Narrator-

After that adventurous encounter, Frantz scolded himself for almost slipping up and losing his control. When he walked away from her, his body begged him to turn right back around and finish what he started. Liliana wanted him as much as he wanted her. But from the very start of their relationship, she made her limit known to him. And he vowed to respect it no matter what. He knew that teasing Lili wouldn't make things any easier. But he was always tempted by her. Any little thing she did, and he was aroused. If she spoke he couldn't stop looking at her lips, when she walked he admired the shape of her body with every stride, and when she was unaware of his eyes, he studied her habits, whether it was the way she smiled while reading her books, or the way she nibbled her lip when she was anxious. Everything about Lili had him on edge.

When he boarded the plane and saw her back to him, the next thing he knew he was standing behind her. He also admired the fact that she always dressed modestly. She kept him guessing, and the longer he waited, the sweeter he knew the reward would be. Frantz was somewhat thankful that he had to wait. At least his relationship could actually mature, and if he were to fall in love with Liliana, it would be for who she was, not for her body. Though he couldn't wait to have her body.

After scolding himself, Frantz figured he needed to ease on the whole teasing thing, or else he'd be driven mad with want and lust, and the last thing he wanted to do was drive Liliana away or hurt her. Frantz told himself that he just had to take it easy.

Meanwhile in the kitchenette, Liliana thanked the man upstairs for Frantz's control, because had he not pulled away, she sure would've gone all the way. Lili never knew when Frantz would surprise her this way, but she found that the more he did so, the harder she was finding it to resist the urge of just giving herself up to him. But Lilian knew she was stronger than that. She just had to hold her ground. She knew that Frantz would never force her to do anything she wasn't ready to, and he wouldn't let her forget her promise either, and for that she was grateful.

After gathering her wits, Lili managed to go through her pre-departure routine without a hitch, but that's what worried Liliana. The trip back to the states was awfully quiet, and when they landed, for once Frantz didn't invite her to his house, nor did he taunt her in the car. The car ride was also quiet, he only kissed her swiftly when Armagio pulled up to her house, and then he left.

His behavior caused Liliana to frown, as she began to worry that her luck had ran out with Frantz. She could tell he was sexually frustrated, and maybe he was now tired of waiting for her. Liliana entered her home as she swallowed a lump in her throat. She didn't want to think it... but was Frantz going to break up with her?

Lili followed the routine of calling her parents, then she headed for a shower. She figured by the time she was done, Frantz would've called her to let her know that he was home, but the call never came.

She knew it was late and maybe he was tired, but from the moment they started dating, not a night went by he didn't call her. Even if they had spent the evening together, he always called her. It was past 1:00 AM and still no call. Liliana began to grow worried. Hoping that Frantz was okay, she scurried to dial his number and waited in anticipation for him to answer.

One ring, two rings, three rings... no answer.

With every ring, Liliana felt her heart beat a little faster. She felt her heart beat so strong, her body pulsed with the rhythm. She bit her nails anxiously, her palms running moist with sweat.

Frantz didn't answer until the seventh ring.

"Hello?" He responded, his voice groggy, and Liliana felt her heart breathe in relief.

"Hey? Are you okay?" Liliana asked, the worry in her voice evident as she frowned and finally allowed herself to sit down.

"Uh yeah, yeah, I'm okay." Frantz replied, and now Lili felt her worry for his health swap with the worry for the future of their relationship. His tone was not as warm and loving as usual. No... this time it was distant and strange.

"Oh..." Lili answered disheartened, "it's just cause you didn't call to let me know you were home, so I was worried..." Liliana trailed off, not having the need to explain her actions to Frantz in a while, and it kind of felt alien now, unsettling even, and her hand slightly shook with the phone.

"No I'm alright. I was just really tired, I got home and showered, and fell asleep. I'm sorry for worrying you." Frantz answered, and Liliana gulped again before she nodded and said "okay, well I'll let you rest, have a good night."

"Thanks." Frantz replied softly.

"I love you." Liliana blurted before her eyes widened, and she slapped a palm against her mouth. Oh no.

For a moment the phone was quiet on the other end, and Liliana could feel her heart break piece by piece, with every second spent in silent. Liliana waited for his answer with a hot head. The more she waited, the louder her breath became to her ears, and the more her hands shook and quivered with the phone.

"Um, I have to go." Frantz said quietly, and Lili closed her eyes, her heart plummeting to the ground and shattering into a milling tiny pieces, while two tears rolled down her cheeks as the line beeped, signaling the end of the call.

Oh she was a fool. A complete and utter fool. An absolute idiot.

Liliana began to beat herself up, as she pondered, what the heck was she thinking?

'I love you'?!

Liliana mocked herself. She was a fool alright, and now her stupid tears wouldn't stop flowing.

Why the heck was she crying for anyways? She brought this on herself. Why did she say that to Frantz? Now of all times? Something was obviously wrong with him, and it had to do with her, or else he wouldn't be acting so distant. And she could only guess one reason as to why he acted this way. The sudden change in attitude came about after their encounter this morning.

