This was not the reaction I expected.

—Then I think I can tell you why I have never painted any woman before. —Suddenly he said to me without me understanding what the change in the conversation was about. —I have never painted any woman before because I told myself that I would only paint the woman I really loved. And that's your Anastasia. I've been a fool all this time denying what was right in front of my nose and it's been there despite the time and the distance. —he said to me while I could feel tears of happiness escaping from my eyes at what he was telling me.

I had never imagined that Christian was in love with me and now I knew for sure.

—I love you Ana and now to prove it to you and to prove it to myself once more, I am going to make love to you. —he said as he put his hands on my waist and turned to lie in the bathtub and above me.

And then he began to go in and out of me at the same time that he devoured my lips. Both of us groaned with every enveloped he gave, I felt it fully within me, increasing his movements more and more as our breaths became more and more agitated.

I still couldn't believe what he had told me just a few minutes before, my mind hadn't finished processing it. Christian loved me, he had told me, and despite all the times we had sex, this was actually the first time he truly made love to me. My body slowly began to convulse around him. And as my hands clutched tightly to his shoulders I exploded into a wonderful orgasm shouting his name against his lips and then felt him inside me filling me as he shouted my name as well. And some enveloped then collapsed on me lowering his lips giving kisses by my cheek, my neck until resting his head on my chest without leaving me.

—I love you Anastasia and I will never tire of telling you. —he said as my breathing calmed down a little and my heart accelerated when I heard him say those words again.

— And I to you, Chris, and I to you. —I said to him as I stroked his hair.

—It's been a long time since anyone called me that. —he answered me as he briefly raised his head to look me in the eyes.

—If it bothers you, I'll stop. —I said to him sincerely.

—No, I don't mind you saying that. —he said as his penetrating grey look pierced mine.

—Then I'll keep telling you Chris. —I said to him as he smiled.

—Say it one more time. —he asked me.

—Chris...my Chris. —I said to him as I caressed his face.

—Yes, all yours. —he said, bringing his lips closer to mine to give me a quick kiss. —I know we're very comfortable and I really don't want to be anywhere but inside you, but we didn't have lunch so I think we should have dinner, don't believe. —he said, separating himself a little from me to stare at me.

—Yes, I think we should have dinner, I'm hungry. — I replied as he smiled and separated further from me.

And it was true what he said, where he belonged was within me and as soon as he came out I felt his absence. He got up and held out his hand to help me up. He came out of the bathtub, took a towel and put it on me and then took another one and after drying himself a little he wrapped it around his waist making me stare at him.

—I'll never get tired of looking at you. —I said to him smiling like an idiot while he smiled back at me.

—Me neither. —he came over and stole a kiss from me. —Now let's put on some clothes to order or prepare something for dinner.

Christian came out of the bathroom and I took a little longer. My hair was wet and I didn't want to get sick, so it took me a while to dry it well. Then I wrapped the towel around my body and went out to the room. The curtains on the windows were drawn and Christian's towel was on the bed.

—Chris! —I called him

—In the closet. —and I went there.

Right now I had a little problem. What clothes I wore. From the wedding we had come straight out here, we hadn't come by my apartment to pick up clothes, so I only had the wedding clothes, I didn't even have any clean underwear. Christian was in the closet in tight jeans as he put on a sleeveless shirt and turned towards me.

—You wouldn't happen to have any clothes for me, would you?

—Let's see. —he said as he reached where I was and pulled the towel leaving me naked. —Mmm... —he said thoughtfully as he looked at me and smiled slightly. —There should be something around here that you can use. —he said to me as he looked in the closet and pulled out a T-shirt and offered it to me. —I think this will be enough. —he said as I took the shirt and put it on.

It was halfway up my thighs, he was right, but I couldn't go around the apartment without panties.

—You won't have a pair of panties by chance.

—I don't mind you walking around like that, but if you'd rather look in one of those drawers, I'll see what I can prepare for dinner. —he said as he pointed to the drawers in the closet and came out.

And after looking in their drawers where there were only boxers I decided not to wear anything, at the end there were only the two of us. I came out of the closet and looked around the room for the panties and bra I was wearing yesterday. I went to the bathroom, washed them and then went to the kitchen where I met Christian behind the counter preparing something and approached him to help him.

