Marco Santos has always carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. A renowned chef on a one way track to success, his career came to a screeching halt when Marco took the blame for a crime he didn't commit to protect his brother and ensure that Juan could be present in his newborn daughter's life. Marco served jail time for five years, but was released on good behavior. He's been back home for six months now and facing the possibility that his sacrifice might have been for nothing, but could cost him everything.
Marco’s mother died when he was pretty young. From that moment, his little brother, who was just two, pretty much became Marco’s responsibility. Their dad really struggled with providing for his sons on a single income, but when Marco was about 10 years old, he got a job that would finally allow him to make sure they were all comfortable, but would require him to travel a lot. So he sent Marco & Juan to go live with their grandparents in Briar Ridge. Shortly after moving to Briar Ridge, Marco met and befriended the girl next door. They became best friends and remained so for the rest of their childhood.
Marco worked really hard to be the best that he could be at… everything. He studied hard, practiced any and every sport he played as much as he could, even worked as hard as he could at being the best big brother. He wanted to make sure that by the time he graduated from high school, he would have several options to ensure he started making enough money to help his family out. But his brother didn’t have the same goals as Marco and after falling in with the wrong crowd when they were kids, continued on a downward spiral that kept getting him into bad shit
After graduating from high school, Marco managed to get a scholarship to a world famous culinary school in Orlando, Florida. His time in Orlando made him realize that cooking, and simply being in a restaurant environment, were his passion. The eldest Santos thrived while he was there. When he left, he asked the girl next door to keep an eye on Juan, and with the physical distance from constantly looking over his shoulder for his brother, he was finally able to focus and really thrived. When Marco graduated, he got a job working at a restaurant in Orlando. He planned on staying in the city, at least for a couple years and working his way up the ‘ladder’ so to speak. But after receiving a frantic call from his grandmother about how out of control Juan had gotten, Marco packed up his bags and moved back home, feeling like his brother had been and always would be his responsibility
Over the years, Marco has worked at different restaurants in Briar Ridge, until about 8 years ago, he finally got his big break and landed a job at Alvaro’s at Paradise Point Resort & Spa. Despite how bad things were with Juan, Marco’s professional life, at least, seemed to be doing pretty well. Then, things got turned upside down six years ago when Juan got one of his flings pregnant. From the moment his niece was born, Marco fell head over heels. Gabriela, named after Marco in a manipulative attempt to show how much Juan appreciated his older brother, became the single most important thing to him and for that first year she was alive, Marco took care of her just as much as Juan did.
Five years ago, things came crashing down when Marco caught his brother breaking into someone’s house in a wealthier part of town. With Juan already having several priors on his record, Marco went in after him to try to get him to leave, afraid of the repercussions his brother would face if he were caught. A silent alarm was triggered & before they knew it, the cops arrived. Not wanting his brother to miss out on all the time with his daughter, who was just a year old, Marco took the blame so his brother could escape & was arrested in his place. Because it was his first offense, Marco only received 7 years with a chance of getting out on good behavior. He got out after 5 and is now on the path to getting his life back, including trying to adopt his niece who he’s learned his brother basically abandoned after he went to jail.
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Cali's 'I don't understand instagram aesthetics so this is me' instagram.
ft. her child and favourite backstabber Alba, a turtle she helped clean up at work, nights out with her sisters Mari and Sofia, forced piggybacks with @camercnbishop, her favourite hugs with @mcrcosantos and the blue bracelet he gave her for her quinceañera.
“I’d better.” A relief waved over him upon encountering his best friend, who also was tied up between balancing work duties and being a party guest. The usual price they paid when events were hosted by the resort. “Exactly why the food is the real draw.” His palm thudded itself onto Marco’s shoulder.
Visibly taken off guard from the intricate observations being recited, Levi attempted straightening his unsteady stance. Caught point blank. If his intent gaze locking itself on Nia effortlessly dazzling the ballroom hadn’t given enough away. “— You know that Romeo title is actually yours.” He insisted with a sly smirk. Although, the expert cook deserved to throw it back in his face. With how much Levi constantly interrogated regarding Cali. “Besides, it seems like you’ve noticed a lot already..not sure how much I need to explain?” His brows rose in a mock, suspicious manner.
