+ siete 

(trigger warning for eating disorders, readers who are uncomfortable are advised to skip this chapter)

On the way home we stopped at a small home style restaurant and there was a friendly woman at the register who met us with a smile. It was still rather early, and there weren't many people around, which was probably for the best, especially in an upper class neighborhood of Mexico City. If anyone were to see Enrique Guzman out with a woman who wasn't his wife, it could start a lot of unnecessary rumors. The woman at the counter looked at the two of us and smiled, saying something in Spanish. "You two look so cute and shy, like two kids on a first date."

I blushed and looked down at my feet shyly, while Enrique immediately gave a shake of his head to clear things up for her. "We're just friends." He didn't give too many details either. Over explaining things was never the way to go either. He then took a look at the menu on the back wall and then turned his attention towards me. "What would you like to eat?"

I didn't know what to say to him.

Back home I normally skipped breakfast or had something really light like a glass of milk or some black coffee. I knew it was unhealthy for my body, but it made me lose weight very quickly. And being a chubby girl growing up who always struggled with her weight, I had tried several methods to be thin. This had been the most successful. But he couldn't know this because we were essentially strangers and I didn't fully trust him yet, so I was ready to lie to him about it.

Instead I gave a shrug of my shoulders and said as though my stomach weren't rumbling wildly. "Maybe just a fruit salad?"

"That's it?" He asked, surprised. His eyebrows raised at me.

Nodding, I told him the best lie i could come up with. "Back home I normally eat cereal or drink a fruit smoothie with oatmeal. I don't really get hungry in the morning."

"Mm." He hummed, dissatisfied with my answer. It was like he was already used to hearing bullshit lies like that. He was probably used to his wife's crazy diets to stay thin for her various acting roles. "I'll get you your fruit. But I'm also getting you something else and you'd really better eat it."

He ordered our food for us and was handed a number card after he paid. Then the woman led us to a two person table and we sat down across from each other. Since it was morning, there weren't a lot of people out, but the ones who were there seemed mesmerized by Enrique and his good looks. No doubt they recognized him as the teen idol who was married to the famous actress of the silver screen. But what was worse was that there would probably be rumors spread around Mexico about us. Rumors that could upset Silvia and ultimately cost me my job. Or perhaps, I tried to console myself and relax my nerves, I was just overthinking things and no one was even paying attention to us.

We waited for our food to be brought out in silence at first. Playing with his fingers as his hands rested on the table before him, Enrique then began making conversation casually. "So tell me about yourself. Why did you choose this profession?"

I smiled, excited to tell him about the things I loved and was passionate about. I knew all about him, so it was only normal that as my employer and new friend, he would want to know about me. "History and Spanish have always been easy for me. And since my parents have a translation agency, they kind of pushed for my siblings and I to get degrees in the subject."

He watched me very closely with a smile, adding a comment. "And you're also really good with the children."

"I just love children." I gushed, a smile breaking out onto my face. "I can't wait to have a few of my own."

He chuckled at that, finding my words to be outrageous. "You're too young to be thinking of having kids of your own."

"I know." I agreed with a small sigh. Then I pointed out to him something that was more than obvious. "But so are you. We're practically the same age and you already have two kids. I think a reasonable age is twenty-five and up. But I won't be upset if I have one before then because children are great. There's just something about taking care of a child that makes me feel good."

He was about to respond when the woman came out with two trays and on each of them were two plates of food and a drinks. "Thank you. I appreciate it." Enrique told her as she set the trays in front of us.

I looked down at the food on the plate and I was reluctant to try it. I was a very picky eater. Everything looked okay, but the combination of smells wasn't very appealing to me personally.

The woman nodded a response before taking our number card and walking off to assist other customers. Grabbing the fork on his plate and beginning to dig into something that looked like ham, he said, "I agree that children are a blessing. My kids Alejandra and Luis are the loves of my life. I don't think I'd be able to picture my life without them."

I smiled warmly at him. "I can tell you love them. And they are beautiful children." They look a lot like you, I thought to myself as I stabbed a piece of watermelon with my fork and brought it to my lips. Taking a bite, I was surprised at how fresh and juicy it was. But even though the fruit was good, I told myself I wouldn't try the ham. There was ham on my plate, a bread roll, sunny side up eggs and some kind of vegetable chopped into little pieces and sautéed on the grill. I gulped when I caught Enrique staring at me, watching the way I was judging everything on my plate. I probably looked strange staring at the food in front of me. I didn't want him to think I was being rude since he spent his money on my food. But at the moment he probably thought I was being such a child.

Even the juice they had served me had a strange pinkish orange color and it didn't smell all that inviting. I brought the cup to my lips and almost took a sip, but the smell almost made me gag. "Is this guava juice?" I asked, horrified as I set the glass back down on the table.

He nodded, not knowing why I seemed so upset. "Yes. Why?"

