholarship for the remainder of her time at RIC.

“I’m honored but why? Who’s funding it?” Juliana asked skeptical crossing her arms as if hugging herself. She didn’t want her life handed to her on silver platter.

Lucia knowing very well that Juliana wouldn’t accept el Grupo Carvajal to sponsor her studies and that she wanted to know it was by her own merit not who she was associated with told her the truth. “The magazine editor, Iliana Castro, said her boss was very impressed with your work. She was in he audience. She asked Renata to show her your portfolio after the show and took it upon herself to sponsor your entire scholarship. At that Renata and I offered to help with half but she wouldn’t have any of it. She wants to meet with you later this week to discuss it.” Lucia said putting her hand around Juliana’s arms. “It’s the least you deserve. You have the talent, the vision. I know you’ll get as far as you want with this. Take every opportunity you think will help advance your future, Juliana. I know you work very hard to pay for your schooling and I admire that but take this as a win. You’ve earned it.”

Juliana was rendered speechless. She had no words to express how she felt. She could only hug Lucia. Looking over Lucia’s shoulder she saw Valentina and Renata watching them from afar. Being filled in on the scholarship, Val had an arm over her very pregnant sister in law’s shoulder smiling widely at her girlfriend.

The holidays had come and gone and the girls were each midway through their spring Semester. This semester was a bit hectic for Juliana and her classmates with the competition coming up in a few months. Nonetheless she made time for Valentina’s birthday. This semester she had Tuesdays off which fit perfectly with Valentina’s birthday. She had switched shifts with Andrea for that day and she spent the better part of the morning putting the finishing touches on her gift while the boutique was empty. Once her shift was over she wrapped her present and made her way to the university. Valentina’s class was about to end and she wanted to be there waiting for her to take her to lunch.

Hope shot her a text saying class was done and they would be heading downstairs within the next five minutes. After reading the message Juliana took out her bouquet of 20 pink roses and put on her sunglasses as she leaned against her Mustang waiting for the birthday girl.

Once she reached the doors, Valentina’s smile grew. She hugged Hope goodbye and jogged towards her girlfriend. Juliana set the flowers on the roof of her car just in time to catch Valentina in her arms.

“Happy birthday morrita!” Juliana said as she spun the girl around before setting her down. “These are for you.” She said as she reached for the flowers.

“Damn, V! Where can I get me one of those!” A class mate yelled playfully to which Valentina simply raised her middle finger without turning back before leaning in to give her girlfriend a kiss.

“They’re beautiful thank you.” Val said bring the bouquet up to smell it. “I thought you had work this evening.”

“Drea agreed to switch so I could spend the day with you.” Juliana said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Valentina smiled, “good because I was gonna go bug you at work.” She said with a cute wink.

“Let’s get outta here.” Juliana said opening the door for Valentina.

Once inside the car Valentina felt curious as to where they could be going but knew that Juliana wouldn’t tell her so she simply went with the flow. She hadn’t expected to be picked up by Juliana but she was more than glad to spend the day with her.

Upon arriving to a cute French pastry shop Juliana went around and opened the door for Valentina. “M’lady” she said offering a hand to the girl in her car.

Valentina smiled knowing exactly where they were and knowing exactly what she was going to order. “How do you know me so well?” She said holding Juliana’s hand as they made their way to the door.

“I couldn’t let you turn 20 and not let you get 20 macaroons of your choice. Plus this is my excuse to have the delicious macaroon rose. Aaaaaand I might have ordered a few things to go.” Juliana said with an exaggerated playful smile.

Making their way inside the girls went to the pastry counter and order their goodies along with their meals. Juliana paid and they walked to one of the tables with a comfy couch. They had gotten quite a bit of pastries so they decided to get one of the bigger tables to fit everything.

“Thank you for picking me up today, you’ve just made today so much better.” Valentina said earnestly.

“I know birthdays are a bit hard for you sometimes,” Juliana said taking Valentina’s hand in hers across the table. “I wanted to spend a few hours with you before we head over to the loft with your family.” She said bring the girl’s hand close enough to place a kiss on it.

They spent the rest of their lunch talking and poking fun at each other. After their lunch Juliana returned to the counter to pick up her order she had placed for the party later and they headed out. Juliana drove the two of them to her apartment. She told Valentina to go ahead and open the door while she got the pastries down to put them in the fridge.

As Valentina opened the door she found their friends waiting for her! They yelled surprise and ran up to hug her. Valentina was pleasantly surprised to see them.

“Happy birthday Vale.” Hope said as Valentina held her flowers tightly full of happiness to see her friends. She took in the apartment and realized there were balloons everywhere and birthday signs.

Valentina turned to Juliana who was closing the refrigerator door with a questioning look to which Juliana responded with a smile, “Don’t look at me that’s all them.” She said with a shrug of the shoulders.

“Thank you guys this was really sweet.” Valentina said as she handed her flowers to Juliana who offered to put them in water.

They sat down around the living room and spent the next hour playing 4 Bidden Words

“Hey no that’s cheating! No one set the timer!” Josie said as Lizzie finished the deck.

“And that’s my fault why?” Lizzie said with a proud smile as she began counting her cards.

Penelope hugged a bitter Josie from behind as she told the group it was time to give the birthday girl her presents.

“Oo okay I’ll go first!” Lizzie said as she reached behind the couch to get her present. She handed Valentina the bag and sat on her knees excited for Valentina to open her present.

Valentina grew silent as she pulled out a small wooden statue of the 6 of them.

“Do you like it?” Lizzie asked worried by the silence.

“It’s beautiful, Lizzie, did you make this?” Valentina said still inspecting the item in her hand.

Lizzie nodded her head with a bright smile, “I took a wood carving class when I was younger, it’s been a secret hobby of mine.”

“It’s so detailed, I love it thank you.” Valentina said bringing the blonde girl into a hug still shocked by the gift.

Hope smiled, happy that Valentina and Lizzie had gotten much closer over the course of the last year. “My turn, cutie.” She said handing Valentina her gift.

Looking from Hope to the box and back to Hope Valentina gasped and asked, “is this what I think it is?”

Flashing her best friend a smile Hope simply nodded causing a gasp to erupt from Lizzie leaving the other girls confused. “I wanted you to be the first one to have a physical copy.”

Valentina smiled as she opened the box to find Hope’s first published book. “Holy shit you did it… I’m so proud of you!” Valentina said looking over the book and feeling the hard cover.

“Where’s our copy?” Lizzie said with a playful smile. She knew how long Hope had worked on the book and she knew how important giving Valentina the first copy was to her.

“I actually have a copy for all of you but I needed Val to be the first one to have it because she’s the reason I wrote it. The reason I pursued writing. Val this is mine but it’s because of you and you need to know how grateful I am that you’ve been there through thick and thin.” Hope said as Valentina pulled her into a hug.

“You guys are gonna make me cry.” Valentina said as she brushed a rogue tear from her face.

After the girls congratulated Hope they continued with their gifts.

“Well mine isn’t as emotional but I needed to get it as soon as I saw it because it’s literally you.” Josie said with a cute giggle handing Valentina her bag.

Valentina opened it to find two things, the first was a camera money bank and the second was a doll of herself. “It’s literally me! Where did you even find these!” Valentina said letting out a loud laugh as she inspected the doll.

“Okay in Josie’s defense I pointed it out.” Penelope said trying to fight her own laughter.

“We were at Denios and Penelope wanted to stop by a toy stand and we found it there. It was the funniest thing and I needed to get it.” Josie said through her laughter. “The camera money bank I had it made. It has your name on it actually.”

“Thanks Jo, I love these so much.” Valentina responded genuinely as she brought Josie into a tight hug.

The next person to give Valentina her gift was Penelope, she had 3 boxes stacked and wrapped together.

“Okay this looks like a lot but it’s really not.” Penelope said as she handed the boxes over. The first box contained a piece of jewelry, a necklace. It was a glass pendent that had a picture of Juliana and Valentina. “I made that in our jewelry class.” The second box had a framed piece of paper art. Penelope had folded paper together in the form of one of Valentina’s pictures from their Italy trip. Finally the last box contained a shirt with Juliana’s confused face stitched into it with the word “que?” in a bubble.

“Why would you do that to me?” Juliana said cracking up at the image on the shirt.

“Shhhh, I love it. I’m gonna wear this tomorrow! Thank you Penny!” Valentina said laughing as she brought the girl into a hug. “Guys all of these gifts were so good, I love each and every one of them, thank you!” Valentina added as she pulled back.

“Hey loser what about your girl, she hasn’t given you her gift!” Hope acknowledged sarcastically.

Confused, Valentina said, “she gave me roses and took me out to eat.” Causing everyone to burst into laughter.

“You didn’t really think that was it, right Val?” Juliana asked as she got up and walked to her room. Grabbing a round box with a blue bow and a huge see through balloon attached to it.

“What’s this?” Valentina asked with a wide smile.

Sending back an even wider smile Juliana told her to open it. Being very cautious to not mess up the bow, Valentina removed it and began opening the box. She pulled out a notecard that read, “The only star that guides me is you.” She brought the card to her heart as she made eye contact with Juliana who simply formed a heart with her hands. Setting the card down she proceeded to remove the black tissue paper to reveal a beautiful dark blue tuxedo velvet blazer. The buttons had small stars engraved into them. She had also made and included matching pants.

“Wow.” Valentina said as she lifted the garments and ran her hands across the details. “How are you so talented?”

“Dude that’s beautiful…” Penelope said in a whisper.

Under the clothes was a wooden canvas with a painting of two silhouettes sitting on a playground looking up at the stars giving Valentina the impression that it was the two of them at FC Park. “Did you paint this?” Valentina asked impressed receiving a nod from Juliana. “Wow, babe… again, how are you so talented?” Leaning in to give her girlfriend a kiss. “Gracias amor. I’m obsessed with this suit, and I need to create an occasion to wear this ASAP.”

After taking a few selfies to commemorate the day the couple’s friends left in order to give the girls some time alone before they made their way to the Carvajal dinner party. Once at the party Valentina couldn’t believe how united her family was. Her sister had changed so much since her last birthday party and it truly felt strange to not have her fighting everyone. She had even come around to accepting Juliana’s family. Their fathers had become great friends and they often spent time together as one big family.

When the dinner came to an end Leon asked Valentina to accompany him to the office so they could pick up her gift. She didn’t see why she would need to go but since it was only down the street she agreed. Leon asked Juliana to head home with the promise of dropping off Valentina once his surprise was done. They had spoke ahead of time and he knew Valentina would want to spend the night with her girlfriend.

Once they arrived at the office Leon guided Valentina to a wing of the company she hadn’t quite explored yet. She wondered what they were doing there thinking this must be the location for their storage rooms.

“I brought you here because I wanted to give you this.” Leon said as he handed his daughter a small box. As Valentina opened the box she saw a golden colored key.

“What’s this key for?” Valentina asked with a confused smile.

“Open that door and find out, princess.” Leon said motioning to the main door.

As she brought the key to the door she looked over her shoulder to her father only to have him usher her to continue. Turning back she took the entire room in. There was a tripod stand with the words “Valentina’s Magazine” written on a poster board.

Noticing his daughter’s continued confusion Leon proceeded. “Princesa, I know we spoke about doing this after graduation but I think you’ve more than earned it. I wanted to give this to you today because you’ve proven that you’re serious about your photography and I think this can help you as you go forward with your career. I think it’s the perfect timing because I also think it’s time I retire, you and your siblings are more than ready to take over. Eva has been running the show for nearly a year and things have been going smoothly and with Guillermo keeping everything in check they’ve proven they no longer need me ahead of the company. I want to begin enjoying life full-time with Lucia. I want to give her all my attention now that I know you are all ready to continue without me.”

It came as a great shock to Valentina, not only was she getting full control of her own magazine to do whatever she could dream up but her father was retiring from his empire and passing it down to her and her siblings. “Papi, you are the wisest man I know and I trust you wholeheartedly. If you think it’s time, I promise to do my best to not let you down. Thank you for not only believing in me but for believing in my siblings as well to continue your legacy. I’m so happy you want to give yourself completely to Lucia, she deserves that and so much more.” She said bringing the man into a tight hug.

Before letting go she playfully told her father, “and please give me a little brother or sister, Lucia deserves to be a mother and Renata’s baby is going to need a friend.”

After showing his daughter around the entire wing Leon brought the tour to a close telling his daughter, “This is all officially yours, you now hold the keys and you decide what to do with it. I couldn’t be prouder.” He said as they locked it all up once again.

Once they were back in his SUV he opened the glove compartment for Valentina’s final gift of the night. “Baby girl, I know today has been quite the day and I know regardless of how happy you are, you still need your mother here. I don’t want to dim your mood but this is something she asked me to give you today as the day come to a close and I’d like to honor that.” He said as he handed Valentina a letter from her mother.

Hesitantly Valentina opened the letter and began to read it. She hadn’t seen her mother’s handwriting or doodles in years. The last letter she opened was for her 15th birthday and she hadn’t touched it in years. She began to silently cry as she read her mother’s words.

“God, I miss you so much.” Valentina whispered closing her eyes and bringing the letter to her chest. By now the tears were falling freely and she refused to fight them.

After a few minutes of letting his daughter absorb her mother’s words Leon brought her into a comforting hug. He had never read the letters left for their children but he knew how much they meant to each of them. He was instructed to give them out and read his own every few years. He wasn’t meant to read his next one till his 50th birthday which was approaching soon and he, like his children, felt the words deep within his soul every single time.

“Thank you, papi, I needed that. I needed to have another piece of her. I miss her so much.” Valentina said nonchalantly as she snuggled into his hug.

“I know baby, we all do.” Leon said as he kissed his daughters forehead, “what do you say I take you to Juliana’s now?” He said knowingly to which Valentina nodded knowing Juliana’s arms were the one place she wanted to be at.

Before getting off the car Valentina thanked her father for the trust to run her own magazine. She gave him a tight hug as a silent thank you for honoring her mother’s wishes every time even if it’s difficult.

Reaching the door she didn’t even have to knock, Juliana stood their in her pajamas waiting for her with open arms. Arms that Valentina gladly stepped into. “How did you know I was here?”

Placing a kiss upon Valentina head Juliana responded, “I’ve been opening the door every five minutes for the past hour,” very relaxed.

