Lovers in October

TWENTY-ONE

A N T O N I O

He did kiss her under the alcove that night.

And then he kissed her more, and more, and more. He had no desire to stop, his lips moving with hers in synchronized dance that led them all the way to her apartment, both soaking wet from head to toe. Their clothes were sticking to their bodies, and getting them off while laughing with their entire soul was a triathlon. But even so, what followed afterwards made them forget all about the wet pile of clothes in the living room, only their underwear scattered along the floor of Mary-Kate's bedroom.

Antonio had already left various items of clothing in Mary-Kate's apartment from the countless night he had spent there instead of at his own apartment, ready for him to slip in them whenever he decided to get out of bed the next morning.

Their weekend was uninterrupted, only phone calls breaking their bubble of privacy before they slipped back into the comfort of each other's presence. Antonio found it so baffling how in such a short amount of time he had learned what the love worth centuries felt like, or what the face of absolute beauty looked like.

His hand stroke her hair in loving motions as she slept on his chest, her perfume still alive on her skin. Their soft nature ran through his fingers like a river, every now and then her hands hugging him tighter in her sleep. In his mind, the memory of her expression as he sang for her on that stage still burned, the same as a wildfire, and it made him smile as he closed his eyes and leaned onto her head. Outside, the wind was ever so lightly whispering, but the warmth of Mary-Kate's covers kept them safe against the passing cold of the season.

Beside him, the clock signalled a late morning, but his soul couldn't dare make him move. She was so peaceful as she slept, so serene, it was a marvel to see. He liked watching her like this, the tips of his fingers brushing up and down her arms as he gazed out the open curtains. The morning light was coming through the forgotten curtains vividly, and Antonio carefully slipped out of bed and draped them to a close before going back to bed, leaving Mary-Kate to sleep some more. She had so many early mornings, so many lost hours of sleep, and witnessing her sleep so peacefully now was everything. Antonio wanted nothing to disturb her, not even the sun.

As if her body sensed what his short absence, Mary-Kate sighed as she woke, her eyes flattering open. Her lashes brushed against Antonio's chest softly.

"Morning." She mumbled, a tiny smile playing on the corners of her lips.

Antonio replied and kissed the top of her head, basking in her warmth for a little more before exiting the bed to make them some coffee and breakfast. No matter how much Mary-Kate tried to convince him to let her make the breakfast for once, Antonio still slipped away with a goodbye kiss on the tip of her nose, quickly on his way to the kitchen.

But just as he was about to pour them their much needed morning coffee, Antonio's phone begun to rung, with Clayton the caller.

"Morn – "

"Did you check your emails?" Clayton interrupted, making Antonio raise him brows with shock.

"It's barely ten in the morning."

Clayton insisting he checked his emails made him groan and move towards Mary-Kate's laptop, his own forgotten at his apartment.

"Katie, can I use your laptop to check my emails? Clayton is apparently losing his shit." Antonio briefly popped his head in the bathroom as he listened to Clayton protest on the other side of the line, just as Mary-Kate was finishing brushing her teeth.

"Yeah, sure. Just log me back in after, please." Mary-Kate answered with a smile, Antonio returning it with gratitude.

With a grunt, Antonio fell on the chair in front of the laptop and propped it open, logging himself in his email account with ease.