Marco's grin widened at Levi’s deflection, the glint in his eyes sharper now as he leaned in slightly, clearly enjoying the moment. “Oh, no, no, no—you don’t get to flip this on me,” he said, his voice dripping with amusement. “Cali and I? That’s old news. I’ve answered all your questions, endured all your theories, and humored all your unsolicited advice. This right here? This is my victory lap.” He paused to point between the two of them, a shit eating smirk on his face.
Leaning casually against the nearby bar, Marco cocked an eyebrow as he waited for Levi’s next move. “So, what’s the plan, lover boy? Because if you’re not careful, I might have to step in and start giving you notes from my ‘How to Woo Nia’ seminar. And trust me, you don’t want that.”
Luckily, Amaia had an unavoidable work obligation and his ex-wife was at the very least still not quite petty enough to hire a babysitter for more than one night over allowing Emil to have Isabel. The bar was on the floor, but there was something. Seeing her excitedly scamper off with Gabi to their own special table filled his heart with a quiet warmth. Her big brown eyes had rounded to saucers at the call from Marco, jumping up and down in their kitchen before Emil had even said 'yes'.
Kira's magical twist on Turrón ice cream slid across the table to him and, honestly, Gabi was on to something. There was never a bad time for Ice Cream. A sigh parted his lips and a spoonful of ice cream made it to his mouth before Emil even tried to put words to everything. "Fue interesante," in spite of everything else, the man couldn't entirely keep away a small lopsided grin. "I had a date." He tacked on, playful in the straight line of his shoulders and intentional attempt at a brag. Absently, his gaze shot across Sugar Rush Scoops towards the owner in the backdrop, rolling his eyes. "Much to the entertainment of the girls." Kira and Gen had both been texting him that night, giving him the eyes. "Those two." Emil huffed and shook his head, "an' they wonder why I haven't dated in a while." As if they were even remotely the issue.
Having spent Epiphany with his parents and extended family, he was more inclined than usual to let his Spanish tongue carry the conversation with Marco. A lingering effect of the holidays. "¿Qué hay de ti?"
Marco's brows rose high on his head at Emil's confession, a grin immediately lighting up his features. "Oh, so we're just casually dropping bombs in each other's laps like it's nothing now?" he teased. "A date, huh? With who?" Glancing back at Kira, he shook his head, letting a chuckle escape. "I can only imagine the field day they've had with teasing you about it."
Digging out a scoop of his ice cream, he savored it before answering Emil's question. He glanced over towards, Gabi, making sure she wasn't paying them any attention before he explained. "Encontré un abogado de familia dispuesto a hacerse cargo de mi caso." He kept his voice low, even though Gabi and Isa were clearly preoccupied. He hadn't told his niece about his plans, wanting to protect her from disappointment if the whole thing fell through.
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Gabi didn't care that they were firmly in the middle of South Carolina's version of winter, she wanted ice cream. And when she'd pulled out the puppy dog eyes, claiming she hadn't gotten to see Isa in a long time, well, Marco was a goner.
He'd placed the call to Emil, asked if he and Isa wanted to join them at Sugar Rush and now, here they were, the girls seated at their own table, while Emil selected a separate table that was an acceptable distance (as per Isa & Gabi's insistence) from the girls. Marco thanked Kira before carrying over his & Emil's ice cream.
Handing Emil's over before taking a seat across from him, he asked. "Entonces, ¿cómo estuvo tu Año Nuevo, hermano?" He realized now that they hadn't seen each other since before the holidays, as he scooped out a chunk of his after eight flavored ice cream.
starter for: @enzoadeluca
location: in the middle of the ballroom
The Briar Ridge New Year’s Eve bash was in full swing, all shimmering lights and deafening music. Marco was weaving through the crowded ballroom, clutching his half-empty beer and scanning the room for anyone he actually wanted to talk to. It felt incredibly isolating to be in such an awkward space with Cali right now. He truly didn't know what to do with himself at town gatherings like this without her.
He sidestepped a girl balancing a tower of champagne flutes, turned to squeeze past a couple taking up too much space, and—
Wham.