Valentina pulled back shocked before she relaxed seeing the goofy smile on Juliana’s face. “No, your dad text me that you were here.”

“Sneaky man. Wait so did you know?” Valentina asked half hopeful that she didn’t.

Juliana nodded no adding, “All he said was to have hot chocolate ready and be ready to snuggle you because you might need it. Do you?”

The birthday girl’s eyes welled up with tears and she nodded as she walked through the door pulling Juliana’s right hand by the pinky.

“Do you want me to serve you some hot chocolate and we can snuggle on the couch for a while?” Juliana asked as she hugged Valentina from behind and rested her head on the girl’s shoulder.

Turning around in Juliana’s arms Valentina kissed the younger girl deeply as tears streamed down her cheeks. She was overwhelmed with emotions, here she was with someone who always put their best effort to make her life easier because they wanted to, not because they needed to.

The couple’s kiss was cut short as Valentina let out a sob. “It’s okay baby, let it out.” Juliana said comfortingly, pulling Valentina into a tight embrace.

They stood there in silence as Juliana rubbed Valentina’s back gently in different sized circles. Once Valentina’s body relaxed a bit Juliana asked her if she wanted to go to bed to which Valentina silently agreed to.

As they made their way to bed, Juliana gave Valentina some pajamas she could change into. They made themselves comfortable under the covers and Juliana held Valentina while she played with her hair. That always seemed to sooth the older girl.

“Thank you for today, it was very emotional but so lovely.” Valentina said nuzzling into Juliana’s chest.

“Oh yeah?” Juliana kissed Valentina’s head as she rubbed the girl’s back. “I’m glad it was a good one regardless.”

Valentina lifted her body up in such a way that she was leaning her forearms on Juliana’s chest in order to make eye contact.

“He gave me the keys… he gave me free rein to do whatever I want with the magazine with no oversight much sooner than I anticipated.” The birthday girl said still with disbelief. “He said the entire department is mine and that he’ll be retiring this year leaving Eva, Guille, and I the entire company.”

Juliana looked at Valentina speechless at the news that Leon would be retiring.

“I know, it was a shock to me too, apparently he’s telling the employees sometime this month and then holding a press conference about it.” Valentina responded knowingly to Juliana’s reaction.

“I’m sure your magazine will be super successful though, babe, congrats!” Bringing Valentina down into a hug Juliana continued, “have you thought of what you want do with it yet?”

Valentina smiled because though she thought it was still years away she had thought about her plans repeatedly crafting her business plan for when the day finally arrived.

“Yeah, I have, actually… If I can get everyone I need by July we can start production and printing by August and I think I know the perfect person for the first cover photo.” The girl said having everything planned out.

Curious as ever Juliana smiled remembering the day they met and how focused the other girl was knowing that same focus would be applied to this new project. “Should I even bother asking who you’re thinking of or is it a surprise?” She said half jokingly.

“It’ll be a surprise until I can confirm it, just so I don’t jinx it. When it comes together I promise you’ll be the first to know.” Valentina said snuggling further into the girl.

Juliana nodded knowingly. She reached over to turn off her light and the girls snuggled closer as they began to fall asleep.

Midway through December Juliana asked Valentina to help her decorate her apartment for Christmas, she wanted to go all out. They had finished finals a few days prior and now had an entire month of break ahead. Juliana’s 2nd semester had been much easier than the first and it ended with great news. There would be a competition for the following semester open to the whole school to showcase their work and the top 3 designs would get a cash prize and their pieces would be featured in a local fashion magazine. They would have all semester to work on their entries to the competition and were told ahead of time so they could get started over winter break if they chose to do so.

Juliana wasn’t sure what to do yet but it was her first Sunday off since break began and she wanted to take full advance of it. That same morning she went to church with her parents and together they went to find the perfect Christmas tree for Juliana’s apartment. After finding a cute little pine tree, her father tied it to his truck and drove it to her apartment making sure to place it where she asked.

As Juliana’s parents were leaving Valentina was getting dropped off. The three of them exchanged greetings before she entered Juliana’s apartment with bags filled of decorations.

“Hi baby!” Juliana said running to her girlfriend engulfing her in a hug.

“Someone is jolly today?” Valentina said closing the door with her foot.

Juliana giggled, “It’s Christmas time.” She said helping Valentina with the bags, “It’s mandatory to be jolly. Santa’s orders.” She said with a wink.

“Santa’s order’s huh?” Valentina said with a playful smirk, “What else does Santa order?”

“To turn on the Christmas music and get to work young lady.” Juliana said laughing.

As Valentina put on their Christmas playlist they had worked on together, Juliana unpacked everything she bought to decorate the tree along with the bags Valentina brought. They spent the rest of the afternoon decorating. Valentina had never seen Juliana so carefree and it was a side of her she was hoping to see more of in the future.

Around 4pm Valentina let herself fall onto the couch. “I think we’re done babe.” She said looking at Juliana who was putting the finishing touches on her tree.

“I think I agree.” Juliana said standing back to take a look at her tree and the rest of the living room, content with their work.

“Ven, chiquita, I’m cold.” Valentina said opening her arms. Juliana smiled and laid on top of Valentina on the couch and snuggled into her.

Valentina instinctively wrapped her arms around Juliana and inhaled her scent. They stayed in serene silence simply enjoying being in each others arms.

Juliana sat up straddling Valentina hips as she looked down at Valentina with a cheeky smile.

“God, I could kiss you right now.” Valentina said taking in the view.

“Then why don’t you?” Juliana asked in a playful tone.

Valentina smirked before responding, “I have to check with Santa, gotta see if you’ve been a good girl this year.”

Thinking that two could play at that game Juliana quoted a line from one of Camila’s songs, “I swear on my life that I’ve been a good girl.” Pausing she leaned down near Valentina’s ear, causing the girl under her to get goosebumps all over, and whispered, “tonight I don’t wanna be her.” She finished biting Valentina’s ear seductively before sitting back up and biting her lip.

Valentina opened her eyes widely at that statement not expecting Juliana to be in that type of mood. She gulped but refused to break eye contact. She loved when Juliana took control and initiated things.

“What do you say?” Juliana said with a smirk and a raise of her right eyebrow enjoying how flustered the girl under her looked.

Valentina had no words to respond so she used her actions instead. She wrapped her arms around Juliana as she brought herself to a sitting position. After making sure Juliana wouldn’t fall she brought her body closer, enough to kiss the girl on top of her. In between kisses she helped Juliana take off her t-shirt.

“Let’s go to the room, yeah?” Juliana said in between kisses. Receiving a nod from her girlfriend she led the way to her bedroom.

Once inside Valentina began to lift her shirt only to be stopped by Juliana. “Let me.” The girl kissing her shoulder said.

Juliana lifted the t-shirt slowly. Once it was off she left more kisses along Valentina’s shoulders and neck before unclipping the girl’s bra. Valentina let the garment slide right off her shoulders onto the ground. She turned around to be facing Juliana and kissed her hungrily bringing her hands to the other girl’s hair, kissing her like her life depended on it.

Valentina had enough of letting Juliana lead, she needed her now. She led their bodies to the bed and wasted no time taking off Juliana’s jeans. Before she could go any further Juliana nodded before flipping them over as she straddled the girl beneath her and grabbed her hands bringing them above her head.“Let me take care of you.” Juliana said before leaning down and kissing Valentina. A kiss that didn’t last long. 

Juliana began tracing a trail of open mouth kisses down Valentina’s torso until she reached her girlfriend’s jeans. Deciding to tease Valentina she took her time unbuttoning the piece of clothing. When Valentina gave her a menacing look, Juliana simply winked at the older girl. Once the jeans were finally off she began to kiss Valentina up the length of her left leg.

Valentina, needing more, felt tortured in the moment by how long her legs seemed. Juliana knowing her actions were riling the girl up, began drawing circles on the opposite thigh moving closer but never quite to where Valentina wanted her. As her trail of kisses reached Valentina’s upper thigh she moved to give Valentina’s clothed center a gentile kiss, before pulling back with a smile.

A month had passed since their New York adventure. Midterms were in full swing and both girls had been busy completing their different projects. It had become a bit more difficult to spend time together as due dates were approaching but they always found a way. Sometimes it was the simple act of meeting for a quick lunch break at their halfway point or Valentina stopping by Juliana’s work to bring her a quick dessert.

Juliana’s birthday was approaching quickly. She had told her girlfriend she didn’t want to do anything but to sleep in and enjoy the evening together — something Valentina was very much on board with after all the time and effort they’d put into their school work. Nonetheless she had a surprise for Juliana on the day of her birthday.

When her birthday finally arrived they did as Juliana had asked, they got to sleep in. The girls went to their afternoon classes and met back up at Juliana’s in the evening. Valentina commented that they should make Juliana a cake to celebrate properly and Juliana decided to pick up the cake supplies on her way home.

By the time the cake was ready the girls had listened to Hozier’s newest album in its entirety. As the first track began to play again they paused it so Juliana could cut the cake.

“Babe, make a wish!” Valentina said as she lit the candles.

Juliana laughed at the idea of blowing out candles when it was just the two of them. Nonetheless she did as instructed and made her wish. She was never big on birthdays but she knew Valentina was and she genuinely enjoyed spending hers with Valentina. It suddenly dawned on her that this was her second birthday with Valentina in her life.

When the candles were blown out Valentina clapped and hugged her girlfriend. She leaned in to whisper. “I have something for you, chiquita.” As she spoke she reached into her purse pulling out a thin rectangular box and hid it behind her. “Close your eyes, Juls.”

Juliana did as Valentina asked and Valentina took her hand placing the box into it. “Open them.”

Following instructions, Juliana opened her eyes to find a beautifully decorated box. She had no idea what could be in there but she knew whatever it was, was a gift she’d love. She removed the perfectly tied bow and opened the box.

Inside the box was a small red leather bracelet with an engraving on it and a card underneath it. Upon further inspection Juliana realized the bracelet said her name in a beautiful cursive with the word Firenze to the left of the name and Italia on the right. Her eyes lit up knowing Valentina put a lot of thought into her gift. She looked up at Valentina and before she could say anything Valentina motioned towards the card that was still in the box.

She lifted the card with a curious look on her face as she read it: Italy over Thanksgiving break?

While Juliana read the card Valentina observed her every reaction. They had talked about Florence being Juliana’s dream vacation and it was something Valentina always kept in mind.

“Are you serious?” Juliana asked already knowing the answer.

“Only if you want to.” Valentina responded placing a loose strand of hair behind Juliana’s ear.

Juliana leaned in and gave Valentina a thankful kiss. “I’d love to go but I can’t afford Italy right now and I don’t want you paying for the entire thing…”

“Juls, it’s not a problem. Travel expenses would be covered, private jet remember? Plus Hope and I have an apartment there so no hotel expenses either, all you have to do is say yes. We can even invite the girls and make it a girls trip if you want.” Valentina said.

Juliana shook her head and chuckled. “Of course you have an apartment in the city of my dreams. You really thought this out didn’t you?”

Valentina nodded her head in a childish way causing another laugh to erupt from her girlfriend’s lips.

“God, why are you so cute! Okay, I just have to talk to my parents and Renata about it. Ask the girls and see what they say. If I get the days, I’m down.” Juliana said not putting up a fight because she really wanted to go, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity she felt she couldn’t turn down.

The rest of the evening the couple relaxed and took turns playing music. They eventually agreed on bachata and danced the night away.

“Feliz cumpleaños, Juls.” Valentina said as the clock read 11:15pm, indicating Juliana’s birth time. They closed the distance and began slow dancing, ignoring the fast beat of the song that was playing. “I’m grateful to have you in my life and I love you. From you head to your tiny toes.”

The following weeks were filled with trip preparations. Juliana had talked to her boss, who gladly agreed to give her the week. Andrea, had no problem covering her shifts. Juliana spoke to her parents, telling them she wouldn’t be in town for thanksgiving but they were more excited for their daughter having one of her biggest and oldest dreams come true than they were sad. They knew this was her dream trip and they wouldn’t be the ones to stop her by making her feel bad about missing a holiday.

When the day finally arrived, they hopped on the jet with the rest of the girls and two body guards Leon always required to be on the plane when Valentina traveled out of town. Penelope had never been to Italy so she too was very excited to take this trip. Her moms didn’t want to let her go at first but Josie convinced them saying she’d take full responsibility of their daughter and making sure she kept them updated throughout the trip. She promised them to the cheesiest of pictures, something Penelope wasn’t too happy about.

“Lizzie, you dad said to send your mom the itinerary and your location.” Hope said as she buckled her seatbelt.

“Why did he tell you and not us?” Josie asked curiously.

Hope simply shrugged her shoulders and said, “I don’t know but Ric just told me to give Lizzie his message so I did. I guess they wanna keep an eye on us.”

“I guess my parents went much easier on me than yours. Who knew Dr. Saltzman would be more paranoid than my moms.” Penelope said grabbing Josie’s hand as they settled into their seats.

Juliana saw the interaction of the other two couples and she smiled before adding, “And here I grew up thinking my parents were intense.”

The twins turned and said simultaneously, “Your parents trust Val though, they know you’re safe with her.”

Hope and Penelope gasped. After the gasp Hope was the one to speak up, “Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Our parents trust you, but they clearly don’t trust us.” Lizzie said pointing at herself and Josie.

The girls continued to bicker for a few more minutes. Once the pilot prepared them for take off the girls began eating snacks they packed and decided to take a nap to not get hit with jet lag too hard. Something that wasn’t too easy for Juliana the first few hours but eventually she too fell asleep, letting her head rest on top of Valentina’s who had been fast asleep an hour into the flight. 

Upon arrival in Florence they were picked up by a driver and taken to Hope and Valentina’s apartment. The entire 20 minute ride Juliana eyes were stuck out the window, taking everything in. She gave Valentina’s hand a squeeze as the car came to stop. Once in the apartment they all took turns showering and getting ready for the day. They arrived in the morning so they had the entire day ahead to do whatever Juliana wanted.

“This is your birthday trip after all, Juliana. You decide what we do, especially today since it’s day one.” Penelope said as she laid on Josie’s lap while the other four girls sat across from them on another couch.

