Blue is a 21 year old car thief. His life was going as normal. He'd drink a small slushy from the gas station and wait. Wait to see the perfect car roll into the parking lot. The fateful day in November was like no other. Well, that was until Blue e...
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"The tyrannosaurus rex was a mighty creature of the Earth. It was as big as a bus!" I read from the book in my hand with enthusiasm. "They were fast too."
I chased Milo around the living room with my free hand scrunched to my chest. He laughed loudly as I caught him in my arms. The smile on his face was as bright as the sun.
"They were said to have the most ferocious roar in the animal kingdom." I leaned my head back, the view of Santiago sitting on the couch coming into view. "Roar Santiago."
"Apparently t-rex's didn't even-" Santiago started.
"Roar." I monotoned, my smile slipping from my face.
Santiago let out a sound similar to a roar but it lacked effort. I rolled my eyes about to scold him when a small sound stopped me. A small raspy roar. My head snapped away from Santiago, landing on Milo in my arms. Besides laughs, he didn't make audible noises, until now.
I smiled widely, my heart squeezing in my chest. He smiled up at me, his eyes squinting into half crescents. I kissed his chubby cheek, letting him slip from my arms and begin running around the room again. Santiago got up to chase him, but not before sending me a smile matching my own.
The three of us played for another hour until Santiago sat Milo down to eat a snack. Santiago cut a peach with a sharp knife, pulling it close to his fingers and repeating. I had to look away, if I ever tried anything like that I'd slice my fingers open.
"There's a family dinner tonight if you want to go. It's late though, so I thought Milo could stay home with Luciano and Qiang." Santiago offered quietly, laying the fruit in a bowl.
"How long is it?" I tilted my head to the side.
"Are you asking because you're afraid of leaving Milo, or because you're nervous about the dinner?" He stepped closer to me and dropped the bowl in my hands.
"Both." I said, moving away from him and back to Milo who was sitting on the couch. He was eating another piece of fruit, and his body was tucked closely to his teddy bear. The t.v. was playing some newer Disney movie I had never seen.
I felt the urge to decline, but curiosity was getting the best of me. It had been so long since I had done something interesting. I could see Santiago watching me closely through my peripheral vision.
What's the worst that could happen?
The minute the words ran through my mind, bitter thoughts came with them. But with the trust I had slowly built in Santiago, they were easier to ignore.
"I'll go." I voiced quietly.
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Luciano entered the house with open arms, his usually curly blonde hair was swept back. He hugged Santiago so tightly, I was nervous when he made his way over to me. Qiang nodded her head at Santiago and I politely.
