They had met in the most conventional way, the way any whirlwind romance starts. A simple bumping of elbows, and a red-faced apology, followed by the meeting of gazes and finally, a smile. Moments like these make people feel wonderful, invincible even, and when Antonio saw Emilia's wide smile and crinkling eyes from the genuineness of it, he knew he had to act on impulse.

He asked her out for coffee.

It was cliche, he knew, but he was a simple man, with simple desires. And Emilia was one of them. She was pretty enough, with her wavy shoulder length hair and deep russet eyes. And when she laughed, loud and mirthful, he knew he was grateful when he collided with her at the Sears they happened to be shopping at.

/

Coffee with him wasn't boring. She picked a quiet corner in the cafe and ordered when they felt ready. They joked and laughed and shared tidbits about each other as the date progressed; he liked his coffee sweet and saturated with condensed milk, and she liked hers a certain shade of brown from meticulously adding in two creams and three sugars. They asked the usual questions and Emilia found out that he had a brother and was from a little town in Andalusia. She told him that she was from Mexico City. She was an only child.

"Your parents?" He asked through a mouthful of a croissant, and when she smiled and laughed as she tried to come up with an answer, he knew he didn't offend.

"My mom's from Oaxaca and my dad was from Tijuana in Baja California." She fiddled with the paper wrapping of a straw that the waiter had given them, and she sighed before looking up at him meaningfully. He understood now why she had mentioned her father in past tense.

"He got sick and passed away last year."

He awkwardly looked down at the delicate plate his cup sat on and she paused to take a sip from the coffee mug she was nursing in her hands. After evoking a little "ahh" sound she continued.

"I'm not shaken up about it like people think I would be. Not anymore at least. I mean, I loved my dad. Still do. And I know he loved me because he would say it every day. There weren't any big fights, no bitterness or anything that would make me feel... Angry towards him..."

All the while, Antonio listened intently, sipping his sickeningly sweet coffee as she rambled. He nodded every now and then and shook his head and chuckled when she'd apologize for babbling.

"... All I'm saying is, I'm glad things turned out the way they did. I don't like to live my life with regrets. It just wouldn't be right. Anyway, what about your parents?"

Antonio set down his mug and stroked his chin. He forgot to shave and the stubble felt foreign across his fingers. Finally, he looked up at her and smiled lazily.

"My parents weren't really there for me growing up. I mean, they didn't neglect me, but they were always busy with work. I learned to get along with it, I have my brother. We fight but we're close. I call my parents too, when they're not traveling or playing tennis in Florida or whatever."

He waved his hand dismissively, looking at the poster covered wall across from them and idly sipped his drink. She coughed and changed the subject.

"So, do you like Los Panchos?"

/

Their initial date turned into two, then three, then four, until finally they went on so many they lost count within the four months they had occurred since they first met at the Sears. When cafes and restaurants became too stale, they began visiting each other. The town they lived in was by no means small, but they found out the other only lived a few blocks away. She had a small studio apartment whose walls were covered with newspaper clippings and paintings and drawings she had done. Emilia was by no means skillful, but they were charming in their own right. Antonio however, shared an apartment with a longtime friend of his, a grumpy young man named Lovino who always seemed to have something to complain about. The first time they met Lovino was when Antonio had asked her to come over for dinner. He had set the mood with dim lights and had made sure to have some of Bobby Capo's softest songs playing in the background. She wouldn't admit it, but he knew songs like "Y, Entonces" and "Mi Mejor Cancion" put her in a rather romantic mood. Things were great, dinner was good and she looked beautiful with the soft light making her skin look even bronzer than it already was. The rice and breaded beef was finished and after tossing the dishes in the sink, they took their rendezvous to the couch.

"Are you sure you didn't order takeout from down the street for me?" She joked, snaking her arms around his neck as she pulled him closer to her.

He chuckled and shook his head, loving every minute of the attention she was giving him. He hovered over her, his arms preventing his weight from crushing her. Emilia smiled sheepishly, her slender fingers stroking the curly hairs on the nape of his neck. Between the kisses and soft noises, Antonio gave her an expecting look and she nodded her head. She never went this far apart from passionate make outs and petting sessions.

Emilia's short hair was spread on the beaten throw pillow and when she laid her head back to let him ravish her, he took no time in slipping off her green sweater. He had never seen her so exposed, and quite frankly, he was getting tired of waiting. She was very hard to bed, and he had been okay with it the first couple of months. But now, he had her. Her small pert breasts were covered by a layer of lace and from the look on her face, he could've sworn this was her first time wearing something so enticing.

He couldn't have hated the sound of the lock clicking even more than he did at that moment.

"Hey Antonio, did you remember to water my-"

Time seemed to have frozen over as Lovino stared at Antonio and Emilia on the couch. He couldn't see her bra, because Antonio had quickly covered her with a throw pillow, but he could see her bare thin shoulders, and that was enough for him to get the message.

"Ah... Sorry." He mumbled hastily, rushing to his room.

They heard the door slam shut and Antonio sighed and sat up.

"I'm sorry... Do you maybe want to go home?"

She shook her head and smiled.

"Toni, it's fine. I'll stay and we can finish this later. Right now, you can tell your friend not to freak out so much."

Antonio nodded quickly and scrambled off the couch to quietly plead Lovino to leave. Meanwhile, Emilia pulled her sweater on and sat patiently with a throw pillow resting on her lap. She stared at the television set that sat across from them and wondered what these two watched. Footsteps echoed through the short hallway and she snapped her attention to them only to notice that Lovino was sliding on a different jacket with Antonio walking nonchalantly behind him.

"Hi Lovi," she greeted sweetly, wiggling her fingers in salutation.

He stopped his ministrations for a second to wave back and smile halfheartedly, still a little uneasy to have almost caught his roommate in the act.

"This is the first and last time you sexile me, Antonio." He chastised, wagging his finger at him as he hurriedly walked through the door and slammed it behind him.

/

After Lovino had left, Antonio took no time in getting back to where they had left off. This time he picked her up and carried her to his bedroom, making sure his door was locked. He was sweet and loving at first but he soon became undone and ravaged her completely. She wasn't a virgin, she admitted that initially after he broached the subject, and he certainly wasn't either. But he made sure not to hurt her and made a considerate lover.

They reached their peak and collapsed on his bed, catching their breath in greedy gasps.

"To be honest Toni, even I couldn't stand the tension."

He grinned and held her close to him, and eventually fell asleep to the rhythmic stokes of her finger on his chest and the white noise of the city traffic.

He could end each day like this, but he wasn't sure for how long.