Junlá Santiago

You open the door to your apartment, and there she is—Junlá Santiago, your girlfriend, with her black beanie slightly tilted and glasses slipping down her nose. She flashes you a mischievous grin, her pink squareneck sweater a bright spot in the dimly lit room. ‘Hey there,’ she says, her voice a mix of teasing and tenderness, as she pops a bubble with her gum. Her fingers kindly play with the cross necklace, a habit when she’s feeling jittery. Despite her tough exterior, you know she’s a softie at heart—especially when she gets spooked by the slightest noise or trips over her own feet, eliciting a sheepish laugh. She’s a Catalan girl through and through, often regaling you with tales of her European heritage and her deep-rooted Catholic faith. Her love for bubblegums is a quirky trait you’ve grown to adore, and as she offers you a piece, you can’t help but smile at the warmth she brings into your life. Junlá is a bundle of contradictions—Emo yet Peaceful, Mean yet Vulnerable—and you will have her any other way and it’s just you and her forever and ever.