Ch.5

The week had passed, and it was now Saturday. Margo's date night with Antonio. She'd be lying to herself if she said she wasn't nervous. In fact, ever since that morning, she's been I her room trying to find a cute outfit. It was almost eight, Antonio could be at the door. Margo was pacing in the living room, waiting for him to show up. Gru had left with Agnes and Edith to go buy some food, and Lucy had to make a quick at a friend's house. Gru already knew that Margo was going out, but what he didn't know was that she was actually going out with Antonio. She looked down at her outfit, hoping it wasn't too much. She decided to wear coral pink lace shirt, dark blue shorts, and beige sandals with coral pink straps.

"Don't worry, Margo. You already established this," she muttered to herself for what seemed like the twentieth time. "We're not going out on a date. I'm just doing this so he can get off my back."

Though she said that, she couldn't help but to feel excited, despite her dislike for Antonio for breaking her heart. Her heart was feuding with her brain, and it brought her a headache. Her brain was telling her that he wasn't worth her love and affection, yet her heart was telling her that she could at least give him another chance. Margo sighed and stopped pacing, glancing at the clock. It had just turned eight, so Antonio should be here any moment now.

Ding-dong!

'Speak of the devil,' she thought. She walked over to the door, smoothing out her outfit and opened the door. There, Antonio was at her doorstep, with a bouquet of red roses in hand. He wore his usual black leather jacket over a purple plaid shirt, jeans and black converse"Hello, bella," he said, his voice making Margo's heart skip a beat. "I got this for you." He handed her the bouquet and rubbed the back of his neck. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," Margo said, sniffing the roses. "They're beautiful, Antonio. Thank you for the roses."

"Anything to make mi princesa happy," he said. Margo didn't have to be really smart in Spanish to know he called her his princess, but she let that slide and smiled at him. "Let me put these away, and we can go. Okay?" she asked. Antonio nodded and Margo walked towards the kitchen. "You can come in if you'd like." Antonio walked in and closed the door behind him, sitting on the couch. Margo filled an empty vase with water and set the roses inside, then placed then on the counter and walked over to Antonio.

"Ready to go?" he asked, standing up on the couch.

Margo smiled and nodded. He took her hand and led her outside. Margo locked the door and turned to see Antonio on a motorcycle, which looked like it recently had been modified. With the help of some gadgets an updates here and there, it looked pretty dangerous.

"Hop on," Antonio said, tossing her a helmet. "And don't be afraid to hold on to me."

Margo looked at the helmet and at the motorcycle. "Hold on a minute," she said. "You're telling me we're driving around town in a motorcycle? Antonio, you're thirteen!" she exclaimed. Antonio smirked and looked at her. "Do you trust me?" he asked. Margo looked at Antonio and was momentarily lost in his eyes.

"See something you like, bella?" he teased her.

Margo snapped out of her gaze and looked away. Antonio walked over to her, took her hand and guided her towards it. "I swear, if anything happens to me, I will hurt you," she threatened him as he helped her on. Antonio chuckled and got on himself. He revved the engine and he felt Margo wrap her arms around his waist when the motorcycle was a few feet off the ground. "I see you enjoy touching me, bella," he teased. Margo frowned and smacked the back of his head.

"Shut up," she hissed. "How high does this thing even go?"

He smirked and began boosting the gas and flipped some switches. "As I as I want to, so hold on," he said. Margo screamed as the motorcycle took off down the streets and launched into the sky. She hid her face into his back and tightened his hold, panting heavily.

"Come on, bella. Just open your eyes. You'll live," he chuckled.

"We're a thousand feet off ground, Antonio!" she yelled, cowering further into him. "I'll be fine when my feet touch the ground."

Margo felt his laugh vibrate throughout his back. "You're missing the beautiful view. Just one little peek won't hurt you," he said. Curiosity got the upper and Margo slowly opened his eyes and felt her stomach lurch when she saw how far up they were. When she calmed down, she was able to see the beauty Antonio was talking about. The sight indescribably beautiful. Store rooftops were decorated with bright light and props for the upcoming holiday season, and together, they made an intricate design of multicolored dots and swirls, making the view even more breathtaking. Even though Margo was a thousand feet in the air, she could clearly see cars zooming down the streets. Such colors reminded Margo of a painting.

