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【 reseda, 2018 】
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━━ Despite the fact that she had not been on a date since she had been with Miguel's father, Carmen remembered the feeling of having a crush well. The way they could just say your name and bring butterflies to your stomach. The game of pretending like you hadn't been staring at the other, and suddenly looking away with a flush to your face.
From the moment Stevie had entered Miguel's life, she had seen that spark in his eye. From the way he seemed to space out with a small smile in the middle of doing his assignments to the way he had begun to ramble on about what Stevie helped him with at the dojo and what Stevie said, he didn't hide his feelings for their neighbor well.
Carmen didn't quite know where she landed on her thoughts about her.
Miguel wouldn't know because she had never brought him up. But to her, Stevie seemed like an even more closed off version of her former husband. Then again, the girl was not nearly as charming as him. And he had never flinched away from touch quite so violently as Stevie did.
It often came in waves. There was a pity in her heart whenever the girl came to mind, but she would see her, and there was this eerie feeling in her stomach.
When Miguel came back in, he seemed to be in a daze as he sat at the table. Carmen took note of the pursed smile on his lips and a red handprint on his cheek. She leaned towards him, putting her hand under his jaw and turning his face towards the light.
"Miggy! What happened to your face?"
He slapped his hand over the afflicted area with wide eyes, as if he had totally forgotten about it, "I ... asked Stevie out."
Carmen, instinctively, was horrified, operating under the assumption that girl just smacked the crap out of her son. Her jaw clenched as she stood up from the table and walked out of her apartment. Miguel immediately stood with her, looking uncomfortable.
"Mom?" Miguel let out a nervous chuckle as he began to follow her out, "Mom, what are you doing? Don't be crazy. What are you doing?"
Carmen was about to start rapping her hand against Stevie's apartment door, but Miguel grabbed her wrist, looking mortified, "Mom, stop. She didn't do anything."