“Well first of all, we can’t come to Italy and not have spaghetti or pizza so those are a must this week. I want to visit Il Duomo for sure, then Ponte Vecchio which I noticed is just around the corner, then we have to visit the real Statue of David and other Michelangelo work, and last but not least take a tour of the town.” Juliana said as she played with Valentina’s hair who was cuddled into her.

Hope turned to Juliana with a confused look on her face, “Wait that’s it? You just wanna go to church? Why is this city your dream city again? There’s so much more to see.”

“It’s not the just the church, Hope. I want to explore and submerge myself into the culture, enjoy the city to the fullest. This is gonna sound dumb but when I was 10 I heard the song That’s Amore by Dean Martin and that song got me really interested in Italy so I began doing my research and one of the cities I fell in love with was this one. There’s no specific reason, it’s just the one I wanted to see the most out of any in the world. A close second is Rome but Firenze has been in my heart for 9 years.” Juliana said trying to not sound defensive.

Hearing those words Valentina sat up straight saying, “Wait really?” As she turned to look at Juliana. “I didn’t know that was what made you fall in love with Italy!” She said with a huge smile on her face.

“There’s only one thing left to do then!” Josie said as she took her phone out, “Let’s play your song!”

The girls sang along to That’s Amore waiting for Juliana to join in. After the second “tippy-tippy-tay” they all stayed silent looking to Juliana with expectant eyes.

“Fine fine fine!” Juliana said throwing her hands up in the air getting up from the couch pulling Valentina up with her. They began to dance as Juliana sang dramatically, “When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet, you’re in love.”

The rest of the girls joined in on the dramatic dancing and singing. When they reached the second “gay tarantella” Penelope stopped and made finger guns at Josie as she sang, “lucky fella!” Causing the entire group to burst into fits of laughter.

Once the song came to a close the girls decided to go find a pizza place. On the way to the pizzeria the girls walked across Ponte Vecchio and Valentina made sure to take pictures of Juliana, this was a trip she refused to let Juliana forget.

“I can’t believe I just crossed that bridge. I still can’t believe I’m here, Val. This is insane.” Juliana said loud enough so that only Valentina could hear.

“You’re adorable you know that? Let’s go get you your pizza, mi niña bonita.” Valentina said as she wrapped her arm around Juliana’s shoulders.

They each ordered a personal pizza. Penelope and Juliana were confused when the server brought the silverware to the table along with their pizzas.

“What are the forks and knives for?” Penelope whispered to the group as she observed the other tables.

“I think they’re optional… that table over there is eating the pizza in pieces with the utensils while that other table is just going ham on that pizza like we do back in the states.” Juliana said  still not sure.

“Well, at this particular pizzeria you can do either or. They already precut them so the client can choose but there are some other pizza shops that require utensils. When we were kids, Vale went to eat a slice like we do back home and her mother nodded disapprovingly and explained that the pizza was whole because here we needed to cut it up and eat it like a piece of cake and we wouldn’t eat cake with our hands.” Hope said matterafactly.

Penelope looked from her pizza to Hope and back to her pizza, “Okay… I guess we’re cutting it then.” She said shrugging her shoulders and began to dig in.

After they each finished their pizza the majority of the girls sat back in their chairs, completely full.

“Who’s up for some gelato?” Lizzie asked.

“You have room for more?!” Juliana asked dumbfounded.

Lizzie let out a laugh, “it’s Italy, Juliana! There’s authentic gelato!”

Valentina nodded her head in agreement. She was too full to speak though.

“Let’s go for a walk and then we can think about it, okay Lizzie?” Josie said getting up from the table.

As the girls walked around the city, they walked towards Piazzale Degli Uffizi wanting to see the art and the view of the Ponte Vecchio. After each getting pictures of the bridge they walked towards the big building with the clock tower. There they stood admiring the different statues and Juliana admired the replica Statue of David that just stood outside of the Palazzo Vecchio.

They continued to walk around the area until they reach a glove store. Lizzie was the first to enter, as the other girls followed. Juliana had promised her mom she’d bring her back some leather gloves so she decided to get some for her mom and after feeling them she decided to grab a pair for herself. She had never felt anything as smooth and beautiful as those gloves and she couldn’t believe they were as affordable as they were. After paying she mentally checked off her mom’s gift from her gift list.

Once they finished shopping at the glove store they headed towards a vender a few streets down. He sold scarves and leather trinkets.

“Do you think Ric would like this?” Hope said as she held up a red leather bracelet.

Lizzie rolled her eyes, “Why do you keep calling my dad Ric? Why can’t you be like Penelope and call him Dr. Saltzman?”

“Maybe because I grew up with him as a second father figure and I’ve been calling him that since I was 10? Why don’t you like that I get along with your dad? Every significant other would love for their parents to approve of their partner but you hate it.” Hope said putting the bracelet back.

“She’s just jealous of your relationship with my dad. That’s why she didn’t like you when we were kids.” Josie said shrugging her shoulders knowing Hope already knew that.

“Liz, Alaric will never be my dad, I have one. We have to work passed this. You know it wasn’t my decision to move in with you guys. I wanted nothing more than to move in with Val but at the time it wasn’t an option and your parents opened their doors.” Hope said getting irritated that Lizzie was still bringing this up.

“I don’t want to do this right now, can we just enjoy our trip.” Lizzie said looking away at something on the cart.

Meanwhile Juliana felt awkward hearing their discussion. She felt like she was intruding by simply being there. 

Sensing Juliana get a bit tense Valentina leaned in to whisper, “Don’t worry about them, it’s fine. That’s always the thing that causes trouble for those two. Lizzie doesn’t really like knowing that her dad and Hope are close because it brings up bad memories for her. He focused on Hope a lot as a kid and Lizzie has always resented that. There was misunderstanding with the twins and Hope was suddenly the focus of Lizzie’s rage because it was easier to hate Hope than it was to hate Josie.” Valentina explained, loud enough for only Juliana to hear, as they looked through the scarves.

Picking out a light pink one and trying it on, Juliana nodded in understanding. “The dad thing makes sense then. But then how did those two fall for each other then?” Juliana asked Valentina quietly.

“I’ll never understand how that happened to be honest. As they say, between love and hate is a very thin line and those two draw their own lines on the daily.” Valentina said with a chuckle.

Penelope kissed Josie on the cheek before speaking up, “Okay you can discuss your daddy issues later girls, we have a church to get to!”

Lizzie threw daggers with her eyes at Penelope but didn’t respond.

“Why do you wanna go to church Juliana! I don’t get it!” Hope said as she paid for the red bracelet ignoring Lizzie’s eye roll.

Juliana laughed before answering. “I’ll pull a Hozier and start singing Take Me To Church, if I need to.” Juliana said smiling. “I just need to see it okay, we don’t even have to go in if you guys don’t want to I just want to see it up close.”

“Let the girl dream, sheesh!” Penelope said wrapping her arm around Josie’s shoulder.

Valentina interlocked her fingers with Juliana’s as they made their way to the church. “Why do you wanna see it so bad, baby? It’s just a church, I know you’re catholic but this isn’t event the Vatican.” She said without looking at Juliana.

Juliana brought Valentina to a complete stop and blinked multiple times before speaking, “Valentina, that’s the thing, it’s not just a church. It’s a cathedral! Do you know how long these take to build? This one took 140 years. Years, Valentina. Not months, years!” She said as she spoke animatedly with her hands. “When I was little I decided I was gonna get married here, obviously things have changed and that’s not possible but I’ve studied this church for so long. I know so many useless facts about it, I’m in its city, I need to see it. Okay? Just let me have this moment please. I know the girls don’t care but I do and this is my favorite church in the entire world Val.” She said disappointed that Valentina didn’t get it.

“Okay.” Valentina said softly while nodding her head.

They walked another block before the church came into full view. Penelope held her breathe. She’d been quiet the entire way because coming from a middle class family she understood this being a dream come true for Juliana but she had no idea how beautiful this church could be.

“Oh my god… that’s 400,000 tons of beauty. I… I…” Juliana said just above a whisper as she took it all in with a deep sigh.

They stayed there observing the cathedral for a while before Valentina noticed a rogue tear streaming down Juliana’s face. She didn’t say anything she simply brought her into a side hug and kissed the top of her head. This only caused Juliana break into tears.

At the sight of that Valentina handed Hope her camera in order to have both hands free and brought Juliana in for a tight embrace. “It’s okay, baby, shh, you’re okay.” Valentina whispered continuously as she rubbed Juliana’s back in a comforting circular motion.

“I never actually believed I’d ever get to see it in person. Thank you for this Val, you don’t know what this means to me but it’s definitely a dream come true.” Juliana said after crying for a few minutes with her face buried into Valentina’s chest. “This is magical and it’s something I’ll never forget.” She said, still in a soft low voice.

“Let’s go inside, yeah?” Valentina said drying Juliana’s tears.

“We don’t have to, it’s fine.” Juliana said as her body shook from the aftermath of all of those emotions pouring out.

“We’re already here might as well enjoy the complete experience.” Lizzie said rolling her eyes playfully. “Plus you can tell us all about your random church facts.” She said adding a wink.

“Okay well then before we enter, if you turn around and you see those bronze doors over there?” Juliana said pointing that two beautifully crafted doors, “those are considered the ‘The Gate to Paradise’ and Michelangelo was actually the one who dubbed them that. They were created in a contest by a 23 year old in 1401”

Valentina smiled at the fact that Juliana just spouted out. She felt that with Juliana they most likely didn’t need a tour guide because she would know and be able to tell them anything there was to know about the city but nonetheless if she wanted a tour, who was Valentina to keep her from getting one.

Once inside the cathedral Juliana did the sign of the cross and the girls told her to explore around a bit and take it all in but she insisted they go together. Every now and then they’d stop to see something and Juliana would tell them facts here and there about different pieces of the church. They spent around 2 hours in the cathedral before finally heading out. 

Lizzie insisted it was time for gelato. Hope walked them to her favorite gelato place in the city where she introduced the group to the owner in a perfect Italian accent. As a child Hope and her parents spent many vacations in Florence. It was her father’s favorite city. The Mikaelson’s own a beautiful family home in Asisi but Hope and her father loved Florence. When her parents passed she was the only heir so once she turned 18 she and Valentina went half and half on an apartment in the city.

“So for your first time being in Italy how are you liking it so far, Pen?” Juliana asked Penelope as they waited for their girlfriends to join them at their table.

Penelope turned to look at Juliana and simply smiled. “You know, I never expected I’d get to travel like this.” She paused. “I think you and I have been dealt the same cards. We met these beautiful girls and fell in love and we didn’t care that they have money, we just cared that their hearts were kind and were offered to us on a silver platter. All of this,” she gestured with her free hand, “wasn’t in my plans. I could never truly afford trip like this right now. You and I, we get each other because we come from similar economic backgrounds. They don’t really get it when it comes to us being amazed of a city like this, they’re used to this lifestyle, they’re used to traveling. I don’t even know how many countries Josie’s been to, if I’m honest. So I feel just as overwhelmed as you to see such wonders like the Duomo because never in a million years did I think I’d step foot in this beautiful country.” Penelope finished just at the rest of the group began to approach them.

“What are you two chatting about?” Valentina asked wrapping her arms around Juliana and giving her a kiss on the left cheek before resting her chin on the girl’s shoulder.

Penelope shrugged and Juliana took that as her cue to keep their conversation between them. “We were talking about how beautiful the cathedral was and how we were so amazed with all the beautiful details.”

“Yeah it truly was something special. I never knew all those facts. I’m really intrigued to know what other fun facts you know about this city.” Valentina said as she grabbed a seat across from Juliana.

“I still can’t believe they hired a guy with no experience and a secret plan to build the dome and it actually worked. That was ballsy of him.” Josie said as she sat down across from Penelope.

As Hope and Lizzie joined them they all discussed the little tidbits of the cathedral and Juliana was happy they ended up liking it after all.

The rest of the week was enjoyed exploring the city and eating as much pasta, pizza, and gelato as they could. The night before their departure they found a club and decided to enter and dance the night away as their final act of celebration.

Lizzie got each of the girls a shot to kick off the night. Juliana declined so Penelope took it for her.

“Damn, P. I don’t know how you can drink that. I can smell how strong that is from here.” Juliana said cringing in her seat.

Josie placed her hand on Penelope’s thigh, “we have a drinking game called Shot Jenga and Penny here sucks at it so she’s used to it.”

Raising an eyebrow and cracking a smirk Juliana took a sip from her lemonade.

“Care to dance?” Hope said offering a hand to Juliana, while Lizzie offered Penelope a hand leaving Josie and Valentina with no choice but themselves.

Juliana turned to Valentina almost asking for permission to which Valentina simply nodded. “Okay.” She said as she accepted.

As all the girls reached the dance floor the song California Girls came on causing them all to burst into laughter and taking it as a sign that it’d be a good night. After the first song they each went back to dancing with their own partners. Valentina wrapped her arms around Juliana’s neck while the other girl wrapped her arms around the taller girl’s waist.

“Thank you for this week. It’s been the most beautiful and memorable week of my entire life.” Juliana said as the girls leaned their heads against each other.

“There’s no need to thank me, hermosa. I’m glad I was able to witness this week. I’d been here far too many times to count but I’d never seen it in the way you showed it to us. I think even the tour guide was amazed with your knowledge.” Valentina said with a slight giggle.

“Juliana it was magical! You need to go! I’ll even cover for you if you need to take the day off but I need you to see it, you’ll fall in love with Anya all over again, I promise you!” Juliana’s coworker, Andrea, insisted as she told her about the Anastasia play. The closest tour stop was in San Francisco, and they would be there through the 29th of September.

Juliana and Andrea had bonded over the Anastasia movie since they began working together. “Drea, I can’t aford $300 tickets to a play, even if it is THAT play… I have bills to pay dude. I’d love to go but I can’t.”

“Baby doll! They’re only $45 dollars!” Andrea said, “Even if they were $300 I’m sure your sugar mamma would be more than happy to take you.” Andrea finished jokingly.

Juliana let out a loud chuckle and smacked Andrea’s upper arm. “Shut up, don’t call her that!”

“So are you gonna go or what? Make it an early birthday present for yourself, J? I’ll even babysit the kids if you need me to.” Andrea said in a very serious tone.

“What kids?” Juliana asked confused causing Andrea to break into a fit of laughter.

