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“And two, three—stop!”
The room, drenched with sweat, halted mid step; nobody moved a muscle.
It was silent. Gregorio strolled a circle around the students, studying them in their frozen states. He stopped.
“You can go for today.” Gregorio announced.
The room itself seemed to heave a sigh of relief, it’s students now standing normally. Some whispered to each other, eager for praise while others raced towards the door.
“But!” Gregorio called loudly. “You’ll need to work ten times harder if you really, really strive to be professional. If you can’t handle that, feel free to drop to the ground right now.”
When nobody flinched, he smirked.
“Wise choice. Practice on your own tonight and prove to me that you deserve a spot in this show.”
With his final words edging the air, Gregorio turned on his heels and left the room.
Diego’s towel reluctantly absorbed more sweat from his neck as he pulled it away, stretching. He tossed it onto the windowsill shamelessly before grabbing a bottle. Footsteps from behind him caught his attention instantly.
“Out of breath again?” He panted, turning.
Marco’s hands clenched death grips on his knees as if when he let go, he’d collapse into the mats.
“You’re not?” He gasped, staggering towards Diego who helped him straight on his feet and patted his shoulder.
“Nope.”
Marco rolled his eyes. “You’re never out of breath. How do you do it?”
“Build your stamina.” Diego tossed his friend a water bottle.
“Well, yeah… Does Gregorio push you that hard at home too?”
Diego chuckled. “You think this is hard? You should see how he makes me vacuum.”
The two boys laughed as they grabbed their bags. They waved goodbye to the remaining students and stepped outside onto the crowded streets of Madrid.
The sun began its trip to set, teasing the world with a blinding glare. Golden rays spilled onto the sidewalks, highlighting any available windows and metal, casting long shadows.
Despite the looming darkness, the streetlights were still at rest, leaving the crowd to find their way on their own.
Diego and Marco slipped through the groups of tourists, steps aligned with each other. They made their way through the street to a small empty lot in front of their hotel.
Of course, YouMix had gotten them what they claimed to be the “best hotel possible,” but despite its glorious looks on the outside, a single step in would prove every single one of your beliefs wrong.
Although, truth be told, nobody (besides Ludmila) was expecting anything good enough to get above a 3 star rating.
“You know,” Diego started before they entered the doors. He paused. “I’m not ready to head to bed yet. Are you?”
Marco hesitated. “I don’t know, man. I’m kind of tired…” he admitted, placing three fingers on the back of his neck and tugging his hair.
The boys’ eyes locked for only a moment and Marco sighed.
“Okay fine.” He said, a small smile creeping on his face. “But just for a little while or I’ll pass out.”
“I’ll catch you then.” Diego promised smugly. Marco shook his head with a chuckle and the two started walking again.
“So where are we going anyway?” Marco questioned curiously as the boys took a sharp left corner. He stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets. “Do you even know?”
Diego looked over his shoulder. “Of course I know.” He said. “This is your first time in Madrid—no it’s your second right?”
“Yep.”
“But you didn’t really see much on your first visit?”
“No… where are you going with this?”
Diego grabbed the collar of Marco’s jacket, yanking him out of the rumbling road. He placed his other hand strongly on his shoulder, turning him to the right.
A tall, blue tour bus loomed over them, a dark shadow trailing over their heads. The now shining street lamps glinted on its metal, beckoning the boys to come closer.
In front of it stood a man who eyed the boys curiously but didn’t speak. He was dressed in a matching blue to the bus, a gray mustache delicately resting over his lips.
“I don’t get it…” Marco admitted, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.
Diego opened his mouth but was interrupted mid-response.
“Why, it’s only the most famous tour bus in all of Madrid!” The man exclaimed. “And we’re on our last tour for the night. I presume you’ll be joining us tonight?”
Marco could only nod and Diego grinned.
“How much?” Diego asked as he pulled his wallet out and started to shuffle through it when the man spoke.
“Free of charge!” His mustache lifted with his warm smile. “You’re our only two for the night, must be a special occasion. No need to worry about payment.”
The boys watched as the man stepped next to the door, gesturing to it with a great wave.
