At my abrupt question, Antonio's dark eyebrows faintly lifted up in surprise. Though he quickly recovered and sat up, facing me with a passive expression.

"Sheila?" he repeated.

"Yeah, the girl that... bakes for you," I spat.

His lips twitched upwards in a knowing smile. "It's rude to eavesdrop, Flower."

Usually, Antonio was the jealous one. Now that the tables were turned, I supposed he was getting some twisted satisfaction out of this.

I crossed my arms. "You said you love me."

"I did," he nodded.

"Did," I repeated. "So you don't anymore?"

"No, I do," he shook his head, the amusement leaving his face.

"Then why'd you spend the night with her?"

"Who?" he asked in bewilderment.

"The girl next door–Sheila!" I exclaimed in frustration.

To my utter disbelief, Antonio began to laugh–a hearty, eye-watering, chest-rumbling laugh. Was this seriously funny to him? I turned on my heel in disbelief, though halted when he finally sobered up.

"Sheila's the widowed lady who lives next door. She's old enough to be my grandmother."

I didn't know whether to be happy or embarrassed.

"Oh," I dumbly said, taken aback.

Antonio stood up from the bed and began to approach me. My breath hitched as I peered up at him through my eyelashes.

"When I said I love you, I meant it," he said, his voice lowering. Butterflies erupted in my stomach.

"How come you didn't stay in our room last night?" I tentatively asked. "I thought I did something wrong."

"You did nothing wrong," he assured me. Then, his jaw clenched. "Honestly, seeing you with that guy at the mall made me jealous–he called you Flower. That's my thing."

"I wasn't flirting with him, Antonio."

"I know you weren't, but he was with you, and for a second, the possibility reached me that maybe–maybe a guy like that would be better for you," he studied me. "I'm angry and messed up. And every time I think about touching you, kissing you, these warning bells go off in my head, telling me I should stay away."

My hazel eyes softened, and I earnestly looked at him. "I don't want another guy, I want you. I love you, Antonio."

He stilled for a moment. Perhaps it was because no one had ever told him they loved him before. His father was abusive, and his mother was absent. But I was here. I was always going to be here.

And then, as if the foreign words finally registered in his mind, he placed his calloused hands around my face.

"Be my girlfriend," he whispered in a husky voice.

"Are you asking or telling?" I playfully replied.

"Asking," he replied in a heartbeat.

We spent a moment entranced by one another's gaze, until I slithered my arms up his chest and wrapped them around his neck. His eyes darkened as I craned my neck up to close the distance between us. Soft lips brazed against one another, and his hands wrapped around my waist.

"Does that answer your question?" I whispered against his lips.

His lips twitched against mine into a smile. My mouth parted open as his arms sneaked down to my hips, and with that, the kiss escalated.

I didn't know whether it was the fervor of me saying I love you to him for the first time, or perhaps the excitement of knowing our relationship was official. Whatever the reason was, our emotions intensified by a tenfold. We fell onto the bed in a flurry of kisses and giggles. When his cold hands grazed an inch of my warm waist, I shuddered and gazed at him with wide eyes. "Take off my shirt."

He didn't need to be told twice. His hands caught the hem of my top and gently lifted it before tossing it aside. His eyes were hooded as they appreciatively roamed over my body, and I internally thanked myself for my decision to wear a lacy black bra today.

"You're perfect, Flower," he involuntarily groaned, showering me with warm kisses over my cheeks, along my jaw, on top of my chest. I'd never felt so desirable.

I raked my hands through his messy hair and arched my back closer towards his body. My pulse quickened and my breath paused as his hands found the clasp of my bra, but just before he could unfasten it, the bedroom door banged wide open. I squeaked in shock as Antonio quickly used the blanket to shield my body.

"S-Sorry, wrong room!" Lily gasped, the unsuspecting witness.

I tentatively peeked my eyes above the covers, only briefly catching a glimpse of her tear-stricken face before she bolted away.

• • •