Antonio's POV
The sky was cloudy. There's something about rain that absolutely makes me feel comfortable. The cold and pelting of rain while at the same time getting the chance to huddle up with warmth.
"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Dolores put on her coat and hoped I would change my mind.
"Nah. I'm good. You guys go. I'll hold the fort down." I said, trying hard not to smile because of my true intentions.
Manny told me that he's taking Dolores to meet our extended family that lives south of us in another city. He wants to "show her off" and also secretly tell them that he plans on marrying her. This got me excited. I consider Dolores to be kinda like another mom. She came into our lives a year after mama and papa died. She'll never replace my real mama, but at least she's a positive influence on my life.
She met Manny when he protected her from an attack from the Jewels. Since then, they've been together. Of course, I sometimes wish they would get another house because I can't stand their special nights.
"Antonio!" Manny called for me. I entered their room and saw him put on dad's coat. He looks so much like him. Manny turned to me and handed me a $20 bill. "Use this only for emergencies." He said. I took the dollar, planning on not doing that.
"Are you really planning on marrying her?" I whispered to him. He looked down the hall. I joined too and we saw Dolores carrying a wrench and fixing the door.
"She's my amor, 'manito. Of course I will. Y un día, encontrarás una nina chingona para casarte. (And one day, you'll find a badass girl to marry.)" He turned and put on some cologne. If only he knew.
"Can you tell the Guard not to look after me?" I asked. Manny wants the Guard to constantly check up on me when I told him I want to stay home alone.
"Antonio. You know I can't do that. With the fight coming up, it's too dangerous." He tried to reason.
"Por favor, Manny. I promise if anything happens I'll run to the Hub and use the gun there."
"How do you know about the gun?" He asked. He forgets that I'm sometimes in his meetings too. "Very well. If you want to be alone, I'll do it. But I'll be sending Rafa to check on you every few hours. Okay?" He asked
Seems like a reasonable deal. "I understand."
"Adios, Toni!" They yelled from the car. I waved at them as they drove down the street. I'll be seeing them in about a week.
There's a much bigger reason why I wanted to stay home. I told Manny I wanted to stay home because I have a ton of school work and needed to visit Ms. Bella. However, while those are true, there's a bigger reason.
Did you guess it? It's Mike. With Manny and Dolores gone and the Guard not watching me 24/7, Mike could come over. I told him everything. All he has to do is finish his daily tasks and then he'll come over.
Rafa is going to be coming over occasionally. I'll just have to hide Mike when he does come over. And pray no one finds him
As soon as they left, I rushed inside and closed the door. I locked the windows and ran around the house to fix everything. I adjusted the blankets and used a damn feather duster. I know Mike comes from money. The Lexington family has a long line of having money and power.
But sometimes, Mike talks about wanting to have a normal dinner with his family. Instead, they make up for lost time by giving him free reign of their money. Hence why he is able to buy so much stuff and spoil me.
I'm just a little glad that he has someone else to give his attention and love to besides himself. I can't make up for his parents, but I can love him and be there with him. Even if we have to hide, I'll hold his hand from a distance.
I still get small shivers when I think back to the Halloween dance. When my hand was sliding down his body and I was so close to touching him in new places. And Mike was a willing participant, allowing me to do what I badly wanted to do. I am a bit grateful that Dina walked in because I don't think I want to have my first where my art teacher eats last night's meatloaf.
An hour went by and already I'm bored. Rafa came by just to see me quickly. I had nothing to hide so the check in went smoothly. But then I got hungry. I ate breakfast only two hours before they left. Being bored just makes me hungry.
Dolores cooked some food for me to eat for lunch and dinner but I decided I'll make some myself and save that for later. I figured I could cook something from Dolores' cook book. I searched through and saw a fairly easy recipe for lasagna.
It took a while for the pasta dough to be made. I never knew it was this hard. And I almost cut my finger off when I was cutting vegetables. Cooking is literally killing me!
As I passed by the bathroom, I heard the all too familiar taps on the window. Happiness swept through me. I ran into my room and opened the window and was met with Mike looking up at me with a huge smile on his face.
"Mike!" I excitedly said to him. He climbed the rock and was face to face with me.
"Ant!" He said back with the same enthusiasm. We exchanged a kiss before I stepped aside and let him come into my room for the first time.
"Is this where you sleep?" He asked, pointing to my bed.
"Every night." I responded. He looked around my room. There was no judgment from his exploration. He knows he comes from money and knows I don't have money. Thankfully, it seems like he's enjoying looking at my stuff.
He picked up my books and scanned the pages. "It makes sense you have so many books in here." He said.
"What can I say, I like to read."
He then laid on my bed and stared at the ceiling. "Mmm. Comfy." He sighed. Just then, the oven dinged. Mike jumped at the sound.
"Ooh! The lasagna's ready!" I made my way to the door before I remembered about my boyfriend. "Wanna join me?" I asked.
"I am pretty hungry." He stood up and I grabbed his hand and led him to the kitchen table. I sat him where Manny sits. If Manny could see who's in his chair, he would flip his ass off.
I set us both a plate and utensils. The lasagna was, I would say, perfect. I just hope it tastes good for Mike. It's no five-star meal but it's home cooked with love.
"Dinner's here." I came to the table and set a piece for Mike.
"Thanks, honey." He responded. His hand trailed down to my ass and he lightly grabbed it. It's almost like we're wife and husband.
"Mike! Eat your food!" I said before I served myself. I said a small prayer before we ate and dove into our food.
Dinner was perfect. After going on three dates with Mike in different places, it's nice for us to finally have a moment in a location of comfort. I can show Mike the home I grew up in. The memories I have here. The times I ran down the hall refusing to go to the doctor. The couch where I found out my parent's died. And the room where I grew up in (and was birthed in).
"If things were different, I would've enjoyed eating your cooking everyday." Mike reached out for my hand across the table.
"Your touchiness is something I enjoy." I said to him. "Would you like to watch a movie?" I asked. He nodded yes, thankful I get some cuddles from him.
We sat together on the couch. It's not the best place to sit, but better than the floor. I felt the rain begin to hit the window outside. It started with light taps but really began to pour within a few seconds.
I let Mike choose the movie since he was the guest. It didn't matter as long as Mike's huge frame gets to hug me from behind. He snuggled into him. His arm extended and hugged my waist, bringing me closer to his chest. He sniffed my hair, his breath tickling my head.
"That tickles." I giggled. His hands began to roam my body.
"You're so perfect." He said. His lips traveled to my neck leaving small pecks.
"I sometimes feel like you're deprived of emotional contact." I joked.
"A little, but I get my fixes from you." He responded. I felt his hand begin to slip under my shirt. He's hesitant to go further. I turned to my left and nodded a yes. His warm hand slipped and touched my skin.
"Mmm." I moaned. It's a hot trail he leaves behind on my skin. He circled his fingers in some spots.
His palm then planted on my abs. He left them there. "I wanna watch this scene." He said. I couldn't concentrate because of the fact that his palm is touching my bare chest. My body began to get excited.
Thank God Manny and Dolores are gone. Maybe I can get lucky this day.
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bye bye!
<3