Diego shrugged happily and they boarded the bus.
The man led them past the young driver at the wheel, who despite taking the same route multiple times a day still seemed enthusiastic, and up to the roof.
The night was cool, a slight chill tainting the breeze that rustled a nearby tree's leaves.
Despite the cold air, the seats were a little warm and the two boys sat down next to each other near the front.
“Welcome, welcome.” The man greeted them once more. His gentle but raspy voice seemed to be unheard from below as he took a seat on a bench at the front of the bus.
“Now, what are your names?”
Diego straightened his posture. “Diego and Marco.” He replied and the man’s eyes twinkled.
“Ah.” The man commented, turning to look behind him as the bus began moving. “Well Diego and Marco, we’ll have a very fun night.”
“Sounds interesting.” Diego whispered to Marco who nodded. The boy next to him seemed to have picked up, leaning forward a little and glancing over the bus’ railings.
And it was.
The bus drove around for about an hour, seemingly never hitting traffic. It followed secret roads to places Diego didn’t even know existed, showing off Madrid’s hidden beauty as well as its obvious attraction.
As the tour neared its end, the man returned to the first floor. He insisted it was to chat with the driver but Marco thought it was something more.
Now alone, the boys looked out over the city in silence.
“Did you like it?” Diego popped the question suddenly. “I know you were tired and I probably could’ve waited until tomorrow to take you on this but—“
“I loved it!” Marco interrupted him before Diego could spill more meaningless words. “It was great, I promise.”
Diego let out a sigh of relief, awkwardly scooting towards the empty isle. “Good.”
Something was off between the two. They both knew it, but neither could exactly pinpoint what.
“How long did you live in Madrid?”
Diego raised his gaze from his hands.
Marco’s head was facing the city, fingers tapping onto the metal railing in a familiar pattern. His hair rustled in the breeze as he waited patiently for an answer.
“Most of my life.” Diego said. “I grew up here, if that wasn’t obvious.”
“Oh really? I didn’t notice.”
They laughed.
“Well, I know I bought us a tour, but I’m certain I could give you a fairly detailed one as well.”
Marco turned to face him.
“Oh? And what would make me choose that one?” He prompted, leaning his back against the railing, eyes curious.
Diego jokingly rolled his eyes. “First, I can show you a lot more on the ground than on a bus.” He thought for a moment. “Second, we’re best friends, it’s bound to be more fun.”
His lips twisted into a smug smirk. “Oh, and third, I’ve got all of the charm and much more than you could expect from a basic tour. Another time of course, I don’t want to wear out your tired legs.”
Marco could feel a small smile forming on his face. “I’m not that tired anymore.”
“I see.” Diego nodded. “Is this your way of telling me you want another tour, led by none other than me?” He teased.
“Possibly.”
They both laughed again, noticing there was hardly any space between them and they both instinctively backed up before awkwardly returning to how they were.
“At least we’re sharing a room at the hotel. We don’t have to sneak in.” Marco pointed out, insisting he wouldn’t mind another tour. “If we’re going to be out so late.”
Diego shook his head jokingly at his friend. “I get it, you want to go.” He thought for a moment. “But I don’t think we’ll be that late.”
“Gregorio has been texting you for the last hour trying to figure out where you are. I think it’s late.”
Pulling his phone out and sighing, Diego sent a very quick response to his father and shoved the phone back into his pocket.
“Not late enough for an even more special tour.”
Soon the bus parked at its original spot and the man let the boys off of the bus.
“Thank you for the ride.” Marco told him, readjusting his jacket.
“Yeah. It was awesome.” Added Diego.
The man smiled at the two, the same warm smile as earlier. “My pleasure! Now, have a good night you too.” He instructed warmly and the boys nodded, waving before leaving.
“Do you know what that tour company was called?” Marco asked as the bus faded from view. “I don’t remember seeing any labels on the bus or anything.”
Diego shrugged. “No. Why?”
“Just wondering.”
They walked quietly for a moment, Diego taking them down an alley out of sight from the many tourists out despite it being night.
The sky had faded to a dark, dark blue. The occasional star twinkled in the sky, exposed to the world it watched below.
