Narrator-
As soon as Mr. Cavalier exited the suite, Liliana turned to her mother and asked, "why did you ask him over for dinner?"
Her mother turned and raised a sharp eyebrow towards her, causing Liliana to look down apologetically, as she explained "I mean, I'm sure he has important matters to attend to."
"Well if he did, he would've declined. I just want to show my gratitude for his help, nothing more." Her mother explained, then she gave a suspicious raise of her head as she fixed her daughter with a firm gaze and asked, "Why do I get the feeling that you don't want him around? Did he do something to you?" Her mother asked, her interrogating tone making Liliana uneasy.
"No... Its just-"
"You like him, but you fear what might happen if you allow yourself to be vulnerable to him." Her mother cut her off, and Liliana's shoulders slumped as she said, "well that, and-"
"And you feel like the more you push him away, the harder you're falling for him, which means that distance is not going to get rid of your feelings." Her mom continued, and Liliana had no other choice to remain silent. What more could she say? Her mother hit it right on the money. There was no way she could argue that.
Chuckling, her mother patted her cheek, and simply said, "go wash up, I'll order dinner."
With a smile of her own, Liliana stepped away to the nearest bathroom. When she saw her reflection in the mirror, she gulped and winced as her finger softly hovered above the bruise on her left cheek. She made eye contact with her reflection, then blushed as her fingers traveled and lingered on her lips. Liliana sighed, closing her eyes as two strands of tears escaped her eyes.
Mr. Cavalier was in love with her, and she didn't know how to feel about it.
As much as she was over the moon with this new knowledge, she hated that she still held on to an inkling of doubt that one day he could still break her heart, and Liliana had to wonder... what was she afraid of?
Shaking her head, Liliana tried to not dwell much on the fact. She sniffled and wiped her tears then proceeded to wash her hands, and face with cool water. Then she dried her hands and face, and returned to the living area, where she found her parents sitting snuggly against each other. Looking at their smiling faces from afar, Liliana had a smile of her own, and she could only hope that she would one day have a love and bond, which was as strong as her parents' love and bond.
Liliana was taken out of her trance when a knock sounded from the door. Telling her parents that she would get it, Liliana headed to the door and opened it to reveal a chef from the Hotel's restaurant, with a cart carrying various platters covered with silver domes. Opening the door wider, and allowing ample space for the cart to pass, Liliana made way for the smiling chef, who quietly placed the meals on the set table in the dining room, then with an "Enjoy", he exited with the cart.
"Liliana, go ahead and phone Mr. Cavalier to let him know that dinner is ready." Lili's mother instructed, and with a nod, Liliana headed to the nearest phone, and called the front desk, asking to be redirected to Mr. Cavalier's suite. While the phone rang and Liliana waited for him to pick up, she felt the anticipation reflect in her stomach in a wave of butterflies, and when his baritone voice echoed through the phone with an "hello?", Liliana felt her heart flutter.
"Hi," Liliana greeted dumbly, and she could automatically picture his smile as he greeted casually, "hello."
"Um, mom says that dinner is ready," Liliana explained, then she said, "I mean my mom! not your mom... obviously she's not your mom, you have you own mom, which I'm sure you love, but my mom is not your mom, my mom is well... my mom, and now I'm babbling, but my mom wanted you to know that dinner is ready-" Liliana began to babble, as she felt her nerves take toll on her tongue, "Liliana," Frantz cut off her rambling, "yes?", Liliana replied, the excitement coating her voice sounding alien to her ears, "please let your mom know that I'll be there in a few minutes."
"Okay." Liliana gulped, then she hung up the phone, feeling another sudden wave of excitement wash over her body from head to toe, and she smiled absentmindedly, her heart palpitating at the thought that Frantz would be having dinner with her parents.
It didn't take long before Mr. Cavalier made an appearance, looking refreshed and dashing in a white button-down dress shirt, and dark jeans. His hair still wet from his shower, and the smell of his shampoo, which Liliana had once used, mixed with his cologne, made Liliana think many naughty thoughts. Naughty thoughts that her mother would most likely frown upon.
Frantz showed up with a bottle of wine, and when he handed it to her mother, he kissed the back of her hand, causing Mrs. Chavez to gush and giggle while a blush crept on her face. Her father paid his actions no mind, and simply shook Frantz's hand.
Frantz greeted her with a soft "hello", and with a "good evening" of her own, Liliana replied,.
Mrs. Chavez seemed more than invested in their interaction, but simply Liliana rolled her eyes at her mother's actions, and joined them at the square table, which had a chair on each side. Her parents sat facing each other, and Liliana faced Mr. Cavalier, though the longer she sat and made "accidental" eye contact with him, the more naughty her thoughts became. Thoughts... she might need to go back to church for.
Dinner was surprisingly uneventful. Lili's parents indulged in some casual conversations with Frantz, and they seem to truly enjoy his company. He was very respectful and was laid back. He seem to purposely avoid her eyes at times, only to look her way when she was either greedily stuffing her face with a forkful of shrimp scampi, or with garlic bread. Each time he caught her, he would give a small one sided smirk, and in return, Liliana would feel her face flush with a crimson blush. Liliana was well aware that she was not the prettiest eater, yet Frantz seemed to only look at her when she was eating.
When dinner was over, Frantz helped her mother clean up, then he joined her father in the living area to watch a game of soccer. Turns out they were both fanatics of the current teams who were facing off against each other.
Meanwhile, with one glass of wine in hand, Liliana headed out to the balcony as she looked out onto the city's lively streets. While she quietly sipped on the sweet wine, she allowed the bustling sound of the night life below to drown out the many thoughts which rammed through her brain. Thoughts that only revolved around Frantz, and his dark hair, and dark jeans.