Liliana shook her head, dejected and disappointed, as she placed her head in her hands and began to sob. Here we go again. Her relationship was about to be ruined because of her choice to remain abstinent until marriage.

In that moment, Liliana felt her insecurities sneer her way, as if saying 'I told you so', meanwhile her subconscious was telling her to stop jumping to conclusions. Lili didn't know what to think except that she was an idiot.

Picking her tired shoulders up, Liliana headed to bed where she curled into a ball and allowed her tears to run quietly. Her head was already pounding with a headache, and her clogged nose made her even more miserable. She was an idiot. As she wallowed in self pity, Liliana began to reminisce on her best moments with Frantz.

After their first date in his apartment, he took her on a more formal date, where he picked her up in a fancy convertible, and brought her to a restaurant by the beach. After dinner, they walked on the beach hand in hand. They spoke for hours, they chased each other along the beach, and they sat together and watched the sun set. There wasn't a moment during that date that Liliana wasn't smiling.

The next date he took her to the movies, and the one after that, he took her shopping. Liliana barely bought anything, but it felt great dragging Frantz to all her favorite stores, but she avoided the intimate stores on purpose. Every date, Frantz surprised her with something. He was the total package. A gentleman. But he was also a man. A man with wants. A man with needs.

Often enough Liliana felt bad for forcing Frantz to wait. She knew he was an experienced man, and she could only imagine his pain, but she had to remain true to herself. Every night Liliana prayed for resistance on her part, and more patience on Frantz's part. He never forced her, he never went further than a kiss, and if they went past kissing, Liliana often initiated the action, but he always stopped himself from going any further. Liliana knew that he was doing his best to help her keep her promise, but it didn't hurt to pray that he hadn't run out of patience.

The more time Liliana spent with him, the more he grew on her.

Liliana had been wanting to tell Frantz she loved him for a while now. And when she realized she loved him, it has shocked her to the core. But she remembers it like it was yesterday.

Lili had just returned from a trip with the Dunns, and Mr. Cavalier picked her up himself. He met her at the airport with a bouquet of flowers and a longing kiss, then he asked her if she was too tired for a surprise. Liliana didn't refuse, she was never too tired for Frantz. Frantz drove them to his house, where he had dinner prepared, and he cooked it himself. As she ate the delicious meal, she often caught Frantz looking at her. Lili had giggled and asked him what happened, but instead of giving a direct answer, he simply shrugged and told her to wait until after dinner.

He asked her about her trip and created causal conversation until they were both done with dinner. Then he led her to sit in the living room. Until then, Liliana's nerves continued to build up. She could barely sit still and wait for his surprise, and almost jumped up to ask him what the surprise was. When Frantz noticed her knee began to bounce, and she started biting her lips in anticipation, he laughed and finally excused himself. He returned with a black photo album, and sat next to Liliana, telling her that he needed to show her something.

*Flashback*

Liliana-

"What is it?" I asked giggling nervously, and Frantz looked at me with a smile as he sighed and explained, "I've never shown this to anyone before."

"Is it a picture of you as a naked baby?" I joked, trying to lighten the mood, though I could feel the intensity from his eyes boiling in my abdomen.

"Well there are plenty of those," He laughed, but then he added, "but that's not the main reason why I'm showing you this," then he began flipping through a few pages until he found the desired section.

He drew a deep breath, then released it in a shaky, nervous manner.

Unsure of what he was feeling, I placed my hand on his, and squeezed it, hoping it was comforting, and he looked at me and smiled before he cleared his throat and said, "um, I'd like you to meet my brother." Then he showed me the picture.

In this small photo, baby Frantz with a head full of curly hair, sat while a smaller boy, with a similar face and hair sat on baby Frantz's lap, while baby Frantz cradled him in his arms.

The boys looked so happy in the picture. They were both smiling from ear to ear, with their white shirts and shorts. The next picture, baby Frantz and his brother were in a boat with Mr. Cavalier. The boys were bathed in sunscreen, and Frantz laughed when I pointed at his facial expression in the photo. Then the next picture displayed Mariella embracing both boys as they all smiled towards the camera.

"This was our last photo taken together." Frantz explained, then he sniffled, his eyes becoming red as he explained, "I barely remember the details, but the next day he woke up with a fever, by the evening he was worse, pale, throwing up. My parents brought him to the hospital, and he never returned."

I watched him with a sorrowful frown. A lone tear had escaped his eyes, but I wiped it away quickly as I said, "I'm sorry."

He chuckled with a short sob, then shook his head as he grabbed my hand and kissed it, "It's okay."

He kissed my hand again, and I brought my lips to his left cheek which was now also wet. He held me close, and I intertwined our fingers together. He closed his eyes, his final tears shedding, and I continued to leave soft kisses against his cheek. When I pulled away, I wiped his face with my hands, then I held his face and brought his eyes to mine.

"What was his name?" I asked, knowing he needed this release, and he sighed shakily, blinking his beautiful brown eyes and long eyelashes which I envied, as he declared, "Franco, his name was Franco." He exhaled, and I nodded as I said "Okay," Then I kissed him.

