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Chapter Text

Sergio evaded the seagull shit that had been targeted expertly at his head.

He turned to glare at the vile creature who seemed to laugh as it flew off. So, the whole night had been that close to being ruined. He was wearing his finest suit and didn't have a spare jacket with him.

He ought to be more careful if he didn't want to spend his six month anniversary covered in bird feces.

He skittered along the rest of the stairs to the familiar building to where he was waited.

The others were putting on their jackets as he arrived, many of them turning to cast a sheepish glance at Sergio. It had been a year and they still reacted to him with a mixture of disorientation and something akin to amusement. As if being in front of the boss put them on high alert for a fraction of a second until they realize he was no longer in charge. Then their features slackened as they remembered what he was now.

The man fucking their current boss.

Well, their relationship was much more than that, but that was where their minds immediately went as they saw his face.

He used to be bothered by their smiles and whispers, perhaps realizing that the authority he had once wielded over them was crumbling before his very eyes, but it had eventually gotten too cumbersome to care that much about office gossip.

"Here to see señora Murillo?" hazarded Ágata finally, a shit-eating grin on her face.

No. Here to take my job back so I can write you all up for being so damn annoying.

"Yes."

"Exciting plans?"

"Very. Today is our six month anniversary," Sergio answered honestly.

"Of what exactly?" piped in Silene, curving her eyebrow in a suggestive manner.

Her and Ágata spent the next minute giggling uncontrollably. Sergio stood there, waiting patiently for them to stop.

"You finished yet?" he finally asked when there didn't seem to be an end to it.

"No, but did Raquel, six months ago? Finish?"

This prompted even more raucuous laughter. They sailed quickly past Sergio before he could even try to exert the disciplinary power he no longer had over them.

This was his life now. Being a walking spectacle to his former employees, alongside producing some quality anecdotes for them — My former boss and my colleague used to hate each other. It was going-to-slash-your-tires-just-because-you-exist kind of hatred. But guess what happened over the company retreat?

Good thing it was all very much worth it.

No one had emerged from the manager's office yet. Sergio lifted his phone to check if his hair looked alright from the black reflection before placing his hand on the door handle. But before he could twist it open, some noise attracted his attention.

His brother and his husband were chatting in the corner, being their usual selves. Martín was fixing Andrés' tie as he excitedly raved about something grandiose, occasionally earning a few eye rolls from the aforementioned. Sergio smiled at the sight.

Andrés happened to then glance his way, noticing this. When they finally began to leave, he cupped his shoulder.

"What are you grinning at, hermanito?"

"Nothing. Just happy that it is still going well."

Andrés did not seem to appreciate this subtle reference to his track record. He smiled wryly. "My scrawny brother commenting on my marriage, huh? Why don't you worry about yours."

"I am not married."

"Exactly," he said, clicking his tongue. Then an idea seemed to enter his mind.

"Or maybe I spoke too soon. Some anniversary, wasn't it? Let's check for lumps in your jacket," he said, proceeding to sweep his hands all over Sergio's upper body.

Sergio instantaneously objected, the interaction resulting in a frantic tussle. Reverting to this preteen behavior with his brother might have been more embarrassing had Sergio not had very strong feelings about protecting the integrity of his pockets at that moment.

"A six-month anniversary," Sergio said through gritted teeth while trying to fend off his brother. It was a stiff reproach. One shouldn't even think about it that early.

"So?"

The word made him flush with embarrassment.

Andrés stared at him, too knowingly.

Their little match was soon stopped by Martín who yanked his husband away.

"God, Andres will you ever grow up?" Sergio could hear him ask as he pulled Andrés back to the lobby with him.

"Never," his brother answered in a sing-songy voice, and Sergio heard the unmistakable smack of a kiss.

He could sense a strange layer of cold sweat on his forehead. It could only be born from the terror of being nearly caught red-handed.

But there was nothing to be found in his pockets. Not a shred of physical evidence of what he had been entertaining in his thoughts lately.

Why did it still feel like everyone could see right through him?

His brother probably hadn't, though. Andrés was just being Andrés. He himself had asked Martín on their sixth date, with fireworks and a string quartet. That was just how he thought things worked.

It was just brotherly teasing, not a callout. Sergio really needed to stop sweating.

His eyes drifted to his reflection on the glass wall. Now his hair really was a mess. He should have known better than to engage his brother in a discussion of any sort.

It was too late to fix it now because his phone had started vibrating. Raquel was calling.

Pushing back his unease, he lifted the phone to his ear and opened the door to her office at the same time.

"On my way, still. Wait no, I am actually there," he said, stepping in.

There was a woman, a beautiful woman with the evening sunlight filtering through her hair, sitting behind the table with a phone in her hand. And that woman brightened up like the rising sun at the sight of him, despite his extremely dorky joke.

Sergio still couldn't believe the smile was for him. Him, out of all the people on Earth dying to be with someone so lovely. He also couldn't believe that smile lit up every time she saw him. Every single time. Sometimes he wandered off in a supermarket just to see it when they found their ways back to each other. Yes, he was that pathetic.

He would never tell Raquel that, in case she was not aware of this subconscious reaction. It might stop her from doing it, and he was afraid he needed it to live now.

"Mi alma," she said softly, and it was all the invitation he needed. He walked to her, and she lifted herself from her seat. As he approached, she instinctively rose on her tiptoes because she had kicked off her heels and could only reach his shoulders without stretching herself out.

Sergio was prepared for this and before she could plant a kiss on him while teetering on the balls of her feet, he surprised her by winding his hands around her and yanking her up to his lips.

She giggled against his mouth, punishing him for his insolence by gently whacking him on the back. But Sergio did not care, just kept kissing her and twirled her around once for good measure.

He had stopped believing in things such as withholding love and affection a long, a long time ago. Precisely six months ago.

Raquel got a little dizzy as evidenced by her stumbling a little as he finally let her down. Good thing he was still holding her tight.

"Your kisses make me light-headed," she mock complained.

"Forgive me."

"'S not a bad thing," she slurred, sinking into another deep kiss.

They were interrupted by the insistent ringing of Raquel's phone. She slid down from his arms and thumped her head against his chest, sighing.

"It is Tamayo."

"Prieto's fourth replacement?"

"Yes, and just as incompetent as the others."

The phone just kept on ringing, and Raquel had to detach herself from him with a groan. She rushed to answer it.