Grabbing ahold of Juliana’s shoulders, Andrea shook her dramatically, “exactly! You don’t have any! No one is stopping you, J! Grab your girl and go, have fun. Do something for you, dude.”

Juliana laughed, she truly enjoyed Andrea’s company. She was one of the most optimistic people she had ever met. That girl had a solution to everything and she always found a positive to every negative situation.

“Okay, you’re right I’ve been dying to see it and was completely devastated when it was no longer on Broadway. It’s not that far, I’ll talk with Valentina and see if we can go this weekend. Thank you, Drea, I’ll tell her you’ll watch the kids she’ll be so happy to get away from them for a few hours.” Juliana said still playing along as she packed up her stuff.

As the girls closed up the shop Andrea nodded to herself satisfied that her work had been done. “We can fangirl about it when you get back. Because believe me when I say Tommy isn’t the type of twin to fangirl with me, he only took me because it was our birthday and he knew I wouldn’t shut up about it otherwise.”

Juliana looked up as she found her car keys to see Valentina leaning against her Mustang.

“Im gonna get going, I’ll see you tomorrow, boo.” Andrea said giving Juliana a hug as she turned to Valentina and greeted her with a happy smile and a peace sign, “Hi Valentina, bye Valentina.”

Juliana smiled as Andrea walked away. She turned to look at Valentina throwing daggers at Andrea with her eyes. “Hi Val, what are you doing here?” When she didn’t get a response she got on her tippy toes and gave Valentina a subtle peck on the cheek.

With that, Valentina looked down and smiled at Juliana. “Hi.”

“Why don’t you like her?” Juliana asked letting out a small giggle.

“I never said I didn’t like her.” Valentina said avoiding Juliana’s eye contact.

Juliana threw her head back laughing, “yeah, tell that to your face, babe.”

Valentina crossed her arms and pouted not wanting to admit she was jealous of Juliana’s coworker. “She’s just too friendly, it seems fake.”

“Drea is one of the more genuine people I know, baby. She really likes you, and she’s a really good friend.” Juliana said unlocking the passenger door.

“Are you sure it’s not you she likes?” Valentina said observing Juliana as she unlocked the car.

As the words left Valentina’s mouth, Juliana tensed a bit and she raised her eyebrow. “Valentina, we’re not doing this out here, get in the car.”

Knowing Juliana was not playing Valentina did as she was told while Juliana went around and got in the car, herself.

“I don’t know why you don’t like her Valentina but you don’t know her. For starters she’s engaged to a guy and she’s straighter than Eva. Second you might not know her but you know me. Or at least you should. I’ve never once given you a reason to doubt me. This jealousy thing is a joke and I’m not laughing. It was cute at first but if you’re seriously jealous of Andrea, what the hell Valentina?”

Valentina didn’t know how to respond to that. It was the first time Juliana got upset with her over something like this and she didn’t know what to do. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I just don’t like the idea of someone else having you. She get’s under my skin with how annoyingly attached she thinks she can be with you.”

“Valentina, what are you talking about? We’re friends, Andrea is only my friend. I’m allowed to have friends, as are you. I’m yours and I’ve never given you a reason to think I’d run off with someone else. I’m not liking jealous you. You need to chill.” Juliana said running a hand threw her hair, irritated with Valentina’s jealousy. “Why are you here anyway? If you just came para hacerme una escena de celos, you should go because I don’t wanna argue with you but I’m not gonna feed your little celos either.”

“Juls, you’re right, I messed up, I’m sorry. That’s not what I came for.” Valentina said looking up from her lap. She turned her body towards Juliana. “Juliana, I’m sorry. I was actually here to invite you to the loft, Guille is having a little dinner to celebrate the baby news and I came to see if you were in the mood to go but now…”

Juliana observed Valentina’s face. It was full of regret and those big blue orbs were looking straight into her eyes.

Drawing in a sign, Juliana brought her hand up towards Valentina’s cheek, “Val, I’m sorry if I overreacted but I’m just not okay with this attitude. You have no reason to be jealous, especially of Andrea of all people. You don’t have to like it her but don’t villainize her either, please. She’s not after your girl. She’s not even gay for crying out loud.” Juliana caressed Valentina’s cheek as she spoke. “Imagine if I went off and was crazy jealous over Hope when she first got back from Europe. She’s super touchy with you but I know what we have and I know that the end of the day, she’s your best friend but I’m your girlfriend. And I know you wouldn’t be dumb enough to mess up what we’ve fought so hard for. So I need you to do the same. I need you to trust me.”

Valentina nodded closing her eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. “Okay. I trust you, I might not trust the world but I trust you.”

“That’s all I ask.” Juliana said as she brought Valentina in for a kiss.

After their conversation they headed over to loft with the rest of the Carvajal family. Eva, who Valentina truly thought wouldn’t show, was there happy to celebrate with her brother. She was really making the effort of trying to get closer to Renata and Lusia. The two were more than welcoming but still kept their distance before fully trusting the eldest Carvajal sibling.

On their way to Juliana’s apartment from the dinner Juliana told Valentina all about the Anastasia play. She told her they could leave Sunday morning to make it in time for the 2pm show. It was 2 and a half hours and Valentina was on board. She knew how much that story meant to Juliana and if she wanted to attend she wouldn’t stop her or turn her invitation down.

When Sunday came around the two made the drive. She knew Juliana had never been to San Francisco so Valentina offered to drive. The whole ride there they talked animatedly and listened to music from their favorite artists.

Upon arrival the girls went straight to their seats. They were in the second row and thankfully there were two empty seats in front of them, giving them a clear view of the stage.

Once the play was over, Juliana had shed many tears and was grateful that Valentina would agree to see the play with her. On the ride back they talked about the different scenes they loved and Juliana emphasized her love for the costumes and backdrops. She had never been to the theatre or seen a play and she was glad Anastasia was her first.

Juliana spoke about how Demitri’s character grew on her. The entire drive home they listened the play's soundtrack. They sang along to most of them but especial Once Upon A December. That was one of the only songs Valentina knew by heart and she loved to see Juliana’s face light up when she sang along to it so she made sure to sing it every single time it came on.

“Thank you for coming with me, Val. This was the only play I would’ve paid to watch in New York but I’m so glad it was here and not as expensive as it would’ve been in NYC.” Juliana said as she scrolled through her music.

“It’s so early, five more minutes ,Val.” Juliana said in her morning voice that for the most part was undecipherable.

Valentina laughed because while she was used waking up early, Juliana wasn’t. “Baby… babe… amor… wake up.” Valentina said shaking Juliana gently. “We have a very busy day ahead of us and if we wanna make it to every stop, we gotta get ready now.”

Sitting up and wiping the sleep off her face Juliana opened her eyes and blinked a few times before making the effort of getting out of bed.

They took less than an hour to get ready and headed out to grab a coffee and something to eat on their commute to Ellis Island.

They spent the morning at Ellis Island and by 11:30am the girls made their way to the Poets House. Juliana had been wanting to visit this location since she was in elementary school and her 4th grade teacher told the class all about the place. The girls walked around the place for a while and eventually stopped by the Chapbooks choosing a few to read near a window. Valentina observed Juliana and how in love with the place she was. She loved the smile that had not stopped making an appearance on Juliana’s face.

After an hour of soaking in the quiet the girls headed toward’s Valentina’s stop, B&H. It was nerd central for her. She stopped by to get a few SD cards and another LaCie external hard drive. They walked around a bit but Valentina stopped herself from going any further because it was Juliana’s day and she didn’t wanna take time away from that.

Juliana noticed Valentina eying certain camera lens and she also noticed Valentina hold back so Juliana decided to grab Valentina by the hand and walk her to the lens and ask her questions about them and what they were for. She had picked up on a few of the photography terminology but she was by no means at Valentina’s level. She loved seeing Valentina’s face light up as she talked about what she was most passionate about, photography.

The girls eventually walked out of B&H and continued on their journey. They headed toward’s Juliana’s 3rd stop, BabyCastles. It was only open on Saturdays and Mondays so the girls got lucky. They spent the majority of their afternoon there. It was virtual insanity and the girls loved it. Neither of them had ever experienced anything like it. Valentina had never even heard of it and she’d been to the city countless times.

Around 5pm Juliana asked Valentina if they could go grab a bite which Valentina happily agreed to. They walked down 7th Avenue hand in hand as they made their way to Down The Hatch for some chicken wings. They chose that restaurant to walk by the famous Stonewall Inn. They had both wanted to see the location but they couldn’t stop for long. They still had one more stop to make before they ended their day.

After dinner they walked the rest of the way to their final stop, they Color Factory. They spend 3 hours exploring and taking lots of pictures. By the time they got back to the apartment the two were exhausted. They wanted nothing more than to take a shower and sleep.

The following morning they walked around central park hand in hand until they came across a couples bike they could both ride. They rode around the park until their rent time was up. Valentina bought Juliana flowers from a street vendor on their way back to the apartment. When they arrived at the apartment they ordered food and spent the rest of the day relaxing as their flight time approached.

Once the girls were at the airport and all checked in Juliana called her parents to inform them that they’d be landing at 8pm California time.

Juliana had never flown anywhere but after this trip she knew she could definitely get used to traveling. Flying felt like a rollercoaster and she loved it.

Juliana’s first semester ended in a flash. Her second semester was off to a great start as well. She was two weeks into her classes when she received an invitation through the mail. It was an invitation to attend New York Fashion Week specifying that she was 1 of 25 candidates to go on this trip, all expenses paid.

The first person she told about the news was her father. He was one of her biggest cheerleaders and he knew going to  New York was one of her childhood dreams. He told her to meet him and her mother for dinner to celebrate the opportunity she had earned.

Her second call was to Valentina. It was an exciting call for the both of them because Valentina had just received her own Fashion Week invitation. Renata and the institute had officially hired Valentina as their Fashion Photographer and her first assignment would be to accompany the group to New York and photograph the shows and the students in attendance.

That evening Juliana had a celebration dinner with her parents and toasted to her grandmother who instilled her love for fashion without knowing it. Lupe told Juliana how proud she was of her for not letting anyone, including her mother, get in the way of her dreams. Their night ended with a slice of banana bread and a cup of milk.

The following day the 25 students along with the 5 staff members met up during lunch to plan their sleeping arrangements and their assignments. Valentina was introduced as the new photographer. Juliana was put in a room with Valentina, Josie, Penelope, and Renata. The rest of the group was also split into teams of 5. They would be leaving that Thursdays and return the following Friday.

When Thursday rolled around they all met at the airport and were all seated near each other on the plane. The flight took five hours and throughout those five hours Valentina edited some images while Juliana leaned on Valentina’s shoulder, watching her work and eventually falling asleep. They arrived in the city around 11am. They got a shuttle bus and were taken to their hotel.

They would get Thursday to explore a bit and settle in. Given Valentina’s easy going nature she instantly made friends with some of Juliana’s classmates. Once in their room, Renata told the girls to decide between the two beds and she’d sleep on the pullout couch. Josie and Penelope couldn’t believe they were going to spend the entire week with the face of RIC. The Saltzman family was well acquainted with the Carvajal family but Josie had never actually gotten one on one time with Renata and she was a big fan of her work. Penelope on the other hand didn’t know them much, aside from Valentina these past few months. She hid it well but she too was very excited to be around one of her favorite designers. When she found out that Renata was opening her own fashion school she knew that was her opportunity to learn from one of the best so applying was a no brainer to her.

Renata being the bright spirit she is insisted the girls called her by her first name, no Mrs. Carvajal just Renata. She even joked that that title belonged to Juliana which caused everyone to laugh and a huge blush to spread across Juliana’s face. Renata and Juliana had become great friends and Valentina was very happy that they had the friendship they did. Renata was not only a mentor to Juliana she was almost like an older sister.

The girls were getting ready to head downstairs to meet up with the rest of the group while Renata explained the plan for the day. “We’re going to lunch as a group but then you have 5 hours to do whatever you want. The rest of the professors and I will be doing our own thing as well. Just meet up back at the restaurant by 6pm so we can have dinner and then head to bed. We have an early morning tomorrow.” Renata said as she wrapped her scarf around her neck.

“Do you want to come with us Natty? We’re all sticking together anyway. We have our own itinerary for today. I’m sure Josie and Pen would love to spend some time with you.” Valentina offered her sister in law.

Renata agreed under the condition that she get to add one location to their itinerary but wouldn’t say what it was because it was surprise for Valentina.

After dinner they took off to their sightseeing adventure. Since it was near the restaurant, their first stop was the Empire State Building. Then they went to the Macy’s because seeing that Macy’s was on Juliana’s NY bucket list. After Macy’s they grabbed an Uber to Renata’s stop. Valentina was skeptical at first because they were dropped off outside of a Chipotle yet she knew that her sister in law couldn’t stand that restaurant so this stop didn’t make sense.

Seeing Valentina’s confused face Renata giggled as she began to speak. “No. We’re not here to get you a burrito. We’re actually going across the street.” She said making all 4 of the girls turn around and see what could be across the street for Renata to insist they add this stop. 

They began to cross the street and when Renata made a left turn which they followed. The girls crossed 26th street and Renata began to fidget, something only Juliana noticed. As they approached the store, it all made sense to Juliana and she gasped. Valentina on the other hand couldn’t put two and two together.

“What are we doing here?” Valentina asked completely clueless.

“Val. Are you serious?” Renata and Juliana said simultaneously.

“Yeah why are we in buybuy BABY?” Once she said the name of the store it finally clicked. “No! Are you serious!?” She said covering her mouth trying not to burst before getting confirmation.

Renata nodded and Valentina pulled her in for a hug and she squealed. “Oh my god! I’m gonna be a tia!”

Juliana and the other couple had huge smiles on their faces waiting for their turn to congratulate Renata on her pregnancy. They were all invited into a hug once Valentina was done squeezing her sister in law. Valentina had happy tears streaming down her face as did Renata and Juliana.

Once they settled down, they walked outside to find a place to sit.

“Wait so how long have you known?” Valentina asked sitting on Juliana’s lap as she looked at Renata.

Renata smiled knowing what Valentina’s response would be. “Last Monday.”

“So you’re telling me you’ve known for over a week but I’m only finding out now?” Valentina said with a look on her face that made her sister in law laugh.

