Yet another kollaboration. We disclaim. Neither of us own Lilian or Carlito, blah blah blah. KThnx.
The blonde stared at the mirror, slowly running her hands over her swelling stomach. At seven months pregnant, she probably shouldn't be working; however, she just couldn't resist being with him at any possible chance…
Still, she wasn't exactly happy…
"What's wrong, baby?" he asked, noticing that she was looking forlornly in the mirror.
Lilian Colón jumped slightly, her gaze meeting his as she looked at him behind the mirror. "Jesus, Carlito, if you sneak up on me, I may go into early labor," Lilian told him jokingly, though her mirth didn't reach her eyes.
He shook his head. "That isn't funny."
"Well neither is my appearance, but I catch you laughing at me sometimes!"
He smirked, knowing it was true. "Why don't you go home and get some rest? You've been here all day."
Truth was, she loved working at his office. They'd met at medical school some years ago and immediately felt a connection. It wasn't long before they were married and started up their own clinic in Chicago.
"I don't want to and you can't make me," she quipped.
"Wanna bet?" he challenged.
"What are you gonna do? Club me over the head and drag me home?" Lilian asked. "Sorry, baby, but cavemen went out of style thousands of years ago."
Carlito smirked again, wrapping his arms around her body, his hands resting o her stomach. "I wouldn't wanna hit you on the head," he whispered, trailing kissed down her neck.
"Why's that?" Lilian asked, shivering slightly as his lips crossed a tender spot.
"Well, baby, you're blonde. That's already going against you…"
Her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed. She could feel his body shake from the chuckle as he saw her reflection in the mirror.
"Get off me!"
"Aw, don't you want to play nurse and doctor again?"
"I believe that game got me where I am right now," she answered, glancing down.
The Puerto Rican laughed again. "You're right."
"I'm always right," Lilian said, slipping out of his arms. "I think I'll take you up on that offer and go home."
"Okay," Carlito agreed, though he was somewhat worried that she agreed so easily.
Lilian caught the hesitation in his words, and glanced at him. "Will you be okay, baby? I can stay if you want."
"No, no," Carlito insisted, wrapping an arm around her waist and guiding her to the door. "Torrie is here with me, we should be fine."
Her eyes narrowed again, and she sighed softly. "Oh, great, Whorrie is here with you," she mocked him, shrugging his hand from off her waist.
"Oh, come on, Lilian," Carlito pleaded. "You know there is nothing going on there!"
"I trust YOU, Lito," Lilian cut him off. "I just don't trust HER!"
He looked to the front desk where Torrie was currently on the phone. "Then that should be enough. I can take care of myself. You're my wife, and nothing's going to change that." He almost regretted saying that as the tears welled up in her eyes.
"You mean that?"
Two more months, he told himself. "Yes, now get yourself home and put your feet up and watch one of those Spanish soap operas that you love so much."
She sniffled. "Okay, I have to find out if Victor's the father of little Dulce!" Lilian reached up to hug him, whispering, "Te quiero," in his ear.
"Mi corazon pertenece sólo a tu. Recuerde eso," he whispered back. "Tu eres mi mundo."
"I know," Lilian replied, squeezing him gently. "I love you, Chia."
"Love you too, Reina."
Lilian yawned, propping her head up with her hand as she watched Victor and Gloria argue over the paternity of the baby. This is actually a little boring, she thought.
Her eyes turned to the door of their apartment when she heard the locks turning. "Lucy, I'm home," Carlito called, throwing his bag to the side of the foyer area.
She forced herself upwards, but fell back down. Pouting, she tried again and then decided to stay put. "Ricky!!! You'll never believe what I bought today!"
"Lucy, you got's some splainin' to do!"
He walked into the living room, sitting next to her. Carlito fought hard to not roll his eyes at the TV. "Any luck on the dad yet?"
"Nope!" She was about to go off on what she thought was going to happen, but stopped herself. "Go take a shower."
"Why?!"
"Cause I'm hungry, Carlito. And you're taking me out to dinner."
"Oh, am I now?" Carlito asked, hiding his smile as he raised an eyebrow at her.
"Yeah, you are," Lilian replied. "Besides, you've been around sick, nasty people all day and it's not good for the little bread in the bakery."
Carlito snorted, shaking his head at her. "Don't you mean bun in the oven?"
Lilian crossed her arms, giving him a look. "Don't correct me, cabron. Just hurry up, cause the little one is hungry, and so am I!"
"Okay, okay, I'm going!" He left after kissing her forehead and rubbing her stomach.
After Carlito's shower, he returned to the living room and found Lilian dressed in her pajamas. "I thought we were going out..."
"I changed my mind," she said simply, flipping through the TV channels.
"Uhm...but," he started.
"Oh c'mon, we don't have to go out! I'll just make us something here."
"You can't cook," he muttered.
"What was that?"
"Nothing." He hesitated, then added, "Why don't you let me cook? You had a long day and you should just keep relaxing."
"Are you sure, Lito?" Lilian asked, though she made no move to begin making dinner.
"Yeah, baby. I don't mind at all!" Besides, he thought, remembering what had happened the last time Lilian 'attempted' to cook, I don't want to choke on chicken bones!
"You are so sweet," Lilian told him with a small grin. "What would I do without you?"
"Starve?" he suggested.
"No, I'd just probably eat out every night." She laughed softly and touched his arm. "Thank you."
He smiled in return. "It's nothing, Lilita."
Carlito slid into bed, thankful for the comfort and softness it offered to his tired body. He was about to turn off the lamp when Lilian turned towards him.
"I want Burger King."
He closed his eyes. "Go back to sleep, Lil."
"I wasn't asleep to begin with, and I really want a Whopper with extra pickles!"
