Chapter Text
Matteo stared at the rings in the case, his eyebrows furrowed. Before this moment he had thought that it would be easy to pick out a ring for Luna. He knew everything about her down to her favorite font to use on posters. He figured that he would be able to walk into a ring shop and one would just scream Luna to him. But this was the fifth shop he had been in, and nothing seemed to fit.
Matteo had been thinking about proposing for quite a long time before he decided to make it a reality.
In fact he could remember the day that he realized he was going to marry her. It had been a year after they had started dating (the second time around). Luna was sitting with Matteo in first class on their way to Spain to start off Matteo’s first international tour.
Months before, in the planning stage of his tour, Matteo had gotten the brilliant idea of having skating be a part of the concert and having Luna be one of the dancers. It was perfect for Luna; not only did she get to go on tour with her boyfriend but she was getting paid to do it. She had been in charge of the choreography and Matteo had to admit it was her best work yet.
Luna had never been to Europe before and to say she was excited was an understatement. She had spent an entire night researching every place that they were stopping and created a list of everything she wanted to do. Some more realistic than others.
“Mi amor, I don’t think that we will be able to do all of this. Stalking the royal family will take a couple of days at least and we are only in London for a night.”
“But what’s the point of going to England if I don’t get to see one royal Matteo. Honestly, why are we going on this tour then.”
Matteo shook his head at her amused. “You are right. Forget performing in front of sold out crowds, let’s get arrested for breaking into the palace.”
“That’s the spirit!”
It was the middle of the night on the plane, and Luna was fast asleep snuggled against him. The movie they were watching was still playing on the TV, the fast paced action sequences unable to awake her from her dead sleep. Matteo wasn’t tired, but he was perfectly content watching her breathe.
She looked so peaceful, the blanket pulled up to her chin, her hair falling into her face. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was midnight in Buenos Aires. It was officially their one year anniversary. Not that Luna would remember that it was their anniversary, she was terrible at dates. But Matteo was never one to forget things like that. He could still tell you the date and time it was when he first ran into her in Cancun all those years ago.
Who would have thought he would be here now with her? When he met her for the first time, there had been an immediate spark between the two of them, but he never considered that one day Luna would be asleep on him while they flew off on an adventure and with hundreds of memories behind them. He thought of the first time he kissed her; how he had been secretly dying to do it for weeks and how right it felt when he finally did. He thought of every kiss afterwards, how even now kissing her made him feel like he was flying. Of how her walking in the room still made his heart beat faster. Of how she knew him better than anybody. Of all the walks in the parks, the scary movies watched, the jokes they shared.
It was an overwhelming feeling. It felt like he had hit a tidal wave of thoughts. Once the thought was there, he couldn’t think of anything else.
He had to spend the rest of his life with Luna. He was going to marry her.
The thought enveloped him as he watched her sleeping. It was an excitable feeling.
He knew he wouldn’t propose until far in the future. She would kill him if he proposed when they were so young. There was no rush. But from that moment on, the fact was in the back of his mind that she was his forever. Even when they argued, even when the fights got so bad she was screaming at him and he would walk out slamming the door, even then he knew that Luna was the only girl for him.
Luna shifted, jarring him from his thoughts and making him jump just a little. She woke slightly, murmuring “Everything ok Teo?”
“Sí, mi amor,” he said, rubbing her arm, “Everything is perfect.”
Now it was five years later. She was 24 and he was 25. They had spent six years together, full of adventures, fights, makeups, and him adoring every moment with her. It was time to make forever official.
As he stood at the case pondering what Luna would prefer, he heard a voice behind him.
“Matteo?”
“Gastón?”
……
You could say that Simón always thought he was going to marry Ámbar. Even before they were together, and she still guarded herself with sharp words and poor decisions, he could only imagine a future where they were together.
There was one moment that really cemented it in his mind though. He remembered it fondly. He was walking up to the apartment that they shared and could hear music blasting from the doorway. They had only been living with each other for a month or so. It was a big step for Ámbar, who had always lived in mansions, to move into a one bedroom apartment in the city. She had been adjusting to things like having to buy your own groceries and cook for yourself.
Simón opened the door and Ámbar didn’t even notice. She was standing at the mixer, spatula in hand and a mess surrounding her. She was swaying to the music and singing softly along as she read from the cookbook.
Simón closed the door loudly to alert her of his presence. She turned down the music when she noticed him.
“What are you doing mi amor?” he asked, taking in the scene in front of him.
Her eyebrows furrowed. “I thought you weren’t supposed to be home until later, it was going to be a surprise!”
“Pedro had to leave for an appointment so I came home early. Are you baking?”