It was incredible how things had changed in such a short time, now I no longer loved Christian in silence, I had confessed it to him and he also loved me, he had told me on several occasions and had shown it to me. I could see it on his face every time he smiled at me or stole a kiss while cooking. Now I wasn't afraid of anything, I knew he wouldn't leave me again, well at least that's what I expected.

What stood out most at dinner was the bottle of champagne on the counter, since dinner had been quick and simple; macaroni and cheese and fried chicken. Then we sat on the living room carpet, hugging and leaning against the sofa, finishing what was left of the bottle of champagne.

— Will you tell me more about London? —I asked him while he looked at me briefly thoughtfully before answering me.

—What do you want to know? —he answered me without even hesitating.

Since the night before he had confessed to me that he loved me he had changed a lot, now he was more open to talking about the past. Maybe that was all he had. The ghosts of the past tormenting him. Maybe talking everything would disappear, the night terrors, sleepwalking. Now I knew for sure that he loved me. He had shown it to me by sweetly making me love, and he was showing it to me now when he was willing to talk about the past.

—How was your stay in London? —I asked him, turning to him as I curled more to his chest.

—Not very good, I did things I don't want to remember. —he stared at me. —Let's say I used to go from party to party and from bed to bed, I didn't go to class much. —he replied while I looked at him in surprise.

—I think I remember you saying the same thing to me in your office. —I said to him as he smiled.

—Yes and I'm really sorry, I never should have said that, not before I met you. —he said as he smiled slightly at me.

—I don't understand something, how you graduated then.

—Elliot helped me, and a lot, for me he's much more than my best friend, he's my brother. —he said while I looked at him in amazement.

I had never imagined his relationship with Elliot to be so deep.

—I guess he knows everything that happened.

—Yes, and he also helped me to get over it, which is partly why I asked him to be my business partner was a way of thanking him for what he did for me. Besides, at that time I didn't trust anyone. —he said to me while he was giving his glass a drink.

It wasn't that he trusted much now, I remember fragments of Christian's conversations and a few more questions came into my mind.

—These are my ideas, or you don't trust women very much. —I asked him with great curiosity.

—How did you come to that conclusion? —he asked, framing an eyebrow as I drank from my cup.

—Am I wrong? — I asked him framing an eyebrow.

—No. I've had very bad experiences with women, which is why I'm so suspicious. —he replied thoughtfully.

—When you say bad experiences, what do you mean? —I asked curiously.

—Let's say most of them were with me for my money and not really for who I am.

—The majority?

—I think you're the only exception. —You're the only one who asked me if I'm a millionaire and was surprised to find out.

—When I met you, you weren't, I never imagined that in six years things would have changed so much. By the way, you never told me that story.

— What story?

—How you became a millionaire.

—That's a long story. —he replied, looking at me thoughtfully as he took a sip of his glass again and filled it.

—We have plenty of time. —I replied while I put my glass on him to fill it.

—Let's say I am by inheritance, the millionaire was my grandfather. He died a few weeks after we arrived in London and my mother, being the only daughter, inherited everything. —he replied after a while as I looked at him in surprise.

This was much more than he had told me before. But I had to ask him, I had to know.

—How did your parents die?

—I haven't finished the story, we'll get there.

—Go on then. —I encouraged him, I was anxious to hear it all.

—After my grandfather died I assumed we could go back, that there was no reason to stay there in London. But there was actually one. In the will there was a clause where the heir had to reside for a year in London to inherit all the property...

—But why didn't you come back at the end of the year? —I interrupted him while he stared at me. —That's all right. —I said to him while he was silent again so that he could continue.

—As the year passed they wanted to return, they even bought me this apartment and gave it to me for when we returned. But I began to contradict them, to disobey them, and I told them I didn't want to leave London. I went out late, got drunk, sometimes didn't come home...until the night of the discussion. —Then I interrupted him again.

Christian was staring straight ahead, his gaze was lost in memories and he felt as if he was reliving them again. I didn't want him to go through that again.

—If you don't want to continue, don't do it, I know it must be very difficult for you to remember all this.

—No, I want to tell you, I don't want secrets between us. —he paused before continuing.