I kissed him as if my life depended on it.

In that moment, as I squeezed his face, and his tears met mine, I knew it.

I had fallen in love with Mr. Cavalier.

*End of Flashback*

Liliana-

From that moment, I had tried to find the right opportunity to tell him, but no time ever felt right. And now, out of fear of losing him, I said it recklessly, with desperation. But I didn't feel any relief. In fact, my fear had now tripled.

What if I scared him away? I wanted to face palm myself over and over again. Or maybe knock my forehead against a hard surface until skin bruised. I was actually in pain. Deep, in the darkest pits of my chest where my heart thrummed beneath my skin, the pain pulsed and throbbed. But I didn't notice that my tears had ran dry, until I felt my eyes burning every time I attempted to blink. Oh, I was a fool alright.

Narrator-

Across town, Frantz now sat in bed, perplexed and bewildered all at once. He blinked multiple times though his eyes focused on nothing in particular. And aside for the echoing thud of his heart, all he heard was Liliana's voice in his ears.

Liliana said she loved him. She loved him.

It had been a while since he heard those words from a woman. Heck the last woman he heard that from, aside from his mother, betrayed him.

How many times had Christina declared those exact same words, yet it didn't stop her from betraying him.

Frantz felt that he needed to be careful now. He knew that he had shared some secrets with Liliana, which meant that their relationship had entered a new phase. But if he figured if anyone was going to proclaim their love first, it was going to be him. He never expected Liliana to make the first move. And now that she did... he didn't know how to handle it.

Now fully awake, Frantz wasn't sure what to do. So as if second nature, he threw on a shirt, then hurried out of his suite. He knew that Armagio was sleeping at this hour, and didn't bother to wake him. Instead Frantz headed to the underground garage where he chose one of his cars and drove out into the night, needing to clear his head, with no real destination in mind. Frantz would just let his thoughts lead him.

When Mariella heard the front door close, but she noted her husband sleeping soundly next to her, she was fully alert. The entire staff should've been asleep by now, so Mariella couldn't imagine who would be at the door at this hour. Nonetheless, curiosity got the best of her, and unless she figured out who the culprit was, she wasn't going back to sleep, so she quietly left the bed, making sure to not disturb her husband, and slipping on her slippers, she quietly made her way out of the room and down the stairs.

She appeared at the top banister, and looked towards the front door, and it was shut. Not bothering to turn on the lights, she gripped the railing, and began descending the stairs. Once she was downstairs, Mariella noted that the main corridor was dark, except for one light which shone from the kitchen. Taking off one of her slippers, she firmly gripped it in her hand, before securing her robe, and began to make her way towards the kitchen silently. As she got closer, she heard what sounded like a crystal glass hitting the counter, then the sound of pouring liquor, then silence. So having heard enough, with one last step, she entered the kitchen ready to throw her shoe only to find her son leaning against the counter as he gulped back a glass of liquor before placing it down on the counter.

"Frantz? What are you doing?" Mariella breathed out, as she placed her sandal down and wore it on her foot, while breathing in relief, yet slightly apprehensive about her son's unexpected visit.

"Mamma? How did you know I was here? I was so quiet... Did I disturb you?" Frantz asked, his brow furrowing, as his mother began approaching him.

"Frantz you know I'm a light sleeper, any little noise and I'm awake. What I'm wondering is why you're awake? You only landed a few hours ago, I though you'd be tired and in bed by now." Mariella noted with a frown, as she touched her son's cheek, then his forehead to make sure he was alright. Frantz let her do that without protesting.

"I was," Frantz replied when Mariella stepped away, pleased that her son appeared well physically, "I mean I am, I just-" Frantz took a breath before he revealed, "she said she loved me ma."

And Mariella drew in a breath. She didn't have to guess who Frantz was talking about, as she said "ah," and nodded slowly. Mariella studied her son's posture, and noticed the troubled twinkle in his eyes. And she knew, "and you love her too, but you're afraid to say it."

Frantz chose to not reply. Instead he filled his cup again, but before he could gulp it down, Mariella grabbed it from his hand and drank it herself in one gulp, then she looked at her son, "I see. Come, let's talk about it." She invited, placing the glass back on the counter, then she lead him to a sitting nook a few steps from the dining area, while Mariella thought in her mind, it was going to be a long night.

_________________________________________

Hey guys!

Alright, before y'all come for me about this chapter, I just have to say that it was necessary, and you'll see why soon.

Okay, now let us discuss, How did you feel about this chapter? I know it was a little emotional, and somewhat unstable throughout, but I hope you could catch an understanding of the characters and their current state. How did you feel about Lili's declaration and memory? What about when Frantz shared the memories of his brother with Lili? Not to mention, how did you feel about Frantz going straight tp his mom after Lili's declaration? Do you think Lili said it too soon?

And what do you think is going to happen next?

Let me know what you think by VOTING, COMMENTING, AND SHARING!

Lots of

-Tania.