Sergio listened as Raquel spoke, and her features darkening and sinking as she asked Tamayo, over and over again if he really needed her to stay and told Sergio that the dinner reservations they had made might not come to fruition after all.

He was struck with the strangest thought.

Good thing you hadn't brought the ring.

But there was no ring. At least, there was none in his possession. The ring was still safely sitting in that shop window.

He had only stared at it once. Maybe twice.

It did not mean anything.

Raquel ran her fingers through her hair, frustrated, after she slammed the phone down.

"He needs me to finish all these tonight," she said, gesturing the mountain of paperwork sitting atop the table. "No buts, no what-ifs, no let-me-off-the-hook just this once. God, I hate that man so much."

"More than you used to hate me?" he quipped, trying to ease his own anxieties with some levity.

Raquel quirked her brow, amused.

That was how they talked about their past animosity now. Through jokes and fun anecdotes about the lengths they went to make the other's life harder.

Sergio deemed it a good sign. It hadn't been easy, getting over everything. But they had spent so many nights dissecting their past that they eventually found peace with it. And also humor. Looking back to some instances from a vantage point in the future, so many things had started to seem entertainingly petty. And the more they laughed at them, the more these memories started to crystallize into amber — no longer something ugly and regrettable, but strangely beautiful capsules of the past.

And even with the pain that still lingered, Sergio had found himself able to comfort her. And she accepted that comfort and comforted him in turn.

It seemed that they were in a great place in their relationship right now.

The ring flashed in his head again.

No. You are absolutely not allowed to ruin this, he commanded himself.

The ring faded away again.

"Oh, there can only ever be one Sergio Marquina," she murmured, taking a few steps closer.

She grasped his tie, pulling him close and he went along, like a dog in a leash. And what a happy dog he was.

They were very close now, and Sergio's line of sight was directly pointed to Raquel's delicious, plump lips. He was just about to do something about the temptation they presented, but his efforts were dampened by Raquel's sad sigh.

"I wish I could. I wish I didn't have all this work..."

"Quit."

She smiled at that, her cute teeth flashing.

"I won't because you didn't quit when I ordered you to do so a week ago. It was very offensive, you having to head to school and depriving me of a boyfriend to shower with."

"Dammit, I should have been farsighted enough to do that."

Sergio had gotten a job in a nearby school a couple of months ago. Instead of a Northern Light catcher, he had decided on a less lucrative but a more meaningful path: teaching.

Holding lectures and presentations to his employees had given him the most joy during his time at Plan P. It had seemed the most sensible choice to make, and he'd had Raquel's full support. She did not complain even though he could no longer shower her in glittering employee appreciation gifts with his substitute teacher's salary. Not that she necessarily needed another one, she wore his necklace most days — a fact that made his stomach leap every time he saw her. In fact, she was wearing it right now, and he couldn't have been more pleased.

Why is that not enough for you? Why would you want to give her something else to wear on top of that? he liked to ask himself.

"It is our anniversary," Raquel lamented, too downcast to joke around with him.

"It's okay."

"No, it's not," Raquel sighed. "I was looking forward to going out with you, all dressed up and order the kind of wine your snobby ass would approve of and watch you push your glasses up your nose while calculating the tip..."

"Well, I am not changing anytime soon so there are still plenty of dates like that to come," he soothed. "And I am not snobby. I just have a good taste."

"Those things are not mutually exclusive, you know."

She then crossed her arms, looking hesitant.

"And if you had something special planned... I wouldn't want to ruin it," she said in a strange tone.

"I don't, really."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Sergio assured. But that only made Raquel frown deeper. He did not quite understand why, but he did know having their plans canceled was never fun for her. He wondered how he could lift her mood.

"Speaking of wine," Sergio said, suddenly remembering something. He turned abruptly and rounded Raquel's desk as she watched, confused. He kneeled down, fumbled with the secret hatch for a moment before returning with a bottle of wine in his hands.

"Where did you whip out that?" Raquel exclaimed.

"My secret hideout," Sergio said, wiping off some dust from the bottle. "Believe me, Raquel, I know this late-night overwork. Sometimes, a glass of wine would make it a little more bearable. It seems that I left this one here, unopened, when I vacated this office."

He turned to her with a smile. "We can get a couple of glasses from the cafeteria and order some takeout. Let's not stop Tamayo from having our anniversary dinner."

Raquel approached him slowly, her arms crossed.

"My, my... Sergio Marquina, hiding alcohol on company property. How naughty."

Damn, he needed to behave in a rebellious manner more often to draw that sweet purr of a voice from her.

"I am a bad, bad man, Raquel," he said, setting the wine down to place his hands on her hips. "Sometimes... I jaywalk."

Her eyes darkened. "Tell me more."

Sergio was blanking on other ethically or legally dubious actions he had done so he decided to just kiss her senseless.

The phone started ringing soon again, forcing Raquel to abandon their current endeavor of groping and kissing each other against the office door. This left Sergio in a rather... frustrated state.

He had only just discovered that Raquel was wearing lace-edged stockings with garters when his fingers drifted underneath her skirt. He couldn't stop thinking about it. He couldn't stop visualizing it. He couldn't stop wondering whether this was the same get-up she had worn all those years ago to tease him.

He might actually murder Tamayo for doing this to him.

He was currently sitting at the desk, opposite of Raquel who was working, picking at his food and trying not to stare into the cleavage her shirt now generously showcased after he had ripped the first few buttons open. The worst was when she rose to pour them glasses of wine. He was forced to stare at her ass in her snug black skirt and her long legs and that sheer nylon they were sheathed in.

This was absolute torture. Even worse than before, when she was still working for him which shouldn't have been possible.

It seemed that she was only getting sexier the more he was familiar with her body because he knew exactly what was underneath those clothes, and he knew exactly what he needed to tear off to uncover his favorite parts of her. He could do nothing but imagine it all as he looked at her, and it was driving him slowly but surely ballistic.

What he felt was hunger, but more vicious. It was the desperation of a starving man sitting in front of a feast without being able to reach out to it.

Pure cruelty. Especially that black lace peeking out from the bottom of her neckline.

He gulped down the majority of the wine only seconds after Raquel had offered him, and when she was not looking, he adjusted himself discreetly.

"We were supposed to toast," pouted Raquel, noting his half-empty glass immediately after.

"To what?" Sergio asked in a hoarse voice, trying to direct his gaze anywhere but her.

"To the ceasefire," she said, smiling. "Our longest yet."

That was right. They had agreed on one a six months ago and it had lasted up until now. Such a notion would have been unbelievable just a year ago.

