Never Say Never (Completed)

Two {Just the Two of Us}

"If you drop this plate, you owe my mom like three hundred dollars and a lifetime of memories."

My eyes flickered from the precious porcelain plate in my hand, suddenly feeling as if I were holding a priceless artifact. Which, I suppose, it was. Mrs. Cruz had inherited all her grandmother's fine China when she had passed away unexpectedly late last year. They were not only valuable in the sense of money, but in sentimental value as well.

"Don't listen to him, mija." Mrs. Cruz smacked her son upside the head on her way over to me. It was quite a reach, considering Mrs. Cruz couldn't have been over five foot and her obnoxious son stood a few inches over six foot, but she did it on the daily. I had learned not to question it years ago as she always had a good reason for it. Ian had the habit of not learning to filter his words before he spoke them, and more times then not said something crude or offensive, in both Spanish and English.

"Can we go now, Ma?" Ian shot his mother a hopeful look as she plucked the porcelain candy dish from my hands. "Please?"

She shooed him away with a quick move of her hand. "Yes, yes, go, mijo. You are driving me crazy."

Before I could add he did that to me every hour of every day, Ian grasped my forearm and dragged me down the long, seemingly never-ending hall of portraits and canvases. The Cruz's weren't rich by any means, but they were much better of then they had been five years ago. Once Mr. Cruz had finally become a citizen, he was able to acquire much better paying jobs and was now making pretty decent pay, enough that they were able to pay for this two story house and cars for both their kids without having to worry.

As we were entering the room Ian discarded his wet shirt and discarded it in the hamper beside his computer desk across the room, throwing himself backward on his bed, disheveling his black comforter. I'd grown used to Ian and all his half-nakedness, but still couldn't help but admire how much he'd grown into himself in the last couple years. Freshman year he'd been no more than a scrawny, wiry four eyed little boy. Then he'd shot up a good foot, gotten contacts, but most importantly had started training at some dojo across town, so often that his body had begun to sculpt itself. Muscular biceps now sat where once thin arms had been, a toned abdomen where baby fat had sat for years.

"As much as I appreciate you checking me out, we have more important things to worry about." Ian joked, nudging me with his foot at the foot of the bed. Tearing my eyes away from him, I retrained them on the mess of candy wrappers and empty soda bottles that lay in pile beside his bed. I grabbed the trash can from the bathroom and started tossing everything in as I finally responded to him.

"Yeah? Like what?"

He smiled cheekily. "We got back to school Monday."

"Yes, Ian." I responded, peering at him over the trash can. "I'm aware."

"I think Charlie needs a night out." He continued.

I chunked a half-drunk bottle of Pepsi into the trash with a sarcastic look. "I think Charlie is just fine."

"Come on, Char." He pleaded. "When was the last time you even left the house without the kids?"

I clutched a Twinkie wrapper in my right hand as I thought about the question. It had been a while since we'd gone out, between work, my brothers and sister, and dance, I never had time. On top of that, I had to pick up my mom's meds twice a week and force her to take them, which usually took close to three hours.

"See, see." Ian joined me on the floor, draping his arm over my shoulder.

"I'm good, Ian. I'm not even the least bit interested in another one of your fun nights out."