She woke up feeling light, as if the nap had restored both her body and mind.
The room was enveloped in the calm of night, with the last traces of evening light giving way to darkness.
She reached over to turn on the side lamp, the soft glow casting a gentle light across the room.
As she stretched, a sense of clarity washed over her, wiping every thing that was on her mind.
The silence of the night felt comforting, almost peaceful, like a pause before the world picked up again.
Now feeling hungry, she quickly washed up and headed downstairs for dinner.
She approached the dining room. Her cousins were already there.
As soon as she entered, all eyes turned to her. Their attention shifting towards her in an instant and the sound of laughter and clinking dishes stopped for a while.
The scent of her grandmother's famous roasted chicken and warm bread filled the air, pulling a smile to her lips.
Sara was the first to address her.
" Finally! here you are! "
She exclaimed, springing up from her chair and rushing over to envelope her in a bear hug.
" We thought you'd fallen into a coma or something."
Gabriella laughed, hugging her back.
" It was just a nap, not a coma, you drama queen and I needed it after, all the tiredness of travelling."
Elena smirked from her seat, resting her chin in her palm.
" Oh, trust me, You'll need more rest. We've got whole evening ahead of us, Gabby."
Gabriella rolled her eyes but smiled, her heart full at being surrounded by them again.
Mateo, sitting at the end of the table with Sandra and baby Olivia, grinned teasingly after gesturing her to join them.
" You're not getting special treatment from us, Mariya."
Gabriella shot him a playful look as she sat down rolling her eyes dramatically.
" Bread ,"
Elena offered her which she gladly accepted.
" You know, I've got my eyes on the dessert tray Grandma's been hiding in the kitchen. That's where the real deal is."
Elena told her like she has found out the road to treasure.
" Not if Sara gets to it first, "
Gabriella teased, nudging her cousin.
" We all know, she's always been, the professional dessert stealer."
Sara pointed her fork at Gabriella with a mischievous grin, narrowing her eyes dramatically.
" You better take back your accusations, Mariya!!! "
She warned her with mock seriousness.
" I know more of your secrets than you can imagine."
She winked at her.
" You know, stuff that could make things very interesting around here."
She smirked afterwards.
Gabriella raised an eyebrow, her lips twitching in amusement.
" Secrets, huh? Like what, exactly?
Are we talking about your embarrassing dance moves or that story from your date last summer? "
She shotback laughing at her reaction.
Sara smirked, leaning closer.
" Like that one friend in Seoul who's texting you nonstop."
Gabriella went silent for a moment and she let out a nervous laugh as if in disbelief.
" We're not doing this again."
She said trying to brush it off.
" I told you he is just a friend."
Sara's smirk widened, enjoying her reaction.
" Oh, it's a HE? "
She teased, raising an eyebrow.
Gabriella groaned, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks.
She laughed nervously, trying to change the subject but before that Sandra leaned forward in her seat.
" Ooooo.... a HE friend, huh? "
She repeated, eyes twinkling with mischief.
" Now, I'm really curious. Who is he? "
Mateo chuckled as he poured himself some water, a playful glint in his eye.
" Is it the same 'friend' Elena was talking about earlier after lunch?"
He asked Sara which she nodded with a grin.
" I overheard a little conversation this afternoon. Apparently, he's just a 'friend' who's very concerned about her well-being. But let's know more"
Mateo said with a smirk.
Elena chimed in, grinning wickedly.
" A friend who's been sending her messages
like,
" Hope Madrid is treating you well
Everyone's missing you.
Our group feels incomplete without you."
Gabriella groaned, burying her face in her hands.
" He's just checking in! Can't a person care without it meaning something weird.. huh? "
Sara gasped, her hand over her heart.
" Oh, absolutely. Purely platonic. That's why your cheeks are as red."
" Yeah, and you are making it absolutely believable that he is JUST A FRIEND "
Elena said while smirking emphasizing the words making Gabriella laugh nervously.
The whole table erupted into laughter, even Sandra shaking her head with a knowing smile.
Gabriella glared at Sara and Elena, though her lips twitched with the hint of a smile, she said
" I can't believe I let you read the messages.."
Mateo leaned forward, his expression mock-serious.
" Gabby, I don't know much about this guy, but I'm telling you, if he's sending texts like that, he either likes you or is keeping tabs on you for some secret spy mission.
Either way, I think we should investigate."
" Stop it! Not you too Matt."
Gabriella said, laughing as she tossed her napkin at Mateo.
" I'm not discussing this with you."
Sandra winked at her.
" It's okay, Gabby. Just let us know when we're meeting him so we can do the usual family interrogation."
" Oh, yes,"
Sara said, grinning.
" I can already picture it. So, Mike, what are your intentions with our sweet little Gabby?"