"I take it you like the view?" Antonio asked when he heard her gasp.

"It's beautiful," she sighed. "I've never seen anything like it before." She looked away from the view and at Antonio, who she caught staring at him. "What? Why are you staring at me like that?" Antonio gently smiled at her and looked into her eyes. "You were just too beautiful for me to look away," he said. Margo bit her lip and turned her gaze back at the view, not saying anymore. Antonio looked away as well and allowed a comfortable silence to fall on them. Margo rested her head on his back and smiled contently as they rode in the night sky. Finally, they landed in the parking lot of Super Silly Fun Land and Antonio killed the engine.

'"It's been a while since I've been here," she said, accepting Antonio's help off the bike and removed the helmet.

"I must admit, I haven't been to an amusement park since I was a little chico. I figured we could both enjoy our time here," he said.

He looked at Margo and held out his hands. "Shall we?" he asked. Margo looked at him, and smiled. "We shall," she replied. The two smiled and ran towards the entrance. "Just don't cry when I kick your butt at all the game we play."

"Oh? Confident, are we?" Antonio asked. "We'll see about that."

Margo held her duffel bag filled with stuffed animals as she watched Antonio win yet another game. It's been at least an hour or so since they came, and so far, Antonio's been winning every game they came across Antonio collected thirty, whereas Margo had fifteen. Earlier they had their face painted and got a picture taken. Antonio had little fangs and whiskers (he complained earlier that he wanted to be a ferocious lion, not cute and cuddly), and Margo resembled a kitten, with whiskers, a pink nose, and a grey and white combination of fur. Margo even bought headbands with lion and kitten ears for the both of them. After face painting

"Here you go, young man," the vendor said, snapping Margo from her daydream.

Antonio walked over to her with a stuffed lion in hand. "Aw, look at that," she cooed. "A lion and his cub" Antonio smirked at her and rolled his eyes. "Please, Margo. Anyhow, I have thirty-one, and you have how many?" he asked. Margo shook her head and looked away. "Whatever, Antonio," she mumbled.

"So where shall we go next?" Antonio asked.

Before Margo could answer, her stomach growled loudly, silencing the two. Antonio laughed at Margo as she averted her gaze away from him, her face a soft pink. "Or tell me, bella, would you rather grab something to eat?" Margo smiled sheepishly and let Antonio lead her to a cotton candy stand.

"Two cotton candy, please, señor," he said.

"Sorry, kids. I'm all out," he said.

"All out?" Margo repeated, her stomach growling louder. "Besides, the park's gonna close soon, and all the other vendors are closed. You kids better get going." Margo and Antonio said their thanks and began exiting the park. Antonio smirked as her stomach roared angrily. "I'm starting to wonder if you ate a real lion for lunch," he teased. Margo frowned and smacked the back of his head.

"Shut up!" Margo yelled. "Gru took Edith and Agnes shopping, and Lucky had to run an errand."

"And while you were waiting you didn't think about eating a bowl of cereal?" he asked.

"I wasn't hungry then," she argued.

Antonio took the bags and began putting the stuffed animals into different compartments. "Well, since we are leaving, I suppose we could grab a bite," Antonio said. He helped Margo onto the motorcycle and put on her helmet on her for. Then he got on himself and started up the engine. Margo slipped her arms around his torso once more and held on tightly as they flew into the sky.

After a while of flying (and a few loops in the air), they finally landed in front of Antonio's home. Margo stared at it in awe as she removed her helmet, unable to produce words. "Why do you look so stunned? You've been to my house before, no?"

"Well, yeah, but I've only been in the courtyard," she said, still mesmerized.

Antonio smiled and unlocked the front door, pulling Margo inside. He turned on the lights and Margo was even more stunned. They walked into the grand kitchen and he pulled out a chair for her. "Why are we here again?" she asked him. He took out some vegetables and other ingredients and got right to work. "Why don't you ask your stomach?" he countered, a visible smirk on his face. As if on cue, her stomach rumbled, and Antonio laughed once more.

"Shut up! I-I just didn't think you of all people could cook," she mumbled.

