Work Text:
the inspiration for Luna's outfit in the first part https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/523613894173087888/
Matteo hadn't even wanted to come out that night. It had started with his best friend bashing on the door in tear while his other best friend/roommate made them hot chocolate. Once he and Gastón had got Ámbar to calm down, they quickly realised that to solve the issue they had to drive her to a party on the other side of town. Once they arrived all three got out. Ámbar disappeared inside the club almost instantly, no doubt going to resolve her aforementioned issue, while Gastón gave Matteo a guilty look before running off to flirt with a very oblivious Nina. That left Matteo with very little to do. He had had a long and stressful day at university and his dad had called him after dinner which always makes his mood take a dive for the worst.
Instead of standing in a room full of drunks, Matteo decided to go and wait in his car. The car park was dark, but his bright red car was easily spotted, what was harder to spot was the head of brown hair beside it. In fact he didn't even notice until the owner started to yank at the handle whilst simultaneously bashing the window.
"Hey!" Matteo yelled. "What you doing to my car?"
Matteo jogged over until he was close enough to see the small girl. She pretty adorable actually. Her hair was a mess and there were marks on her clothes where drinks had been spilt. She wore a pair of short, back dungarees and a white shirt underneath, which allowed him to see the suggestion of a blue bra underneath - not the he was looking. She was clearly drunk and her expression was pure anger. Matteo suddenly regretted telling, even if it did look like she was trying to steal his car.
"Look," she said in a huff, "I am really not in the mood for whatever you are about to pull, okay? My ex-boyfriend just showed up to my best friend's birthday, completely uninvited, with his new girlfriend, who spilt her drink all over me by the way. I mean, look at me! It's bad enough that I was drinking everything I could get my hands on, but now I'm sticky with alcohol. AND, to top it all off, my stupid car door won't open!" For extra effect, the girl pulled on the handle with all her might before letting his go with a bang.
"Umm, actually, that's my car."
"What?"
"That's not your car."
The girl blinked up at him a few times before walking, more like stumbling, towards the front to read the registration plate.
"Uh, so it is," she said, staring at the car with a dumbfounded expression. "My mistake." Then she stumbled away.
Matteo shook his head and was about to get in his own car when he realised the very drunk girl had the intention of driving a car. Not the best idea.
"Hey!" He yelled over to her. She turned around, but even from a distance and in the dark, he could see that her eyes weren't really focused on him. "Why don't you let me drive you home?"
"Stranger danger." She said it so bluntly, like even drunk she knew it should be obvious.
"I'm Matteo Balsano, there you go, no longer a stranger."
A bright smile took over her face, as if just giving his name really had made them no longer strangers.
"My name's Luna, pleasure to meet you Chico Fresa."
That took him aback. "Fresa?"
"It means arrogant boy in Mexico."
At least now he could place her accent.
"What makes you think I'm arrogant?" Matteo asked.
"Because you drive a sports car."
"You thought this was your car a few minutes ago."
"True, but I'm not sure why, my car looks nothing like that."
"Either way, can I give you a lift?"
"I can drive quite well on my own that you very much."
"There is no way I'm letting you drive so it's either I call you a taxi or you get in my car."
“Fine, but don’t expect a thank you if you turn out to be a murderer.”
Luna then proceeded to hobble back to the car and tumbled into the backseat. Matteo climbed into the drivers seat with a lot more grace.
“You know there are two seats in the front, right?” He asked her before starting the car.
“Yes, but this way I’m not within stabbing distance,” she slurred.
“I’m not a murderer.”
“Stranger danger, Matteo. Stranger. Danger.”
And so he drove her the twenty minutes to her house and stayed until he was sure she could let herself in. He had spent enough nights out to know that people get very distracted when they get drunk and that sometimes the medial task of getting into your house because very difficult.
He drove back to the party after that, realising he was the designated driver now, but he spent the rest of the night thinking about the brunette with a drink spilt down her front.
______
Luna woke up the next day with a horrendous hangover and the faint recollection of lying to a hot guy about where she lived, then having to find her way home. It should have taken about two minutes tops, but her brain wouldn’t compute the roads and took her closer to fifteen minutes. Luckily, she remembered to set her alarm for work.
“You look awful,” Simón laughed when he saw Luna walk into the cafe early that morning.
“Oh, shut up,” she snapped back half-heartedly. “How is it fair that you don’t look remotely hungover?”
“Actually, I found a pretty good way of sobering myself up. You’ll never guess what happened. I was-“
“Álvarez, Valente, get to work. Customers aren’t going to serve themselves.” Pedro walked through the two friends, pushing them apart with his arms.
