Status: Rating for language and mature content
Coffee and Love
Te Iubesc
My alarm woke us up at four in the morning so we could pack and head to the airport. I held Mirela’s hand tightly, not wanting to ever let her go. However, she was unusually silent and I frowned. Was she that tired from last night?
When we got on the plane, I turned to her.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Nothing,” she said quickly.
“Liar. Tell me what’s wrong,” I whispered. “Are you regretting last night.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Are you?”
“Not at all. But something has you upset and I want to know.”
“I’m worried,” she murmured, looking in her lap.
“About what? We used protection….”
“It’s not like that.” She sighed heavily and looked out the window. “I’m worried that… now that we’ve… you’ll….”
I sighed and made her look at me. I kissed her lightly.
“No,” I whispered. “I’m not going to leave you. I’d be a fool to.”
She started to cry and I sighed again, hugging her. I should’ve known she’d feel like this. I stared ahead of me, trying to think of a way to assure her I wasn’t going anywhere. I could propose but it felt way too early for that. Suggest having a kid? Shit no.
I smiled.
“Want me to prove it?” I asked and she looked at me, wiping her tears away. I kissed her. “Move in with me.”
She blinked. “What?”
“Move in with me,” I repeated, caressing her cheek.
“What about Luther?”
“What about him?”
“Where’s he going to sleep?”
I rolled my eyes. “In his bed, dummy. You’ll be sharing my room.”
“Oh!” She blushed. “God I’m an idiot,” she laughed.
“What do you say?” I whispered.
She looked into my eyes for a long time. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. I waited anxiously.
“I’d love to,” she breathed and I beamed.
-
“So, how was Vegas?” Irene asked when we finally landed.
The four of us were in a steak restaurant but Mirela and I were yawning.
“Jet lag,” she groaned and I laughed.
“It was amazing,” I said, handing Mirela her drink. “We met a really nice couple that we had dinner with. They were on their 50th anniversary.”
“And did everything go as planned?” Luther asked and I beamed.
She and I kissed. “Yes it did,” I said and he beamed. “In fact, should you two agree, I have asked Mirela to move in with me.”
Irene giggled. “Oh, that’s wonderful! Are you going to?” she asked Mirela excitedly and she giggled. “Oh, Mirela!”
She started crying and we looked around. People were watching.
“Ma, chill,” Mirela whispered and hugged her mother. “It’s nothing to cry about.”
“But it is,” she sniffled. “You’ve found love and he’s so handsome!”
I laughed awkwardly and Luther patted me on the back with a smile and a nod. I showed him the pictures we took.
“Holy shit,” he cried. “You took over 300!”
“I couldn’t resist! That place is fascinating, Lu!”
Mirela was still yawning and she went back with her mom to talk about “women’s stuff” as she claimed.
“In other words, she’s going to tell her mother we had sex,” I grumbled as I put my suitcase on my bed.
Luther laughed. “I figured you guys would. Was it after you told her you loved her?”
“No. She wanted to but I stopped her.” He gaped at me. “I know, right?” I sat down and he sat beside me. “It’s different with her, Lu. I wanted… I just wanted to hold her that night so that’s what we did. Last night, though….”
He laughed again. “Don’t tell me, I don’t want to know. When is she moving in?”
“I don’t know; we didn’t really set a certain day.”
“Are you going to propose?” he asked, stretching.
“Maybe someday,” I said, finishing unpacking. “Not for a little while, though. I don’t even think she’s thinking about marriage, honestly. The closest we got to anything like that was her saying how cute baby Tui was.”
“Does she want kids?”
“Yes and no,” I answered. “She says that she’d like a girl but that they cry and poop and that turns her off.”
We both laughed and I yawned.
“Jesus, she was right,” I groaned. “I have jet lag like no other.”
“Then sleep, stupid.”
“Shut up,” I mumbled but I got in bed and closed my eyes with a sigh. “I’m really happy, Lu,” I whispered.
“I know,” he whispered back. “And you have every right to be. Get some rest, buddy.”
-
“My mother is freaking out,” Mirela laughed.
“About you moving in?” I asked, fiddling around on the computer while I waited for our first appointment to come in.
“And that we had sex,” she said matter-of-factly.
I groaned. “You told her!?”
She giggled. “She could tell. You forget: this is the woman that raised me.”
“Good point. Mothers have, like, a sixth sense about that stuff.”
“Yep. Oh no,” she groaned suddenly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Paul is calling me. I guess I should actually work now.”
I laughed. “Drink an extra latte for me.”
“I will.”
“I love you.”
“Te iubesc,” she returned and I smiled, hanging up.