He glanced at the clock, the numbers nearing 12:00. "Lil, by the time we get there, it'll be closed."
"Not the one in Cedarville. They are open twenty-four hours."
"Cedarville? Lilian, that's thirty minutes away!"
"Yeah, well I want Burger King. Either you're coming with me or I'm going alone!"
To emphasis her point, she rolled over and out of bed, standing up and sliding her feet into her shoes. "Ay dios mio," Carlito muttered, shaking his head.
"Hold on one minute," Carlito said, pulling his shirt over his head.
She turned toward him, smirking. "I thought you'd want to."
Want to? He questioned himself, Yeah right. "Of course. C'mon baby."
Once they were halfway to Cedarville, Lilian faced him. "You know what sounds really good right now?"
"Burger King?" he asked.
"No! Ew," she scoffed.
He paused, exchanging glances between her and the road. "What?"
"Some McDonald's chicken selects."
"Lily… what happened to Burger King?"
"I don't want it anymore!" Lilian proclaimed, though her voice sounded distinctly like a whine.
"Okay, okay," Carlito muttered. "I'll just find a place to turn."
He pulled the car over, glancing down the road. "Carlito, you're not supposed to make a U-turn here," Lilian told him as he turned around.
And a loud siren wailed and lights flashed.
"Good job, pendejo!"
"Oh get off it!" he barked back, pulling to the side of the road.
"I told you you shouldn't have done it! But no, you don't ever listen to me!" Lilian said loudly.
The officer walked up to their SUV and peered in. "License and registration please."
Carlito handed over what was asked and Lilian waited a few moments after the cop left to call it in before ripping back into her husband.
"You're such an idiot sometimes!"
"I didn't see him! I wouldn't have had to turn around if you could make up your damn mind!"
"I can't help it if I get these cravings! It's YOUR fault I'm in this position in the first place!"
"Well, maybe if you wouldn't have gotten in that position in the first place…"
"Oh, so this is my fault?" Lilian growled. "You're the one who GOT me pregnant, cabron!"
They began talking at the same time in their native tongues, each spewing insults at the other. They only stopped when they glanced up and saw the officer staring back at them with a slightly amused look on his face.
"Is there a problem here, folks?" the officer asked, crossing his arms.
"No, sir. My loving wife here just loves to change her mind at the last minute. You see, she told me she wanted Burger King, then McDonalds."
"Well, in her defense, she does look pretty pregnant…"
"Yes, sir. Seven months." Carlito couldn't help the pride in his voice.
"Well, take care of that lovely young lady. And drive safely." The officer handed back the license and registration, and Carlito noticed there was no ticket attached.
He shook his head. "Wait, I think you dropped the -"
The officer smiled. "I didn't drop anything. But your wife might do more than that if you don't head home."
Lilian grinned at the man. Something about authorative men in uniform. "Damn hormones," she muttered.
The police officer went back to his cruiser and pulled off. Carlito rolled up his window and started driving again. "What was that?"
"Nothing."
He took a deep breath. "Where would you like to go to get something to eat?"
"I think I'd just like to go home and be with the man I love more than anything else."
"What?" he asked, turning to stare at her.
"I just… I don't feel like eating anything now. My stomach is kind of upset and that grease isn't good for Reinita."
Carlito switched his glance from Lilian back to the road, rolling his eyes. He contemplated muttering something in Spanish, but that wouldn't work because he knew Lilian would hear him and understand him…
"Okay, mi amor. I'll take you home."
They drove in silence for several long minutes, Lilian reaching over to grasp his hand. Carlito squeezed her hand, smiling lovingly at his wife.
As they approached the road that would lead back to their apartment, Lilian spoke up timidly. "Lito?"
"Yes?"
"I want ice cream…"
He closed his eyes and clenched the steering wheel until his knuckles lightened. His nostrils flared with the tirade that was threatening to spill out of his mouth. "Where from?" he asked through clenched teeth.
"That little Frozen Yogurt place. That fudge brownie thing sounds fantastic right now. And maybe I'll get one of their hot dogs too."
"K," he answered shortly.
She snorted. "What's your problem?"
He raised his eyebrows and his tongue flicked out to lick his lips. "I don't have one, honey."
"You aren't being very understanding!" she sounded loudly, her voice cracking as tears began to fill her eyes.
"Oh, Lord," Carlito muttered. Sighing, he pulled the SUV to the side of the road, putting it into park before turning to Lilian. "Angel… I love you so much. And I'm sorry that I seem upset. I'm really not…"
"I'm sorry," Lilian wailed, tears spilling over her cheeks. "I know I'm being a bitchy pain in the ass! I'm sorry!"
"Oh, it's okay," Carlito soothed, wiping her tears away with the pads of his thumbs. "I love you so much. And I'd do anything for you and Baby."
"Oh, Carlito!" Lilian cried. "I love you so much! You're the perfect husband!"
"I know," Carlito replied, kissing her forehead. "So how about we get you some ice cream?"
Lilian blanched slightly, looking away as she said "Uh, Lito… about that?"
"Yes, dear?" he asked sweetly, trying to push his annoyance down at what he knew was coming…
She smiled, seeing the annoyed look peeking out. "I'm kidding! Let's go get some ice cream!"
Half an hour later, they were back in bed. Lilian was very content after having her ice cream fix.
"Are you happy now, Lilita?"
"Mhmm," she murmured, snuggling closer to his body. "Thank you baby. You really are amazing, and I hope you know that." Leaning over, she kissed him softly. "I know that you didn't have to do what you did tonight for me, but I appreciate it more than you'll ever know."
He grinned, tasting the chocolate that lingered on his lips from hers. Shaking his head and chuckling he said, "You're so cute when you're pregnant."
Finished.