Elena added,
" And then Grandma will bring out the photo albums to really, Seal the Deal."
Gabriella threw her hands up in defeat.
" You're all insane. I'm never bringing anyone home at this rate."
Her grandmother, who had just walked in with a tray of desserts, chuckled softly.
" Don't mind them, Mariya. They're just jealous because they know, no one will ever write them messages as sweet as the ones you're getting."
The laughter doubled but Gabriella's cheeks turned shade of crimson
The teasing didn't stop even after dessert was served.
Sara leaned over and said
" Gabby, I bet your friend in Seoul is pacing his room right now, wondering if you've had dinner yet."
Gabriella gave her cousin a flat look as she sliced into her pie.
" You're ridiculous."
" Oh, come on! "
Elena chimed in, winking.
" Isn't it sweet? The poor guy is probably staring at his phone, waiting for you to reply. Maybe he's writing a heartfelt poem about you."
Mateo raised an eyebrow, playing along.
" A poem? That's serious business. Gabby.
Does he write you love poems?"
" Absolutely not,"
Gabriella said firmly then laughed at their question.
Sandra tilted her head, pretending to think deeply.
" Hmmm, let me guess,"
She said, a mischievous smile spreading across her face.
" He's the type who'll stay up late thinking about you, but won't admit it? Or maybe he's already planning the two of you getting married and picking out baby names? "
Gabriella's eyes went wide, and before she could stop herself, she blurted out while laughing.
" Mike is not like that! "
The room fell silent for a moment, before everyone burst into laughter at her sudden outburst.
" Oh-ho! She said his name! "
Sara clapped her hands, grinning like she'd just uncovered a deep secret.
" Mike! That's his name everyone! Why didn't you tell us the name sooner?"
" You already knew. Shut up now,"
Gabriella said then started eating pie again.
Elena leaned back in her chair, a smug expression on her face.
" You know, for someone who's just a friend, he is way too concern for you."
" Exactly! "
Mateo added, pointing his fork at Gabriella sarcastically.
" Look at her. She's blushing again."
Gabriella threw her napkin at Mateo with an expression that made him laugh.
" Will you all stop? He's just...."
" Yeah! A FRIEND, we know! "
Sara interrupted, mimicking her and rolling her eyes.
" But tell me, if he is just a friend then why does your friend call you Reina Mariya Or is that just a friendly thing we are unfamiliar with?
I saw that message girl! You can't deny. "
Gabriella froze for a second, her heart skipping a beat at the mention of that nickname.
She could literally hear Mike saying those words, in her mind, and for a moment, her cousins' teasing faded into the background.
Sandra, noticing her expression, smirked.
" Oh, really? does he call you that?"
Gabriella tried to shake it off, putting on her best poker face.
" No, he doesn't. And even if he did, it doesn't mean anything serious. It's just a name you also call me names. Don't you?"
" Doesn't mean anything serious... Really? "
Elena said, pretending to be shocked.
" He calls you a queen, Gabriella. That's a declaration that he doesn't think, you are an ordinary girl in his eyes."
" Maybe he's just being polite and you're just reading wrong.... between the lines."
Gabriella argued weakly, trying to keep her voice steady.
Mateo laughed, leaning forward on the table looking at her in disbelief.
" Polite? Gabby, no guy texts a girl this much, calls her a queen, and asks if she's okay every hour, just to be polite.
Trust me, he's really into you.
You know... I'm just telling you from a guy's perspective."
She knew all of them were right, but she didn't want to admit it yet, even though she had started adoring his presence more than she'd ever accept.
Still, she feared that if she did, she'd risk losing him. She wasn't ready to take the risk of where they lose each other.
She couldn't shake the thought, that they'd end up like her parents, caught in the same situation they were in, which she was desperately trying to avoid. She didn't want to go down the same path.
Gabriella groaned, hiding her face in her hands.
" Why do I even talk to you people? "
" Because you love us,"
Sara said, grinning.
" And deep down, you know we're right."
Her grandmother, who had been quietly watching the banter from the other side of the table, finally chimed in with a gentle smile.
" Let her be, children."
Grandma said calmly.
" If there's something there, she'll figure it out in her own time."
The others exchanged amused glances.
" Ah, Grandma... to the great fairy rescue! "
They teased, but with affection, not being disrespectful, but that comment only made their grandmother laugh along.
Gabriella looked at her grandmother with a grateful look, but her relief was short-lived as Elena added one last jab.
" Fine, we'll stop for now. But if we see Mike's name pop up on your phone during our stay, don't expect us to hold back."
The table erupted into laughter again, and though Gabriella rolled her eyes, she couldn't help but smile.
Even if their teasing drove her crazy, there was no denying how much she had missed this.