That was certainly worth celebrating.

"I don't see why we still cannot do that," he said, lifting his glass.

Raquel was still standing so in order to clink her glass against his, she had to bend down. She did just that, thrusting her chest forward and... Oh, she was definitely doing this on purpose.

Sergio swallowed.

She lifted the glass to her lips, released a little hum at the taste of the fine wine and lowered the drink again, leaving a stain of sinfully red lipstick on the rim.

He clenched his fingers tight around the armrest of his chair.

Let her work, let her work, let her work, commanded a sound in his head.

"You should work," he ended up rasping out after Raquel did not make any effort to move, releasing him from the magnetic field she carried wherever she went.

He felt like he was underwater, gazing at the woman he loved with her hair tumbling down her shoulders in soft brown curls, eyes sparkling, her lips curving invitingly, her outfit exciting his imagination in the most excruciating way.

Raquel lifted an amused brow.

"Whatever you say, boss," she said sweetly and turned around. She walked away with her hips swaying enticingly.

And suddenly, Sergio couldn't take it anymore. He was enticed, and being with her these past months had worn his patience as thin as an eyelash. It was almost a miracle he had lasted this long with her tormenting him like this.

He released a shallow breath. He was a greedy man when it came to her, and it was no use fighting it.

He abandoned his glass as he rose from his seat and made his way intently to Raquel. He grabbed hold of her hips from behind.

"I think you are being very disrespectful," he murmured, dragging his other hand slowly down her body, savoring each curve his palm glided along. The other one rose to roughly cup her lush breast. "Calling me that now, but never once when I was your superior."

The smallest 'oh' escaped her as Sergio thumbed her hardening nipple over the layers of clothing. She was instantly aroused as always when he did this. It had been a delicious discovery, realizing how he could thrill her just by lowering his voice a little, straightening himself to his full length, and treating her like she was still his unruly employee.

It was a fantasy they both knew they shared but had yet to acknowledge with so many words.

"Some people benefit from their respect being withheld," she choked out, defiant.

"Still so willful." His hand traveled lower, dipping beneath the waistband of her skirt. "What will I do with you, señora Murillo? When will you finally obey?"

"When you make me."

The words lit a match inside him.

At once, his mind was a fiery explosion of images of what he wanted to do to her — hard and fast and bruising. But there was also a part of him that was holding back, unsure, keeping his hand under her skirt, resting just above the damp cloth covering her sex.

Did she want this? Did she want him to fuck her with all the passion and the fury in the world, a remnant of deep, dark desires of the past?

The answer seemed to be yes. She arched against him, branding herself against his fast hardening cock. A low, gravelly sound stemmed from his throat.

Let's give the little minx what she wants.

Raquel did not have time to let out one sound before she was pushed on top her own desk, her ass up and vulnerable. Sergio did not give her a moment of peace before his hands were already on her, pulling her skirt up and exposing her bare buttocks.

What a perfect ass she had, covered only by a flimsy, flirty little piece of lace. He wanted to rip it off but mustered his patience, caressing her behind instead while she squirmed, breathing hard.

"Are you still going to defy me?" he asked in a dangerous voice.

"Until the rest of my days," she breathed out. "But you love that, don't you? You cannot get enough of it. You cannot get enough of me."

That might have been true, but it was not in accordance with this little game they were playing to admit it. So instead, Sergio let out a growl-like sound, backed his crotch against her behind and flew his hands to her chest. He made quick work of tearing open her button-down shirt, exposing her bra-covered breasts.

But as he soon discovered, she was not wearing a bra. It was lace bustier ending only at her midriff.

Oh.

She had been planning on making him a very lucky man this whole time. That was nice to know.

Then he recalled his notion that this get-up resembled the one he had only caught glimpses of when they had still been working together. Could it be? Could she have been wearing this devastatingly risqué garment underneath her work clothes without him knowing?

The realization was tremor-inducing.

He could see how it could have made her feel confident and sexy while pushing her agenda in the office. God, he loved the thought of her brimming with that kind boldness and spirit.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" he purred, caressing the intricate material, massaging her breasts. "Did you pick it out just for me?"

Raquel said nothing, injecting some truth into what Sergio dared to presume. It made him feel near feverish.

"Did you hope I would notice?" he taunted, lifting each of her breasts from their cups to his greedy palms. "Did you want me to catch a glimpse of some black lace and be unable to think about anything else for the rest of the day? Did you lay out your clothing the night before and then fuck yourself with your fingers, imagining my reaction? Hoping it was your cruel boss inside of you instead?"

Raquel let out a sharp enough gasp to make him him hope, make him sweat. Fuck, if only he had been brave enough to just pull her into his office and show her just how she drove him mad—

"Shut up and just fuck me already," she growled, interrupting his train of thought.

Sergio smiled a little. His beloved was a prideful woman, even now.

"I do not take orders from you, señora Murillo. How many times do I need to teach you this lesson?"

He took his sweet time, slowly kneading her breasts, teasing her nipples until they were diamond hard and her breathing shallow. Then finally, when he could sense she was desperate from her sighs of frustration, he took off his glasses, folded them neatly on the table and then, in a blink of an eye, ripped down her panties.

Raquel released a breath she had been holding, tensing in anticipation.

Just when he started unbuckling his belt, an uncomfortable realization struck him.

He looked up and saw that the curtains of her office were open.

A scene with her bent over a table, her breasts and ass exposed with a man behind her, prepared to take her right then and there was fully visible to the whole world.

The arousal he felt at this was like a bolt of lightning to his spine. His next breath came out harsh and choked. He constricted his lungs, trying not to betray how he felt to Raquel in order to avoid her possible judgment, and moved away from her to draw the curtains shut.

But before he could grab the curtains, Raquel spoke up.

"Leave them open."

He was struck speechless. "What?"

"You heard me."

God, she had been aware of it this whole time. The fact made him feel dizzy with suffocating desire.

He did end up following this one order from her. He let the fabric slip from his hand and returned to her with lightheaded ferocity, wrenching out his belt while he walked. There would be time to discuss this surprising element of their sexual preferences later. But right now, he couldn't wait any longer.

He yanked his trousers and underwear just low enough for him to be able to draw out his cock. Then he snaked his hand around her waist, tilting her up. A tormented whine escaped Raquel as she felt his fingers lower on her swollen clit, applying only the lightest of pressure.

