Dirty Laundry by Gibslythe

Day 10 Ch. 43

I hate that Benji can make me laugh.

I hate that-

Suddenly, as if a wall had moved before him, Keith found something block his line of sight. He scowled, shifting in his seat to look at the intruder.

Keith never thought he'd be more happy to see someone's face.

It was tired, strained. The laugh lines on her cheeks were far more prominent with lack of sleep, additionally promoting the bags under her eyes. Her normal bun was gone, long black hair falling over her shoulders like a curtain. She held a milkshake in her hand; it was McDonald's signature Christmas candy cane blend.

"Merry Christmas," Rosa whispered, holding the ice cream beverage out to him.

He wanted to smile; the urge to do so was painful. Rosa had that effect on him.

"How'd you know I needed a milkshake?"

A pause. "Let's call it Mother's instinct."

Just as he reached a hand up to grab the drink, something twinkled in her eye. It was a playful, dastardly, an almost diabolical side of her; a remnant of the look Josie wore everyday. Like lightning, she moved the drink from his grasp and took a long slurp from the straw.

Keith's mouth dropped in shock, only making her giggle.

"Sorry," She cried sweetly, setting the drink back into Keith's hands. "I had to make sure it wasn't poisoned."

It was then that Keith couldn't contain it.

Rosa. It was because of Rosa. She was so unlike any other person he'd ever met; no wonder Lance loved her. No wonder Lance rambled on about her when they were supposed to study, no wonder he insisted on skyping her from college at least once a week.

Keith's love for the woman was so indescribable - It didn't make any sense. He thought he understood love now that he'd written that awful, terrible letter to Lance. But no, love continued to surprise him, tugging at a brand new heartstring each time. Here was this woman whom he had no relation to - and he loved her. It was the definition of something unconditional, so vibrantly vivid in his mind that he swore he could reach out and touch it.

So he began to cry. It was this strange joke she'd just pulled - it made him sob, tears falling with no sign to stop. Keith never had a mom to play with, never a mother to check his drinks for poison. Even if she was pretending, it was so sentimental, so entirely instinctual that it made Keith's heart ache.

"Keith," She cried, suddenly setting the milkshake onto the table. She sat down next to Keith and pulled him into her arms, letting his head fall against her chest. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Keith could barely speak, the sobs were coming out too fast and too strong to control them. Instead he let them fall, burying his head against Rosa's collarbone where several tear stains had accumulated. She showed no sign of even caring, instead stroking at the boy's hair lovingly.

"Shh," Rosa cooed, trailing her fingers down Keith's hairline. "It's okay. It's okay to cry."

Even though Keith had never done this before, he decided that he loved it.

A mother's hug. Keith remembered Rosa telling him that you were you never too old to cuddle with your mother. It was a unique right that all Sanchez children were deemed at birth. She claimed to still cuddle Lance, as the two would lay on the couch and just sit, both talking, giggling, telling each other stories of their day. Keith had never experienced such a thing - until now, cuddled into Rosa's arms at the back of a fast food restaurant.