Luna leant in closer to Simón and stage-whispered, “I think Pedro is taking his new role as assistant manager a bit too seriously.”
“You should see him at the apartment. He seems to forget his job finishes once he leaves this building.”
“I can hear you?” Pedro said with a huff.
“That was the point,” Simón confirmed.
“Just get to work.”
With a smile, Luna went to stand at the coffee machine while Simón took his post at the counter. They were the best team to man the main counter during the rush, even if they spent a lot of it talking and singing along to the radio. Luna had just changed the radio station from Pedro’s rock station to her favourite that played mainly pop, when her cousin Ámbar walked up to the counter, leaned over and kissed Simón. Kissed him. On the lips.
And then she pulled away and ordered her usual drink like nothing happened, throwing a quick ‘Hola Lunita’ over to the brunette.
Luna, on the other hand was anything but casual. “Did you just- did you just kiss my cousin? You just kissed my cousin.” Then she turned her accusatory finger towards Ámbar. “you. Why are you and your friends infiltrating my friends? First, Ramiro and Yam, then Gastón has a thing for Nina that she is totally oblivious to and now you and Simón? Can't my friends just stay my friends? Don't get me wrong I'm thrilled about this development, I mean it took you long enough, but what's next? One of your friends starts dating Jim?” She ranted.
“She's still with Nico,” Simón said, trying to stop himself laughing at his best friend.
“Good point.” Luna began to pace behind the little counter. “Okay then, what if Delfi starts dating...I don’t know… Pedro?"
Ámbar scoffed. “Don't worry, he's not her type.”
“Actually…”
Both girls turn to Simón.
"They were looking very close last night,” he explains.
“Great,” Luna threw her arms up in annoyance. “I'm the only single one in both our groups?”
“I think Jazmín is still single,” Ámbar said.
With a sigh, Luna turned back to the coffee machine to start making her cousin’s drink. She genuinely was happy for Simón and Ámbar, they had been pining over each other for so long it was starting to get painful for Luna to watch. Even so, she had only ever had one boyfriend and that had ended horrifically. With all her friends pairing off, Luna realised how lonely she was. She did not need a boy in her life, but it would definitely be appreciated.
In her own little world of self-pity, Luna did not pay attention when the bell jingled, signalling another customer had entered the café. She barely paid any attention to a new, male voice talking to Ámbar or introducing himself to Simón. Then she turned around.
There stood the boy from last night. He was gorgeous, no denying, with an infuriating confidence to him that was evidence even when he was being sweet. What was his name again? Matteo?
“You?” Luna asked, ever so eloquently. “You’re here.”
“And you’re sober,” he chuckled back.
She handed Ámbar her drink. “I’m at work, I kind of have to be. Do you want a drink?”
“I’ll take a black coffee please,” he passed some money to Simón, then added, “and one for yourself.”
From behind him, Ámbar’s face couldn’t seem to decide whether she was shocked, disappointed or excited about Matteo’s attempts at flirting. “When did you two meet?”
“Last night, when I took her home,” Matteo explained.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” the blonde exclaimed, bashing him on the arm for good measure.
“Hey! Why would I tell you about dropping off a stranger?”
“Umm, because her house is my house.”
“Actually,” Luna butted in, two freshly made coffees in hand. “I told him the wrong address just in case he was a stalker.”
“Smart,” Simón said, while Ámbar just laughed.
“Well, I am not a stalker.”
“Oh really? Then what are you doing here?” Luna asked.
“Visiting one of my best friends, who has suddenly decided this is her favourite coffee shop.” He side-eyed Ámbar so there was no question about who he was calling his best friend.
“Obviously,” Luna said. “I make the best coffees in the area.”
“That’s not true, I just come here for Simón,” Ámbar teased.
“Rude.”
“Oh, come on, we’re practically inseparable at the mansion. You know I like your company. Having said that though, we’ve got to go.” Ámbar looped her arm around Matteo’s, sent Simón a wink and began to walk away, throwing a quick “enjoy your coffee” over her shoulder to Luna.
“Are you actually going to drink that?” Simón asked, still smiling after Ámbar, but directing his comment at Luna and the black coffee in her hand.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
He turned to her. “Luna, you hate coffee.”
“True, but he paid for it, and it would be rude not to drink it. Besides,” Luna did a strange skip over to the tin that contained the hot chocolate powder and, as dramatically as humanly possible, lifted the lid to spoon some of the powder into her cup. “Chocolate makes everything better.”