"No, no more foreplay. I need you, Sergio, I need—," she pleaded, slipping out of her role for a moment.

The rest of her words was stolen away from her, along with the air in her lungs when Sergio bottomed her out in one fierce thrust, pressing on her clit at the same time.

A strangled noise echoed in the room, escaping only partly from her. Finally being inside her was such a heavenly sensation that he was no longer in control of the sounds he was making. She had been so wet it had a smooth, frictionless slide and now he had her warm tightness gripping him, and just staying still and seeing them joined like this in the reflection of the dark window was almost enough to make him empty himself inside her already, but with the strength of will he didn't think he possessed, he was able to pull out — only to immediately drive back in.

Raquel dissolved into sobs and tremors almost immediately. He was rubbing at her clit in mercilessly tight circles while plunging deep and fast inside her, not stopping to draw even a breath. His hips were snapping against her back at an increasing speed and the sounds Raquel was making grew more obscene in correlation.

Listening to her made his knees weak.

It was a shock when he felt her walls tighten not soon after. There was a loud cry, and suddenly her flesh was growing lax beneath his hands.

She had climaxed.

Already.

He did not know whether it was the thought of them being potentially observed or the double stimulation of his fast fingers and forceful thrusting, but it gave him a boost enough to hold onto his own orgasm despite the sweet clench around his member. So he kept on going. He pounded into her until his gut was as tight as a bowstring and his head light, hypnotized by the wild bobbing of the necklace still around her neck.

"Learned your lesson yet, señora Murillo?" he managed to gasp out in-between his thrusts.

Only an incomprehensible mewl arrived as his answer which told him he was on the right track. It might have even been a sob.

Sergio had avoided touching her over-sensitive clit until now, giving her time to recover but now he started to slowly caress her labia while picking up the pace.

Finally, he swept his thumb over her most sensitive nerves again.

The touch was as light as a breath.

Yet, she came undone again, and in an even more violent fashion. There was a loud cry, and his cock was at once in the grip of vice. By some miracle, he was able to push back his release, if only a few millimeters. He clenched his eyes shut and tried to gulp down a breath.

Raquel was an overstimulated mess, having come twice in quick succession. When he felt her face, he found them wet with either tears or sweat. He was just about to ask her whether she needed to slow down when all of a sudden, she started pushing against him.

She was fucking herself on his cock, still greedy, still not having had enough.

That was what finally did it. Mid-breath, he was gripped by blinding shockwaves. The tension in his base released in one world-shattering second, and he came and came and came.

His knees nearly buckled after he was finally done. He acted quickly to prevent himself from crushing Raquel and staggered away, practically throwing himself on the office chair. There he sat, trying to desperately catch his breath, his cock still leaking.

The room was silent for a moment, both panting, unable to move.

"Holy shit," said Raquel finally, encapsulating exactly what they were both thinking.

Lovemaking this passionate was certainly nothing new for them, but it had never been quite this... unconventional. He was fairly sure they had stained some papers on her desk beyond salvation.

He watched, still breathless as Raquel rose, cleaned herself up before putting her clothes back on as best as she could. She was still adorably disheveled when she came to him and sat on his knee.

"Hi," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Hi yourself," he answered, smiling wearily.

"I can't believe we haven't done that before."

Laughter rumbled in his throat. "Probably a good thing, I would hate to get you fired just because I cannot resist you."

"Isn't that the story of our life?" Raquel said, pressing a kiss against his temple. "Don't worry. If someone happened to direct their binoculars right into this window at the exact right moment, they almost deserve to see some action."

"Perhaps we should do it again then. Really reward them."

"In a moment, mi alma. You are all spent."

She proceeded to lovingly clean his soft cock with a tissue and tuck it back into his pants, piercing Sergio's heart with a jolt of overwhelming affection.

He wouldn't even have been able to dream about a moment like this years ago, no matter how tempting the prospect was. How was it possible that they had arrived here? How could the same eyes that had once spit fire at him be able to look at him with such tenderness and adoration?

"Frankly, I am amazed that you are willing to fuck the prick I was back then," Sergio wondered aloud.

Raquel had been in the middle of trying to determine the reason why she couldn't close up her shirt properly anymore (it seemed that Sergio had ripped out one button) when she stopped and looked up at him.

"I love you as a whole, Sergio," she said with surprising softness. "Your past, present, and future. Take any of those away and you wouldn't be the man who makes me feel the most of every emotion I hold inside me. Without hating you from the bottom of my soul first, I wouldn't have been able to see you clearly enough to love you from the bottom of my soul now."

Sergio blinked, speechless.

She let him dwell in this awestruck silence, knowing that he sometimes needed a moment to gather his wits after such a profession of love from her. She herself got an amazed look in her eye every now then as well when Sergio told her how loved she was in hushed voices. So she simply hummed, explored the contours of his face with the light touch of his lips and petted his hair.

He suddenly found himself in the middle of the most perfect moment in his life. He was so full of love that it hurt. His vision was blurring with emotion, making her look soft and fuzzy in front of him. He had to blink repeatedly to anchor himself back into her luminous brown eyes.

The thought materializing in his head right then was so loud it almost forced his lips open to voice it.

I want to spend the rest of my life with you.

His immediate next thought was less pleasant.

Oh crap.

It was not the right place. He had just bent her over the desk like some caveman. And it was not the right time. They had been together for mere months.

Yet, the realization was unavoidable; he absolutely, unquestionably needed to marry her. Right now.

Nothing else would do.

It was almost heartbreaking how true it was. And how long it had been that way.

Oh crap indeed.

That was not what they had agreed on.

SIX MONTHS AGO

"I love you so much," Raquel gasped out before her mouth crashed against his again. Sergio was unable to swear his love in return because her kiss was so intense that he could barely catch his breath, let alone utter a single word.

Her body was twisted as much as it possibly could be with them both wearing seatbelts in their plane seats. The belt had already popped open once and a stewardess had to point it out to them. This small plane to Helsinki was mostly empty so the only reason Raquel had not climbed straight into his lap was their desire not to alert the attention of that seatbelt-mindful stewardess again.

Her hands were clutched around the fabric of his jacket as if trying to keep him from floating away. She should know that someone could open the door of this plane right now, and he still wouldn't float away. It was not possible, not when Raquel Murillo was kissing him like this, like he was hers. And he was.

The unimaginable was finally true.

They only stopped when they could feel the distinct sensation of being stared at. Not by curious strangers — their own people.

