Narrator-
After Lili's date with Carlos, she headed home feeling happy and free. Carlos had been a gentleman the entire evening, and when he dropped her off, he walked her to the door, and bid her goodnight with a kiss on the cheek. When Liliana walked into her house, just as she closed the door, her phone rang, and even before she checked the caller ID, she knew who it was.
"Hey mom." Liliana greeted, her tone light and happy.
"Oh you're sounding a little perky, should I assume that the date went well?" Her mom replied, and Lili sighed as she kicked off her shoes and sat down on her couch, then she giggled answered, "uh yeah, actually I had a really good time. And oh my God, mom next time you and dad come over to visit, I have to bring you to the restaurant we went to. The food was amazing."
"Well that great honey. I'm glad you had a good time. But back to work tomorrow right?" Her mom questioned.
"Yep, I have a flight to New York with the Dunns, staying overnight, and then returning the next day with them." Lili explained.
"Any flights for the weekend?" Her mom asked, and Liliana double checked her schedule as she said, "nope, it looks like Mr. Cavalier is not back yet, so free weekend for me." Liliana stated, though she slightly frowned at the thought that she wouldn't see Mr. Cavalier until next weekend.
"Well at least you'll get a chance to rest." The mom noted, and Liliana sighed sadly as she said, "Yeah."
"By the way, how is your friend, the one that trained you?" Her mom asked, shifting the conversation.
"Chamille? She's doing well. I spoke with her yesterday. I don't know, since it seems I'll be free this weekend, I'll probably pay her a visit." Liliana planned.
"Oh that would be a good idea, tell her I said, 'hello'." Her mom said,.
"I will. Alright mom, I gotta go. I'll call you tomorrow on my way to the airport." Liliana explained as she yawned.
"All right pumpkin, have a blessed night." Her mom bid, then they both hung up.
After ending the phone call with her mom, Liliana headed to bed. As she laid down, she found her mind drifting to the one man she couldn't stop thinking about. Liliana almost felt guilty because she often found her mind drifting to Mr. Cavalier while she was on her date with Carlos. She knew that it wasn't fair to Carlos, but maybe if he distracted her enough, Liliana figured that she might be able to get over her strange crush for Mr. Cavalier. Though Liliana often dreaded her flight with Mr. Cavalier, she was kind of bummed that she wouldn't fly with him this weekend, and that made Liliana curious about Mr. Cavalier was taking care of in Rome.
"Mother, I promise I am not overworking." Frantz promised for the 500th time, while he spoke on the phone with his mom, who had been worried since he decided to spend the week in Rome.
"Well what are you doing? I miss my son." His mother replied, and Frantz sighed as he said, "Ma, I'm sorry. I had to make a quick change of plans over the weekend and saw it best if I stayed in Rome for this week."
"When are you flying back?" His mom interrogated.
"Friday." Frantz answered.
"Will you come see me?" His mother demanded.
"Of course, you will be my first stop before I head home." Frantz ensured.
"Is it a woman?" His mother blurted out, and Frantz drew in a breath as he said, with an exasperated tone, "mother."
"What? I am simply asking a question." The mom replied, as if it was oblivious.
"Okay, ask me any other question, except for that." Frantz rolled his eyes but couldn't help it when his mind drifted to the outspoken hostess who couldn't be bothered with him.
"But none of the other questions interest me enough to seek out a response." The mom replied, and Frantz could only imagine her facial expression as she replied,.
"Right, except for questions about my love life." Frantz shook his head as he leaned back in his chair.
"Well not necessarily your love life, but rather a suitable life partner and grandchildren." His mother clarified, and Frantz chuckled as he said, "of course. Mom it was lovely speaking with you, but I have to go. Ti amo mamma." Frantz stated, and was quick to end the call after she said, "ciao figlio mio."
After ending the call with his mom, Frantz leaned back in his chair and sighed, running a hand through his hair. He started out onto the city from his hotel suite, and sighed, just admiring the scenery. Frantz would never get tired of Rome, or its beauty. As he looked out onto the city, his mind easily drifted to Liliana, and he began to wonder what she was up to. He could only assume that she had attended her date, and as much as Frantz wanted to have eyes on her, he decided to take a nicer approach, except it just wasn't working for him.
Frantz wasn't used to a woman not wanting him at first glance. He knew that Lili was attracted to him, or else the tension and chemistry he felt when she was around just wouldn't be there. However he had to commend her for knowing better than to give into him, especially since his only aim was to get her in bed. But now, Frantz wasn't too sure if that was his only aim anymore, especially when he thought about Liliana feeling and experiencing the heated chemistry with someone else. That thought didn't sit well with Frantz.
The day Liliana agreed to kiss him, he was surprised that it happened, and when she stopped him from going further, her suddenly couldn't get enough of her. Now, he didn't want any other man to feel her lips. Frantz shook his head. He could tell that if he continued to think this way, it would lead to an obsession or possessiveness towards Lili, but Frantz was sure that Liliana was not ready for him to act in such a manner.
Frantz was also aware that after what happened the evening of the ball and on their way home, Lili would probably steer clear of him. This was proven when Liliana left yesterday morning without looking back or questioning his decision of staying longer than usual. Frantz had hoped that she would show at his apartment and demand an explanation, but when she didn't, he was both saddened and relieved, because had she asked, he wouldn't have an explanation.
It had been a year since he last seen Christina, and the reports were true. Frantz was head over heels in love with Christina. He asked, her to marry him, and she happily said, 'yes' in front of his many friends and family. Exactly three days before the wedding, Frantz would discover his fiancée, in bed, with another man. Frantz had never been so shocked or felt so betrayed in his life. And though he knew it was best to not take his anger out on anyone, every woman he's been with since has paid the price. Frantz can never commit to a real relationship, and the only time he sets his eyes on a woman, is when he needs to have a little fun.
Until Liliana. Now all Frantz can think about is having Liliana with him all the time. She is not afraid to stand up to him, but he also loves the fact that she is so innocent and naïve when it comes to intimacy. Frantz could see himself having fun and growing with Liliana. Now it was only a matter of getting her to trust him.
With all these new thoughts running through his mind, Frantz thought it best if he remained in Rome for a few more weeks. He needed to devise a plan to win over Lili's heart, and if she wasn't willing to give him a chance he could always kidnap her. All jokes aside, Frantz planned on taking his time and allowing Lili to fall in love with him. He'd try to give her as much time as a possible, but his patience was already running thin, especially since there seem to be another potential player in the race for Lili's heart.
With those thoughts, Frantz decided to head to bet.
A missed weekend with Mr. Cavalier turned into two weekends, then three. After the second week and no Mr. Cavalier, Liliana started flying Ms. Martin during the weekends. And the more time Mr. Cavalier spent away, the more worried Liliana became. She began to believe that Mr. Cavalier may have been getting cozy with glamorous Christina, and that caused Lili's stomach to churn with jealousy. And Lili hated being jealous. As a result, a second date with Carlos turned into a third, and a fourth. Liliana was feeling more and more comfortable with Carlos, and he never rushed anything. He seemed comfortable taking the relationship slow, and even Chamille found out that Lili has been on a few dates with Carlos. Chamille avoided telling Lili her opinion on Carlos, and simply wished her luck.
It would be a month before Liliana had a trip with Mr. Cavalier, and just as she was getting used to flying Ms. Martin over the weekends, Mr. Cavalier's name appeared on her schedule. Liliana was so shocked to the point where she had almost forgotten just how intense it would be to work with him. When she noticed his name on her schedule, her stomach fluttered with nervous butterflies. It had been a month since she seen Mr. Cavalier, and she was looking forward to seeing him again.