"Cooking is just one of the essentials in my family. The chef at Salsa y Salsa, Maria, taught me how to cook when I was five. So whenever I got hungry, or had a beautiful girl as my guest, I would always have a special dish ready for them."

"Do you say that to all the girls you bring to your house?" Margo asked.

"Only you, bella," he said.

Margo rolled her eyes and looked around the kitchen. "Just cook," she said. Antonio chuckled but said nothing. Margo pulled out her phone from her back pocket and began piano tiles while Antonio cooked. After thirty minutes of playing, Margo looked up and watched Antonio work diligently. 'The way he's so focused…. He's trying to concentrate on fixing a dish just for me," Margo thought, blushing a bit. She leaned back a bit and looked at the ceiling. 'I thought this date would be a pain in the ass, but this is actually really fun. And the surprising thing is that I'm actually enjoying it!'

'Are you alright, bella?" Antonio asked.

Margo looked at him and smiled. "I'm fine," she assured him. He walked over and put dish in front of her, and immediately Margo's mouth watered. On the plate was yellow rice, with pieces of chicken on top, and a side of vegetables. "Eat it. I promise you, you will not be disappointed," he said. Margo picked up her spoon and ate a spoonful of the food. A content moan escaped her lips and she ate. "This is actually really good," she said.

"Well, I try," he bragged. "I suppose it comes naturally with all this handsome charm."

Margo rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless and continued to eat. Soon Margo was finished and she smiled in content. "Are you satisfied with your care?" he teased her. Margo ignored his teasing and looked at him expectantly. "Thank you for the food, Antonio," she said. "So… what do we do now?"

"How about we just sit down and talk? There is still some things I don't know about you," he suggested.

Margo raised an eyebrows and chuckled. "Okay. What do you want to know?" she asked. Antonio pondered for a while and then turned to Margo. "Um… what's your nationality?" he asked. Margo smiled gently and played with her untouched fork. "I'm Irish and Italian," she answered.

"Really?" Antonio said. "Okay. Favorite color?"

"Green."

"Favorite Book?"

"The Fault in our Stars?"

"Favorite movie?"

"The Notebook?"

"Favorite Latino?"

Margo stopped and looked at him, a dark red blush creeping onto her face. "You're cute when you blush, bella," he teased her. Margo didn't say anything, but merely looked at her hands. "You're the only Latino I know on a personal level," she muttered. Antonio smirked and tilted her chin upward, sliding his hand to her cheek. "Why did you do all this, Antonio?" she asked. When he didn't have an answer she continued. "Did you do this because you felt bad for breaking my heart, or was it because you felt sorry about me losing my birth parents?"

Antonio removed his hand from her cheek and stared at her, shocked. "I know Allison told you about my parents," she said weakly. Antonio remained silent for a while and looked down at his hands. "I really felt bad about hurting you, even though I don't exactly know what I did, and I wanted to make it up to you," he confessed. "So I asked Allison for help. She told me about how you lost your parents when you were young. I felt remorseful and I thought if I took you out on a date, you wouldn't hate me as much."

"Antonio…" Margo mumbled.

"Lo siento, mi amor. My condolences and I hope that you could ever forgive me."

Margo smiled and wiped the tears that slowly slid down her face. Antonio walked around the counter and pulled Margo into a hug, allowing her to sob in his shoulder. "I understand what it's like to lose someone you love," he said. Margo pulled away and looked at him, eyes glistening. "Y-you do?" Antonio smiled and held her hand. He led her out of the kitchen and they walked down the corridor.

"It was seven years ago, when my family was still living in Mexico. My mother, Anita, was a caring woman. She always put the needs of other before her own, very smart, and very beautiful. Sadly, she began very ill, and mo matter how hard we tried to make her better, nothing worked," he said. He picked up a picture of a woman with long, sleek black hair that reached her waist, brown eyes, and had gold hoop-shaped wedding. She wore a red traditional flamenco dress, and held a red and black lacy fan. "She died not too long after."

"I'm sorry," Margo said.

Antonio put the picture back and smiled at her. "It's alright. My mother would not want me to mourn forever over her death, so I try not to think about it as much," he said. They walked into the courtyard where the party was being held and walked over to a stereo. "What are we doing here?" she asked, perplexed.

"We are going to dance bachata," Antonio said, pressing play.