They continued working, Luna trying to hide her look of disgust as she drank her hot drink, and the pair of them laughing as the customers came and went.
At 4, their shift ended.
“Do you want to go out somewhere?” Luna asked as they walked down the street.
“Sorry, I can’t. Ámbar and I are going out.”
“Careful, I think its supposed to rain tonight.”
“Don’t worry, all the plans are indoor.”
“I’m still in shock that you’re together.”
“Honestly, me too, but I’m happy about it.”
“Good.”
Simón wrapped one arm around the brunette’s shoulders. “I’m sorry you had to leave early last night. I didn’t expect your ex to show up to my birthday party since I gave him the invite when you were still together.”
“I know, don’t worry about it. It just sucked to see him with a new girl. Don’t get me wrong, I’m completely over him, but I could have done without seeing him happy with someone else,” Luna said with a roll of her eyes.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure your prince charming is right around the corner, or possible giving you free coffees he thinks you’ll appreciate,” he said with a nudge to her arm.
“Oh, shut up,” she laughed, nudging him back. “That chico fresa-“
“How do you know he’s a chico fresa?”
“I just do, and he is definitely not the one for me.”
“Don’t write him off so quickly.”
“I’ll try to be open minded on the off-chance I see him again.”
_____
To Luna’s immense surprise, she saw Matteo a lot sooner than she anticipated. That night in fact.
She was supposed to be having a night to herself; her parents were on a date night, abuelo was on holiday and Ámbar was out with Ámbar. She had set up the popcorn, the movie, the drinks and all that was left was the ice cream. On he way to the kitchen, a knock at the door caused her to turn around.
As far as she was aware, no one was expected. Especially not Matteo, stood on her font step, soaking wet from the rain.
“What are you doing here?” Luna all but yelled over the heavy storm.
“I’m supposed to be spending the night with Ámbar,” he shouted back. Somehow, he was still able to look good drenched.
“She’s out with Simón tonight.”
He scoffed. “Of course, she is.”
There was an awkward moment of silence where he just shuffled his feet a bit, before Luna asked him if he wanted to come in and out of the rain.
“Sorry about this,” he sighed. “I would just leave, but my dad dropped me off and he will not be pleased if I get him to come back.”
“You’re this wet just from walking from the drive to the door?”
“Oh no, my dad is just as awkward as you. He dropped me off a few streets away.”
“Why?”
“Your house isn’t on his way to the airport, therefore out of his way.”
Luna grimaced at the unfair nature of his dad, to make him walk in this weather. She looked down, noticing the puddle of water forming at Matteo’s feet.
“If you want, we can go upstairs, dry you off and find you some clothes.”
Matteo smiled cheerfully but shook his head. “I don’t want to ruin your night.”
“Don’t worry about it, come on.”
Luna led him up to one of the up stairs bathrooms to get some towels, grabbed some of the clothes Simón left in her room for their impromptu sleepovers, then left him to get changed. As she stood outside the bathroom door, she realised how weird it was that she had only met this guy the night before and here he was, only a door between them. Sure, he wasn’t a total stranger because Ámbar knew him, and now that she wasn’t hazy from alcohol, Luna remembered seeing him from a distance at parties and in Ámbar’s photos, but that didn’t mean Luna knew him by any means.
He opened the door, making Luna jump a bit as she turned to look at him. Over the last two days she had seen him in three outfits, all shirts with smart vests, but now he wore a grey hoodie, loose jeans and his hair was a mess. She couldn’t decide which version of him she preferred.
“Thanks for the clothes, Luna. I’ll call a taxi now and get out of your hair.”
Before she could lose her nerve, Luna grabbed his wrist and swung him to face her again. “You could stay if you wanted.”
“I don’t want to intrude.”
“You wouldn’t,” she assured him. “I was just planning on watching a moving and eating a bunch of junk. The more the merrier.”
“Well, since I have no other plans tonight. Why not.”
_____
That night, Ámbar and Simón came back to the Benson mansion to find Luna and Matteo laughing at each other, popcorn all over the floor as if t had been thrown, and a forgotten film playing on the screen. The pair were so focused on each other that they didn’t even notice the couple enter.
“I told you setting them up was a good idea,” Ámbar whispered, her voice absent of any modesty. And she was right. It didn’t take a genius to see the chemistry between Matteo and Luna, Ámbar just hoped they wouldn’t be blind to their own emotions. She knew how clueless Luna could be sometimes. If she needed a little nudge further down the line, Ámbar was more that happy to give her cousin a push in the right direction.