Diego took another left, looking over his shoulder to make sure Marco was still trailing behind him.
When Diego met his eyes, Marco stopped in his tracks for a moment.
“Where are you taking me?”
Diego looked up at the buildings and smiled. “A place I used to go to when I was younger. You’ll see.” He promised, grabbing Marco’s arm and dragging him before Marco could say anything.
A few minutes later, they arrived at an old, rickety ladder.
“Up there?” Marco gulped, looking up.
The ladder scaled up the side of an old brick building. From the front, it resembled a neat and taken care of café but from the side, it was a clear, different story.
Diego nodded. “It’s not as tall as it looks. Trust me, it’ll be worth it.”
Quietly, Marco watched as Diego started to climb the ladder. One foot, and then the next. One hand and the other reaching further.
“Are you coming?” Diego called, snapping Marco out of his trance and he laid his fingers on the ladder.
“Uhm yeah.”
Marco slowly began to climb, following Diego’s movements. He reached the top quicker than expected where Diego’s hand was waiting.
With a surprising amount of strength, Diego pulled Marco the rest of the way up onto the building and they looked around.
“Thanks.” Marco told him quietly. “I knew you were strong but I didn’t think you were that strong.”
Chuckling, Diego just shook his head.
The roof was empty besides a vent sticking through the bricks at the back. It was humming quietly.
Below them, people were only small blurs, rushing throughout the streets with their minds only on themselves. One ran into another, stopped for a moment to snap and continued rushing off. An abandoned bag lay on the ground, people streaming around it mindlessly.
“We’re almost there.” Diego broke Marco’s trance. “Just a little more.”
Marco frowned. “What do you mean? We’re on the roof of a building. Where else could we go?”
Diego walked over to the edge and gestured to the building next to it.
The building was around the same height, a small gap in between them. An old, rugged carpet laid on the top.
“Right there.” Diego replied as he took a deep breath.
Marco watched, amazed as Diego breathlessly cleared the gap.
“Come on!” Diego called.
Marco hesitated. He peered down into the gap, the ground further than ever and he swallowed.
“I-I can’t.”
Diego’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why not?”
“I can’t jump that.” Marco backed away from the ledge. “I won’t make it..”
Diego’s face softened and he sighed, lowering his shoulders.
“Marco, look at me.”
Marco slowly did, letting his eyes lock with Diego’s. They stared at each other for a moment.
“You can make it.” Diego told him. “I know you can. I’ll come back over and go with you if you want.”
“I’ll fall.”
“You won’t fall, I promise .” Diego lowered his voice. “I won’t let you fall.”
Marco’s rushing heart seemed to slow down and he took a shaky breath. Diego’s words rang in his head and soon enough, he was on the other side of the building.
Diego patted his back happily, laughing. “See! I told you.”
Marco nervously smiled. “Yeah… I did.” He turned his head, scanning the roof. “What is this place?”
Sitting down on the rug, Diego patted next to him and they looked out at the city.
Buildings stretched further than the eye could see into the distance, creating a galaxy on the ground. It was quiet.
“I used to come here when I was younger. Sometimes I was just bored and others… I was just thinking about my dad.” Diego admitted. “Sometimes I just needed a space to breathe and this was it.”
“It’s pretty cool.” Marco replied, urging Diego to continue.
“Yeah… I’ve never shown it to anyone before, you should consider yourself lucky.”
Marco laughed. “I think I’m lucky to be hanging out with you in general.”
Diego smiled at him before laying on his back, looking up at the stars.
“Hah, yeah… I didn’t want to tell anyone about this before because it’s kind of embarrassing that I really only came here to think about my Dad. What he was doing…”
Marco laid down next to him. “And to think… he’s probably the one looking for you now.”
They both laughed, their eyes still on the sky.
“Thanks for showing me this place.”
Diego looked over at him and smiled. “Of course.”
They laid in silence for a few minutes.
“We can go back to the hotel now if you want.”
Marco shook his head, stretching until he was closer to Diego. “Not yet. We can lay here for a little while.”
“Promise?”
“I do.”