"Incondicional" came on and Antonio pulled her into his arms. "Antonio, I-I've never dance," she lied. It wasn't true. Margo would say she's very good at the dance. It was one of the reasons why she enjoyed listening to Latin American music. Not only because the singers had drop-dead sexy voices (Oh, Prince Royce), but she loved to dance to the rhythm. Antonio smirked and twirled her around.

"Just follow my lead. You'll be fine," he said.

And she did. Antonio was shocked to see how well of a dancer she was. She was able to keep up with his movements easily, and their bodies moved in sync. It was as if they were made for each other. "You little liar," he growled under his breath playfully. "You said you never danced before."

"Okay, so I may have taken notes on how to dance bachata in Spanish class," she admitted.

Antonio smirked and dipped her lowly. She held onto his neck and gave him a gentle smile. They slowly leaned in, eyes closed, when a flash interrupted their moment. They looked up to see Angel smirking at them, with her phone in hand. "Aw. How cute," she teased them. Antonio lifted Margo back up and looked at her with an annoyed glare. "What are you doing here, Angel? Can't you see I'm busy here?"

"First of all, I live here. Second, that sentimental moment was too cute for me not to notice. I couldn't help but to watch," Angel said. "It's about time my brother asked out the girl of his dreams."

"Brother?!" Margo cried out.

Angel looked at Margo and glared at Antonio, who looked away sheepishly. "Let me guess: you were too caught up in her beauty that you forgot to tell her," she snapped. Antonio chuckled and looked at a confused Margo. "Lo siento, Margo. I didn't introduced you two properly," he said. "This is Angel Perez, my twin sister. Angel, this is Margo Gru."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Margo," Angel said. "Antonio talks about you a lot."

"Wait, so… she was the one you were dancing with that night?" Margo asked.

"Si. You went to stop Edith from hurting people with her nun chucks, and Angel was upset because her date cancelled on her. So I asked her to dance with me to make her feel better," he explained. He paused and looked at Margo. "Is that why you stopped talking to me?"

"I saw you dancing with her and I immediately thought that I was nothing to you. I was heartbroken, and I thought that you were cheating on me. Gru found me and freezed you into a block of ice," Margo admitted. "I never should have jumped to conclusions like that."

"Smooth, Antonio," Angel said.

"Will you get out our here?" Antonio yelled. "Margo, lo siento. I should have told about my sister sooner or later. Please don't be sad," he said. Margo sniffed and wiped the tears off her cheeks. "I thought that she was your girlfriend," she mumbled. Antonio smiled softly and tilted her chin so she could look at him. "There is only one girl who I would asked to be my girlfriend, Margo. And that girl is you. No one else can take away the feelings I have for you." Margo smiled and giggled as Antonio wiped the tears off her cheek and kissed her cheek.

"I'm, uh, gonna go now," Angel said, quickly walking out.

"I'm sorry," Margo said.

Antonio shook his head and smiled. "No. I'm the one who's sorry. I had no intention of hurting you, mi amor. Could you ever forgive me?" he asked. Margo smiled and nodded. Antonio smirked and pulled her close. He spun her around and they continued to dance to their heart's content.

The night had ended and Antonio had dropped off Margo at her house. Antonio decided to take the stuffed animals to a few charities, and Margo had taken her fair share of the plushies. Now the night was coming to a close, much to kids' displeasure.

"I had an amazing time, Antonio," Margo said, holding onto her bag. "I know I said that after this, I didn't want anything to do with you, but I was hoping that… maybe, we could do this again?"

"I'd like that," Antonio said. He held out his hands and in it was the stuffed lion he won. "I want you to keep it, as a memento of this night."

Margo smiled and took it gratefully. "Thank you," she said. They shared a hug and stared at each other for a while. They closed their eyes and slowly leaned in, their lips inches away, when the moment was shattered by obnoxious noises. The teens looked to see the minions staring at them and making kissing noises. The two blushed and pulled away.

"Well, um, bye, Antonio," Margo said.

"Adios, mi amor," Antonio said.

Margo gave him one last look before entering her house and closing the door. She sighed heavily and listening intently to the revving of the motorcycle. Margo bit her lip and walked to her room. It was official: she was totally falling in with Antonio again.