A/N: Sooo, the newest episodes reignited my love for this psycho and this is what came of it. I have another part to this in mind and I think y'all will really like what's coming next :D
Again, I used Google Translate for the Spanish, so pls don't hate me if I butchered it.
The day hadn't started out as ideal - being late wasn't something that Olivia was used to. She'd always been punctual.
Always.
Granted, she'd never had to fight for sleep by... doing what she did last night - at least not since her awkward college years when she was too shy to speak to anyone of the opposite sex.
Her cheeks burned at the memory of her writhing just hours before and she removed the glasses from her nose, scrubbing her hands over her tired eyes.
She'd only known the man for a couple of weeks - and she'd only really talked to him twice for a few moments, but she couldn't get the distinctive charm of Lalo Salamanca out of her mind.
She'd never had anyone dominate her thoughts as he had been of late. She was eager to see him again - she found herself yearning for his banter.
That man and his damn crazy shirts.
She sighed and got back to grading the rest of her student's spelling tests, once again losing herself in her own thoughts, when her phone began to buzz inside the drawer of her desk.
The rattling noise caught the attention of her students and they all paused and watched her with curious eyes. Some looked around for the source of the noise while others knew exactly what that offending noise was.
"I think that's your phone, Miss Andrews," one of the girls from the front row called through her hands that were now cupped around her mouth. Almost as if she needed to yell to make the teacher aware. "Are you going to answer it?"
"Kaylee, please use your inside voice, there's no need to yell," Olivia scolded her gently. A mumbled sorry was the reply and Olivia gave her a thumbs up before she opened the desk drawer and plucked her phone from the stack of papers that rested inside.
Casa Tranquila
505-242-1854
Olivia frowned and put a single finger in the air, capturing the attention of all the children who then followed her next action and she brought her finger to her lips - engaging them seemed to keep their eyes on her. "Okay, class, you know the drill. We're going to have quiet time until I take this call, right? I'm going to be just on the other side of the door if you need me."
The children nodded, some with their fingers still pressed against their lips.
Now vibrating in her hand, the phone kept buzzing and buzzing until finally she stepped outside the classroom and answered.
"Hello?"
The speaker on the other line cleared their throat. "Miss Andrews?"
"Yes, this is she," the teacher answered.
"Hello this is Barry from Casa Tranquila. A few weeks ago your class took a field trip to our facility and it seems like one of the residents has been missing her mug since. Now, normally we would just replace it, but it seems that this particular mug is important to the resident. We were just calling to ensure that something hadn't been taken during your trip." The man's voice was calm, kind even. He wasn't accusing, simply stating a fact.
"Oh, okay."
The man rattled off some of the features the cup was said to have and Olivia mentally noted them. Hearts, white background and a small chip on the bottom of it - easy. "I'll bring it by if we're able to find it."
"Thank you, ma'am."
"Of course." She flipped the phone back together and peeked back through the little window in her classroom's door. She felt pride watching the little hands of her class scribble their answers on the papers she'd handed out.
They all were hard at work, just like they were supposed to be.
All except for one student who looked at Olivia with wide, anxious eyes.
It was Derrick Hamilton - not one that she'd expect to steal from the facility, but she had a feeling that he was her guy if the nearly audible gulp was anything to go by.
She stepped back into the classroom and motioned Derrick to come to sit at her desk with her. The child sat in the chair she had beside her own - the one the kids would use if they needed to express their "big feelings".
Derrick wiggled against the cushioned chair and wrung his hands in his lap as he looked at her with what she could only describe as textbook puppy dog eyes.
Yep, he was definitely the culprit.
"Do you know why I called you up, Derrick?" Olivia asked, dipping her head to meet his eyes. The little boy shook his head quickly. "Well, it had something to do with my phone call. It seems like one of the residents we got to sing to is kind of sad."
The little boy blinked up at her. "Sad?"
She nodded. "Yeah. The nice man at the front desk said that ever since our trip the resident had been looking for her favorite mug in the whole world, but they can't seem to find it."
"Oh," Derrick said quietly. "Is it a special mug?"
"It is," Olivia confirmed. "Very special. It was one of the last presents from the resident's husband. She loves that mug a whole lot."
Derrick's shoulders slumped and he stopped fidgeting with his hands. "I didn't mean to make her sad."
"Of course. You're a sweet kid," the teacher smiled at him. "Do you think you'd be able to help me find the mug for her? I think she'd really like to have it back."
"I know where it is." Derrick slid off the chair and slowly walked back to his seat and unzipped his backpack. He glanced back to Olivia and then smiled, holding the mug up for her to see.
He walked carefully back to her desk, clutching the cup as if it were a priceless treasure. "Are you going to take it back to the old lady?"
Olivia nodded. "I think she'd like to have it back, don't you?"
