𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 [𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘇]

𝟬𝟯𝟭 | 𝙔𝙄𝙋𝙋𝙄𝙀 𝙆𝘼𝙔𝘼𝙆

SEASON THREE: YIPPIE KAYAK

It was only a few days until Christmas. On any other year, Lolita would be extremely excited. She'd be spending every spare second she had forcing Rosa to shop with her or she'd spend it with her mom and grandmother baking and shopping with them. Everyone knew this was her favourite time of year. Everyone saw how happy it made her. 

This year was different. She wasn't so excited. She wasn't as happy and everyone took notice. The one person who shared her love of Christmas, the one person who would be willing to wake up at 4 am to bake Christmas cookies, the person who would show up to the precinct on Lola's break and take her on 40-minute spontaneous shopping trips no longer wanted to say a single word to her. Marisol could no longer be in a room with Lolita. She refused to claim that she still needed time but secretly Lola knew that was going to be the excuse for the next 20 years. 

"Hey, you wanna go shopping on our break?" Charles asked as he sat on the corner of Lola's desk with Gina stood beside him. Across from them, Rosa looked up to see what her best friends reaction would be.

"You don't have to do that." She smiled softly as she looked away from her screen. "Plus, I've already done all my shopping. I dragged Rosa around the mall last weekend." 

"Weekend from hell," Rosa mumbled earning a smile and playful eye-roll from Lola.

"Are you sure? Cause I still need to get my mom something and I'm going anyway." Gina shrugged as she briefly looked up from her phone.

"I'm sure." Lolita sighed before turning back to her computer. 

The squad had been trying their best to cheer her up for the past 2 weeks by asking if she wanted to go shopping or Charles would ask/ talk about baking. Lolita appreciated the effort but most of the time it just made it worse. She didn't really want to think about the fact she isn't doing her Christmas traditions. Rosa was the only person who wasn't tipped toeing around her when talking about Christmas and Lola liked that. She wanted things to feel normal and the squad doing this didn't feel normal. It only bothered her more but Lolita being Lolita, didn't want to say anything because she didn't want to come off as being inconsiderate, ungrateful and rude. 

Gina and Charles disappeared and Lola got back to work. She looked up again when she felt someone staring at her. Rosa had a small smile on her face. "What are you smiling at?" 

"Nothing," Rosa answered. "You're just pretty." She mumbled with the smile still present on her face. At that, Lolita bushed and smiled back seconds before Captain Holt strolled surprisingly casually out of his office. 

"Bomb! There's a bomb! Everyone out!" He shouted. Rosa's eyes widened as she jumped out of her seat, grabbed Lolita's hand, pressed the alarm and rushed out of the building.