It was Mónica who was doing it this time, looking slightly alarmed on the other end of the plane as if spectating an invasion of aliens.

It was hardly the worst reaction they had seen. Ágata had looked positively scandalized after seeing them hold hands while walking through the airport, and it seemed that Silene was convinced she was hallucinating the whole thing based on the haunted look she got in her eyes every time she caught a glimpse of them. It would take a while for them to get used to this new reality where they might witness Raquel shove her tongue in their old boss' throat at any time.

They tried to be considerate, but it was so damn hard, trying to hold back after discovering how gloriously, beautifully their love was requited. Raquel did sneak in one more kissing before pulling back, breathless.

"Oh god, they will think I am out of my mind," she exhaled.

"Who? The others?" Sergio asked, feeling rather dizzy after all the kissing.

"It is pretty clear what they think. I am talking about my friends, my family, my therapist..."

She let out a small, mirthless laugh.

"They will try to get me committed for this after the things I have said about you."

Hearing this had a distressing effect on Sergio.

He had not yet considered the realities of their relationship, such as the opinion of people closest to Raquel. He had been too swept away by the rapture that had been the last few hours — seeing the confession of love in her handwriting, chasing her, catching up with her, managing to make her his and kissing and kissing and kissing her.

That last activity had quite melted away his brain cells.

But this was only a small bend in the road, right? He could prove them all wrong. He would be so charming that everyone completely forgot how they had hated each other before.

Could he be that charming?

He considered his skills. He had managed to seduce Raquel. That had to have taken some charm. ...Or some other quality of his that had been able to make Raquel completely overlook his lack of charm.

He knew a few party tricks — mostly involving origami. Somehow, he doubted that would manage to convince anyone how lovable he was.

His worry had been contagious. A frown had materialized on Raquel's face as well.

"How will I tell them?" she asked.

How he hated that frown. He never wanted to be the reason for that again. He transmuted his voice into something light and airy.

"Tell them. They think it will be a joke and laugh. Laugh along without correcting them about their assumption. That way they definitely cannot blame you for not telling them when we show up together somewhere," he said, half-serious.

It was certainly the most painless way to get it done.

"They wouldn't laugh," she murmured, sober. "I think they would believe me when I tell them how much I love you. But they would all collectively agree this is a bad idea."

There was an unhappy and hesitant look in Raquel's eyes. It confirmed something for Sergio that he had been suspecting, but tried not to think about in order not to spoil his mood that had been so elevated by her kisses and promises of what she would do to him when they touched land.

She was not yet entirely convinced herself that this was a good idea.

Yes, she loved him. Yes, she wanted to be with him, give this thing a chance. But there was very little to assure her that this would not end badly.

He was beyond grateful that she had decided to walk into his arms regardless. It was the kind of romantic, nonsensical thing that had influenced most of their decisions when it came to each other. But as much as he loved being a sentimental fool every once in a while, he was a big fan of pragmatic, practical things. Such as giving his new girlfriend sound reassurance that their relationship would work.

He took her hands in his.

"I will convince you and them that it is not a bad idea," he said firmly. "Give me a month."

Raquel snorted.

"If you can convince my mother in a month, you are goddamn superman."

"Alright, give me a year."

Raquel's face contorted a small amount.

He reconsidered whether he could possibly ask for a whole year from her. A year was a long time. Scarily long, especially for such a risky endeavor.

But a year could also be a blessing. What he could give her was a year of carefree love.

"If some people don't approve, we won't worry about that during this year. We push back all concerns like that. We won't think about whatever we will be in a decade or whether we should get a joint Carrefour bonus account. This year, we will take it slow and just focus on building a healthy relationship. All our energy will go to making each other happy and healing this rift. If it doesn't work, either of us is free to walk away. If it does, we will discuss the future more seriously after the time has passed."

He paused to draw in a breath and gauge the look in Raquel's eyes.

"One year's trial. That is all I need. I will make it work."

She smiled.

As he eagerly waited for her answer, she leaned in to brush her mouth lovingly against his.

"We will make it work," she corrected.

Sergio caught her lips before they could drift away, and soon they sank into another deep, insatiable kiss that was only interrupted when a stewardess tried to awkwardly remind them about the seatbelt again.

PRESENT DAY

Sergio worked well with deadlines. He loved them, in fact.

Double the profits of the department he led by the next fiscal quarter? No problem. He would have it done with time to spare.

Keep Raquel satisfied with their relationship for one year? Sure thing. They were doing so well already he was sure she would pronounce the trial a success.

...what he worked less well with was the fact that a deadline could be completely arbitrary and meaningless.

Deadlines had never failed him before. It almost felt like a personal betrayal from his logical worldview. The effect was all the more devastating when he considered just how fast the whole thing had come crushing down.

He had been more than content (or, well, somewhat content) with the whole arrangement up until a few days ago.

Just keeping her happy was no longer enough for him. He wanted to throw his travel toothbrush into the trash and buy an electric one for himself at Raquel's place. He wanted Mariví to nod approvingly when he talked about his job at family dinners, he wanted Paula to ask for his help with homework, he wanted to get that damned ring he had been gawking at from the shop window and most of all, he wanted to hear her tell him she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him as well.

It was pathetic, really. Few short months and he couldn't imagine a life without her.

That was not how normal relationships worked, was it? Was it perfectly ordinary to be willing to give up everything for a single person? Not even mind that she cracked all his best-laid plans?

God, thinking about all this was stressful enough to make him want to pull his hair out. Long-term relationships were truly a nightmare. He had been wise to avoid them this far.

It was as if he had been saving up his strength for her, Raquel Murillo, who was more than worth the work. The notion was romantic in a way, but reality was harsher. He very much would suffer if he had keep his mouth shut about all that he was feeling.

He was currently standing behind her door, trying to work up the nerve to ring the doorbell.

For some reason he was as anxious as he had been during their first official date when he had cooked for her and did not know what vintage of wine was her favorite.

He felt like he was just going to blurt it out the very second he saw her face.

Hello, Raquel. I hope this doesn't make things awkward, but you are the love of my life, and if I don't get to spend the rest of it with you, I think I am going to lose it. This has nothing to do with the fact that you let me take you from behind at your office the other day, by the way.

Best case scenario, Raquel would laugh gently and tell him he knew nothing about how a real relationship worked.

It might just be the greedy part of him talking, but it seemed highly unfair.

Why couldn't people just start a life together, no matter how long they had been seeing each other? Hell, he probably would have been willing to run away with her to the other side of the globe just after having sex with her twice.

