transit (boyxboy)

eighteen

"Yo, Quinn!" Max called to me from the kitchen. I just got done unloading a new shipment of fruit. Believe it or not, all those boxes of fruit kicked my ass but I didn't mind it. I did that most of the time I was there; the heavy lifting. I was good at it. It was easy and I didn't complain about it.

"What's up?" I asked, sighing and washing my hands.

"Boss wants to see you in his office." I nodded and dried my hands on my smock. I walked over to Mr. Fuentes' office calmly. He and I were on pretty good terms. It wasn't like I hated him and he didn't treat me as a mentee like he had tried to. During work, it was professional. Outside of it, we saw each other almost every day I was with Vic.

I walked in with content littered throughout my body. Although I didn't show it, I've felt good lately. I was getting things done on-time and I hadn't had trouble in weeks. I'd just been busy with work, Vic, and mom that I didn't have time to think about Justin or anything like that.

"Hello, Mr. Fuentes," I greeted him with a handshake and sat down in the chair across from him. "You called me in here?"

"Just a few things. The first: are you coming to dinner tonight? I forgot what your mom said but I was hoping you'd remember." I nodded.

"We are. Coming to your house, that is."

"Great! And the second: how is Vic? You two have been spending a lot of time together. It's been a month or so now. I'm glad he's made a friend. Has he gotten around to telling you yet?"

"Yeah, we talked about it. I always want to know more, though." He furrowed his eyebrows.

"Why?"

"It's important to him so it's important to me." I shrugged. "Is that all? I was going to take off for the day. Mom needs me today to hang up Christmas lights and stuff." As I said that, I was reminded that it was already December. I couldn't believe it, really. Time had gone by so fast. Usually, I'd be trudging my way through school with cracked knuckles and dry skin because kids liked to fight me a lot more during the holidays. Ya know, blow off steam from their "totally unfair" and privileged families.

"That is. I'll see you tonight." I nodded, shook his hand, and left. There was a dead feeling in the pit of my stomach. I don't know why it was there, but it was, and I felt like punching myself in the gut to get it to go away. But, it remained and I decided to push that sensation away. Better not to dwell on it.

When I got to the house, my mom had already gotten the bins of decorations out from the closet and sprawled out on the hallway floor.

"Hey, ma." I walked over to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. I missed her more than usual. "How was your day?" She hadn't gone to work today. It was her first day off in a month or so. She wanted extra money for Christmas which I thought was ridiculous because I could just give her some. I was working for her.

"I just got the bins out and made some lunch. We have to get the tree from the basement, Kell." She told me. I smiled and told her I would get it. I usually did the heavy lifting around the house, too. It was my way of helping. It was the only thing I was good at, really.

I looked at the box and lifted it effortlessly, walking it up the stairs in the same manner. When I came up, mom was taking colored lights out of their box and organizing it into piles. She always had to be organized. It was her thing. Whenever she saw a mess, she just had to fix it. I mean, anytime we're in the store and she sees clothing unfolded, she'll fold it and keep shopping. Made me wonder how she even walked into my room without cleaning it considering how gross it was.

"Are these outside ones?" I asked. She nodded and I grabbed them and the staple gun, leading her outside so I could help make the house look pretty for her.

"I just love the Christmas time, Kell. Don't you? It's so pretty and you always do such a great job on the lights." I chuckled.

"That's because you tell me how to hang em." She shrugs me off and still smiled. I put one last staple in the wood to secure the last string of lights and looked up. I put my arm around my mom's shoulder and she came in closer to me but she still stared straight ahead and adored the lights. I think they were her favorite part.

"Now for inside!" She jogged up the stairs and threw open the door. I followed behind her, closing the door and doing whatever she instructed me to do. Before I knew it, we had put up the tree and decorated it, put Garlin where ever she saw an empty space, did the same with lights, and put away the bins for when mom was ready to take them down.

I sighed and plopped myself down on the couch. I looked at my phone to check the time and realized I had about an hour until dinner. Mom came into the living room with me and sat next to me.

"So," She started. "Tell me about your boyfriend, Vic." She sang. I looked at her like she was crazy. What on Earth was she talking about?

"What are you going on about, mom?"

"You and Vic! I see you guys together all the time. I think you forget I work there."

"Mom, we aren't dating."

"Then what is it because you aren't 'just friends'." She poked my stomach and I smiled a bit. She knew I was ticklish and I hated it. But I was also smiling at the thought of Vic. I mean, I didn't know what we were but I didn't think we needed to know right now.

"Mom, can I tell you something?" I asked. She nodded. "We kiss a lot," She squealed and interrupted me. I just looked at her confusingly.

"Sorry, go ahead." She smiled.

"So we kiss a lot and I like it. He makes my heart feel warm. Isn't that gross? I mean, it's just weird."

"It's not weird."

"How? I don't know what to do? I tell him he makes me feel like that and he blushes and stuff but I don't know what it means."

"What do you think it means?"

"Well, I was thinking that it meant I liked him. But, I don't know."

"You don't have to know yet, honey." She told me. "Just make sure you aren't hurting him-"

"Never," I said without a thought.

"Or yourself." She clarified and I nodded. Or myself. How would I hurt myself by doing that?

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short chapter rn because there's going to be a lot that happens next chapter. who's ready for christmas? My girlfriend's present came in!