𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐁𝐋

𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧, 𝒎𝒂𝒎𝒂́ 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘'𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕

Caleb

"So, why did you want to meet here with us dear?"

"Lebby!" My brother darts towards me and I kneel down and open my arms wide, and he wraps his arms around my neck, tightly hugging me, and I wrap my arms around him picking him up.

"How have you been doing Landon?" I say with a light laugh.

"I've been great!" He pulls away. "Guess what? I made 5 friends at daycare." He showed me five fingers with a banana smile.

"See, I told you that you'd make friends." I stand straight up with a smile before looking at my mom. "How has he been doing mamá?"

"He's been doing good actually, he loves the school, and the teachers love him, he's even had a play date with a few of his friends." My mom admits proudly. "I was kinda worried when you left, he didn't want to talk to anyone. Not even his Abuela. And he loves her. But he's doing well."

"Where's papá?" I question as I look around for him before sighing, "He's at work again isn't he?"

"Yea, he was tired from last night's shift. He's been over working himself. I've tried telling him to not overwork himself, but he keeps saying he's fine."

Just like he used to

"Do you think he might-"

"Be going back to his old ways? Yes, I think so hijo." She sighs, "But I think his papá is the reason why he's been overworking him again."

"Again? Abuelo is always trying to overwhelm someone-"

"Hermano, I heard Abuelo calling papa useless and lazy over the phone. I think that's why papá feels sad." Landon recalled, his voice more pensive than before.

"I'm going to talk to him and tell him to leave my husband alone. He doesn't own him, and he should stop middling with his life." I can feel my mother's anger building up as she clenches her fist.

"Mamá cálmate, you know how Abuelo can be."

"I know but-"

"Let's go inside and talk." I interrupted as I saw people looking at us weirdly. Landon led us inside and sat in a seat and scooted next to the window, and I sat next to him, and mi mamá sat across from us.

"He has caused enough problems for your father. I remember when we were dating in highschool, your papá was showing signs of depression, I had convinced your Abuela to let him stay with me. Which wasn't easy. He has awful parents bebé."

"I know, they aren't nice." I sigh before resting my forearms on the table. "They hate me because... well you know why."

"I love you, and so does your father. Just know we accept you." My mom assured me with a smile, and I couldn't help but let my lips curl up.

I was so lucky to have accepting parents, because a lot of parents aren't as accepting as they are.

"I'm sorry I've been making this about me and your father. What about you? How have you been?"

"I've been doing good, college has been nice."

"What about your roommates? Have they been treating you nice?"

"Yea, they have. Actually do you remember when you sent me to that summer camp a few years back?"

"Yea, one of my worst decisions. You nearly died, I don't know how I would have reacted, knowing that sending you to that camp was the reason you died."

"Well the people who I shared a cabin with are my roommates."

"The one's you dated?"

I felt my face slowly turning a tint of red as my heart rate sped up for a few seconds."W-Well,
y-yea. But I don't- we're not- we don't like one another anymore." I forced a smile, hoping she would believe me, which I knew she didn't. Why was I stuttering so much, of course she doesn't buy it.

"You're a bad liar hermano." Landon added with a blank expression.

I placed my palms on my forehead as my fingers dug through my hair. "Is it that obvious?"

"Very."

I let out a sigh, "I do still like them, I thought I would have gotten over them since then. But they come back into my life, and my heart nearly jumps out of chest when they touch me."

"Why don't you tell them?"

"Because, one of them has a girlfriend, and I'm nearly positive the other one likes this girl named Noelle."

"Oh... have you tried getting over them?"

"Mamá, I couldn't get over them in 3 years, I thought I was over them. But when I saw them again, I knew I still liked them."

"If you still liked them after all this time honey, I don't think you just like them anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"You might love them." The ends of her lips curl up and my eyes widened as I looked down at the clear table, staring at my reflection as my face turned into a cherry.

"What does love mean Mamá?" Landon asks curiously.

"Well, it's when you have intense and deep affection or feelings for something or someone." She giggled as she explained to my young brother.

"Is it how I love you, Lebby and Papá?"

"Well not exactly, it's kinda different. It's the kind of love me and your papá have. You want to be with that person forever. You want that person to be your forever."

My face reddens and I'm more than positive I could blend in with a garden of tomatoes at this point. "Mom please stop talking."

"Married people love?"

"Yep. That type of love."

I stare at my reflection, not knowing what to do or think. First we were talking about papá and abuelo, then about me and my roommates, now we're talking about love.

"Love is a strong word. Y-You really shouldn't just be throwing it around like it's a toy."

"But I think it's the right word."

"But mom-"

"Mamá knows best." She giggles at me, and from the left of me I hear kissing noises, and I feel like
tossing my brother into a box and sending him to the south pole.

"But mamá even if I did love them. They both want someone that isn't me. I'm just breaking my own heart expecting them to come back." I move my hands from my face and look up at her.

I want them to want me again, to love me, I want us to get together again. But Damien has Velvet, Milo wants Noelle, and I have my own relationship problems with Nathan. I want to break up with him, but I'm scared to. My mamá doesn't even know I'm with him. She just thinks we're friends.

________
A/N:
Ca(leb) = (Leb)by

Landon is 3 years old

Also yes, Caleb is half Hispanic. His mother is Hispanic and his father is Caucasian. He only speaks Spanish around his family.