"Yeah," he agreed. "When I saw the cup it reminded me of my mom. When she writes the notes for my lunch she always draws hearts at the bottom," he told her and pointed to the hearts that decorated the mug. "Just like these."
Olivia's heart clenched at his sweet words. "Oh, Derrick. How's this, I'll bring a cup that I think looks like this and you can take that one to your mom. Next time, if you want to know if you can have something ask an adult first, okay?"
"Okay," he said. "Tell the old lady I'm sorry."
The rest of the evening went by without incident and at the end of the day, Olivia packed her things into her bag and headed to the nursing home.
She parked beside a black car, one she thought looked a little too fast for her taste, and grabbed the mug. She opened the door and gave the man at the counter an apology on behalf of her student.
"Sorry for the inconvenience," Olivia said quietly, not wanting to disrupt the seniors. "You know how kids are..."
The man nodded, his eyes half-lidded. "Doris will be happy to have this back. Thanks for bringing it, it was very considerate of you."
Olivia gave him a small smile and the man leaned against the counter, taking in the neckline of the sundress she wore.
She swallowed, suddenly uncomfortable with the attention, and looked around, anywhere but him.
She glanced over a group of seniors in the facility, her eyes moving over checkerboards, games of cards, and then... a bell. Her neck stretched a bit further without her even realizing, searching for one man in particular, and she flushed as the same eyes from the night before bore into her own.
Lalo.
"Ah, Tio, perdóneme." It was as if his was the only voice in the room - almost booming over the mindless chatter of the man at the counter.
He rose from his chair and walked toward her - if walking could even describe the way he moved. It was almost like he had her frozen to the spot, his gait somewhere between a swagger and a dance. He stopped just in front of her, holding his hand out for her own, "Profesora de Canto, how nice it is to see you again."
"Mr. Salamanca," she greeted, smiling when the hand she gave him was brought to his lips. "You seem to be popping up more and more lately."
He chuckled before he kissed her knuckles. "Well, how am I to stay away, hermosa."
"I don't know Spanish," Olivia confessed. Her cheeks threatened to catch fire when he chuckled again and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
She mentally cursed, knowing that if a look and some flirty words were enough to rile her up while she was alone she didn't know what was going to become of her thoughts now. She didn't have to imagine his touch anymore, it was very clearly there. "Care to translate?"
"Allow me to walk you to your car," Lalo countered, guiding her toward the door. He shot a look at the man behind the counter before he opened the door and led Olivia out.
Once outside he placed a hand on her lower back and she swore she could feel nothing more than the heat that blossomed from the place his hand rested so casually.
"So, mi amore, what is it that keeps dragging you to this place? The atmosphere? The conversation? The company?"
"A mug this time," she admitted. "One of my students seems to have a case of the sticky fingers. Though the company seems to be quite... pleasant today."
"Ahh, yes," Lalo smirked and nodded, "some people are much more enjoyable to be around than others, no?" He squinted and looked out over the parking lot. "Should I guess which car is yours?"
Olivia encouraged him with a chuckle. "Sure, if you think you can."
"I would be able to spot your car before you could find mine," he shrugged, his hand pressing more firmly against her, sliding just a bit lower. It stole the breath from her and she responded with an airy huff.
Lalo looked amused. "You don't think so?'
She shook her head, scattering the tantalizing thoughts in her mind. "I'd just have to look for the most flashy vehicle here if your shirts are any indication."
"Hm, speaking of our clothing," his voice was just a bit lower now, "you look..."
Olivia felt the sun dance across her shoulders and chest, warming her even further. It fueled her ego to have him look at her the way he was - or was that her imagination too?
She didn't give herself time to question it, she simply let the thoughts flow from her lips. "Mhmm, and how do I look?"
"Very... alluring. I like the glasses," Lalo eyed her before he pointed to a golden-colored, very clearly not hers, car. "That yours?"
Olivia's eyes slid from his and she sputtered. "C'mon, do I look like I'm fighting for my spot in the retirement home?"
"Definitely not," he responded honestly, a hint of delight in his voice. "There was something I'd hoped to ask of you, however. About having dinner with me."
"Oh yeah," she prompted and continued to walk in the direction of her car. "And if I were to say yes where is it you'd take me?"
"My home, of course," Lalo responded easily. "I want to cook for you."
Olivia's eyes lit up. "You cook?"
"Of course," he laughed. "I'm a Salamanca, cooking is in our blood."
"I'm glad it's in someone's. I can't cook at all," she told him, finally stopping at her car. Lalo leaned against the hood of it, looking as confident as ever.
She leaned beside of him, their legs almost pressed together, the heat from his body warming her body all over again.
Lalo took this as her acceptance. "I'll see you tomorrow evening then?"
"Okay," she agreed. "Tomorrow it is."