She had been saying it in Romanian now. It made my heart race. At first I was confused. Then, in a quiet conversation with her mother over dinner, she told me her father did it, too. When her father said it, it was his way of showing his wife how much he loved her.
I leaned back and stretched. Our appointment walked in and I tried not to laugh. It was Jenny and her family. She was looking incredibly red and awkward. I stayed in the booth to take the pictures.
“So why did Jenny quit?” her father asked Luther after their shoot.
“Spurned affections,” I said through the microphone.
Luther, who had his back facing them, smirked at me.
“Come on guys,” Jenny mumbled, pulling them away.
I laughed and went through the specifics they asked for. During the day, Mirela was sending me funny selfies, including the latte I told her to drink. I returned with selfies of my own.
Stay there. I’m on my way and I want coffee.
“You want to come?” I asked Luther as we were locking up.
He chuckled. “Actually, I have a date.”
“Who?” I asked.
“His name is Vince,” he answered. “He came in last week.”
I nudged him while we walked down the sidewalk. “Should I make myself scarce?”
“Shut up,” he grumbled. “No. We’re just going out for dinner and a show.”
“Sure you are,” I teased. “Have fun,” I said seriously when we got to the Starbucks. “See you later.”
Mirela smiled and passed me another latte. I kissed her and sat next to her.
“How was work?” she asked and I laughed, telling her about Jenny. She made a face. “Dumb. Where’d Luther go? He looked nervous.”
“He has a date,” I said and she gasped, grinning.
“Details!” she said.
I laughed. “All I got was a name. We’ll have to wait.”
She pouted. “Walk me home?”
“Duh,” I said and held the door open for her.
She put her arm around my waist as we walked, leaning into me. It was cold, almost the New Year. I kissed the top of her head and it began to snow. I grinned and held my hand out to catch some of the snowflakes. I had always loved the snow.
When we got to her door, I kissed her deeply. I nuzzled her nose and she smiled.
“Be careful walking home,” she said.
“I will. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I love you,” I whispered. “I feel like I can’t tell you that enough.”
She grinned. “I love hearing you say it.” She kissed my nose. “Good night and te iubesc.”
I smiled and waved as she went inside. As I walked back to my apartment, my smile grew. Life was going great. Our business was getting more buzz from the Christmas shoots, the rehab pictures, and the travel series. We were getting more money as a result. And, the cherry on top, was the love of a beautiful Romanian girl. I put my hands in my pockets and lifted my face to the snow.
Life is pretty awesome.
When we got on the plane, I turned to her.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Nothing,” she said quickly.
“Liar. Tell me what’s wrong,” I whispered. “Are you regretting last night.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Are you?”
“Not at all. But something has you upset and I want to know.”
“I’m worried,” she murmured, looking in her lap.
“About what? We used protection….”
“It’s not like that.” She sighed heavily and looked out the window. “I’m worried that… now that we’ve… you’ll….”
I sighed and made her look at me. I kissed her lightly.
“No,” I whispered. “I’m not going to leave you. I’d be a fool to.”
She started to cry and I sighed again, hugging her. I should’ve known she’d feel like this. I stared ahead of me, trying to think of a way to assure her I wasn’t going anywhere. I could propose but it felt way too early for that. Suggest having a kid? Shit no.
I smiled.
“Want me to prove it?” I asked and she looked at me, wiping her tears away. I kissed her. “Move in with me.”
She blinked. “What?”
“Move in with me,” I repeated, caressing her cheek.
“What about Luther?”
“What about him?”
“Where’s he going to sleep?”
I rolled my eyes. “In his bed, dummy. You’ll be sharing my room.”
“Oh!” She blushed. “God I’m an idiot,” she laughed.
“What do you say?” I whispered.
She looked into my eyes for a long time. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. I waited anxiously.
“I’d love to,” she breathed and I beamed.
-
“So, how was Vegas?” Irene asked when we finally landed.
The four of us were in a steak restaurant but Mirela and I were yawning.
“Jet lag,” she groaned and I laughed.
“It was amazing,” I said, handing Mirela her drink. “We met a really nice couple that we had dinner with. They were on their 50th anniversary.”
“And did everything go as planned?” Luther asked and I beamed.
She and I kissed. “Yes it did,” I said and he beamed. “In fact, should you two agree, I have asked Mirela to move in with me.”
Irene giggled. “Oh, that’s wonderful! Are you going to?” she asked Mirela excitedly and she giggled. “Oh, Mirela!”
She started crying and we looked around. People were watching.
“Ma, chill,” Mirela whispered and hugged her mother. “It’s nothing to cry about.”
“But it is,” she sniffled. “You’ve found love and he’s so handsome!”