She gestured towards the counter. “Clearly. Though it is much harder than it looks. I’ve called Monica three times already.”
Simón chuckled, approaching her. “You have some flour on your cheek,” he said, brushing it off gently with his finger. “And your forehead. And all over your shirt.”
He leaned over to give her a peck on the lips. She smiled, before pushing him away.
“Well now that the surprise is ruined, you will have to help me. I can’t figure out how to add flour without it flying out of the mixer and all over!”
“For starters,” he said, assessing the situation, “You should start it off on a lower setting.”
Her eyes grew wide. “There are settings?”
Simón laughed. “Here, let me show you.”
Ámbar watched closely as Simón taught her how to run the mixer properly. It was a lot easier now that Simón was showing her.
“It looks like we just need chocolate chips,” she said, grabbing the bag.
“But we have to hand mix those in, or the mixer will break.”
Ámbar looked back at him. “What would I do without you?”
Simón showed her how to fold the chocolate chips into the cookie dough with the cookie spatula.
Ámbar tried a bit of the cookie dough and moaned in delight.
“Babe, you have to try this. I did so good.”
Simon let her feed him a bit off the spatula. “Mmm very good. Best cookie dough I’ve ever eaten.”
Ámbar stared at the spatula and then looked up to him with large doe eyes.
“I should bake more.” Then she turned to get the cookie sheet. He went to sit on the bar stool as she scooped the dough into balls on the pan. She was humming to the music again, focusing on making sure the balls were spaced evenly. And then it hit him.
He could suddenly see years from now what their life could be. Simón would still be making music, Ámbar would have risen in the ranks at Vidia. They would live in a house together with their kids. And although they would live busy lives, they would always make time for their family. They would spend weekends making cookies, roller skating in the park, or going to the beach. It would be a chaotic but perfect life.
Ámbar looked back at him staring at her.
“Don’t tell me that I have flour all over the back of me too?”
Simón smiled and went over to her, pulling her in for a kiss.
“No mi amor, I was just thinking of how much I love you.”
Ámbar looked at him confused but not complaining.
“I love you too. What brought this on?”
“Nothing. Let me help you get these cookies in the oven.”
It was thinking back to that moment that made Simón realize that it was time for him to propose to her. He went to the jewelry store that day, not expecting to see two familiar faces inside.
…
…
…
Gastón knew he was going to marry Nina not long after they had gotten back together.
Breaking up with her was the biggest mistake he had ever made. He thought that he was helping her. He was on an entire different continent. They never got to see each other and the time difference was killer. He had convinced himself that it was for the best. It hadn’t taken him too long to realize that he was wrong.
He had tried to go out with other girls, but they were no Nina. There was this one girl that lived down the street from him. She was gorgeous and she was obviously into Gastón. He had asked her out to a movie with him. He should have known things weren’t going to work out when she wanted to see the latest crude humor movie. He agreed to go, to give it a chance but it was just as awful as he thought it would be.
“Wasn’t that so funny?” the girl asked as they sat at a diner afterwards.
Gastón hesitated. “It wasn’t really my taste. I prefer sci-fi movies actually or movies that make you think. My gir- uhm my friend from back home and I used to watch old mystery movie marathons. It was lots of fun.”
“Hmm, I don’t think that I’ve watched one of those.”
“They are really good.”
An awkward silence fell over them.
“So what books do you like to read?” Gastón finally asked, trying to break the tension.
“Oh I don’t really read.”
Gastón nodded. “That’s alright. What about music?”
“Anything that’s on the radio.”
Why is this so awkward, thought Gastón. It was never this awkward on dates with Nina. With Delphi maybe, but Nina could have conversations about anything with him. He remembered that one time they talked for an hour ranking every mainstream Shakespearean play.
No matter how many times he tried to focus on what the girl was saying, he could not stop thinking about Nina. And the girl noticed.
“Gastón, I really like you but I don’t think we feel the same way.”
Gastón was snapped out of his thoughts about Nina learning to skate for him.
“Que?”
The girl smiled sweetly and put a hand on his shoulder.
“What’s her name?”
Gastón looked ashamed but told her.
“Nina.”
“How long have you been broken up for?”
“I broke up with her a couple months ago. She lives in Buenos Aires and I am here.”
The girl sighed. “That is tough. But I can tell that you must really love this girl. And if you love this girl that much, you should try to make it work.”
Gastón took those words to heart and almost ran home that night so he could call Nina.
She told him that she had met someone. Gastón broke inside.
For the next few years, Gastón went on many dates but every time that he got close to someone, he realized that he did not love them. He started to wonder if he would ever find someone he loved as much as he did with Nina.