"I hate guavas." I scrunched up my nose in disgust. Again, I felt bad for being so difficult. But there was one fruit I would never eat, and that was guava. It brought back memories of a sickly childhood. There was a medicine my mother always used to calm my symptoms, that she'd get from Mexico and it was guava flavored. Since then, the mere smell of guava made my stomach churn.

Gesturing to the two plates before me, he ordered, "Eat."

To him, if I wasn't going to drink the juice, he was going to make sure I finished my food. I poked at the thick piece of ham, the smell invading my senses and causing me to cover my mouth in disgust. "I only like deli shaved ham." I informed him.

"What's that?" He asked, confused.

"The kind of ham that is really really thin." I replied, knowing well that this all sounded pretty ridiculous.

He sighed in defeat. "Do you eat anything?"

I nodded my head, looking down at my bowl of fruit and stabbing a ripe little strawberry. Popping it into my mouth, I shot him a warm smile. "There are a lot of things I like, but there are also a lot of things I don't like. The list of things I don't like it significantly bigger. I'm sorry." I offered him a genuine apology, it was the least I could do.

I moved my plate of food to the side and ate from the one with fruit in it. When the woman returned to ask if we needed anything, he had her put the food in a to go container. "I don't want to waste food. The children can probably eat it since Silvia rarely eats anything either. She always says she needs to watch her figure." He explained to me with a slight rolling of his eyes.

Watching him intently, surprised at how patient he was with me, despite me being difficult, I blurted out. "You are so patient. My parents, when I was little, would keep me at the dining room table for hours until I ate whatever it was we had for dinner." I sighed at the memory. "Only Mexican parents have a very effective method of persuasion called the sandal or the leather belt. As I got older though, they stopped trying so hard and let me eat or not eat whatever I wanted."

His brown eyes met with mine. A smile graced his lips as he told me. "Patience is a virtue. I sometimes have to deal with these things when it comes to Alejandra. She had this really strange phase where she refused to eat anything green. And at first I would get an acute annoyance in the pit of my stomach, but then I realized not everyone likes the same foods, and she's just a child. I needed to understand that." A chuckle left his lips as he added, "Silvia, on the other hand, wasn't playing any games with our daughter and force fed her vegetables a couple of times. She made me hold her down once too."

A giggle escaped my lips. Just at the though of a child refusing to eat any vegetables because they were a color she didn't want. "Did you just compare a twenty year old woman to a three year old girl?"

Realizing what he had done, he laughed along with me. Running a hand through his dark brown hair, he said, "Maybe that wasn't the best example. But you know what I mean."

"That you think I'm a child." I teased, cocking an eyebrow at the handsome musician sitting at the table before me.

"No, no." He shook his head with a laugh.

-

When we arrived back at his house, Silvia was gone.

Enrique had asked one of the servants if his wife was still asleep and when he was told she had gone to the television studio, his face dropped into a look of disappointment and sadness. Without saying another word, he marched up the stairs with a sulk on and went up to his room to freshen up for the day ahead.

I took it as my opportunity to go to my room and change into a fresh set of clothes.

Staying in my bedroom didn't work out for me, it was boring not having anything to do, so I decided to go explore around the house. It had taken me over ten minutes to find my way into the backyard because their house was so big. There, I saw one of the maids with Alejandra, watching over her as he played with some dolls. A look of relief washed over the maid when she saw me. "Thank goodness you're here. I have a lot of things to do in the kitchen. Would you mind taking care of little Alejandra for me?" She asked, her once neatly combed hair that was pulled into a bun was a mess.

I nodded with a smile and she ran off in an instant. Kneeling down next to her, I said in Spanish, "Hello sweetheart."

"Hello." She replied in Spanish with a bright smile, looking up at me. It was crazy how much she resembled her father when she smiled. It was like a tiny copy of him. But when her face was resting, she definitely looked more like her mother Silvia.

"What have you got there?" I asked the little girl, gesturing to the dolls she was holding. They were expensive looking porcelain dolls. One with blonde curls, blue eyes and pearly white skin. The other with straight brown hair and tanned skin. Both dolls were dressed in pretty puffy dresses. It reminded me of the dolls my mother had back home, but hers were for collection and decoration.

"Dolls." She quipped, matter of factly. Offering me one, she added. "Wanna play?"

"Okay!" I grinned in my best childish voice. And the two of us played dolls until it was time for lunch.

-

damn i remember i was writing this story when i was obsessed with enrique guzman two years ago. and since i have this whole story pre-written about a soccer player. i kinda wanna go ahead, edit, and change names so that i can post all of it.

it eventually gets a little nsfw as the story progresses. but i'll add warnings to those chapters when they come along. 

i hope you guys enjoy this chapter. although, i am mostly writing this story for myself. i know there weren't many people reading it in the past. and im sure there wont be many people reading it now. 

still, i appreciate every single one of you.

-clary