"Collins, that you honey?"

Angel Dumott Schunard was standing in the kitchen of her and her lover's apartment. Well, to call it a kitchen might've been an underestimation. But it had a counter, a refrigerator and a stove, so they managed. Angel was just in the process of making dinner as her exhausted lover came home from work.

She kept going on: "I made you spaghetti. I don't know how well they turn out, but if they become a total disaster, I guess we could order from the Life again, I mean…"

More didn't Angel get to say before Collins moved up to where she stood, removed her hands gently from the spaghetti-bowl, took her face in his rather large hands and kissed her passionately. "I love you."

Those were the words. The three words he'd been meaning to tell Angel ever since he met her one week and a half ago.

He looked into his lover's eyes for acceptance. Angel's eyes had widened and had an expression of strong emotion, glee and a bit of doubt.

"Really?"

A slight smile appeared on the Latina's lips.

Collins took her hands in his, looked deeply into her eyes and said with all sincerity: "Angel. I love you more than I had ever thought was possible. You mean everything to me, baby."

Another, more passionate kiss was given and received, and as Angel took herself a couple of seconds to really register what was going on, emotion suddenly tugged on her eyes.

"Collins," she whispered, trying to get her voice to work, - "Collins, I love you."

Her voice broke and she nearly fell into her lover's arms.

Collins had to chuckle at his lover's reaction, but he had to admit he had forgotten how sensitive Angel was when it came to certain things. She was almost erratic that way, but Collins knew it had to do with her past. How many people had ever told her they loved her?

"Aw, baby," he soothed, - "Don't cry love, you're so perfect."

A soft sob escaped Angel, and Collins kissed the top of her head a couple of times.

Angel finally came to her senses. "I'm sorry," she said in a wavering voice, - "I'm so sorry, it's just… You're the first person who ever…"

"I know," Collins interrupted, wiping away a couple of tears from his lover's face, - "And that's really hard for me to understand."

He gave her a soft smile and kissed her again before the dinner was ready.

Don't worry! Another chapter is coming up, where Angel tells one of the other Rent-characters how much Collins means to her.