“Yep. I told your brother that night and then we told your dad and Lucia on Wednesday but I asked them not to tell you anything because I wanted to tell you on this trip.” Renata said clasping her hands together.

Meanwhile, Josie, Penelope and Juliana laughed at Valentina’s reaction to knowing she found out after her father. Juliana tightened her hold around Valentina as she nuzzled into her right side.

After talking a bit more about the pregnancy they took another Uber but this time towards Time Square. They enjoyed the rest of their free time and eventually met up with the rest of the group for dinner.

The rest of the week consisted of attending select shows. Valentina was having a blast taking pictures of the runway and sneaking in a picture of her girlfriend’s reaction every now and then. She also took many pictures of the rest of the group. By the time the following Friday came along Valentina had more than enough content to keep her busy editing nonstop for an entire week. Renata promised to give her a bonus if she finished the images by the following Sunday.

Juliana and the rest of the girls on the trip were convinced by Valentina to do a last minute photoshoot in their room. Everyone had gotten to know each other pretty well and by now they could consider each other friends. Juliana felt content knowing when they got back things would be easier on campus because she’d have people to talk with throughout the day and she wouldn’t just third-wheel Josie and Penelope.

Valentina took Juliana to dinner that same night. They hadn’t gotten much time to hang out during the shows because Valentina was busy working. Valentina had spoken to Renata and convinced her to switch the couple’s return date for that Sunday. She wanted to spend the weekend with Juliana in New York. She had an apartment in the city and she wanted Juliana to be able to see more of the city since they didn’t have too much time for exploring.

“Baby, how did you enjoy New York?” Valentina asked Juliana as they waited for their meals to arrive.

Juliana put her phone away as she gave Valentina her full attention. “It’s beautiful, I just I’d had more time to explore it. There’s still so much to see.” She said taking a sip of her water.

Valentina smiled knowing that would be Juliana’s answer. “How do you feel about spending a few more days here, just the two of us?”

Giving her a questioning look Juliana turned her head sideways and said, “I’d love that but we leave tonight with the rest of the group, babe.”

“I might have gotten Renata to change our return date.” Valentina said biting her lip nervously.

“Of course you did. Well I just gotta tell my parents to not pick us up tonight then. Why didn’t you consult me though?” Juliana said, not angry just curious. “Did you expect me to say no?”

Shaking her head Valentina responded rapidly, “No, I just wanted to surprise you, I didn’t think it’d be a big deal.”

Nodding her head unconsciously Juliana bit her lip before responding, “It’s not, I’d just like to have some input when it comes to situation where we should both agree on something.”

Valentina instantly knew what Juliana meant and she internally agreed to slow down a bit and take her into consideration more often, “Okay, I promise next time we’ll discuss and plan things out properly, together.”

“Thank you, that’s all I ask. I wanna feel like I have a say in some of these decisions.” Taking a hold of Valentina’s hand and giving it a gentile squeeze Juliana continued, “I know we’re both very independent but if we’re an ‘us’ then that means it’s you & me so we gotta make decisions together when it’s something for the both of us.”

Just as Juliana was ending her sentence the waiter came back with their food and drinks. The girls ate their food silently enjoying every bite. Halfway through their meal Juliana began to laugh realizing tomorrow’s date. “Val., why don’t we start celebrating the 14th of September as our Valentine’s Day instead of the 14th of February? I just remembered our talk from last year.”

As a blush grew across Valentina’s face she joined Juliana in her laughter, “I’d completely forgotten about that mix up. I’m on board though, it can be our own little inside joke.”

“Okay, so now that we’ve agreed on making decisions together, what’s the plan for tomorrow then? What would you like to do.” Juliana said with a big smile on her face.

Valentina liked the idea of making it this date a tradition and agreeing on what to do on that day. “Well, I’ve been here multiple times so what else in on your New York bucket list?” She said content to do whatever Juliana wanted.

Juliana pulled out her phone opening her notes and passed it over to Valentina so she could see her travel list along with the places she wanted to visit within those destinations. After deciding how they would distribute their time the following days they headed back to the hotel to grab their belonging and say their goodbyes to the group.

Penelope jokingly told Juliana “don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” causing a laugh to erupt from Josie because their were very few things Penelope wouldn’t do.

Valentina asked Josie to keep an eye on Renata and told Renata to let her know as soon as they landed and she got home safely so Valentina didn’t worry. Knowing how much of a worrier Valentina was, Renata happily agreed.

Since Hope’s arrival Juliana and Valentina had begun to hang out with the twins and Penelope more often. Things on campus had smoothed out and no one looked at Juliana like the odd one out any longer. She had more than proven herself with each project and each assignment going above and beyond everyone’s expectations. Spring Break was around the corner and Juliana was given the week off from work with paid vacation.

One evening before the official beginning of Spring Break for either girls, Valentina was laying down on Juliana’s bed as Juliana sketched on her bedroom desk. They spent many evenings like this, simply being in each other’s presence as they each did their own thing. This particular evening Valentina was observing her girlfriend who was lost in her own world.

“Hey, Juls?” Valentina said not moving from her position on the bed.

“Hmm?” Juliana responded without looking up from her drawing.

Valentina smiled and continued, “do you wanna go to Death Valley for spring break? We can go with Pen and co. I think it’d be fun, our first official road trip together.”

That caught Juliana’s attention. “A road trip huh? Okay. What would be doing on this road trip?”

Valentina sat up with an excited grin knowing that Juliana was on board. “Well, we can take the RV and start with the Amargosa Opera House you always talk about. Stay there for three days, explore around the valley, then head to Vegas and figure it out from there?”

“Vegas? What are we gonna do in Vegas? We’re not even 21 yet.” Juliana asked with a slight giggle.

“We don’t need to be 21 to enjoy the city. Sure there’s clubs and casinos and whatnot but we can still go sight seeing. We can go to that Dinning In The Sky thing. On our way home we can stop wherever the girls want or anywhere else you want to go. If we leave tomorrow we’ll have about 11 days to do whatever.” Valentina said like if this hadn’t been a last minute idea.

Juliana threw herself on the bed next to her girlfriend pulling her phone out of her pocket. “Okay. Call Hope, I’ll call Penelope and they can call the twins.” Looking up quickly and changing her mind Juliana said, “Actually, no. Let’s tell them to meet us up at Maya’s Kitchen, tell them we have a proposition for them.”

Once they were all together they ordered their food and started planning their trip. Lizzie and Penelope wanted to stop by Warner Brother’s to go on the studio tour. The studio was holding the Pretty Little Liars exhibit once again and that show was the one thing, aside from Josie, that they bonded over. Josie and Hope on the other hand wanted to go to Universal Studios to go to Harry Potter world. 

They decided they would leave the following morning at 5am to arrive at the opera house by 1pm. They would take turns driving so by the time they arrived they could rest and watch the evening show.

The rest of the girls lived in the city so they went home to pack, Valentina on the other hand who lived further away decided to just get clothes from the loft and what she had at Juliana’s apartment. Valentina called her father to ask for the RV and tell him their plan, without much explaining he agreed.

By 9pm They all met up at Juliana’s apartment to help load everything in the RV. They decided spend the night at Juliana’s in order to leave from her place in the morning on schedule.

The following morning the girls were off on their trip. On the drive to Death Valley, Valentina and Julian took turns driving. The first few hours were quiet since most of the girls were asleep. Juliana was playing Valentina’s favorite playlist as they hummed along to the songs. Around 10am Hope pulled out her guitar and the entire group took turns singing while Juliana drove. Valentina sang a few originals for Juliana. They spent the remainder of the trip singing and telling silly jokes.

By the time they arrived at the Armargosa Opera House & Hotel they checked in and settled into their respective rooms. They took two hours to rest and by 3pm they went out to the main lobby and asked the woman in charge if they could organize a tour for the six of them. The tour was an hour and a half. By the time the girls were done with the tour more than half of them had shed a few tears. They fell in love with the story of the place and wished they could’ve met Mrs. Martha but they were glad her art, passion, and love lived on.

The girls went to bed soon after the show ended. Valentina took beautiful pictures of the place and the show, she decided that once they arrived back home she would edit them and turn them into a book for the Opera House. Juliana was so happy she got to finally see the Opera House she’d been wanting to see for about three years. She thanked Valentina for making one of her dreams come true. Valentina smiled tenderly and responded saying it would be the first of many.

Valentina and the girls left very early the following day to see the sunrise at the Racetrack Playa to see the sliding rocks. That was something Valentina had always wanted to see and capture with her camera. The sunrise was pretty but in that moment Juliana thought there was nothing more beautiful than the genuinely happy smile Valentina held on her face.

By noon the girls returned to the hotel and decided to check out and head to Las Vegas. Hope drove the two hours it took to arrive. The Mikaelson family has a residence in the city and Hope insisted they stay there so they didn’t have to get a hotel. They stopped by a grocery store and bought food to cook for dinner. They took the rest of the day to relax and watch a few movies, all agreeing to explore the city on Sunday morning and do another sight seeing run once the sun went down and the lights came on.

As planned they went exploring for a bit by foot, had lunch at one of Hope’s favorite restaurants and went home to relax while the heat settled. They ended up going to the Dinner In The Sky as Valentina had mentioned and went sight seeing for the rest of the night. Valentina took a lot of picture once again and couldn’t help but capture her beautiful girlfriend on their mini adventure. Juliana had never been to Vegas and was amazed by the night life and all replica towers.

They spent another night in Vegas and by Monday morning made their way to LA. Penelope and Lizzie being the ones most excited about their first Buena Park stop slept most of the way there so by the time they arrived they would be well rested and ready to enjoy the tour. 

Once in Buena Park the girls went to their hotel before getting their rental car to head to Warner Brother Studios for the tour. The tour was something they all enjoyed for different reasons. They learned all about the makeshift town of Rosewood and learned it was the exact same town and houses used for shows such as Gilmore Girls and Friends. They got to see Spencer’s famous barn. They got to see Radley Sanitarium turned into a hotel for a movie being shot. 

Juliana was most excited to see the Wonder Woman outfit from the DC Universe exhibit. The man giving them the tour explained that the Supergirl show moved locations to Vancouver because it was much cheaper to shoot there than in LA. They got to see all of the Batmobiles and the pink Lamborghini used in Suicide Squad. Valentina and Juliana being the car lovers they are, loved that tour stop. The tour ended at the gift shop where the girls all got souvenirs. Juliana bought a Bugs Bunny key chain for her father and a Friends mug for her mother. In that same building they held the Pretty Little Liar’s costumes and Valentina made sure to snap pictures for Lizzie and Penelope as well as a few candid shots throughout the tour. Being the fans they were Penelope and Lizzie each bought a mug with the signature Pretty Little Liars “-A” written on it as well as other merch. After the tour, they headed to the hotel and spent the evening at the spa getting pampered.

The following day they made their way to their final stop, universal studios. They spent the entire day at the amusement park making sure they covered as much ground as they could. By the time the park was closing the girls were exhausted yet satisfied with the rides they rode and everything they experienced. Juliana drove the girls to the hotel for their final night before finally making their way home the next morning.

This had been the best spring break Juliana had ever had and she still couldn’t comprehend how she got so lucky with a girl like Valentina. She didn’t think she’d ever get to see the opera house yet here she was at the end of their trip with one dream checked off.

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Here is a video of the Amargosa Opera House that I think everyone should definitely see:

“Que quiere hacer hoy la princesa de la casa?” Lucia asked Valentina as they finished up their breakfast. It was her 19th birthday and she had no concrete plans yet.

“I’m not sure yet. I was thinking maybe a movie date with Juls after she gets out of church with her parents and then come back here for a swim, I’ll invite her parents and we can have a small carne asada or something. I can bring home some cake on our way back from Sac?” Valentina said shrugging.

“Nonsense mi niña, I’ll make your cake, it’ll be ready by the time you come home. How do you want it?” Chivis asked while picking up their plates.

 “How about how you used to make it with mom when I was little; with lots of raspberries and strawberries in the middle. Surprise me with the outside.” Valentina said getting excited about her cake and the idea of sharing her birthday with Juliana and her family. After their snow trip all six of them had gotten much closer.

Lucia and Leon smiled at the idea of spending time with Juliana’s parents again. “Sounds good,” Leon said, “I’ll go pick up the meat and everything else we’ll need from Vicky’s. Meet up here by 1?”

Valentina got up and hugged her father and Lucia thanking them. She ran off to her room to get ready to head over to pick up Juliana. Thirty minutes later she ran down the stairs and told her father and Lucia that she’d be back soon as she headed out.

When she arrived outside the church she found a parking spot and went to buy 4 hotdogs because it was a part of the Valdes family tradition to have a hot dog after church at the nearby park. Once the mass was over and everyone was heading out she waited with a bright smile as she waited for Juliana and her parents.

As she waited she was approached by a few people and others simply stared at her.

Once the Valdes family walked out Valentina’s smile grew larger as she raised the hot dogs a bit more for emphasis causing a laugh to erupt from Juliana’s lips.

“What are you doing here, birthday girl? I thought you’d be sleeping in today?” Juliana said as she approached her girlfriend.

“I wanted to surprise you. Ta-da!” Valentina said with a cheeky grin. “Oh! I bought you guys hotdogs so you don’t have to go wait in that line.” She said handing each a hot dog. Once she was left with just hers she was able to properly greet Juliana and her parents. They each gave her a birthday hug. She and Juliana held hands as they headed towards table the family usually sat at.

“So what do you have planned for today, mija?”  Lupita asked as everyone took a seat.

“Well that’s actually part of why I’m here.” Valentina said with a bright smile and turned to look at Juliana who smiled back at her instantly.

“My dad is going to grill carne asada con costillas de res por mi cumpleaños and I wanted to invite you guys. It’s not gonna be anything big just the family. My dad said he’d call Mr. Valdes but it’s at 1pm at our house.” Valentina said and finally took a bite of the hot dog Juliana always talked about.

They enjoyed their hotdogs and Valentina looked at her watch, “Oh I’m gonna steal Juls, we have a movie date!”

Juliana smiled and said, “as you wish, my love, it’s your day. We have to stop by my apartment first though, I have a few things I need to get.” To which Valentina gladly agreed to.

The couple said their goodbyes to Juliana’s parents and went on their way.

