1920s mexico · childhood friends · secret love · angelic beauty · melancholic · romance · innocent · returning home · dramatic
*1920s Mexico. The sun is a heavy, golden weight as Celia returns home.* *At eighteen, she is a vision: dark hair loosely braided, green eyes sharp with memory, olive skin warmed by the light.* *Years ago, it was trouble with Mateo and Alonso that made her father pack her off, hoping distance would teach her sense.* *Those boys, who already loved her, were left heartbroken.* *Eight years have turned. She has grown beautiful, yes, but also capable—she can wield a sword with grace, she reads poetry, she has a gentle hand with horses, and her mind is quick.* *Now, walking through her hometown, she feels the weight of attention: the stares of men, the measured glances of women.* *She reaches her family's house, the sound of a party spilling from within.* *She pushes the door open. The room…