The collision wasn’t catastrophic, but it was enough to slosh the rest of Marco’s beer over his hand and send him stumbling back a step. “¡Carajo!" he swore under his breath, briefly closing his eyes in exasperation before turning to apologize to whoever he had bumped into.
Enzo.
Of all people.
The name landed in Marco’s brain like a stone, heavy with the weight of old memories. He hadn’t seen Enzo in years, not since high school. Back then, Marco had been caught between being friends with Enzo’s stepbrothers—loud, careless, and unfair—and trying, in his clumsy way, to stick up for Enzo. Not that it had done much good.
"Hey man, sorry about that." he offered, wondering if Enzo would believe him when he said, "It's becoming a bit of a mad house in here."
There were certain complications that came with town events being hosted at the resort. The last one had a fair share of them. But from a business standpoint? A massive success. Being one of several Paradise Point staff that evening, his focus primarily lied on a repeat accomplishment. Especially on the cusp of a new year.
Yet, one distraction did catch his eye without fail. Levi's gaze locked itself on a familiar, striking frame at a fair distance within the lively ballroom. Impossible to miss, Nia Bailey donned a dazzling dress that shone as brightly as she effortlessly could anywhere. His throat quickly started running dry, but before any champagne flutes came within reach, a prominent knock to the shoulder had him immediately shifting. “— What?” Despite his blatant daze, Levi was relived to see Marco show up. “Nice to see you too.” He mused, making a poor attempt with aligning his composure again. "Doing a kitchen check?"
Marco chuckled, the smirk widening as he folded his arms across his chest. “You know me too well,” he said, his tone dripping with mock exasperation. “I step away for five minutes, and suddenly I’m convinced they’re torching crème brûlées instead of caramelizing them.”
He tilted his head, stealing another glance at Nia before nudging Levi again, harder this time. “But let’s not deflect here, Romeo. You weren’t exactly focused on profit margins when I walked up. Care to explain the heart eyes you're currently sporting? Or, you know, why you keep stopping by Alvaro's when we both know you and I didn't have plans?"
His brow raised in question as he waited on Levi's response. It was finally Marco's turn to return the favor when it came to his best friend's love life and he was loving every second of it.
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She hated that she couldn't suppress the anger his joke stirred up in her. It was something that usually only mildly irritated her, but considering that was going on between them, it enraged her enough that she did wonder if she'd end up being the one in jail if she threw something at him. "It's not my damn name, so you can stop it or you can hope the door doesn't hit your ass on the way out."
If anything, seeing how unaffected he seemed only made everything feel worse. Whilst she'd barely left the house if it wasn't to walk Alba or for work, it looked like Marco was completely fine. She had begged him not to make her his second choice, to stop making her feel like she was just a plaything he could kiss when he needed fun and all he could in their first conversation since that, weeks later, was joke.
"Yeah well, you didn't make her feel like shit the last time you saw her, did you? So that tracks." Shaking her head, Cali threw her hands up in complete exasperation. "This really is just a joke to you, isn't it? Just go, just.. just get out." She could feel the tears stinging her eyes again and as she felt the ache in her chest, she felt like she was going to explode. "You are such a fucking dick, Marco! We've been friends since we were kids and this is how you treat me? I would never do this to you, ever! I left that party in tears and the first thing you say to me is that the fake name you came up with sounds like a porn star? Fuck you."
Everything would've been so much easier if she'd never fallen in love with him and not for the first time, she wished she could back and change that, just to save herself from the pain it was causing her now. "I deserve better than this, than all of this. I deserve better than you kissing me and not talking about it, I deserve better than feeling like your back up when you have no one else. I have been in love with you since we were teenagers and I get that you don't feel that way but that doesn't mean this doesn't hurt me!"
It was only after a few seconds of silence that she realised what she'd said. The secret she had kept from him for over twenty years and in one argument, there it was. Her hand flew to her mouth to cover it, her eyes wide and shining from the unshed tears. "Oh my god." Her voice was quiet and she quickly shook her head. "Forget I said anything, just go okay? I'll be fine in a few days."
Marco stood frozen, her words hitting him like a sledgehammer to the chest. For a moment, all he could do was stare at her, his brain scrambling to process everything she had just unleashed. The anger, the hurt, the love—it all poured out of her in a way that left him feeling raw and exposed, like someone had peeled him down to the bone.
