Chapter 12

Buffy heard a noise coming from downstairs. She slowly opened her eyes and tried to focus. She closed her eyes again. She was just starting to drift off to sleep when the sound came again. She groaned and rolled over, pulling the pillow over her head. When the pounding came a third time, she groaned and got out of bed. She tossed her sleep shirt over her head before making her way downstairs. The pounding came again. It was then when she realized that it was coming from her front door. "You'd better not be Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses," she grumbled as she yanked open the door.

"Good morning," came Antonio's cheery voice.

Buffy blinked. Antonio was standing in her doorway looking well rested and gorgeous. She hadn't even brushed her teeth or ran a brush through her hair. "Antonio. Hi," she greeted nervously. He looked like he was stepping off the cover of GQ and she looked like hell.

He held up a bakery bag. "I brought bagels and coffee."

She opened the storm door. "I'm sorry. Come in."

"Sorry to wake you up," he said as he stepped inside.

"You didn't. I had to get up to answer the door."

"Cute and funny too," he said as he kissed her cheek. "Where's the kitchen?"

"That way," she said as she pointed. "Would you mind if I got dressed?"

Antonio sensed her uncomfortableness. "Go ahead. I'll wait in the kitchen."

As he headed through the hall to the kitchen, she raced up the stairs. She dressed, did her hair, and put on some makeup in record time.

"Hey," he said as she came through the kitchen door.

"Hey. Can I get you something to go with that bagel?"

"Sure. I'm sorry for presuming, but you said Julian was staying with your Mom last night."

"He did." She glanced over at him before pulling out her skillet. "Not your weekend?" she asked.

"No. Next weekend. That is, if they want to come. Eva's been kind of testing her independence."

"She's growing up, Antonio. This is what usually happens when they hit the teenage years."

"Yeah, but she's not allowed!" he said.

Buffy smiled as she cracked eggs into a bowl. She added milk, salt, pepper, and grated cheese before she started mixing it all up.

"They grow up with or without your permission."

"Easy for you to say. Julian's only 9."

"He'll be there soon enough. And I'm not looking forward to that day. Especially after last night."

Antonio eyed her. He noticed her shoulders had stiffened and she had hunched over the egg bowl so he couldn't see her face. He walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Want to talk about it?" he asked softly.

She lifted up her head and blew out the breath she was holding. "You remember last night when I got home?"

"Yes. I called you, remember?"

"Yes. And Marco answered my phone."

Antonio nodded.

"I went outside to take your call," she explained. "When I came back inside, he started in on if you had asked me out again and if you did, was I going to go. I got mad." She turned to face him. "I threw my shoe at him."

Antonio chuckled.

"It's not funny, Antonio! He's so nosy. It's like I'm not allowed to date."

"And you think that because you're mad at him, he won't help you with Julian."

She nodded.

"Buff, of course he will. He loves you and he adores Julian. He'll come around. You'll see. Just don't expect him to stop being your nosy big brother."

She sighed. "It was just way too much last night. I had such a wonderful time, and when I get home, I find him here wanting to know every last detail."

"And you didn't want to tell him."

"Of course not. My dates are private."

"I'll talk to him. Meantime, you'd better get those eggs in the pan or we'll have CFD here in 5 minutes."

She nodded and added the egg mixture to the pan sitting on the burner. "Thank you, Antonio."

"Anytime, Buff. Anytime."