Once inside the apartment Juliana told Valentina to sit on the couch and close her eyes. She went into her room to get three gift bags. “two of these are for you to open now and the other one you can open it at your party if you want.” Juliana said leaning to give Valentina a kiss indicating she could open her eyes.

Valentina took the blue bag and opened it pulling out a cute blue summer dress with Juliana’s logo at the bottom on the left side.

“Oh my god, Juliana… you made this? It’s beautiful thank you.” Valentina said still admiring the garment.

“You always said blue was one of your favorite colors and that you wanted a dress like the one your mom wore in one of your favorite pictures. Lucia and your dad gave me a few of the pictures she’s wearing it in so I could draw inspiration from. So here’s a little something I came up with based off of that dress.” Juliana said sitting next to Valentina placing her hand on her knee knowing Valentina was processing her words and would need a minute.

“Can I wear it today?” Valentina asked still not tearing her eyes from the dress.

Juliana smiled, “it’s yours babygirl wear it whenever you want.” She said with a giggle.

Valentina turned to look at Juliana with unshed tears in her eyes. “Thank you so much Juliana, I love it. I love that you put so much thought into this. I love that you pay attention to all the little details, I love that you listen to everything I say and know what details are important to me even if I play them off as minor things. Thank you. This is the best birthday present I could’ve asked for.”

“Open the second one.” Juliana said giving Valentina’s knee a squeeze.

Valentina removed the tissue paper and found three boxes. Opening the smallest one first she found a gold necklace that held a small gold pendant with a tree along with its roots inside. There was a note under the necklace that read, “I will grow roots. Not a promise but a fact. — Emily Palermo”

Valentina turned to look at Juliana with a questioning look that received a smile from Juliana. “That’s one of my favorite quotes. You always follow through in everything your set mind to. I know one day you will have everything you desire and that’s not a promise, it’s a fact, because that’s who you are. That’s who I fell in love with. With a woman that doesn’t give up when she finds a wall or a locked door, she find a window and goes through it.”

A single tear fell from Valentina’s left cheek and she started laughing, “I wasn’t supposed to cry today Juliana! I love you.” She said as she blinked her tears away.

“Don’t worry baby that’s at cheesy as we get the other two boxes aren’t cheesy they just accompany the dress.” Juliana said bringing Valentina in for a hug and kissed her forehead.

Valentina opened the remaining two boxes and opened them finding a pair of white sandals and a blue summer hat that also had Juliana’s logo on it on the tag. “You made the hat as well? What else are they teaching you!” Valentina said excitedly. “Now I have official girlfriend merch!” Causing Juliana to throw her head back laughing.

“Okay nerd, let’s go. We’re gonna be late to see Cap.” Juliana said getting up from the couch and offering Valentina a hand.

Valentina changed into her new dress pairing it with the sandals and the hat. They headed out to Valentina’s car. After driving about 45 minutes they arrived to the Placerville theater where they were scheduled to watch Captain Marvel.

Once the movie ended they discussed the movie and decided they would watch it again the following day after class and work. Soon after, they headed to the Carvajal mansion. When they arrived Valentina tensed up seeing Mateo’s car meaning her sister was present. “Juls, how about we go out for our own adventure and just come back later?”

Juliana had also noticed the car and knew Valentina was trying to avoid her sister but it was her party. “Val. Baby. You have two options, one flee and leave everyone hanging or two go in there and face your sister. If she’s rude you can ask her to leave, it’s your birthday, your family knows how things are they’ll understand.”

“I don’t want to see her.” Valentina said as Juliana intertwined her fingers with Valentina’s as she took hold of her hand.

“I know and I get that but if we’re gonna leave, at least let your dad know.” Juliana said speaking calmly.

Valentina closed her eyes and leaned agains the steering wheel trying to decide what to do. Finally, turning to head to face Juliana as she opened her eyes, she spoke. “We’ll go in there but if she’s acting up she’s out of here. I don’t want to deal with her.”

“As you wish babygirl.” Juliana said tucking the fallen hair behind Valentina’s ear.

The two exited the car and walked towards the front door. They made their way to the backyard where the rest of the family was. As they approached Valentina’s father she saw her sister walking towards her. Valentina gripped Juliana’s hand tighter. She tapped her father’s shoulder before her sister could reach her causing him to turn around.

With a quiet gasp Leon said, “you look lovely. Juliana did a wonderful job. As you’ve aged you look more and more like your mother, in this dress you look just like her in that picture you love so much.”

“Thank you papi, Juliana made it simply because she knows how much I wish I could’ve had it so she made me my own. Do you think mom would like it?” Valentina said twirling so her father could see the dress in its entirety.

Leon gave his daughter a smile. “She would’ve loved it, baby.” Valentina gave him a tight hug and asked in a whisper, “is Eva still waiting for me to finish up to approach me?” To which he nodded.

Valentina took her place back next to Juliana with her left hand in Juliana’s right preparing herself to face her sister. She hadn’t heard from her in over two months, she honestly had not expected her to arrive today. Regardless she and Juliana turned around hand in hand ready for whatever her sister had to say.

Eva walked towards the couple. Everyone stopped what they were doing to witness what was gonna happen until Leon turned the music up and told everyone with his eyes to keep doing what they were doing and not be so obvious.

“Eva.” Valentina spoke first.

“Vale, happy birthday, hermanita. Here I brought you something.” Eva said extending her hand, that held a gift bag, towards her sister.

“Why are you here Eva, let’s not play games, you were very clear as to what you thought about my relationship with Juliana. You paid someone who I thought was a friend to lie for your convenience. You had her tell the world that I was cheating on the woman that I love and I told you I wanted nothing to do with you. So why are you here?” Valentina said going straight to the point.

Eva looked shocked that Valentina didn’t simply accept the gift as if nothing had happened. “Can we go inside and talk? Alone.”

“No whatever you want to say, you can say it in front of Juls.” Valentina said as she gave Juliana’s hand a quick squeeze.

“Okay well can the three of us go inside then? Everyone is watching.” Eva said hoping her sister would agree, to which Valentina rolled her eyes at but gave her a single affirming nod.

Once inside the house Eva began to pace trying to find her words.

“Look, Evangelina, if you have nothing to say, I’d rather you not be here today. I’m not going to argue with you on my birthday. Juliana —” Valentina was cut off by her sister.

“I do have something say and I guess it has to do with her.” Eva said motioning to Juliana. “I need to apologize because I’ve been blinded by prejudice and hate and didn’t take into account your feelings, little sister. I thought she was only after the family’s money and was only using you. I thought I was protecting you. I see now that I was wrong. I may not understand what you two have but I’m willing to try. If dad trusts her, I will too. So to the both of you, I’m sorry.” Eva said.

Valentina replied instantly, “why can’t you just trust her because I trust her? Why do you still treat me like a child, like I don’t know what I’m doing or what I’m feeling? I understand trying to protect those you love ‘a capa y espada’ but going to the lengths you have to keep us apart without even giving her a chance, I won’t allow it. This is not a simple fix. You went after me like I was one of your enemies, what kind of sister does that? What kind of sister puts ‘el que diran’ before her blood?”

“Valentina, you’re only 19 how do you not want me to see you as a child? You have no real life experience. We are public figures, how do you want me to not worry about what other people say or do in regards to the family? I’m the next in line, the weight of this family falls on my shoulders. What you do with your life falls on all of us, you’re the black sheep of the family because we let you be. Dad didn’t force the company on you like he did with Guillermo and I, he lets you do whatever the hell you want because you were a child when mom died. You may think you’re grown but you don’t know what it’s like to have to answer for things the rest of the family does. You think I wanted to help dad run the company? No, I wanted to study art in Paris. I wanted the freedom you have. You think Guille wanted to be a lawyer, let alone the company’s lawyer? He wanted to be an architect since I can remember but now he’s the best lawyer in the state and while he loves it I know that’s not what he originally wanted. Dad told us to think bigger, to think of our legacy. You are a part of the legacy, what you do affects all of us. So while you’re out there planning extravagant outings with Juliana we have to face the questions of your relationship. While you’re giving Juliana serenatas on the bridge we have to come up with a response as to why the princess of the house caused traffic for closing down Tower Bridge on a busy night. So yes, I was wrong for hating your relationship with a woman and I’m sorry for not understanding that you’re going to love whoever you want to love because you can’t stop that but I also need you get in all of our shoes and grow up a bit. I’m sure Juliana doesn’t feel too comfortable with the grand romantic gestures anyway but at least let us know when you’re going to do something that affects all of us so we’re not blindsided by morning when we’re bombarded by questions. I love you and I’m sorry for getting in between you two. I will never do it again because you and your happiness are more important than my initial feelings towards your relationship. You told me something that has stuck with me. You said, I couldn’t keep Lucia and Renata from marrying into the family and that I couldn’t stop Juliana either and you’re right, I can’t. At the end of the day a job is a job and we’re human, if dad could build an empire from the ground up who’s to say Juliana won’t either? So if Juliana is who you want to be with, I’ll support you because as your sister that is my responsibility.” Eva finished letting her little sister process everything she said.

Valentina had no idea her siblings hadn’t wanted their professions. She assumed they each wanted to be a part of the family business from childhood and she couldn’t possibly imagine her sister, the toughest businesswoman she knows, as a painter. She finally understood where her sister was coming from and it was refreshing to know all of this new information. She didn’t know how to respond but she knew one thing, she loved her sister and no matter how angry she got she always would.

“I just need you know that I love you okay, kiddo? You can be as old and as wise as you want but you’ll always be my little sister and I will always look out for you even if my approach is wrong you have to know that it comes from a place of love. Now I don’t want this day to end on a bad note for you so I’m gonna leave but I would like for you to at least open my gift before completely discarding it, okay. It was mom’s and dad gave it to me because he knew I loved it but I want you to have it because I know you’ll find a better use for it. Happy birthday, Vale, I love you.” Eva said placing the gift bag on the counter before making her way to the door.

All the while Juliana was observing both sisters and she knew Valentina wanted to say something, anything, but didn’t know how so she simply squeezed her hand as Eva was walking away and whispered, “go after her,” causing Valentina to finally react and smile at her before running after her sister.

“Eva! Wait. Please. Don’t go, stay. I never knew this wasn’t what you wanted, I always thought you wanted to run the company after dad, not that dad forced you to make his dream your own. I’m sorry for that. I won’t apologize for the grand gestures but I will apologize for not thinking about the rest of you beforehand. I promise to seek guidance or give you a heads up next time. I love you Eva, you’re my sister, I always will but you have to give me the benefit of the doubt. I’m not a little girl anymore, I haven’t been since mom died. We were forced to grow up from that day onward and neither of us was ever the same. I know you don’t like Lucia because you think she wants to replace mom but no one ever could and she knows that. I think if you’re gonna give Juls and I the benefit of the doubt you have to give her and Natty a chance too. They’re incredible women if you just let them in. Lucia was the first person I came out to. She’s the first person I told about Juliana because I trust her. She’s the maternal figure I’m sure mom would be happy to know I have in her absence. She’s been with dad for years and not once has she disrespected me or mom’s things, she knows what mom means to us and she respects that. She also knows she’s not here to replace anyone, she has her place in this home and in my heart because she’s earned it not because she slithered her way in like you like to think. I promise you she’s a good woman.” Valentina said taking hold of her sister’s hand and pulling her in for a hug.

Eva gave Valentina a tight embrace and told her she’d give Juliana, Renata, and Lucia a chance. In the meantime, Juliana watched the sister’s quietly from afar. She was surprised when Eva looked her way and smiled but returned the smile nonetheless. The sisters finished their talk and made their way to Juliana. Evangelina offered her hand and formally apologized to Juliana, an apology which Juliana accepted.

Valentina opened her sister’s gift to find an old polaroid camera that, according to her sister, belonged to her mother.

“She used to take it everywhere. I remember using it to take a picture of you at the hospital the day after you were born. I’ve had that picture with me ever since. You were my baby sister and I promised to protect you at all cost. So you’re right you’re not a child anymore but you’ll always be my baby sister.” Eva said giving her sister a side hug before being engulfed in a full hug.

“Thank you, Eva. I’ll keep it safe.” Valentina whispered into her shoulder as they continued to hug.

Eva wiped a rouge tear away as she laughed and said, “okay enough feelings for the day, go enjoy your party. I’m gonna head out with Mateo. I just wanted to stop by and give you your birthday hug. Mateo and I are flying to Rome tonight for our anniversary so we have to make sure everything is ready. I love you.” She turned to Juliana who was simply standing off to the side not really knowing what to do with herself so she just shrugged and stood there. “And you, keep taking care of her please. She’s a good kid and if she says you are too, then so are you.”

Juliana smiled at Eva as Valentina reached for her hand, “always. I love your sister and I will take care of her for as long as she’ll allow me.”

Eva nodded, “nice dress by the way, you did a really good job. Renata was right about your talent.” Juliana appreciated the comment and thanked Eva.

They walked to the backyard where everyone was waiting, talking animatedly. Everyone greeted the birthday girl and exchanged hugs with her. She said her farewell to her brother-in-law and sister wishing them a safe trip.

She sat with her family in a circle talking while her father and Juliana’s father finished cooking the meat and hamburgers.

Someone stood behind her covering her eyes. Valentina recognized the scent instantly as a huge grin came across her face. “Hope!”

“C’est moi!” Her best friend said as she removed her hands and went in for a tight hug. “Happy birthday nerd!”

“What are you doing here? I thought London had you for another month?” Valentina asked.

Hope smiled, “You didn’t think I’d actually miss your birthday did you? Plus I was getting tired of missing my main squeeze and only seeing those beautiful blue eyes of yours through a screen.”

Valentina laughed and turned to Juliana offering her a hand to stand up. “Juls, this is my best friend, Hope, we’ve known each other since birth. Hope, this is the beautiful and talented Juliana I’ve told you so much about.”

“So you’re the one who stole this loser’s heart. I see why,” Hope said looking Juliana up and down playfully, “pleasure to meet you. I’d give you the usual best friend speech but with the sister-in-law you have and what she’s put you through, I don’t think you need it. Welcome to the family.” Hope said pulling Juliana into a hug.