When you knew, you knew.

He pinched his eyes shut and tried to remind himself of his core tenet when it came to Raquel. Do not ruin it. Do not ruin it. Do not ruin it.

She was satisfied with their relationship, that was all that mattered.

Satisfied enough to perhaps feel the same way...

Shut it.

But it was impossible not to even consider it.

They worked so well together. Sergio stayed over at her place most nights, with Raquel coming over to his apartment occasionally when Paula was away. Sometimes, he stayed at Raquel's so long he was able to rent out his place as an Airbnb.

They had their own routines and communication methods which made their coexistence relatively smooth. For example, he could spot when she was angry from miles away. This skill he had been cultivating for over 8 years.

There were some arguments, of course, but those usually ended quickly and had them stumbling into the bed to frantically make up. There was nothing fragile anymore in their relationship, no topic they avoided at all cost. If one of them was fed up with the other, they talked about it without getting any scars — other than some love marks on their necks in case the discussion grew particularly heated.

It probably did not warrant saying that they had sex every day.

On top of things being great with Raquel, he got along very well with Paula. At first he had been nervous, not really knowing how to interact with a child, but he soon discovered that the girl was very pleased if he simply treated her like a fellow adult. He taught her how to make origamis, recommended books to her and played chess with her. Raquel always laughed when she saw Sergio doing something outlandish such as discussing philosophy with her, but she was visibly pleased how much Paula liked him. The girl sometimes called him her professor friend which made Sergio feel particularly warm inside.

Mariví, surprisingly enough, was unbothered by his relationship with her daughter. She was a little harder to impress than Paula, probably because she had heard so much about Raquel's infuriating boss, but nowadays she seemed very pleased that it was just him Raquel was dating. It was flattering, but it also made him somber, knowing that Mariví had seen Raquel be with all sorts of men and preferred him out of them all.

He aspired to treat her so much better than what she was used to.

There was also the fact that Raquel seemed ridiculously happy. There was that smile that came on her face when she saw him, and sometimes she liked to do the thing where she would wrap her arms around him, blow into his neck and just stay there, humming like a pleased cat, as if she was charging her 'proximity to Sergio' batteries.

She snuggled up to him in bed, on a couch, and in an armchair, even getting annoyed if he shied away from doing it when someone else was present, such as her mother. She called him handsome and smart and kissed him all over his face when he blushed from all the compliments. She texted 'I love yous' to him when he was at work, wrote it in the mirrow when he was in the shower, whispered it to his ear when she thought he was asleep.

It could be just the honeymoon phase. Or it could be that she was just as crazy about him as he was about her and wanted to turn this trial into something more permanent.

He just started thinking about that stupid ring again when Raquel whipped the door open in front of him, giving him a minor heart attack.

"Don't just stand there, come in," she said and smacked a wet kiss on his lips. Sergio received it, stupefied.

She told him to wait in her bedroom while she took a shower. The second Sergio was safely locked inside, he dialed his brother's number.

Yes, he was desperate and panicked enough about all this to call Andrés. No, he was not exactly happy with how low he had sunken either.

"How much fireworks do you have?" Andrés asked after he explained the situation.

"None."

A long pause.

"Is it possible for you to acquire fireworks?" his brother then asked.

Sergio made the point to groan audibly to the phone before answering. "This is not about fireworks. This is not about me proposing. This is about me telling Raquel how I feel about commitment without looking like an absolute lunatic. We have been together for six months and she wanted to push me into an elevator shaft seven months ago. Please, tell me what to say to her with that in mind."

The next time Andrés spoke, Sergio could hear the smile in his voice. "Fuck, it seems only yesterday you were asking me advice on how to politely dump a woman because you didn't like the brand of perfume she wears. You have come a long way."

Sergio rolled his eyes. "You are making it seem so petty. I only dumped her because that perfume was the exact brand Raquel wore."

Andrés barked out a laugh. "You are such a loser."

"No, you are," Sergio countered.

"No, you are."

"You are!"

"You are doubly!"

Before Sergio could say 'you are triply!' the door to the room opened. In stepped Raquel, wearing only a towel.

His brain froze.

His phone stayed glued to his ear as he stared at her. She poked the tip of her tongue out of her mouth as she smiled. Teasing. She unclasped the fingers that had gathered the fabric of the towel to her chest and let it slide down to the floor like foam.

"Talk to you later," Sergio choked out and flung the phone away. There was a sharp thud. He had possibly dented the wall.

He did not care.

"Was that your brother?" she asked, her gorgeous naked body moving closer. She sat at the foot of the bed.

"I don't remember," Sergio said, strongly considering burying his face in her mesmerizingly heaving chest. Her skin was pink and gleaming after the shower. He wanted to drag his mouth over every single flushed curve.

Raquel let out a laugh at his obvious interest in the sight before him. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to tease a little."

"What have I done to deserve such torment?" he rasped out, dragging his fingers down her thigh. Raquel visibly shivered.

"Nothing. I am just very wicked that way."

He had now wrapped his hands around one of Raquel's legs and was spreading gently apart, nuzzling into the crook of her neck at the same time. "Lucky for you, I happen to like wicked women."

"You know more than one?" she asked, teasing, but then her breath caught as Sergio pressed his lips against the top of her breasts and started sliding them slowly lower. There was some wetness still on her stomach he chased with his tongue.

"You constitute as 14 wicked women," he answered, his breath buzzing against her sensitive skin.

"Hey!" Raquel laughed, both in protest and reaction to the tickling sensation. She tangled her fingers in his head, guiding him lower, all the while still giggling.

So ensued one of their favorite past times. Raquel lowered her back onto the mattress and Sergio settled between her legs. She hands were still in his hair, petting it, murmuring words of encouragement as he begun languidly preparing her for a mind-melting orgasm.

"Is the door locked?" she managed to shudder out just as he dragged his tongue across her labia with blunt determination, stopping just before her clit. Raquel liked some pressure, but most of all, torture. He grabbed her thighs before she could squirm out of the position.

"I took care of it last week. It should lock automatically when you close it."

Paula was not home, but it was better to prepare in advance in case she did end up arriving earlier than expected, or if Mariví came for a surprise visit as she liked to do at worst possible times. He still had a hard time looking her in the eye after she had caught them... not using the kitchen counter for its intended purpose.

Raquel chuckled. "My very own handyman."

"Not handy enough. I would very much like to soundproof this room, but I have no idea how."

