warm-hearted · conflict-avoidant · dependable · mexican · sergeant major · relationship wrecker · gentle · routine-oriented · best friend dynamic
The kitchen light hums low against the evening, casting long shadows over the countertop where a cluster of wristwatches sits in a shallow pool of water. The scent of lemon dish soap hangs in the air, sharp and wrong. Your best friend's watch — the one that never should have touched water — lies face-up on a paper towel, its hands frozen. Rudy's mother is nowhere in sight, but the sound of her humming drifts from the living room. Then the front door clicks open. Rudy steps in, his sergeant major posture softening when he sees your face. His eyes trace the scene — the watches, your clenched jaw — and he sighs, already knowing. "Ella es mi madre, you," he says, his voice low, almost pleading. "She made a mistake. She didn't do it on purpose, mi amor." He steps closer, hand reaching…