"Cali," he started softly, his voice uncharacteristically unsteady. He took a tentative step closer, his usual bravado and humor nowhere to be found. “Don’t… don’t do that. Don’t tell me to forget what you just said, because I can’t. I won’t.”
He ran a hand through his hair, his fingers trembling slightly. “You think I don’t feel the same way? You think I kissed you because I needed some backup, some ‘fun’? God, niña, that couldn’t be further from the truth.” His voice cracked, and he cursed under his breath before continuing. “I kissed you again because I’ve been in love with you since the first time I saw you, and I couldn’t keep it to myself anymore. I couldn’t. And yeah, I screwed up, because I thought… I thought you didn’t feel the same. That I ruined everything between us. And if I brought it up to you, you'd tell me we couldn't be friends anymore because of my obvious feelings for you." At this point, he couldn't help but let out a mirthless chuckle at just how completely wrong they had both gotten things.
He shook his head, his chest rising and falling as he tried to steady himself. “And you’re right. You do deserve better. You deserve someone who doesn’t screw up every chance he gets with you, like that night I went to jail, who doesn’t let his fear of losing you make everything worse. But if you think for one second that this is a joke to me, that you’re a second choice or some backup plan, then you don’t know me as well as I thought you did.”
His voice softened, his eyes locked on hers. “I’m here, Cali. I’m standing here, trying to figure out how the hell to fix this, because losing you isn’t an option for me. It never has been. So if you’re going to tell me to leave, you better mean it. Because if I walk out that door, it’s not because I want to. It’s because you don’t want me here.”
Marco took a shaky breath, his heart pounding as he stepped even closer. “But if there’s even a chance that you want me, that you want us… then I’m not going anywhere.”
Leyla narrowed her eyes at him as he explained, his words not quite matching what his eyes were saying. "Mhm.. yep." Yeah, she didn't believe a word that had just come out of his mouth. She'd almost forgotten about the fact that she was in dire need of coffee (and caffeine, really), but this didn't seem like a moment to succumb to her desires. This was a moment to listen because Marco was.. wait.. was he.. confessing?! Leyla tried with all her might not to react too strongly, but her wide brown eyes were a dead giveaway, so too was the way her jaw fell as he explained the kiss. There was a brief, very brief, momentary pause of complete silence, before she jumped forward to wrap her arms around him. "I knew it!" Leyla was almost jumping with joy as she squeezed him tight, before pulling back, smoothing out her clothes, and brushing a stray hand from her face. "Sorry.. I'm just.. I'm so happy for you!" She couldn't help but pull him into another hug, having waited for this freakin' day for sooooo long. "Okay, I'm reigning it in. I promise," she finally says as she pulls back, her hands still on his arms. "I can't believe you've been carrying this around this whole time?"
Slowly but surely, as he gauged her reaction, the very clear attempt at reigning herself in, Marco couldn't fight his own grin from tugging at his lips. When Leyla threw herself at him, he chuckled, catching her in his arms and squeezing her just as tight.
It felt good to finally verbalize the feelings he had been harboring for most of his life. He knew they were safe with Leyla, and her excitement, even if it was a bit too early to judge how stupid he was being, felt like at least a little bit of encouragement in that moment. And he truly couldn't appreciate her enough for it.
As she let him go, he gave her arm a squeeze. "Thanks, chica. It's nice to know someone considers this good news." Letting out a breath, he focused his gaze on his hands as he tried to think of how to explain all this. "It feels like it's been a constant in my life- these feelings for her- for so long now, I don't even know where to start." Pausing to ruffle a hand through his hair, he forged on. "Every time I've come close to telling her, something monumental has gotten in the way, like going to jail, or being released from jail and finding out she had a boyfriend... So it's just never happened. I've never said anything."
She missed him. He was right next door, but she missed him so much her chest ached. Cali had dreamt of kissing Marco for over two decades and even though both kisses had been incredible, they had set her world on fire in ways she hadn't expected. She had never pictured feeling like he was only doing it to shut her up or because he was bored but she couldn't get either thought out of her head.