Eventually her mother joined her outside. At first, she said, nothing, but Liliana knew that a lecture was coming. It was just a matter of time.
"He is a wonderful man you know." Her mother started, and Liliana smiled, knowing that she never had to wait too long for her mother to cut to the chase.
"You don't know him mom." Liliana replied, knowing that she was being extremely stubborn, but she couldn't help it either.
"Oh but you do?" Her mother hit back, and Liliana simply sighed, taking a moment before she attempted to respond.
"I mean I worked with him so..."Liliana stated, then she shrugged as she trailed off, thinking her mother would finish her thoughts. When her mother remained silent, Liliana decided to add, "you know that he once stood in my face and bluntly asked, that I sleep with him? I rejected demand, and since he's been playing at this romantic approach, but I find it hard to trust him, and I am constantly doubting his intentions." Liliana explained, building all her doubt on that one moment he asked, her for a one night stand.
For a while, her mother remained silent. She considered what Liliana said, then she thought about the look in Frantz's eye earlier when he had saved her from Carlos. Her mom even went further, as she realized that Frantz singlehandedly saved Lili from Carlos. No man went that far for something as shallow as a physical relationship. Mrs. Chavez believed that there had to be more to it than that, and she would make sure her daughter understood that.
"Lili honey, first impressions are not always reliable." Her mother began to lecture, and Liliana shook her head, looking up and away as she said, "Here we go," then she asked, "You want me to be with him, don't you?"
"I want you to be happy." Her mother clarified, then she added "And if it means slapping you upside your head to help you see sense, I'll do it. I don't know what his initial intentions were, but I can spot a man in love from a mile away. Frantz is a good catch honey, and I don't mean financially, I've always taught you to never love for money, but there's something there between you, at least consider it. I can't force you to be with someone you don't want to be with, but you are my daughter, and I would hope my advice is still worth something to you." Her mother explained, and Liliana frowned, of course her mother's advice meant something, Liliana knew that she would never be too much of a grown up for her parents' words to lose their importance, but before Liliana could respond, her mother said, "I gotta go."
Leaving Liliana to her personal thoughts, Mrs. Chavez saw to escorting Frantz out of the apartment. Mr. Cavalier wanted to see Liliana, but he told her that he would give her space, and he didn't want to keep pushing Liliana, so he left after thanking her parents once again.
While Frantz headed back to his suite, he decided upon keeping his distance from Liliana. He was honest earlier about his feelings towards her, and now that the truth was out there, he would leave the decision in her hands. He didn't want to forever be in her face, just so that she would pick him. The choice was entirely Liliana's, and Frantz's excitement felt sated enough that he could leave her to her thoughts. This however did not mean that he wasn't anxiously waiting for her decision. Because trust and believe, his heart and mind were restless.
Frantz worried that maybe Liliana may never truly see him as a serious contender for her heart. He feared what would happen if she decided to look the other way for love, bypassing Frantz and his heart filled with feelings. After Christina broke his heart, Frantz could've never imagine feeling this way about another woman again, but it didn't take long for Liliana to swoop in and knock him off balance.
Frantz entered his suite as he pondered what he would do if Liliana didn't choose him. Would he go back to living the bachelor life? Would he become the businessman solely focused on the next contract, and taking his company to the next level? Or would he simply live life day by day? Frantz didn't know. For now, he simply waited.
When Liliana finished her wine, and decided to go back inside, her parents left her a note stating they went to bed to rest. Unsure of what to do, Liliana couldn't shake off the urge to see and talk to Frantz. She had to confront him about his declaration earlier today. She also had to confront the fear she had of trusting him. Lili knew that if she had the desires to be with Frantz, there are certain conditions which had to be met. For one, she wouldn't go to bed with him until there was a ring on her finger. Liliana wanted to be sure that Frantz was truly willing to stick around. Everything else, Liliana imagined would fall into place as their relationship moved along. After a few minutes of silent debates in her mind, she exited the suite, and headed to the top floor, knowing that only Mr. Cavalier resided there.
Frantz had switched out of his formal wear, and into a comfortable pair of joggers, when he heard a knock on the door. Unsure of who the visitor could be, he pulled the door back to find Liliana standing there, her eyes instantly falling on his naked toned upper body.
Her cheeks instantly darkened with a blush as she cleared her throat and asked, "Can I um... Can I come in?"
"Sure." Frantz stated, as he backed away, and allowed her inside.
Closing the door, Frantz turned to face Liliana, who was now playing with her fingers, as she breathed nervously. Frantz wanted to know what thoughts had her so flustered, but he also wanted to make her feel comfortable, so he asked, "would you like to sit down?"
"No." Liliana shook her head, then she sighed as she attempted to relax her shoulders.
She cleared her throat and looked into Frantz's eyes. The moment she did so, her mind roared alive with blaring alarms telling her to run the other way. Yet her heart fought back, wanting nothing more than for her owner to run towards the man which made her heart leap with joy. The divide between her heart and mind made Liliana fidget around nervously.
Meanwhile Frantz studied the internal battle which reflected on Lili's face. He could tell that she was trying to convince herself of something, and the more she fought with her thoughts, the more unaware she became of his curious gaze on her. She avoided his eyes, and nibbled on her bottom lip, her fingers playing with each other. Frantz could only imagine that her flustered stated, was because she was debating on whether or not she should stay and talk to him, and as realization hit him, he decided that he would once again break his own word. Liliana wasn't going anywhere.