um, here's a manip with the fc for
vanessa and antonio.
😊

• vanessa •

My mother and I always had a weird relationship. It wasn't weird, it was horrible. I've always been closer to my dad. And lately, I see Isabella becoming close to our father than she was with our mother.

My mother always wanted the picture perfect family. And from afar, that's what we were, when she was with us. I never knew why my mother left when I was young, she'd thought I had forgotten. I figured she left when Brandon was born because she wasn't ready for her colleagues to know her daughter had a child out of wedlock or that she simply wasn't ready to be a grandmother.

My mother was also one of the worst people I've ever met. She was controlling whenever she was in my life. Looking back now, maybe my crush I had on Antonio, and Tatiana asking me if he and I were dating gave me an idea, date my mother's best friend's son and she'd be more lenient. And she was a liar, and she hurt one of the most important person in my life: my dad. And now, Joel.

"What did you say to him?" I asked my mother before she could noticed I walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning, want some waffles?" She asked, glancing at me.

"I don't want anything from you," I answered. "What did you say to Joel? Because whatever you told him made him ignore me for the last two weeks."

"That's something a little boy would do, isn't it? Ignore their girlfriend."

I scoffed. "So, you think you can still take control of my life? You were gone for four years, and you think you can just come back and take charge again?"

"That's not the way you should talk to your mom, Vanessa."

"My mom? I'm sorry, I don't have a mom," I responded. "Just a woman who thinks she can tell my boyfriend that he will never be a part of my family. You don't know a thing about family. Why did you get in touch with dad? So you can drop Isabella off and leave again?"

I never really yelled at my mother. I respected my father well enough, I wouldn't yell in his house, but I was angry.

"Who the hell do you think you're yelling at?" The lady turned around. "You little bitch."

"Theresa!" My father's voice boomed. I watched as the lady froze and looked behind me. "Vanessa, mija, are you okay?" My father held his hand out and I grabbed it. He wrapped his arms around me tightly, I couldn't help but let all my anger out with tears.

"You know she's always tried to make you hate me," the lady told my father. "You'd always—"

"She's my daughter, of course I'll always be there for her," my father interrupted her. My body shook as I tried to catch my breath from crying. "Theresa, leave. You're already good at that."

My father held on to me as I kept crying. He had always been there for me. When I was five years old and my mother left for the first time, I couldn't sleep by myself. I held my dad every night for almost a year. The second time, I was sixteen with a newborn. I always left Brandon's nursery, with Antonio sleeping on the chair, to climb in bed with my dad so he could hold me while I cried for my mother. We had a horrible relationship, but it hurt whenever she left. This time, I felt relieved.

"I know it's not a good time, but Tones is in the playroom with Brandon and Isabella," my father told me as I wiped my tears away and my breathing calmed. "I can send him to your room if you two need privacy to talk." I agreed and walked towards the staircase.

"Dad?" I stopped and turned back around.

"Yes, mija?"

"I'm sorry about what happened between me and— and her. I know you wanted to try and work it out, but—"

"Everyone always want to make it work it out with their first love. Your moth— Theresa and I, we were meant to be at the beginning of our marriage, but people either grow together or grow apart. We grew apart but tried for you, and we tried for Isabella."

"Can I ask you for advice?" I asked him. He nodded. "How do you know if you grew apart or are growing together?"

"The truth is, you don't really know. It took years for me to realize that Theresa and I grew apart. I— Let me explain with you and Antonio. I've seen the two of you together since you were children. You two were absolutely beautiful when you were growing up together, but as you two got older, I see that you two grew apart. And that's okay, because you met someone who you can grow with."

—

"I love you," I told Antonio. "But not in the same way. You'll always be my best friend and my first love, but we won't have what we had before. We were young and naive. And I can't help but think of Brandon if we don't work out again. I'm sorry."

"Don't be, I understand. I just want you to be happy, 'nessa. You deserve to be happy, and I think Joel will make you the happy you deserve." I hugged Antonio.

• 3rd person pov •

Vanessa was nervous. It made sense, she was pacing around her apartment waiting for Joel to knock on her door. She buzzed him in a minute ago, and he should be knocking— Vanessa rushed to the door and opened it. Joel stood there and Vanessa's heart was beating out of her chest. Joel was just as nervous as Vanessa. His hands were sweating, but he kept them in his pocket.

"I'm sorry—"  "I'm sorry about—" They both spoke over each other.

"You go first," Joel said. Vanessa nodded.

"I'm sorry about what that lady told you," Vanessa started, playing with her fingers. "She seemed to think that she had a say in my life, but she doesn't. We need to let each other figure out if you'll end up being apart of this family or not. It's something we decide not the lady who gave birth to me. What I'm trying to say is—"

"I love you," Joel interrupted. Vanessa stopped talking. "I love you," Joel repeated, louder, to make sure Vanessa heard him correctly. Vanessa did, because her heart felt as it almost burst out of her chest.

"What?" was the only thing Vanessa could say.

"I— oh my god, did I just ruin—?"

"I love you, too," Vanessa interrupted Joel. "Of course, I love you."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I do," Vanessa answered. "Joel, I— You really are the person I've been waiting for. When you came into my life, I just— I never knew how much I needed someone like you, until you came into my life. I love you." They both leaned into each other, smiling before connecting their lips.

<><><>

THE END

epilogue will either be up later tonight or in the morning!