Motivate || Alex Verdugo

Twenty

Sonia's POV- May 2017

My morning started off with singing Happy Birthday to Alex (with his family) and then rushing out to get to campus to take my last final exam. After that, I had to walk across campus to administer a final exam. Once the final was over, I walked to my car and grabbed some snacks before going to the library where the rest of the TA's were at. We all graded our student's final exams and then went our separate ways. There would be no celebration today, but instead tomorrow. Most of them went home, but not me, I drove to Dodger Stadium and watched them shutout the Padres, 2-0. As much as I wanted to go home to shower and sleep, I could not do that because I had promised Alex I'd join him and his family for a birthday dinner. 

"How does it feel to be done?"

"It hasn't hit yet" I admitted.

I'd probably be a sobbing mess on Friday.

"Your sister is also graduating"

"Yes, her ceremony starts a half hour after mine, so we literally have to bolt across campus," I told them.

"Will you be wearing heels?"

"Of course" I answered.

Shelly smiled.

"Alex mentioned to us that you were offered a full-time position at the place, you intern"

That was correct.

"Yes, I've got to pass my license exam" I replied.

The job was mine if I passed it on the first try.

"You got this, darling"

Fingers crossed.

"To celebrate my birthday and your graduation, shall we get dessert?"

There was a cake waiting for Alex back at his place.

"I'm good" I noted.

"Not even a brownie"

I scrunched up my nose a bit.

"Kind of full" I said.

Alex frowned and looked at his mom.

"Do you two want to share a brownie with me?"

She smiled.

"I'm okay"

He looked at his dad.

"I'm stuffed"

Alex groaned.

"Bobbi made some brownies last night" I mentioned.

"Then what are we still doing here?"

Once he waved the waiter over, he stretched his arm over my shoulder. I looked up at him when he squeezed me.

"Thanks for coming"

"Of course" I answered.

He smiled and kissed my forehead.

"You had an extremely long day"

That I did.

"It means a lot"

"I'll just sleep in tomorrow" I replied.

He leaned in and kissed my cheek before waving the waiter over. I knew better than to look at his parents who were probably grinning at us. 

"Can we get the check?"

Mothers day dinner went better than Alex and I had expected. Our parents got along super well, and they even exchanged numbers. His parents were surprised to hear Stella and I speak fluent Spanish to our Tia. Apparently, Alex was the only one of his siblings who did not speak or understand Spanish, they were all fluent. Now that he was grown up, he wanted to relearn the language. I did not mind helping him learn the language but learning it was his own doing. 

"Alex mentioned to us that you've got a long weekend ahead of you"

"Yes, lot's of driving" I noted.

My cousins were graduating on Saturday and Sunday. Carolina was wrapping up her Masters in Environmental systems and Charlotte her Bachelor's in Cognitive Science, both from UC Merced. 

"That should be fun"

It should be.

"How old were your parents when they had you and Stella? If you don't mind me asking"

My parents looked young, so it made sense.

"Dad was 38 and mom was 36" I answered as the check was handed over to Alex.

He slipped in his credit card and handed the waiter back the slip.

"They married when your mom was 26 though"

She was straight out of Med School, dad a year into his residency.

"There was a bit of a long distance issue after they got married since they completed their residency at different parts of the country" I noted.

Mom completed her residency in Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania, dad at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Orthopedic Surgery. 

"My mom finished her residency first, so she was the main source of income for a bit" I added.

They believed it was best to put children on hold for a bit, for the sake of their careers.

"Do twins run in your family?"

I shook my head.

"Stella and I are actually IVF babies" I disclosed.

It seems my parents waited a little too long, that when the time came they struggled.

"And we were kind of a handful, which might be why they stopped after us" I noted.

Shelly and Joe laughed.

"Well they did a great job at raising two incredibly smart and self-driven young ladies"

Alex was pretty surprised when we got to his apartment and there was a fruit tart cake waiting for him along with a small plate with a couple of brownies. 

A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates!