don't wanna rush | oscar diaz

una canción susurrada

Valentine's Day isn't something Oscar's had to celebrate with anyone, and he knows for a fact that it's the same case for Claudia. He figures that's as good a reason to make it a good one this year. He's just not sure how to go about doing that.

His tía Alejandra thinks it's cute.

"Ay, mijo, qué guapa," she says, after strong-arming him into showing her a picture of Claudia. It's a nice photo, her smile wide over a huge mangonada she made Oscar buy her. Sometimes, when he hasn't seen her in a couple days, he'll pull it up and just grin.

He may or may not have come over today and tried to ask his tía for some gift ideas. Girls like jewelry, he figures, but Claudia doesn't wear much besides a pair of simple looking gold hoops in her ears, the kind she can sleep in. Clothes seem like trouble, he doesn't know what kind of shoes she likes (he's pretty sure she has no strong preference, actually), and, well. He wants to get her something that will make her think of him.

"Una pulsera?" his aunt says. She's at the stove making him some chicken quesadillas. His stomach's been growling since he walked in, Cesar still ignoring him in favor of helping Vero with some school project. Chucho's out with his girl right now, which is the only reason Oscar's comfortable enough to actually bring up Claudia. His boys clown him when she's around. "Oh, those charm bracelets are real cute."

"How much are they?"

"Hm," she says, "good question. Pues, qué le gusta?"

"Kids," he says, and flinches when his tía gives him a dirty look. "That's not—she wants to be a teacher, I mean."

She wags her finger at him. "Be good, Oscar. She sounds smart."

"She is," he says, honest. "I just wanna get her something she'll like."

"Don't go with flowers," she says, "and if you do, don't just get roses. Que aburrido. Chocolate works, though, no conozco a nadie que no le gusta."

"Yeah," he says, "but any dude can buy her that."

"I think the bracelet's your best bet, mijo," she says, setting his plate in front of him. "Now eat, you're too skinny."

He ends up dragging Cesar to the mall with him that week; the kid's not too pleased, even after Oscar offers to buy him clothes.

"I don't want clothes," he says, and Oscar's this close to telling him that he better keep that attitude for the next ten years. Buying him shit's expensive even if Oscar'll do it gladly. "I wanna go to the park."

"I'll take you when we're done," he says. He's pretty sure there's a Pandora somewhere in here, even if he's never stepped foot inside it. He's been looking at their website, has an idea of what he's about to drop on this gift, but it's fine. It's the kind of present that'll make Claudia think of him every time she wears it, and it'd be dope to see her wearing it every day. He'll buy her the bracelet and some charms and hopefully it'll make her grin up at him like she did when he bought her that damn mangonada she made him finish for her.

He just...really likes her, is the thing.

While he's trying to figure out where the damn store is, though, they pass by one of those kiosks—the kind that switches it's shit out with massive blowout sales every few months. He really means to get her the bracelet. It's classy; he can buy her more charms for her birthday, but the kiosk sign says Customizable Necklaces – Great Deals! and Oscar gets an idea.

"Oye, compa," he says, the dude manning the stand brown and bored-looking. "How much for a name?" and grins, just a little bit, when he hears it.

Once they get home, he tells Cesar not to ruin the surprise.