I laughed awkwardly and Luther patted me on the back with a smile and a nod. I showed him the pictures we took.
“Holy shit,” he cried. “You took over 300!”
“I couldn’t resist! That place is fascinating, Lu!”
Mirela was still yawning and she went back with her mom to talk about “women’s stuff” as she claimed.
“In other words, she’s going to tell her mother we had sex,” I grumbled as I put my suitcase on my bed.
Luther laughed. “I figured you guys would. Was it after you told her you loved her?”
“No. She wanted to but I stopped her.” He gaped at me. “I know, right?” I sat down and he sat beside me. “It’s different with her, Lu. I wanted… I just wanted to hold her that night so that’s what we did. Last night, though….”
He laughed again. “Don’t tell me, I don’t want to know. When is she moving in?”
“I don’t know; we didn’t really set a certain day.”
“Are you going to propose?” he asked, stretching.
“Maybe someday,” I said, finishing unpacking. “Not for a little while, though. I don’t even think she’s thinking about marriage, honestly. The closest we got to anything like that was her saying how cute baby Tui was.”
“Does she want kids?”
“Yes and no,” I answered. “She says that she’d like a girl but that they cry and poop and that turns her off.”
We both laughed and I yawned.
“Jesus, she was right,” I groaned. “I have jet lag like no other.”
“Then sleep, stupid.”
“Shut up,” I mumbled but I got in bed and closed my eyes with a sigh. “I’m really happy, Lu,” I whispered.
“I know,” he whispered back. “And you have every right to be. Get some rest, buddy.”
-
“My mother is freaking out,” Mirela laughed.
“About you moving in?” I asked, fiddling around on the computer while I waited for our first appointment to come in.
“And that we had sex,” she said matter-of-factly.
I groaned. “You told her!?”
She giggled. “She could tell. You forget: this is the woman that raised me.”
“Good point. Mothers have, like, a sixth sense about that stuff.”
“Yep. Oh no,” she groaned suddenly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Paul is calling me. I guess I should actually work now.”
I laughed. “Drink an extra latte for me.”
“I will.”
“I love you.”
“Te iubesc,” she returned and I smiled, hanging up.
She had been saying it in Romanian now. It made my heart race. At first I was confused. Then, in a quiet conversation with her mother over dinner, she told me her father did it, too. When her father said it, it was his way of showing his wife how much he loved her.
I leaned back and stretched. Our appointment walked in and I tried not to laugh. It was Jenny and her family. She was looking incredibly red and awkward. I stayed in the booth to take the pictures.
“So why did Jenny quit?” her father asked Luther after their shoot.
“Spurned affections,” I said through the microphone.
Luther, who had his back facing them, smirked at me.
“Come on guys,” Jenny mumbled, pulling them away.
I laughed and went through the specifics they asked for. During the day, Mirela was sending me funny selfies, including the latte I told her to drink. I returned with selfies of my own.
Stay there. I’m on my way and I want coffee.
“You want to come?” I asked Luther as we were locking up.
He chuckled. “Actually, I have a date.”
“Who?” I asked.
“His name is Vince,” he answered. “He came in last week.”
I nudged him while we walked down the sidewalk. “Should I make myself scarce?”
“Shut up,” he grumbled. “No. We’re just going out for dinner and a show.”
“Sure you are,” I teased. “Have fun,” I said seriously when we got to the Starbucks. “See you later.”
Mirela smiled and passed me another latte. I kissed her and sat next to her.
“How was work?” she asked and I laughed, telling her about Jenny. She made a face. “Dumb. Where’d Luther go? He looked nervous.”
“He has a date,” I said and she gasped, grinning.
“Details!” she said.
I laughed. “All I got was a name. We’ll have to wait.”
She pouted. “Walk me home?”
“Duh,” I said and held the door open for her.
She put her arm around my waist as we walked, leaning into me. It was cold, almost the New Year. I kissed the top of her head and it began to snow. I grinned and held my hand out to catch some of the snowflakes. I had always loved the snow.
When we got to her door, I kissed her deeply. I nuzzled her nose and she smiled.
“Be careful walking home,” she said.
“I will. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I love you,” I whispered. “I feel like I can’t tell you that enough.”
She grinned. “I love hearing you say it.” She kissed my nose. “Good night and te iubesc.”
I smiled and waved as she went inside. As I walked back to my apartment, my smile grew. Life was going great. Our business was getting more buzz from the Christmas shoots, the rehab pictures, and the travel series. We were getting more money as a result. And, the cherry on top, was the love of a beautiful Romanian girl. I put my hands in my pockets and lifted my face to the snow.
Life is pretty awesome.
♠ ♠ ♠
The end. :)