"Angel please open the door" I heard his voice but I didn't make a move.

"Andrea please open up" Damon's voice followed after and it only made me sob harder. I stayed with my back resting on the cold tiles while I reminisced myself with my tears.

When I was sure I was done crying I washed my face and opened the door to find Romero still waiting for me.

"Tesoro" he called in a low voice and without warning I fell into his embrace. He protected me in his arms while i sobbed into his chest seeking comfort from the comfortable scented feature.

Without saying a word he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me up into his body, my legs hooked around his waist and my face buried in the crook of his neck while he led me to what I assumed was his room.

The cold breeze from the air conditioner gave us an icy welcome and the scent of his cologne somehow soothed my raging heart. He laid me on the soft comfort of the bed and proceeded to go get something for me to drink but I stopped him.

"Please don't go Romero" I pleaded and his blue orbs gazed at me with raw emotions which made my heart race faster for him. He smiled and came to stay beside me.

"You don't have to worry Angel, I'll always be here with you" I curled into his chest with my fingers clutched to his shirt while he caressed my back to comfort me. Being with him lessened the weight in my chest but the aching pain of my loss was still lurking at a corner.

I was slowly falling into sleep when I realized the reason why we're here. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry Romero, this shouldn't have happened I'm pretty sure your grandmother would be mad at....

"Hey relax alright? You don't have to apologize for anything and as for my grandmother i can handle her" he tried convincing me but I wasn't buying it.

"Romero" i whined and got out of his embrace but he held me back. "Don't be stubborn Andrea, you are more important than some family dinner we'll get to have again so shut up and relax" he scolded me which only resulted in a pout.

"But I'm okay now, so we can go join them and I don't want to give your family a bad impression" he took in a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Do you always have to think of what others say?" I bit on my lip and looked down on my thighs. People saying bad stuff about others is something that's part of the world we live in but it isn't normal to me.

I hate it when I'm being talked about especially in a bad way. This should be a reason for me to have heeded to the teachings of Nora on perfection cause being perfect will make people not have a reason to say something awful about another but there was a voice in my head that told me other wise.

Not every perfectionist gets the satisfaction of being worshipped and looked upon instead they get criticized for it and that's why i chose not to be a perfectionist. Who knows I may had fallen into the other category and by now I would have been living in a world of depression caused by words of criticism from people.

The sudden pull of my body made me jolt up from my thoughts. I gazed up to find him staring at me already with his mystical blue marbles.

"You will have to change that Andrea. You shouldn't have to think about what people say about you as long as you know it isn't who you are. So i want you to stop thinking about the thoughts and words of the world, from today i want you to think about what you think about yourself and what the people who matter to you think too" his advice sunk into my heart and it made me smile.

"That's going to be hard Romero but for you I'll try until i get used to it" he smiled and pulled me into a kiss.

After pulling myself together we went out.

".... If he arrived earlier why isn't he here y... "I'm here nonna" he announced once we reached the garden.

I stayed hidden behind him with my hands locked in his as the burning gaze of his grandmother fell on us.

"Buenas noches nonna(good evening grandma) he greeted in a formal voice.

"Ilegas tarde(you're late) the Spanish word blended with her thick accent and tone of authority that emitted from her mouth and it only made me more nervous than I was.

"Surgió algo, lo siento(something came up, I'm sorry) Romero replied in the same curt tone and whatever he said definitely had to do with me cause why else would she look at me immediately he was done speaking.

I kept my head low to avoid her gaze while pressing my fingers in his palm to ease my anxiety.

"Come with me" he whispered and led us to our respective seats on the table and at that point in my life I desperately wished for the ground to swallow me because the looks of the adults could make one piss their pants.

Fortunately I sat between Romero and Damon which was the only comforting situation of the night.

The table was silent even more silent than a graveyard that i fear everyone hears my heartbeat.

Romero's palm rested on my thighs and he passed me a secret look that asked me to be calm. I sent him a grateful smile and kept my gaze on the empty plate right in front of me.

"I'm sure we all know the reason why we hosted this dinner... She began the conversation and I used the opportunity to analyze the old lady.