"I will be quiet."

"I hate it when you are quiet. Perhaps one day I will sneak you back to that spa hotel in Finland just to make you scream so hard the snow crashes down from the mountain tops."

She was just about to protest the idea that would inevitably lead to them getting banned from the entire country, but Sergio just then enveloped his lips around her clit for the first time, and the words suffocated in her throat. Her hips lifted off the mattress at the shock.

She was always so reactive, as if he was licking her for the very first time instead of doing it so often the woman should be a walking beard burn. He lifted his finger to his lips in a silencing gesture and started massaging her thighs. He better slow down before she announced the whole neighborhood what they were doing.

"That feels nice," she purred.

"It better."

"Could you also do my neck after you are done? It has been so stiff today."

He almost laughed into her cunt. "You want massage and an orgasm? What else, ma'am?"

"Just those two, por favor. I will make it up for you. How about a real sloppy one? Just as you like?" she said, her voice truly devilish.

As mouth-watering the image of Raquel sucking on his cock like a popsicle on the hottest day of the summer, Sergio found himself momentarily distracted by what Raquel had just revealed. He paused his ministrations for a moment, causing Raquel to let out a muted groan of disappointment.

"Your neck always stiff when you are stressed about something. What is on your mind?"

Raquel let out a sigh. "You don't want to know."

"Why not?"

"I doubt you would appreciate hearing another man's name from my lips," she chuckled.

"Tamayo?"

She nodded. "He called when I was in the shower."

Sergio felt a sting of irritation. "It is the weekend. Sunday out of all days."

"The word 'weekend' is not found in his vocabulary. At least not when it comes to me. He is trying to get me to do his own damn job on my days off. I swear, anyone other than him is more deserving of that position."

The last few words Raquel grit out through her teeth. Sergio took her into his firm hold again and started licking into her lightly, trying to get her to relax.

Soon her hands lowered on his head again and she was humming in approval, trying to coax him to fuck her with his tongue.

Soon she began moaning, her thighs quivering under his fingertips. Witnessing her feel so good made him feel good too. There was a tightening in his trousers. He thought about reaching out and lifting himself free, but an idea he got just then made his desire subside momentarily.

"It should be you."

"Huh?"

"It should be you, in his position. You should take it from him."

Raquel let out a trickling little laugh, seemingly expecting Sergio to join in because she soon hoisted her head up to look at him, confused. "Are you serious?"

"Of course."

Her voice still had a laughing note. "Not possible. It is a sheer miracle I got the job I am in now, and that was heavily influenced by the fact that the man who promoted me was desperately in love with me."

Sergio immediately stopped what he was doing and lifted his head to look at her.

"That is not true," he said emphatically.

Raquel frowned, looking like she wanted to say something, but he cut her off before she could utter a counterargument.

"You are now, and you were then, the most intuitive and capable employee of the whole branch. You were a natural-born leader, anyone could see it. I could recognize even then that you were not fighting against my every suggestion just to piss me off. You fought me because you were that confident in your own ideas and opinions. And that confidence was entirely warranted. You outshone me more often than not. Raquel, you were the natural choice and I would have picked you even if I had hated you so much that it hurt to look at you. I need you to know that."

Raquel's expression grew fonder at that. She began massaging his scalp with her fingertips gently, soothingly, but Sergio did not yield to that loving touch and kept on staring intently at her until he heard her agree.

"I know, Sergio," she finally murmured. "I was just joking. I know my worth now."

"I sure hope so because I will keep reminding you of it for the rest of my days if I ever doubt it."

"Will you get back at it if I swear I will never sell myself short again?" Raquel asked hopefully, her cheeks still flushed from arousal.

Sergio studied her in a cool, calculating manner, caressing the sensitive muscles of her thighs all the while.

"I won't continue unless you at least consider it. Strongly."

"Consider what?"

"Demanding Tamayo's position."

Raquel did not look entirely confident in that plan of action, but perhaps it was her belief in herself, or perhaps it was her sexual frustration, that made her finally cave.

"I will strongly consider it."

She had barely even let that out of her mouth before Sergio was already back between her legs, laser-focusing his attention on her drenched little clit. He quickly heard the satisfying sound of Raquel's head thumping against the mattress, followed soon by a desperate moan. He smiled against her cunt, kissed it and began fervently lapping at her wetness.

She tasted like a juicy, tangy fruit. He absolutely loved it, savoring each drop. But what he loved even more was the desperate, whining sounds she was making. She always got so greedy so fast.

The evidence of her pleasure stoked his own arousal. Once again, he felt his cock stir but refrained from touching it. Sometimes Raquel liked to suck him off right after he had finished going down on her because she knew how hard it made him, and it was very much worth the extra patience.

"Do you want me to do that thing?" he asked.

"Oh god, yes, yes, yes," pleaded Raquel. She was very close. He might as well send her off with a proper fanfare.

So he spiked his tongue and thrust it in a very specific, extra-tender spot right underneath her clit.

She immediately dissolved underneath him, failing to keep quiet. She released a whole lungful of sounds she had been keeping locked inside. It had a shattering impact on him, and he felt something painfully tighten and swell inside him at the same time. The next thing he knew, he was aching with desire and had to wipe some sweat off his brow.

He still kept on going though, hoping to give her another orgasm in quick succession. It always made him so damn proud, being able to do that.

"You know," Raquel said with a shaky, post-orgasm voice, raking her fingers through her hair. "If I get Tamayo's job, I will have a bigger office than you ever had."

"I am sure you will," he panted out, his breathing uneven as well.

"Then I will be the big boss. Maybe I will fuck you against the floor of that office, give you a taste of your own medicine," she rasped out.

Just the thought of Raquel riding him hard on the floor with her smart little pencil skirt pushed up made him momentarily suffocate.

Fuck.

He was going to implode. He pulled himself off her, furiously yanked his trousers down and grabbed the base of his cock.

The time for patience had gone.

He gave himself a few forceful pumps before Raquel intervened, joining him on the floor and replacing her hand with his.

And that is how Sergio ended up coming on Raquel Murillo's naked chest on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

After cleaning up and putting on some new clothes, they ended up snuggling on the bed, Raquel resting her head on his shoulder and Sergio basking in her presence.

This wasn't anything he would ever have expected back when the only affection between them was her fingers accidentally brushing against his when they reached out for the elevator button at the same time. She had always looked rather red after such encounters. He had always thought it was because even the smallest touch from him was able to piss her off, but on the other hand, it could be tied to the reason why Raquel was currently using him as a pillow, her lips almost pressed against his neck.

