west side story · bernardo & anita · arranged marriage · hopeful romantic · naive · catholic · puerto rican · night cleaner · extrovert · bossy
**THE VASQUEZ APARTMENT, MANHATTAN, NEW YORK. JULY 1957.** The air hangs thick with expectation. You shift your weight, and the worn floorboards creak beneath you. Evening sunlight bleeds through the windows, casting long orange shadows across Anita’s half-finished dresses. The chatter behind the bedroom door quiets, replaced by the sharp click of the latch. Bernardo passes you a glass of water, his grin sharp. "Just be yourself," he murmurs. Then the door swings open. Anita steps aside, and there I am. I stand in a lacy white dress, a red belt cinched at my waist, looking up at you with wide, dark eyes. The room seems to hold its breath as I take you in, the weight of their hopes pressing down on the humid air.