Antonio’s POV
Shit! How do I walk into the kitchen with a whole cake? I clearly didn’t think this through. I put the card Mike gave me under my pillow. I’ll read it at night and imagine him writing it. So that just left me with the cake in hand. It smelled heavenly. I think I remember this bakery once when Ms. Bella bought some croissants from there. From my memory, they’re really good.
Think! What can I say to make up an excuse as to why I have a cake in my room. Ms. Bella! I can just say that Ms. Bella gave me the cake and I put it in my room cause then someone would’ve eaten it. Still angry at Rafa for eating my pan dulce when he came over one time.
“Antonio!” Manny entered my room. “Everyone is waiting for you.” He said. He looked at the pink box in my hand. “¿De dónde sacaste ese pastel? (Where did you get that cake from?)” He asked. He raised an eyebrow and kept looking at the box like I was holding a bomb.
“Uh, Ms. Bella gave it to me earlier.” I told him, lying through my teeth.
“And why is it in your room?” He asked, clearly not wanting to let this go.
“Cause you or Rafa would’ve eaten it!” I snapped.
“O-Okay. Vamos. They’re waiting for us at the kitchen.” Manny said. He took the cake in his hand and we walked to see everyone who came for me.
No one questioned that I just brought out a cake from my room. We all just ate. Later that night, I read the card and cried a bit at the words. Mike really loves me. I can feel his emotions through the card. His words danced in black ink. I’d rather not say what the card said. Some things are better left unheard.
A few days later, fall was in full swing. You can feel it from the cool breeze blowing through the town. The leaves were now painted in orange, red, and yellow. And one of Newport’s best attractions, the apple orchard, had now opened.
It recently opened but entry is expensive. And Manny refuses to go because he can just go to the store and buy apples there. It’s not about the apples! It’s the experience!
At school, I zipped up my jacket and entered the bathroom. I went inside one of the stalls and waited for my lover. It’s kind of a tradition that Mike and I meet in the bathroom when no one is here and have small talks and kisses.
The bathroom door opened and the lock turned.
“Ant?” His sexy voice whispered. I got out of the stall and saw him standing there. He ran towards me and picked me up in a tight hug. “That sweater looks so adorable on you!” He said and gave me a tight hug.
“Ya think? It was my dad’s.” I said.
“Yes. And you’ll need it again soon.” He told me, with an ounce of excitement in his voice. This man has something up his sleeve. “For the orchard. I wanna take you.” He assured me.
“You sure? Aren’t there going to be people there?” I asked. He chuckled a bit.
“My love, you forget that I can buy the whole orchard if I wanted to. Trust me,” He leaned closer again. “No one will be there.” He said.
“What time?” I asked, excited for a once in a lifetime experience. This is going to be epic!
“¿A dónde vas? (Where are you going?)” Manny asked when I was getting ready to meet Mike. I was putting on my sweater and exiting the house. I didn’t expect to see Manny on the couch. I was betting on him being at the Hub or in his room.
“I promised Senora Bella that I would her with her… toaster!” I quickly lied. Manny just returned to tying a bandage around his palm. I would ask but it’s not the first time I’ve seen him covered in blood.
“That lady…” He sneered. “Alright. Be back before sunset. Or I’m sending a search party.” He said. I guess I’m not getting any guards since right now it seems that gang activity has been down because of the upcoming fight.
I looked around, making sure no one was following me. None. So I walked down and entered the alley where Mike’s car is. I hopped in his red Buick and kissed Mike.
“Ready?” He asked.
“Always.” I said. I put on some shades and a hat to cover myself.
We reached a fairly rural area within town limits. Mike and I talked, where I asked him about the fight. He said Jack told him about it but doesn’t think it’s a good idea. Both Mike and I agreed that we’ll try to find ways to stop the fight. It sounds optimistic, but really, we don’t want anyone to die or worse.
“Apples!” I pointed out. We passed several orchards. Red balls hung from the branches.
“Ready to go apple picking?” Mike asked. I nodded and we both exited the car. True to his words, the whole orchard was empty. We made sure to walk the long way to the edge of the field and picked apples there.
I wish I had a camera on me. It would be great to have these memories solidified for me to remember. If I ever lose Mike, I want to remember what he gave me.
“Are we allowed to eat these right now?” I asked. I held a really huge and plump apple in my hands.
“I don’t see why not.” Mike said. I bit the apple and reached it out to him. He bit it and we began to kiss with tongue.
We dropped our baskets and just enveloped each other into a kiss. Mike’s hands began to roam my body. We’ve only ever exchanged kisses. His hands are melting my skin, in a good way, and radiating a haze of warmth.
His hands were cautious when he reached my buttocks. Like he was hesitant to touch me. I grabbed his right hand that was behind me and gripped it tight.
“Stop being a gentleman.” I said and planted his hand on my ass. I went back to kissing him and he began to grip my ass. I groaned and moaned and wondered about this newfound lust.
“We need to get home.” Mike was flustered from grabbing me.
“That was fun.” I panted and caught my breath from the heated make out. I carried our apples in my hand. We got a lot. I bet I can ask Dolores to make something with these.
“I guess this was our second date.” He said. He began to drive the car.
“Best second date.” I said.
Mike dropped me off at home. I walked into the living room to Manny and Dolores talking. They stopped when I walked in.
“¿De dónde sacaste esas manzanas? (Where did you get those apples from?)” Manny asked, crossing his arms over his chest and watched my every move.
“Ms. Bella.” I lied again. I quickly ran to my room and laid in bed. I feel guilty for lying to Manny about my whereabouts. If I’m ever hurt or killed, he wouldn’t know because I lied about where I am. Is this who I am? A liar. Am I being selfish for being ignorant of Mike’s and I’s impossible love?
If so, I know they'll be consequences to my actions. I just hope they'll be tame.
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hi! hope your day is good! i have a new story out. check out 'honeysuckle' now available. but fair trigger warning cause the story gets dark at some points.
bye! i love you all!
<3