It had been five long years since he had last seen her when she came walking into the restaurant in Buenos Aires. It was like he had been sleeping for the previous years and seeing her had finally awakened him. The sky was brighter, the air fresher. She filled up his thoughts that night and into the next day. He had to tell her that he still loved her. He had to.
And he did. And she loved him back.
It was a few days later when Gastón had the thought that he had to marry Nina. Luna had called in the morning saying that Simón and Ámbar were at the Jam and Roller and that they were going to meet them at ten and Gastón had no choice but to come with them.
Gastón was over at Luna and Matteo’s apartment in ten minutes to meet them. Nina answered the door wearing a sundress and her glasses and Gastón knew it had been a long time since a girl had taken his breath away like this.
The four walked to the Jam and Roller, Luna rambling on about the changes Ámbar had made since she had become the head of Vidia.
“Honestly I was afraid when she said she was going to redecorate,” Luna said, “But Simón kept saying that I needed to trust her vision. I’m like oh yeah Simón, I really trust her vision. Did you ever see her bedroom in the mansion? Anyways it turned out really good of course.”
The familiar exterior of their old home away from home came into view. It gave Gastón a warm feeling as he saw the sign.
Luna was literally bouncing, Matteo holding her hand and giving her a look. It was obvious a surprise was waiting inside.
Gastón reached out and interlaced his finger’s with Nina’s before they stepped through the door.
A cheer arose as they did, and in front of them was not just Ámbar and Simón, but all of their old friends. Jim, Yam, Ramiro, Pedro, Nico, and Delphi were there. Delphi was holding up a laptop with Jazmín on it. Immediately their friends noticed Gastón and Nina holding hands.
“GASTINA’S BACK?” Jim and Yam shouted at the same time.
Nina nodded, and the girls shrieked in happiness going to tackle Nina in a hug. Delphi dropped Jazmín on a table going to join, Jazmín shouting in protest.
After hugs and greetings, the gang settled in the cafeteria for juice.
“Are you back for good?” Yam asked, “Both of you?”
Gastón turned to Nina and smiled. “At least for a little while.”
Yam clapped her hands in excitement. “You can be models in my fashion show next month! I’ve already recruited the rest of our friends too! It will be perfect!”
Nina paled a little, but Gastón squeezed her hand assuredly.
“Ramiro, shouldn’t you be touring?” Gastón asked, “I thought you’d be in Europe.”
“I thought you would be in Europe,” Ramiro laughed, “I’m taking a break to train a team for the internationals. I get to skate and be here with the love of my life.” He grabbed Yam's hand, kissing it. .
“It is so perfect that we are all here!” Simón said, “The Roller Band recording their next album. Delphi managing the Jam and Roller. Jim being a dancer in music videos. Nina is writing her book and Gastón is taking a job here! It’s perfect!”
“Ahem,” Jazmín coughed from the laptop, “I think you are missing somebody.”
“Perdón Jazmín, I could never forget you,” Simón laughed. “Maybe you should come back too!”
Jazmín scoffed. “And give up this job in LA working for E! I can’t.”
Pedro raised his glass of juice.
"I’d like to give a toast to the last pieces of our puzzle back together! To Gastón and Nina!”
“Gastón and Nina!”
Gastón looked over to Nina. She was turning a little pink in the cheeks from all the attention, but Gastón could tell she was so happy. He instinctively leaned over and kissed her hair, eliciting awes from their friends.
“I always knew that you would find your way back to each other,” Jazmín sighed. “Gastina was like the third most popular ship on Fab and Chic.”
Ámbar raised an eyebrow. “Who was first and second?”
“I’m glad you asked, I still have all of the statistics-” Jazmín started, but Simón cut her off.
“Why don’t we talk about this some other time Jazmín .”
“Agreed,” Luna said, grabbing Nina’s hand. “Nina, you need to look at Yam’s designs for the fashion show. They are muy, muy chic!” Nina let go of Gastón’s hand, giving him an apologetic smile as she went over to where the girls were gathering around Yam's tablet.
Gastón watched her for the rest of the night. He was trying hard to pay attention to Ramiro’s tales of tour and updates on Roller Band, but he could not stop his eyes from drifting to wherever she was.
“Hermano, I don’t think I’ve seen you this bad since, well since you were with Nina last,” Matteo said while putting a hand on Gastón’s shoulder.
Gastón grinned. “There hasn’t been anyone else besides Nina.”
“Well make sure to not let her go this time,” Matteo said as he walked away.
Those words hit Gastón hard. He couldn’t let Nina go ever again. She was the shining light in his world. He wouldn’t be able to survive if she was gone again. This is why less than a year later, Gastón found himself walking into a jewelry shop one day in November, unexpectedly running into his best friend standing at the counter.