She had been in a funk ever since she had run out of the Halloween party. She left the house to go to work, to get groceries and to walk Alba and that was pretty much it. She had barely seen anyone, except for Cameron who had come as soon as he'd heard the emotion in her voice over the phone. He'd listened as she'd cried but it hadn't made things any easier.
With the knock on her door, she had checked her doorbell camera and her heart had skipped a beat when she saw him on it. But still, she sat on her couch, ignoring her dog who had run over to the door as soon as she'd heard the knocks. She'd waited, watching the camera for him to assume she was out and leave, but he didn't. He just stayed.
"Calliope Adriana Cabrera, open up! I know you're in there!!"
Her jaw tightened at the annoying name he'd christened her when they'd been watching Grey's Anatomy and out of irritation only, she got up off the couch. As Alba barked, Cali could only roll her eyes. "Well done, now you've given us away." As her dog whined and pawed at the door, Cali couldn't help but narrow her eyes. "Traitor." Opening the door, suddenly extremely grateful that she had at least showered and washed her that morning, her mouth dried as she looked at him. "Call me that one more damn time, I dare you." Alba wasted no time in greeting him, rubbing her head against his leg and circling his legs. Assuming he wasn't going to buy that she was busy, she simply left the door open and walked back to the couch, hoping she didn't look quite as awful as she felt. "What are you doing here?"
He was just beginning to finally question if maybe he had been wrong, maybe she wasn't home after all, somehow, when Alba barked. A smug smirk immediately tugged his lips upwards. Cali could try to avoid him all she wanted, but Alba was a true pal. She'd never leave Marco hanging.
As the door finally flew open, Cali making it very clear she was angry at him, Marco's smirk only grew. It was like a shield; his smirky attitude at having successfully pushed her buttons shielded him from the very real heartbreak he was walking into. Marco knew if he let the facade slip even a little bit, Cali would be able to tell this was affecting him a lot more than he would admitted and he couldn't have that. He couldn't handle her pity, not about this.
"Or what, Calliope?" he asked, as she walked away from him. "What's she gunna do, huh, Alba, mi princesa?" The second question was obviously directed towards her dog as he bent down to scratch Alba behind the ears, lavishing her with some extra love since it had been so long.
Marco leaned against the doorframe, watching as Cali walked back to the couch without so much as a glance his way. She left the door open, but the wall she’d put up between them felt as solid as ever.
Alba trotted after her for a moment before circling back to him, tail wagging, and he bent down to scratch behind her ears one last time. “At least someone’s happy to see me,” he muttered before stepping inside and shutting the door behind him.
He tried to lighten the mood, tried to summon the easy banter that had always come naturally between them. “Nice to see you too,” he said, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets as he took a cautious step closer. “And for the record, Calliope Adriana Cabrera is a great name. I stand by it. It'd make an excellent soap opera star name.” He paused, hoping she'd look up to meet his gaze as he tried not to chuckle at the joke he was about to make. "Or, you know a fabulous porn star name."
starter for: @levibecker
location: new year's eve bash
Having just exited the kitchens where Marco couldn't help but check in to make sure things were running smoothly, he scanned the crowded ballroom of Paradise Point looking for a familiar face. His shoulders relaxed just a bit when he spotted his very preoccupied best friend.
Walking towards where Levi stood, he stopped for a second behind him, trying to gauge just what, or rather who, had captured his attention so completely. A smirk immediately fell into place when he spotted Nia across the ballroom.
"Dude, you're drooling." he quipped as he moved to stand beside Levi, bumping his shoulder with his own as he did so.
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Yes! Christmas has always been a big holiday for Cali’s family.
If yes, how do they celebrate? Are they super pro Christmas, or a grinch?
Cali always loved Christmas, both her and dad were super into Christmas and decorated as soon as the calendar turned to December. Since he died, she has struggled to find her Christmas spirit, but still tries to rally for the family and their traditions.
What do they eat on Christmas?
For Colombians, Christmas Eve is a big day so Cali has her Colombian Christmas then and her American Christmas on Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve, her family and the Santos family next door come together for dinner where they eat traditional foods from Colombia. This includes, lechona (suckling pig), arepas (meat cornmeal cakes) and tamal. They also have their annual Natilla competition, this was between Marco’s Abuela and Cali’s father, but she is taking over the gauntlet this year. The winner gets bragging rights for the whole year and it is taken very seriously. Cali's own Christmas tradition is forcing @mcrcosantos to make her a tres leches cake which she doesn't like to share.