They spent the rest of the day enjoying the company and the food. The girls went for a swim and Juliana got to bond with Hope. By the time they cut the cake and Valentina opened the gifts the sun had begun to set. Juliana’s parents were the first to head out. Then went Guille and Renata. Hope offered Juliana and Valentina a ride back to Sacramento since she would be staying at her city loft with Lizzie tonight. The girls agreed and off they went.

"I've never been on a plane, let alone a helicopter." Lupe said nervously as they got comfortable on the helicopter. It was the day after Valentine's Day. They were on their first family trip to a cabin near Loon Lake. The girls along with their parents.

The cabin was on a small island they could usually reach by boat but given the weather, the lakes were frozen over leaving Leon to pick the helicopter ride instead. The Valdes family had never seen snow in person leading Lucia and Valentina to plan a snow trip. Lucia and Lupe got along very well and Lucia thought this trip would be a good idea to get their husband's to bond a bit more.

"Don't be nervous, Lupita, Leon is a great pilot. We'll be there in no time." Lucia said reassuringly taking Lupe's hand in hers.

The trip was a 20 minute flight from the Carvajal mansion to the cabin. The scenery was beautiful. Thousands upon thousands of tress. They flew over the three frozen lakes until they arrived to the property's helicopter landing pad. A couple that stayed in the cabin taking care of it made sure to clear the pad so the helicopter could land safely.

"Hector, Mari, this is the Valdes family, they'll be staying with us this weekend." Leon said turning to Juliana and her family as he continued, "Anything you need let Hector and Mari know."

Valentina hugged the couple before dragged Juliana to show her the rest of the house and showing her where everyone would be staying.

After getting everything settled and put away, they gathered round the table for breakfast.

"So how was Valentine's Day? Did everything work out how you planned, Val?" Lucia said wanting to know if Juliana enjoyed their date.

A blush grew across both girls' faces and Juliana took Valentina's hand in hers as she spoke. "It was lovely Lucia. She's crazy for renting out the museum just for us to watch my favorite movie but it was amazing and really sweet." Juliana said as she brought Valentina's hand to her mouth and kissed her knuckles.

"She did what!" Lupe and Chino said simultaneously.

"I didn't get a chance to give you guys details this morning but yeah she rented out a museum in downtown for six hours just for us..." Juliana said knowing her parents would definitely oppose to Valentina spending so much money on dates.

"It was nothing really. I promise. I know Juls doesn't want anything too expensive or fancy but it was Valentine's Day and I wanted to do something special for her, something quiet and relaxing yet romantic." Valentina said trying to defend herself before Juliana's parents had a chance to say anything else.

Chino sighed in resignation knowing that they were from very different worlds but Valentina loved his daughter with everything she was. "I know you're not trying to buy my daughter or any of us, we're just not used to any of this." He said motioning to the house with his hands but referring to everything that's happened since the girls met. "It's simply overwhelming knowing you can do that for Juliana and think of it as something small... like I said, we aren't used to it but thank you for taking care of my daughter and giving her pieces of the world."

"Macario I hope you know we all genuinely love your daughter, she's gained all of our respect and love and she's made my Valentina happier than I've ever seen her since her mother passed. I know my daughter, she not only wants to show your daughter the world, she wants to empower her to go after anything she wants. That's what Estella, her mother, always instilled in our daughters, to uplift other women and I'm really proud of the woman Valentina's become. She's always known how to manage her money well so if she can do these things for Juliana it's because she's thought about it and knows when and on what she can invest her money. Think of it as a movie date but on a much bigger budget." Leon said causing the women at the table to break into laughter at his final comment.

"I trust your daughter with my daughter, there is no doubt about that, I guess it'll just take a while to get used to the thought of that big of a budget." Chino said shrugging as he took a sip from his orange juice.

They continued enjoying their breakfast. Valentina talked animatedly about what the plans for the rest of the trip were trying to change the subject. Lupe was excited about building a snowman with her husband and making it her height. Juliana on the other hand wanted the six of them to have a snowball fight before the trip was over. Chino loving to please his girls was on board for whatever they wanted to do while secretly excited about making snow angels with his girls.

After breakfast they got ready and each grabbed a snowmobile heading to the west end of Loon Lake. From there they chained their snowmobiles together before heading towards what is normally a vehicle bridge but for the moment was covered completely in snow. They walked around a bit until Juliana and Lupe sat on one of the bridge's barrier boulders looking out to the distance enjoying the peace and quiet. Valentina made sure to snap a picture of the two while keeping her distance not wanting to interrupt. A few minutes passed and Juliana turned behind her feeling Valentina's gaze on her. Juliana waved her over taking Valentina's hand as she reached Juliana and sat Valentina on her lap hugging her tightly.

"Thank you for bringing us here. It's beautiful. I never imagined this was what snow felt like. It's so fluffy and cold. I love it, it feels like the consistency between and icee and a raspado." Juliana said playing with the snow on the rock she and Valentina were sitting on.

Juliana took the bit of snow up to her mouth and tried to blow on it causing Valentina and herself to giggle in the process.

"What was that?" Valentina asked with a bright smile on her face.

Juliana laughed burying her head into Valentina's shoulder. "I'm not sure. I wanted to see if I could blow it out of my hand."

"It's not powder babe. That's not exactly how snow works." Valentine said shaking her head, not noticing Juliana's smirk forming.

Juliana grabbed a bit of snow and balled it up in her fist creating a small snowball. Suddenly she leaned back slightly away from Valentina and made eye contact with a confused Valentina as she began to speak. "Is this how it works?" Juliana said throwing the small ball of snow at her girlfriend causing a shocked gasp.

Valentina stood from Juliana's lap with a determined look on her face as regret began to take over Juliana's face. "That's how you want to play? Okay. Get ready Juliana. You have 20 seconds to run."

Juliana threw her head back laughing. Seeing that her girlfriend was not moving Valentina raised an eyebrow as she smirked started counting, causing Juliana to get up and start running towards the rest of the family.

"6... 5... 4..." Valentina didn't finish her count down as she began to run after Juliana with a snowball in each hand giggling. She threw them at her girlfriend who was still running hitting her in the back causing her to dramatically fall into a pile of snow.

"No! No you cheated! I still had 3 seconds!" Juliana said giggling turning around to look at Valentina with a huge smile.

Valentina offered Juliana a hand to pull her up as the wheels started turning in her head. She whispered to Juliana to grab two snowballs and on the count of three they would throw them a their parents. Juliana smiled mischievously and looked over at where her parents were, distracted talking to Leon and Lucia.

Once Juliana was standing, Valentina whispered the countdown creating a snowball fight between the two of them and the other two couples. They spent the rest of the day playing with the snow, only taking a break to eat their packed lunch. After their lunch they built three snowmen, one by each couple. As the day turned to evening they began heading back towards the cabin where they would be having dinner.

As dinner was being set up, Juliana asked what the plan for the following day was.

"We're going on the Rubicon Trail" Leon said with a bright smile as Valentina's eyes grew wide.

"Wait, but we never go without Guille..." Valentina said getting a little disappointed that they would be breaking tradition.

"You never go where without me?" Guillermo said he and Renata stood by the dining room entrance.

Valentina gasped in surprise and stood up to hug her brother and her sister-in-law. "What are you doing here?"

Guillermo placed her arm around Renata as he began to speak. "Dad called last week, said it was a surprise so I couldn't say anything. Once Renata closed up shop at noon we headed over to get the jeeps and make our way. Hector went to pick us up by the edge of the lake."

All the while, Juliana had a confused look on her face. "Wait, but what is the Rubicon Trail? Also, hi." She said with a small wave to the new guests.

Guillermo and Renata walked towards the table to greet everyone and sat down to join them for dinner.

Once they were all settled, Leon and Guillermo began to explain what the Rubicon Trail was and telling the Valdes that they won't be going on the entire trail only to the top of the mountain and back down and then take them to see the sunset by Big Hill Lookout. They would end their night with the pies Renata picked out from Apple Hill on their way to the cabin.

The following day, they did exactly as they planned. Valentina and Juliana went with Guillermo and Renata while The parents went together in the other Jeep.

Juliana and her parents loved the views and especially the sunset from the lookout tower. Valentina got a lot fun pictures of their first family trip. What she hoped would be the first of many.

Their day came to end with movie night and a slice of pie with a side of ice cream and hot chocolate.

When Sunday arrived the family headed back home in the jeeps. They made a point to stop by Apple Hill. They stopped by their favorite farmers market, Boa Vista Orchards. Valentina went up to the bakery window with Juliana where they each ordered an apple turnover with a scoop of ice cream. They sat down to eat their goodies while the rest of the family looked around the market.

After they ate Juliana wanted to look around and see what goodies she could take home with her.

They were approached by one of the workers who also happened to be one of Valentina's childhood friends. "Oh my god, Yuri! It's been so long!" Valentina said as she gave the girl a tight hug, "look this is my girlfriend, Juliana. Juls this is Yuri, we used to go to school together down the hill." The three chatted for a bit and Yuri gave Juliana recommendations and answered a few questions related to the products being sold.

Once everyone had bought what they wanted they headed across the street to the pumpkin patch where Valentina took pictures of everyone and eventually asked Guillermo to take a picture of Juliana and herself at the cheesy Instagram looking window set up.

The eight of them headed to the Carvajal mansion where they eventually parted ways ending their first family trip.

--------------

Valentina offered to plan their Valentine's date since Juliana would be busy with school and work that day. Juliana agreed under one condition, it'd be a chill evening.

By the time Valentina was ready to pick up Juliana she had everything planned out. This time she had Alirio drive her to pick up Juliana and take them to their first destination, dinner. She picked a quiet place that she knew would not be too crowded so they could have a conversation before continuing their adventure. She chose a quiet evening, nothing too busy or loud.

When Valentina knocked on Juliana's door she had a bouquet of 24 red roses and a bright smile. As soon as Juliana opened the door they couldn't help but laugh once they made eye contact. They both had flowers ready to surprise each other. After exchanging flowers and kissing hello, they placed their respective flowers in vases on Juliana's dining table before heading out.

"Hola, Alirio, how are you? It's been a while." Juliana said as she entered the car.

"Muy bien señorita Juliana, y usted?" Alirio responded before closing the door behind them and heading to the driver's seat.

They had a quiet ride to the restaurant Valentina picked out. Once inside Juliana was amazed at how few people there were. They went up to the counter and ordered. The cashier seemed to know Valentina, not as a fan but as someone she'd known for years. Valentina made sure to introduce Juliana before they walked away from the counter, telling Juliana that the lady was Guille's godmother and that she had been friend's with her mother for most of their lives.

As they picked a table near the far back, awaiting their food, Juliana looked at the jukebox next to their table. "Hey babe, I'll be right back okay." She said getting a quarter out of her coin purse. She walked over to the jukebox seeing only songs in Spanish. She chose a cheesy one she knew would cause a blush to grow on Valentina's face; Musica Romantica by Pancho Barraza.

Heading back to the table as the song began to play Juliana had a giant grin and a small blush on her face as she felt not only Valentina's eyes on her but the rest of the restaurant's as well.

"You got a romantic one, Vale, I like her." Doña Josefina said as she dropped off their dinner plates and drinks.

This caused Valentina to blush even harder as Juliana finally let out a laugh. "Si, doña Jose, she's definitely a keeper." She said as she smiled tenderly at Juliana.

Once the lady left they began eating their meals and talking about their day as the song played in the background. Valentina listened enthusiastically as Juliana told her about a couple of girls she met at school, beginning with a snarky girl in her History of Fashion course. The girl, Penelope, invited her to lunch after doing an in-class assignment together. They met up at the cafeteria with Penelope's girlfriend. Juliana talked animatedly about the two girls and Valentina had not made the connection to the girls until Juliana said the girlfriend's last name.

"Wait, Saltzman? Pen and Josie go to you your school? As in Josie Saltzman and Penelope Park?" Valentina questioned with a slight wrinkle of her eyebrows.

"Yeah, Josie is a cutie with brow hair and big warm eyes; Penelope a very confident yet super friendly girl? You know them?" Juliana responded curious.

"Yeah, absolutely, my best friend grew up in the Saltzman household. Josie's twin made Hope's life in that house a living hell until she eventually confessed her feelings for Hope when they were 15 and have been dating ever since. What a small world, did Josie mention her twin?" Valentina still puzzled about this turn of events.

Juliana shoot her head, no. Valentina continued, "Hope's coming back from London in a few weeks, we should all go out to dinner once she's back. I'm sure they'd all love a triple date."

They continued talking about their day and Juliana's thoughts on the food. It was a Mexican restaurant that Valentina's mom gifted to her best friend, Josefina, as a 30th birthday gift. Valentina didn't come to the restaurant often but she knew Juliana would like the calm and quiet atmosphere.

After an hour Valentina looked at her watch and noticed it was nearly 7pm. The perfect time to head over to their second and final location. She paid for their dinners and Alirio's — who was sitting near the exit waiting for the girls to finish up.

"Where to now Val?" Juliana said as she leaned onto Valentina's shoulder while holding her hand giving her girlfriend puppy eyes to try and get more information.

"You're cute but you'll just have to wait and see, chiquita, es un secreto ." Valentina said with a smile as she winked.

Juliana sighed dramatically while simultaneously saying an exaggerated "fine" causing Valentina to throw her head back in laughter.

The ride to the location was peacefully silent. When they arrived outside Juliana observed the entire building, the entrance looked like that of an old mansion while the rest looked like a modern building. After taking a look she noticed the name confirming her suspicions, it was a museum; The Crocker Art Museum.

"I know it's nothing too romantic but I think you'll enjoy what I have planned this evening." Valentina said suddenly shy about the idea.

"I love it. Let's go look at some pretty art but know that none of it will ever compare to you." Juliana said with a smile as she leaned in to give Valentina a tender kiss.

Alirio opened Juliana's door helping both girls out the vehicle receiving orders to head home and not wait for them. Valentina informed him that they would be catching a Lyft on their way to Juliana's apartment so he could head home and rest for the remainder of the evening.

Once they arrived at the south entrance the curator was already waiting for them. "Hello Ms. Carvajal, I'm Randy. Everything is set up as you asked, any questions let me know. If you have no questions, the museum is yours until midnight we will not be interrupting your night. Enjoy."

