"What are you doing?"

Maya jumped in the place she occupied, slapping her hand over her mouth in shock. Gabriel's lips pulled into a soft, amused smile as he took in the sight of his girlfriend kneeling, with a startled expression, in their bed.

"Dios! Gabriel, don't do that!" she said in an angry whisper; her hand moving just to her heart. Her breath came quicker and she sank to the pillows, her face colored with a mix of relieve and embarrassment. "Why do you always have to sneak up on me?"

"You only think I'm sneaking up on you, when you're doing something sneaky." He squinted his eyes at her accusingly. Curious.

She said nothing, just picked up at towel that lay across the bed and began folding it innocently. His mouth twitched again and he leaned against the door frame, absently rolling the knob under his hand.

"Okay, well, I'm going to start dinner and wanted to know if you'd like to help me? I'm attempting Paella Valencia." He rubbed his hands together, biting his bottom lip and wiggling his thick eyebrows excitedly.

Maya made an enthusiastic move, like to jump off the bed, but it died in its infancy. Her face fell and she turned her head, looking at the wall with a sigh. "I'll be there in a minute. I have to finished … uh" she looked around the room desperately searching for something. She grabbed for a solitary, lonely towel, "folding?"

He knew it was lame. And by the telling flush in her cheeks he knew she knew it was lame. For now that was good enough for him. He shook his head letting out a small chuckle. "Okay Maya. I'll give you time to finishes this up." He made an exaggerated hand gesture, "and, I'll get started preparing everything, by myself … Alone ... in the kitchen." He gave her his best forlorn expression as be backed out of the room.

She got up from the bed and padded across the floor towards him. Reaching up she wrapped her arm around his neck pulling him down into a deep kiss. He let out a shocked moan that drifted into her mouth, and just as his hands began to settle around her she fell away from him "Thanks for understanding." she said and closed the door in his face.

He stood back blinking at the door for a while, listening as she rushed back to the bed. 'There's nothing for you to fold', he thought as he turned away from the door. She was up to something. He smiled again as he headed back to the kitchen; making obvious noise to let her know where he was.

He waited a good fifteen minutes before heading back to his room. This time he lurked outside, leaning his ear against the door before entering. She was very quiet. He wrapped his hand around the knob squeezing it tightly, turning softly, holding his breath as he pushed the door back, leaning in.

There she was kneeling in the bed, pressed flat against the wall again; listening. He slipped his body between the small opening in the door, and closed it silently. She didn't seem to hear him as he moved across the floor. His eyes darkened with excitement as he closed in on her. Listening to her breathing, he saw that her eyes were close. She licked her lips gripping the headboard. Her face was flushed, the air puffed out of her, making him think of the times he had her pinched between his body and the floor ... the counter ... the kitchen table...

He looked at her, curiously, taking in her form; shorts that barely legs, one of his older button-ups shirts, her crucifix catching the little light that spilled into the bedroom. He was caught in the beginnings of a lewd daydream, when she gasped. There was a frustrated look on her face and she adjusted herself on the bed, pressing her body closer. Just then a sound leaked through the walls. He looked and he heard it too: The neighbors.

Gabriel's eyes widened, a smile crept over his face as he stared down at Maya. 'She's listening,' he thought. The moaning behind the walls grew louder and more exaggerated and he watch Maya's hand brush over her leg. His mouth parted and he let out the softest sigh. He felt his mouth curled and he took a step closer to her. He didn't want to break the mood set in the air, but couldn't let an opportunity like this pass him by.

"Maya, what are you doing?"

She jumped, falling back onto the bed with a scream. He bit his lip, laughing. Her face was flushed as she looked up to him, then began scrambling across the bed.

"Ay Dios mio, Gabriel! I can not be live you!"

He doubled over with laughter, he could hardly believe his luck. "Me? I'm not the one ..." he pointed to the wall, then burst into new fits.

Maya let out a long string of aggravated Spanish as she made a bee line to the bathroom. He made a fetal attempted to stop her, but crumpled under his own laughter.

"I hate you!" she shouted from behind the bathroom door.

"Maya, Maya, Maya ...Oh-my-god!" He could hardly speak, tears were running from his eyes and his stomach started cramping from the abuse.

"Shut up, Gabriel!" She opened the door, strode past his figure on the floor, and headed for the kitchen. "... like you've never wondered about them."

Gabriel started anew, grasping the side of their bed. He could almost imagine her rolling her eyes at him; skin still flushed at being caught. Her voice rang out from the kitchen.

"I'm gonna fix the mess you made in here. When you're done acting like an ass, feel free to join me in the kitchen. And I don't want to hear it!"

He could hear the amusement in her voice. She was embarrassed, but he didn't care. He caught her and he was never going to let her forget it.