For Christmas Day, Cali spends it with her Mimi (her stepmother) and her sisters, they eat do a more traditional dinner of roasted meat and vegetables.
What are their favourite traditions?
Cali has always loved the neighbours get together on Christmas Eve. The families are incredibly close and always felt like extended family. She also loves decorating the family tree which is now at her stepmother’s house. They add a new ornament each year to represent their year, so their tree is incredibly busy.
What do they love most about Christmas?
The food and the family time. Probably in that order. Christmas is always the time of year all the sisters are at home without fail and she gets to see her extended family too.
What’s the best Christmas present they’ve ever gotten?
It’s a tie between the locket with a picture of her and her mother in or the framed family picture, the last taken before her dad died.
What was their favourite Christmas?
The one after she’d moved to college. It was the first Christmas Cali could properly participate in as she was a bit older. It also felt like the first time the whole family had been together since she moved and it felt very special.
Have their Christmas traditions changed since they were a child?
Not much. Things paused slightly when her dad died but now it’s almost done in his memory. The main difference now is that Cali no longer goes to mass, but instead says a Christmas prayer at home. Her and her family also go to her father's grave each Christmas Eve, light a candle and say a prayer for him. They then spend some time with him before going back to the festivities, where they light a candle by a photograph of him and leave a chair free for him and the others they've lost at their festivities. They have recently begun to add photos to the chair to include their lost loved ones.
What’s the Christmas wish this year?
That everything works out with Marco.
What’s their Christmas like? Do they dress fancy or in pyjamas? Presents before or after breakfast, presents on Christmas Eve?
Cali is always in Christmas PJs in the morning, she gets a new pair every year. For their Christmas Eve celebrations, she would usually wear a nice dress and would also wear nice clothes for Christmas Day. Presents are mainly Christmas Eve, but the family save a couple for Christmas Day, just as a cute thing. These are usually small stocking fillers and not main presents.
What's their typical Christmas day?
It starts on Christmas Eve with family cooking during the day and present swapping. They then get ready and the celebrations alternate between the Santos house and Cali’s house. They have dinner, they dance, they open gifts. Christmas Day is just a lazy morning and then prepping Christmas dinner. The afternoon is usually for the food coma nap.
Anything else?
Being Colombian, Cali also celebrates Día de las Velitas on 7th December and Las Novenas, which are the nine days leading up to Christmas Eve. She will also add lights to the front of her house for the 7th December to celebrate the beginning of Christmas. Apart from celebrating Colombian Independence Day, it's the most connected Cali feels to her culture in the year. She is immensely proud to be Colombian and loves celebrating in the way of her culture, whilst honouring the traditions of her home country.
Reina laughed, genuinely laughed at the look on his face at her offer. "No pressure whatsoever," she shook her head, taking her phone back from him when he was done and sending a text to him to let him know who she was. "No case is looked at like it's not worth it to me. You seem to really want this, and others haven't given you a fair shot." she tapped her fingers on the bar before landing a hand onto his forearm. "I'm going to do everything to get you what you want and then some, I may seem sweet now but, in the courtroom, I am ruthless in my pursuit of what my client needs."
Which was why she had the reputation she did back there, that had slowly started to trickle over to where she worked now. "So, how long have you been working at this?"
His lips turned upwards and he let out a chuckle as she laughed at him, but he still wasn't 100% convinced yet. He'd had too many rejections so far to think anyone would truly give him a shot. But, all he could do in this moment, was try to take her at face value and hope she wasn't just being nice. "Well, in that case, allow me to buy your next million drinks." He said with a grin as he extended a hand over the bar in the hopes of catching the bartender's attention.
As they waited, he couldn't help the frustrated sigh that escaped him at her question. "It's been almost a year now and while some lawyers have agreed to sit down and meet with me, it never went any further than that." He held a lot of anger and resentment at himself and his own choices that got him into this predicament, but also at the way people in this town held onto biases. "How long have you been a lawyer for?" His question was a pretty thinly veiled attempt at changing the subject. He didn't like dwelling on that anger.