"No questions, thank you, Randy." Valentina said. Acknowledging Valentina with a nod, the man walked away leaving both girls with the entire museum to themselves. It was a Thursday night and while the museum usually closed at 9pm on Thursdays, Valentina made sure tonight it would be free from 6pm to midnight. 6pm to give Randy and the rest of the staff enough time to set up. She ordered all of Juliana's favorite pastries from their favorite pastry shop, Estelle Bakery & Pâtisserie, be placed in the room where they would be spending the majority of the evening.

They walked around the museum viewing different exhibits. Valentina telling Juliana about her different favorite pieces as Juliana looked at her tenderly each time she spoke. After an hour of walking around the place Valentina led them to a pair of high double doors that had a velvety red barrier cord with a sign that read, NO ACCESS TO MANSION 2/14/19. Valentina unhooked one of the ends causing a reaction from Juliana questioning what she was doing. "Don't worry, Juls. I know what I'm doing."

"Val, the sign clearly says no access today. I don't think we can go in there." Juliana said staying put looking at Valentina skeptically.

"Juls, amor. I rented out the entire museum for the evening but this part of the museum I booked it out the entire day to make sure everything stayed as it needs to be. This place is where the main surprise is, baby." Valentina said pulling out the old key Randy had given her earlier that day. As she turned the key, she looked back to Juliana with a bright smile.

When the doors were unlocked, she pushed both doors open and moved aside so Juliana could take in the view of the place. It was decorated as if nothing had changed since the Crockers lived there. The house was preserved while still being used to display different works of art.

Juliana made her way inside with Valentina following closely behind. They walked around the place in silence as Juliana took in her surroundings. After walking around a bit Valentina finally spoke, "Can I show you something?"

Juliana turned around nodding still silent, shocked that Valentina would rent out and entire museum for her.

Walking them to the old front room they stood looking at the two spiral staircase. Valentina took Juliana's hand in hers as she began to speak. "This is as close as I could get to recreating the Anastasia. This staircase and the next room I'll be showing you are what made me choose this place."

With that, Valentina walked them over to the great hall where Juliana's eyes lit up as she saw a projector playing the video for Once Upon A December from the 1997 Anastasia movie.

Halfway through the song Juliana turned and hugged Valentina tightly. "I don't know what to say aside from thank you. This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. Gracias, Valentina, te amo."

Valentina smiled into Juliana's embrace as she kissed Juliana's shoulder. "Come on, it's movie night babe." Valentina said kissing the top of Juliana's head as she wrapped her right arm around Juliana with their fingers interlocked. Walking over to the couch she had had placed there that same morning, Juliana finally noticed the table of pastries and the small heart shaped cake.

The girls cut into the cake splitting it in half and cuddling into each other covering themselves with blankets as the movie began to play. They spent the rest of the night eating their sugary snacks and once the movie was over they played soft music they could slow dance to. As the night came to end and the clock read 11:30, they gathered their belongings and headed towards the exit where Randy was waiting for them. Valentina said she would be sending someone to pick up the couch along with the projector and the rest of her belongings in the morning.

Valentine's Day was approaching quickly and there were no official plans yet. It was the Sunday before Valentine's Day, both girls woke up early in Juliana's apartment to work on their individual assignments. Valentina had been working on the layout of the photography book she had to do for her second portfolio class. Juliana had been working on a new piece for her midterm project, it was her day off from work and though she usually spent Sundays with her parents she had other plans today.

"Hey, Val." Juliana said getting to other girl's attention.

Valentina responded with a distracted hmm.

Juliana wrapped her arms around Valentina's neck from behind as she leaned her head on the girl's shoulder. "How do you feel about taking a break? We've been working nonstop for four hours. I think we've earned it."

"A break? Right now? I'm 14 pages into this book, I could definitely use a break! Let's do it." Valentina leaning her head up closing her eyes as she leaned back into Juliana.

Juliana chuckled as she said, "Okay, let's get ready then and we'll head out."

"Wait we're going out? Where?" Valentina said she sat up curiously as she opened her eyes.

Juliana rose her eyebrows playfully as she smiled. "It's a surprise."

Valentina placed her hand on her chest dramatically. "You're really not going to tell me?"

"Nope. You never tell me so..." Juliana said winking as she shrugged her shoulders.

Throwing her head back in defeat Valentina proceeded to ask, "Ugh, fine. How presentable do we have to look?"

Juliana laughed at how pouty her girlfriend was being. "We're not going anywhere fancy Señorita Carvajal so just don't take pajamas and you'll be fine."

Valentina looked through her drawers and decided on some light blue jeans and a t-shirt she wore often on casual days that said, "more than friends" paired with her all-white chucks.

As Juliana pulled out of the apartment complex, she drove south on 65th St heading towards Stockton Blvd. "What's the best burger place in Sacramento?" Juliana asked as she turned left onto Florin Rd.

"Squeeze Inn, well now it's called Squeeze Burger, but that, to me, is the best. Though I'm bias because it was my mom's favorite burger place." Valentina said with no hesitation.

"Okay well then we'll have to go there eventually." Juliana said bringing the car to a stop. "This, is my favorite burger place in town." She said as Valentina read the name aloud, Burger Junction.

Juliana turned the car off and went around to open Valentina's door. "M'lady?" Juliana said as she offered Valentina her hand causing a giggle to erupt from her girlfriend.

They walked hand in hand as they went into the restaurant. It was a small corner shop with a few tables, all of which were full. There was a line to order and the atmosphere was friendly. There were families and teenagers all throughout the restaurant. There was a lovely elderly couple towards the back. The man seemed to be hooked onto every word his wife was speaking. Valentina felt an overwhelming sense of love throughout the restaurant causing her to lean her head onto Juliana, nuzzling into her. Juliana simply turned and gave her a kiss on the forehead and wrapped her hand around Valentina's lower back as they waited for the line to move.

"Papi, those girls are holding how you and mami hold each other." A little girl behind the couple whispered loudly causing both girls to perk their ears awaiting the man's response, tensing in the process.

"Si mija, like mami and I, they love each other. It's normal." The man said ruffling his daughter's hair.

"So girls can like girls?" The little girl said with an inquisitive smile. Her father nodded, leading her to her next excited question, "and boys can like boys?"

This brought out a chuckle from the man as he said, "yes baby."

Valentina moved her head up towards Juliana's ear to whisper a quiet 'I love you' and kissed her cheek.

They waited a few more minutes until reaching the counter. The cashier took their orders and they moved off to the side to wait for their food. As they waited a young girl from across the restaurant observed them. Juliana eventually noticed and mentioned it Valentina who looked up and smiled at the girl receiving a shy smile in return.

Once their order was ready the girls grabbed the bags and headed back towards the exit. The couple gave the shy teenager a wave as they walked out.

Inside the car, Valentina turned to Juliana who was already looking at her with a big smile on her face. "Thank you for bringing me here. I don't know what it is about this place but it's very homey and cozy."

"I thought you'd like it. I found it one day as I drove around town, before we met, and I fell in love with the place and the people who work here. Plus the burgers and fries are great." Juliana said before turning on the car. "You ready? We're going to the park to eat these burgers, baby!"

January had a rocky start. The press mobbed the girls for weeks following the article but Juliana had also gained massive support once the interview with Valentina aired. She began getting recognized on the streets more often than when they were first forced to come out to the world. The attention was overwhelming at times because she was used to her anonymity and she enjoyed her privacy but she also understood the buzz around their relationship. After all she was dating a media princess.

Juliana had graduated in the fall, an entire semester early. This meant she would be able to start at the institute sooner than originally planned. Juliana’s first day at RIC was on the 21st of January for the spring semester. Though the attention was beginning to die down it was a little hard to feel welcome on campus. When she passed people in the hallways they would stare at her and whisper to each other. Many rumored that the only reason she got into the institute was because she’s Valentina’s girlfriend. Others said that she received special treatment because she worked with Renata. Either way, none of her peers believed she got in because of her talent and that hurt but it also became her motivation to prove them all wrong. After 3 weeks the lack of support and isolation began to weigh Juliana down. Her life was under a microscope both inside and outside of school. It was becoming too much and she knew she had to do something or else it would all fall apart. She made the decision to sit down with Renata and Valentina to discuss her plans and ask for their advice on how to handle everything. Both women were aware of how much effort she was putting in and they understood that with a full school schedule and a full work schedule Juliana was under a lot of stress.

The Carvajal women arrived to Juliana’s apartment around 9pm on the first Wednesday of February. Five minutes early, to be exact, per Valentina’s request knowing how Juliana felt about her time.

Hearing Valentina’s usual knock, which always brought a smile to Juliana’s face, she made her way from the couch to the door. Greeting Valentina and Renata with a warm hug as she invited them in. Once inside the three sat down at the dinner table waiting for Juliana to speak.

“Chicas, I asked you here because as you are both very aware I am finally starting to feel the pressure of everything. I’ve been trying to keep it all together and deal as best as I can but I’m in week 3 of my classes and it’s all beginning to take its toll.” Juliana said speaking as honestly as she could.

Renata nodded her head as Juliana spoke. Deciding to respond with a simple, “Okay, how can we help?” and a warm smile.

Juliana smiled gratefully, knowing she made the right decision asking Renata here. “Well, for starters I think I’d like to cut back my hours at the shop if that’s okay with you. I know I can’t be as helpful to you as I used to be when I am constantly studying for my exams and working on designs for all six classes. So I don’t know how you would feel about hiring someone to help me and be there when I’m in class but I think that would lighten the load. I’m sticking to my full class schedule. I love working full-time at the shop and I do need the money, but school has to be my priority right now. I love the classes and the institute but you’ve heard the rumors.” Juliana said fidgeting with her hands under the table at the thought of what was being said about her. “I try to ignore them but they hurt sometimes and I can’t make friends because everyone thinks I don’t deserve to be there. I plan to prove them all wrong by the end of the semester no matter what. I know I earned my place and I deserve that spot just like everyone there. It’s only the first semester.” She finished sitting up taller than before at the thought of proving everyone wrong, no longer fidgeting under the table but instead feeling confident about letting her talent speak for itself.

Renata smiled at how comfortable and confident Juliana felt towards her talent. “Okay. Yes I agree, you need a coworker to help you out. I’ll find someone, thank you for being honest about it. About the rumors, don’t worry, it’ll all die down eventually. The professors love you and your work, they say you’re the most dedicated of the group so I’m very proud of you. I knew you’d be amazing and Ricardo Contreras was very excited to have you as his student after your presentation. You’re in great hands with him and the rest of the professors, just let them guide you and you’ll silence all the rumors. I’ve heard you’re not afraid to ask questions and I love that because the more questions you ask the less problems you’ll encounter. You definitely earned your place, the administration all agree on that so don’t worry about what the other students say, that will all go away soon.”

Juliana smiled and got up to give Renata a hug. 

During the conversation Valentina sat silently observing her girlfriend. She was glad that Juliana felt comfortable enough with Renata and herself to ask them for help. After a few moments, Valentina finally spoke. “So how can I help, Juls?” Valentina had a vague idea of how Juliana wanted her to help, but she wanted to hear it from her girlfriend firsthand.

Juliana reached over to take her hand as she looked into her eyes. “I love you Valentina and I love us but the attention is getting a little overwhelming. Is there anything you can do to get the media to back down? I can’t go out to the street without someone following me. I know the fans are hyped about us but I need my privacy and they don’t seem to understand that sometimes.” She said as she ran a hand through her hair, her shoulders visibly tense as she continued. “I’m not in the media world, I didn’t ask for this, but I understand that it was bound to happen because of who you are. I don’t mind that but I just need it to die down a little bit. I need room to breathe. I can’t even go to the park because there is always someone following and you know that’s my place to escape when everything gets too much. I need my safe space back.”

Having one free hand, she tapped her fingers on the table as she spoke causing Renata reached over to grab Juliana’s free hand trying to comfort her, understanding exactly how she felt because she was once in her same position.

Valentina didn’t know what to say but she wanted to make this right for Juliana, somehow. She knew from the moment they started dating that this would not be easy when it came to the public yet she underestimated how much it would affect her girlfriend. She grew up in the eyes of the world but Juliana did not. She knew how to handle all the press, but Juliana did not. She knew when to stick to the script and when to be herself but this was all new to Juliana. Valentina had a tender look in her eyes as she tried to find her next words. She gave Juliana’s hand a squeeze before she spoke.

“Okay, I’ll do what I can. I’m sorry you’ve had your privacy taken away. I hadn’t realized because I’ve never truly had it but I see how much this is affecting you and I have to do something about it.” Valentina said rubbing her thumb over the hand she was holding as Renata placed a second hand over Juliana’s other hand grabbing the attention of the couple.

“I know exactly how you feel. I felt the same way when I first entered the family. It was scary, my family thought something bad would happen to me because of how vicious people were being. I took one of the most eligible bachelors off the market and everyone was pissed. I, too, had to ask for guidance and I’m glad I did. I had Valentina, Guille, & most importantly Lucia to help me through it. I say most importantly Lucia because like us, she was thrown into the spotlight when she began dating Leon so she knows exactly what that’s like. If there is anything I can do to help don’t hesitate to ask. We’re all here to help, we love you and I don’t think any of us want you to feel alone in this because you aren’t.” Renata said supportively.

Juliana let out a sigh of relief. It was refreshing to know that she could let herself be cared for like Valentina once told her to do. It was something she was slowly getting used to doing but Valentina made it easy to let down her walls.

“I love you, chicas, thank you. I knew I could count on you guys. Thank you for becoming my extended family. I don’t think I would have stayed in Sacramento, let alone California, if it hadn’t been for you two. This place is actually growing on me now and a lot of that has to with you two, especially you Val.” Juliana said as they all stood up and did a group hug.

 As they pulled back from the hug Renata began to speak. “Okay girls, Val I don’t know if you’re heading home but Guille and I are staying at the loft. You’re welcome to stay with us if you’d like so you don’t drive home this late.” Renata said looking at her watch and realizing it was nearly 11pm.

Valentina looked at Juliana smiling and then over at Renata. “Thanks Natty pero I’m gonna stay with Juls tonight. She doesn’t like me to drive home past 10. It’s kind of our thing.”

“Cheesy but I love it. Okay, well your brother is outside so I’m gonna head out kids, behave.” Renata said winking at them causing both girls to let out a laugh as they said their goodbyes.