Narrator-
He did it again, Liliana thought.
The son of a burger did it again.
He played her for a fool, and she allowed him to do so.
Liliana blinked, her mouth dry as she tried to understand how it is that Frantz continued to have this continuous effect on her. And the fact that he called her immature actually struck a nerve. Lili frowned, and shook her head once more.
She wasn't immature. A little indecisive maybe. But definitely not immature!
And she would definitely show him just how mature she was!
Liliana sprung to her feet and followed after the departing man as she declared, "You can't do that."
"Do what?" Frantz threw over his shoulder, as he continued his casual stroll to his room, pleased to hear Liliana's rushing steps following him.
"That!" Lili exclaimed, before elaborating, "Tease me and then walk away like nothing happened." Liliana pointed, as she followed after Frantz blindly. The tempo of her step almost doubling just so to keep up with his long strides.
Frantz chose to not reply until he reached his room. When he did, he stood at the doorway, causing Liliana to halt just breaths away from his naked upper body as Frantz drew in a sigh, his dark eyes pulling Liliana in. He leaned in, allowing the scent of his spicy man cologne to enter Lili's nostrils, while his lips brushing past her ears as he hissed softly before adding, "I just did."
Then he backed away with a devious smirk and a wink. Then he headed towards his bed, where he plopped down as he laid on his back, with a hand behind his head, leaving Liliana once again speechless and still. For a moment she forgot how to think.
Frantz looked over at her expression and chuckled softly. He could get used to catching her off guard. She had the adorable wide eyed expression, while she blinked as if trying to figure out what transpired between them.
When Liliana came to the realization that he once again played her, she crossed her arms defensively as she got right back into the argument, "You think you can just pull a stunt like that? Then walk away leaving me without a care in the world?" She demanded, still standing at the doorway, being somewhat conscious that this was her limit.
"Now you know how I feel." Frantz declared, and Liliana scoffed, appalled, as she asked, "was this some kind of payback?"
"No, this was me telling you to stop playing games and figure out what you want. I may be a man Liliana, but I do have feelings, and when you pull me in just to push me back out again, eventually, I get tired, and unless you want something stable, I don't think I'll stick around much longer." Frantz revealed, knowing that it would get Liliana's attention.
"So what is this an ultimatum?" Liliana demanded with a shrug and a frown, though her heart thudded harshly against her ribcage as she anticipated his response. It seems Frantz was getting ready to move on, and that did not sit well with Liliana.
"No," Frantz replied, and Liliana prepared to breathe a sigh a relief, but the Frantz wasn't done, "consider it more like, a friendly warning." Frantz shrugged, and Liliana felt her heart screech to a stop.
After his declaration, Frantz yawned, and stretched, before getting comfortable in bed once again, then he added in afterthought, "nothing more".
In that moment, it was as if Liliana was hit with a bucket of cold water. Her eyes widened, her face draining of blood, before slowly, an embarrassed blush sneaked onto her face. Her heart was once again beating dramatically in her chest, each beat drumming through her entire body, as her brain began to decipher the meaning in Frantz's so called "warning".
Frantz noticed the change in Liliana's demeanor, but he did not apologize. He had reached his breaking point, and he was being honest about his patience running thin. He didn't want Liliana to think that she could continue to toy with him, and he would just lean back and allow it. Falling in love with Liliana, only to see her get hurt by another man disturbed Frantz. He almost felt it his duty to protect her, except she never put him in a position to do so. Now that Liliana was free, Frantz decided to give it one more shot. He was willing to take it as slow as possible with Liliana, but also he wanted her to belong to him. He wanted her to be with him. He wanted to be with her.
When Frantz noticed that they had been quiet for too long, he decided to have some fun. He made a show of yawning again then he smiled deviously as he questioned while cocking his head to the side, "Are you just going to stand there all night or are you going to join me?" Frantz invited, and Lili's heart dropped once again. It seems to be doing that a lot lately.
Liliana felt her face heat up with a darkening blush, and she looked down just to avoid his eyes. She couldn't get in bed with Frantz. That would just be weird... and wrong. So wrong. Liliana had a promise to keep to herself, which meant that she had to avoid any instance that could potentially to her falling into temptation and giving in to Frantz.
Liliana shook her head, ready to decline, "Frantz..." but she trailed off right after saying his name, her eyes taking the lead as she studied his naked torso, downwards to his defined abdomen, and then the waist of his black joggers, and then...
Liliana turned her eyes sharply towards the ceiling, shaking her head, as she mentally scolded herself. She was already going down the wrong path, except a very naughty part of her told her to pump the gas and just go for it.
"Well?" Frantz coaxed, and Liliana shook her head rubbing her lips together to stop the shy smile that stretched on her face, and when she could finally control her facial muscles, she says, "I don't think so."
"What?" Frantz questioned casually, then he added, "it wouldn't be the first time you've slept in my bed." At his declaration Liliana face palmed herself, feeling a flutter in her lower abdomen, as she shook her head again, and looked away as she frowned and added softly, "it's not the same thing."
"What is the difference?" Frantz asked, curiously, as he sat up.
"Well for one, you're in the bed... and you're shirtless, and we're not even in an official relationship yet so..." Lili trailed off as she ran out of words, meanwhile Frantz nodded to everything she said, and when he realized that she wasn't going to say anything more, he asked, "so what exactly would make us official? I mean I met your parents, we've kissed, you can't look at me without blushing, and I have more than once confessed my love to you... what's missing?"
"Um maybe the fact that you never actually asked, me to be your girlfriend?" Liliana pointed, and Frantz couldn't believe his ears. Shaking his head, Frantz began to question whether Liliana was worth the energy, then with a short chuckle while scratching the back of his head, Frantz decided to humor Liliana.
He stood up without a word and headed towards a door a few steps from where Liliana stood. He disappeared into a small room which Lili assumed was a closet, and when he came out, he had a simple white shirt on. He approached Liliana, making sure to stand far enough that she could still control her breathing, then sighing confidently, he smiled a boyish grin as he asked, "Will you be my girlfriend?"
Liliana blinked in shock. Not expecting those words to spill from Frantz's lips. His words made her heart feel lighter than air, as her stomach filled with a swarm of butterflies. Meanwhile, Frantz waited silently for her response. And though he looked calm and collected on the outside, on the inside he was a frantic mess. Frantz knew that if Liliana said, no, his heart would be broken once again. But this time, Frantz would be ready. If she said, no, there was no way she was walking out of the door.
Liliana's eyes looked over Frantz's face, and she opened her mouth to speak, only to stop when she felt as though her subconscious was threatening her with a knife, daring her to say no.
It was a strange imagery, but Liliana felt that Frantz did not deserve the run around. Not only that, but he also made it known to her that his patience was running out, and she figured that maybe, just maybe, it was time to finally give him a chance.
So without wasting any more time, Liliana took a deep breath and declared, "Yes Mr. Cavalier, I will be your girlfriend."