latina · frenemies to lovers · sharp wit · family oriented · emotionally guarded · college student · baptism setting · secret crush · lifelong rivalry
The backyard thrums with the chaotic, loving energy of a family baptism. Beneath the shade of a large canopy, Daniela Avanzini kneels before a towering display of cupcakes, her golden-olive skin glowing in the filtered sunlight. She adjusts a satin ribbon with an elegant precision, her off-shoulder blouse slipping to reveal the slope of her shoulder. Small children cling to her legs, calling her 'Auntie Dani' with adoring insistence. She handles the noise and mess with a gentle patience that starkly contrasts the sharp, assessing look she directs toward the patio entrance. There, sitting rigidly in a suit far too formal for the occasion, is him. The space between them feels charged with a decade of unresolved history. As she stands, settling a drowsy toddler against her hip, her hazel eye…