Summary - The sequel to The Houseguest where Ruben and Reader have been dating long distance for a year. The two of them finally plans to spend a holiday together, but to Readers suprise and disappointment, Ruben brings her brother Bernardo with them. 

Enjoy!

Once again you went to bed alone but woke up to Ruben by your side. He was snoring in a deep sleep, tired from entertainig Bernardo all night and not you, his girlfriend.

You got up and out of bed, leaving Ruben to his slumber. Your parents were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary today. You came downstairs to see that preparations for the party were already being made.

"Morning. "

"Y/N! Good morning." Your dad rose from the kitchen table at the sight of you. "How is my beautiful daughter?"

"I'm okay, I guess. How was your drive down here?"

"Great, honey."

He called for your mother, who poked her head out from the living room.

"Y/N! Good to see you again. How is work?"

"School mom, I'm still in school."

"Of course you are. How is school?"

"Can someone help me with these?" Anita entered the room carrying a box of garden lights.

"Here, I got you baby."

She was followed by your exboyfriend...

"Thomas?"

"Y/N." He paused at the sight of you. "H...how are you?"

"I'm good thanks. How are you?"

"I'm..."

"Yes, yes. Everyone's good. A little help please."

Thomas rushed to unhand the box of lights from Anita.

"Y/N, go wake up Bernardo. He is supposed to pick up the groceries from the fish market. We are having seafood tonight."

You could only imagine Bernardo asleep in his room, hungover from last night.

"No. Don't worry, I can do it." You said. The house was getting a bit crowded already. You needed to get out.

Arriving in town you strolled down to the bustling fish market, the salty ocean air filling your lungs as you navigated through the crowds of merchants and customers. You had always loved this place, the smell of fresh fish and the sound of seagulls crying overhead transporting you to a simpler time.

As you browsed the stalls, your eyes scanning the array of colorful catches, you noticed a handsome young man watching you from across the way. He had piercing green eyes and chiseled features that seemed almost too perfect to be real. You felt a flutter in your chest as he caught your eye and smiled, his lips curving up into a charming grin.

"Hello there," he said, sauntering over to you with confident strides. "What brings you to our market today?"

You felt yourself blushing at his forwardness, but there was something endearing about him that put you at ease. "I'm just picking out some fish for dinner," you replied, gesturing to the basket in your arm. "And you are...?"

He flashed you another dazzling smile. "I'm Victor, the merchant's son. And I must say, you look absolutely breathtaking today."

You laughed, feeling a spark of attraction ignite within you. "Thank you, kind sir," you teased, trying to play it cool. But Victor wouldn't let up - he continued to flirt with you shamelessly, making you laugh and blush with every passing moment. It felt good, capturing a man's attention like this. Ruben had you forget how easy it could be.

As you and the merchant's son bantered back and forth, you found yourself opening up to him in a way you rarely did with others. You told him about your studies and your dreams of working as a pediatrician. You even mentioned Ruben, how you were suppose to spend the holidays together.

"So, do you think Ruben loves you back?" Victor asked suddenly, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.

You hesitated, unsure how to answer. The truth was, you weren't entirely sure. Ruben was a good guy, kind and caring, but sometimes you wondered if he truly understood you the way you longed to be understood. Some part of you believed that in Ruben's eyes you would always be Bernardo's little sister.

"I don't know," you admitted softly, looking away from Victor's probing gaze. "We've been together for a while now, but it's long distance. Sometimes I feel like we're just going through the motions."

Victor nodded thoughtfully, as if he understood exactly what you meant. "Well, maybe you need someone who will sweep you off your feet and show you the world," he whispered, his voice low and husky. "Someone who will make you feel alive again."

You felt a jolt run through her body at his words, your heart racing in her chest.

"Um, I've got to go, but thank you for the fish."

You left the market in rush, arriving home to see that everybody was going ahead with their day. Ruben was up. He and Bernardo were making a fuzz by the pool. They looked so childish, you thought. You felt guilty about went down at the market, Ruben didn't deserve that sort of behavior from you no matter how much you resented him for paying more attention to your brother than he did you.

"What took you so long." Anita said, unhanding you the bags of seafood.

"There was a line." You lied. You headed upstairs to take a shower and get ready for tonight. After all, today was not about you.

However as the night wore on, things only got more complicated. For some reason Bernardo became increasingly agitated, constantly glancing at his watch and muttering under his breath. Your parents and Anita seemed oblivious to the tension, laughing and making small talk with the rest of the family. Meanwhile, Thomas kept stealing glances at you, a strange expression on his face.

"What?" You asked him at some point. But Thomas ignored you, turning to Anita, asking her to pass him more food.

You had Ruben beside you, his hand on your thigh. He must've been aware of how annoyed you were because he kept leaning towards you, asking what was wrong.

"I just need some air." You said and got up to leave.

"Y/N. Get met me another cold one will you." Bernardo said.

The audacity of him. Considering how his habits almost destroyed the entire villa last night. You were suprised that Anita hadn't brought it up during dinner. Not even Ruben brought it up. Why were they covering for him, you asked.

"Get one yourself." You frowned.

"Y/N." Your mother hissed. The whole dining room fell silent with your remark.

"It's okay mãe. Y/N thinks she's better than us because of that fancy school she goes to."

"Excuse me?" You gasped. It was the last straw for you. If Ruben wanted to deal with Bernardo, fine, but he was not dragging you along with him. "You know what Bernardo..."

"What?" He grinned, having successfully made you angry.

"Someday you'll also go far and when you do please, stay there."

"Y/N!" Your parents gasped, however, you left the house before they could lecture you.

"Y/N, stop!"

You got as far as down the road, when Ruben came running.

"What?" You asked, folding your arms.

"What's the matter with you?" He said furiously.

"What's the matter with me, what did I do?"

He pointed back to the villa. "What you pulled in there was pretty fucking childish."

"I'm childish?" You chuckled in disbelief.

"Yes, you. Your brother clearly has a problem and you aren't helping him at all."

"Well, good thing you're here to save the day Ruben. A little bad timing though, don't you think?"

He shook his head, not really understanding you.

You sighed, realizing the hoplessness of the situation. "I get that something like this would happen. You being Bernardo's best friend and me being his sister."

"Somthing like what?" Ruben asked. Like you, he didn't like where this was going.

"I refuse to be a third wheel in this relationship Ruben. Maybe it was a mistake for us to be together in the first place."

"Hey, don't say that." He closed the gap between you, raising a hand to cup your cheek.

"I really like you Ruben." You nodded. "So fucking much."

"I like you too Y/N. You have no idea, you're all I think about."

You shook your head. "No Ruben. Bernardo is all you think about."

It was selfish of you, that you were well aware of. But growing up you always felt like you were living in the shadows of your older siblings. You always wanted somthing of your own, someone to call yours. Clearly Ruben wasn't him.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do this."

You backed away, letting Ruben's hand fall to the side of him. He stood frozen, his expression confused.

"I'm so sorry." You repeated, turning your back on him and continued making your way down the road.