She sat gracefully with her left hand place above the other, her light brown hair was tied up in a tight bun revealing her sharp facial features. Her eyes constantly fell on everyone leaving no one out of its cloudy gaze as she formally addressed the members of the family like she was in some sort of board meeting with the president of the US.

Being classy and graceful are words we hear every day but seeing someone exhibit them is rare.

Looking at her and listening to every words she said I must say she's the kind of person Nora wants to be like.

Barbara Rodrigo may be a control freak like the way her grandchildren tagged her as, she holds power in her voice, presence and posture but she isn't greedy for power and wealth and that's one of the difference between her and Nora.

Despite her status and strict principles there are testimonies of her good deeds and selfless personality. As I listen to her speak and commend all her children, spouses of her children and her grandchildren I couldn't help but admire her.

There is a certain sense of admiration and respect that the heart derives when seeing someone with a high reputation pay respect to others around them and that's something Nora lacks.

"...and finally I'll love to honor my last child Rodolfo" I cut off from my thoughts when I saw a smile crack on her lips.

Surprise was an understatement to describe how I felt. The day you see the sun shining in the night, that feeling was how i felt after I saw her smile.

Anyone who has heard and seen the icy side of Barbara would never imagine she has it in her bones to smile.

"Thanks mamá" I looked up at Mr Rodolfo to find unshed tears in his ocean eyes but he did his best to hold it in.

Barbara went on with her songs of praises and finally it was time for the deal of the night and I was really grateful cause my stomach was rumbling already.

"Dude is she your girlfriend?" The horrible attempt of someone's whisper took my attention and I looked beside Romero to find someone with similar features to him.

"Lucas" he deadpanned him in a hush tone while secretly glancing at their grandmother to ensure she wasn't looking at them. "You can't blame me dude, she's beautiful and of course who wouldn't want to get to know that.... Romero shot him a glare which he returned with a goofy smile but respected his cousin's warning.

He smiled at me with a little wave. "I'm Lucas" he whispered and I nodded at him with a smile.

"Andrea"

"That's a lovely name" he commented which only made Romero roll his eyes. "That was lame dude besides she shares the same name with your sister" he exposed earning him a glare from Lucas.

"You're such a kill joy idiot" he mumbled causing a snicker to escape my lips which was a very very wrong move but luckily no one heard it cause they were in their worlds of hush chatterings and i wished they heard me instead of the queen.

Her gray eyes burned right into my whiskey colored orbits and i didn't have it in my blood to look away. She had no emotions on her face which made my situation more difficult and caused my brain to scavenge the whole world I've ever created in my head to get possible answer to whatever she may be thinking in her head.

Luckily Damon saved me without knowing the dilenma i was going through and I quickly tore my line of sight from her intense ones without having to feel like i disrespected her.

"Are you okay now?" He asked with worry filled in his eyes and I placed my palm into his hand that was under the table with a smile.

"I'm fine now Damon, I just had a breakdown cause I remembered my parents" a look of understanding and sympathy crossed his eyes but it was gone as quick as it came.

"You know I'll always be here for you?" I nodded cause i didn't need any more assurance from him. I know he will always be here for me.

~~~~~

I stared at the plate filled with spaghetti, tasty looking grilled fish and sauce and It took self control not to dive right into my food and eat it up but I had to be patient. Once everyone had been served, a little word of prayer was struck by Barbara before we got into our food.

I've never been a fan of a noisy places but today made me want to appreciate the reasons why people talk, chatter and play loud musics.

Only the clinking sounds of glasses and cutleries could be heard and i won't deny how uncomfortable I felt but everyone looked pretty normal and okay with the silence.

In the course of my meal I felt burning eyes on me but I feared to search for who they belonged to. The stare became unbearable so I had to find the owner of the eyes.

Right opposite me sat the parents of Romero and they both had their gazes casted on me but Mr Rodrigo's orbits held unsaid words and curiosity while Mrs Rodrigo studied me and it made me feel uncomfortable.

I really wanted to leave from there but I didn't want to come off as disrespectful so I had to endure their stare and in the course of that i lost my appetite.

First was his grandmother, now his parents?