"You are so good for me," she then murmured.

Sergio grinned at the ceiling.

"Hmmm, thank you. I like to think I am particularly skilled in that area."

Her fist lazily thudded against his chest. A reprimand.

"Not that," she said as Sergio barked out a laugh.

She continued, her voice now dreamier.

"Just... in general. You always push me to strive toward something better. You are good that way for me."

The words had a galvanizing effect on him. Sergio turned so that he could meet her gaze, hoping that the look in his eyes might convey just how much he felt the same way about her. He never wanted to go back to that Sergio who had been so cold, so ruthlessly businesslike. He had thought his love for Raquel had been a weakness. Now he understood that it was one of the best things that had ever happened to him.

Raquel smiled at him, having either understood this nonverbal sentiment or just reinforcing the truth of her earlier warm words to him.

"Hmm. I think I am going to keep you," she then said with a lilting voice.

Sergio snorted.

"I think I am going to keep you," he countered.

Something shifted in Raquel's eyes, and soon she was staring at him with a rather coy, almost anticipatory air.

He was unable to decipher to look in her eyes, his thoughts drifting to the anxieties that had been plaguing him for the past few days. There was this horrible feeling in his chest again, this weight that pressed on him whenever he thought about his decision to be patient and keep his secret swallowed in.

Unless.

Maybe, just maybe he could ask for an audit already.

Relationship audit. To see if the trial had been a success or not.

The trial was supposed to last a year, and it was a bit early for something like this, but if she felt as positive about this relationship as him, she wouldn't mind. And after they had agreed that the trial had went well... then they could talk about the future.

He wouldn't ask her to commit. More like to commit to a commitment in the future. That at least sounded like something that was way less pressure on her.

Yes, that was what he was going to do.

Not now, of course. It was not the right time. For one thing, he'd just come on her tits. Secondly, the setting was far from ideal. It was just her bedroom, and it was just an ordinary Sunday. No, he had to make it special, charm her in the way he had successfully charmed her to becoming his girlfriend in Lapland.

Oh, that already gave him an idea.

"Sorry, need to check something on the computer," he said, staggering up to his feet.

Raquel blinked, looking at him like this was the very last thing she had expected him to say. Her gaze followed him all the way to the door through which he dashed to get his laptop downstairs.

They say Lapland was just as extraordinarily beautiful in the summer as in winter. And the tickets were far cheaper too.

Raquel was pleased about these vacation plans, especially about the fact that he wanted to take the whole family. It was a good way to spend more time with Paula and Mariví, show the girl some things she had never seen before and give Mariví this experience of an exotic new country before she could no longer travel with ease. He was also not unaware of the poetry of bringing Raquel back to the place before they came together. He was hoping it would serve as a fitting setting for what he wanted to do.

The Northern Lights had appeared on the sky right as she had agreed to be with him, for god's sake. That was the kind of magic he desperately needed by his side.

The birthplace of their romance could infuse her with such warm feelings that she would be beyond convinced their relationship was a good idea. A dazzling idea. She would give the audit a perfect pass and then they could finally talk about his secret dreams before his chest would burst.

The next morning, after having some 'we are going on a vacation' sex, he slipped out of her bedroom, hopped in his car and drove to downtown Madrid.

There, he walked straight into the jewelry shop whose window he had spent so much time gawking.

He bought the ring without even looking at the price.

...But not because he was going to use it anytime soon.

This he had to explain many times to Andrés later when his brother caught him fumbling with the box.

He was a person who liked to have things prepared well in advance. Potentially getting married was one of those things, even if it would not be happening for years. He needed to have the ring before someone else bought it. It would only calm his mind. He would store it well and use it when the time was appropriate.

Andrés did not believe him.

"You know, not many men would be willing to travel to the other side of Europe with a woman, along with her daughter and her mother," Raquel remarked during take-off. The plane they were in was rolling to the runway.

Sergio simply smiled as his answer, squeezing Raquel's hand. But this connection was breached by Paula between them, lightly smacking their entwined fingers in front of her.

"You held hands all the way here," she grumbled. "At least go without when there is someone sitting between you two."

"But Sergio here is terribly afraid of heights. I simply want to make him feel better," Raquel said, sharing a mirthful look with Sergio.

"I can hold his hand," Paula said and proceeded to do just so.

"Thank you," Sergio said gratefully, biting back a laugh. The little girl flashed him a toothy smile.

Suddenly, he felt overwhelming tenderness in his chest for getting to be in her life. If all went, it could be forever.

It was a wonderful thought.

Paula bravely held his hand throughout the take-off despite the fact that it made her a little nervous herself. He hoped that helping him get through it had pushed these anxieties from her mind.

It seemed so because soon, she was smiling and carefree again, digging up her magazine from her backpack.

It turned out to be a bridal catalogue with several hundred pages. Sergio's brow bounced in surprise when she whipped it up on the table in front of her.

Raquel immediately flushed bright red.

"Cariño, what is that?" she asked quietly, rapidly looking back from Paula to Sergio and back again.

"You gave me money for a magazine. This is the one I picked up," she said, frowning as if Raquel had suddenly lost all of her marbles.

She then plopped the magazine on Sergio's lap. "What do you think about this?" she asked, pointing at a wedding cake.

But before he could offer his opinion, Raquel had yanked the magazine away.

"Let's look at the magazine later, okay?"

"But you told me—," she began to whine.

Raquel whispered something to her in response, something about keeping certain things private.

Paula stopped her protests when Raquel handed her a Nintendo DS, which immediately engrossed her. While Paula played and Raquel furiously pretended this last exchange had never happened, the gears in Sergio's head furiously turned as he tried to figure out what Raquel could have possibly told Paula that had gotten her to purchase a bridal magazine.

There were pessimistic answers to that question, realistic answers, and something in-between those two. But there was one possible answer that made him feel like he had swallowed pure sunshine and was now radiating it like a floodlight.

Never in his life had he felt better about his chances. Not only to be able to successfully discuss commitment with her but perhaps even have her be open to other... suggestions.

An hour later, Sergio still hadn't stopped smiling, and Paula had dozed off against him, the game console having slipped from her fingers. Sergio tucked it back into her backpack and drew a blanket over the girl so she could continue her slumber in maximum comfort.

When he looked up, he saw Raquel fondly gazing at him.

"I did not realize that I had employed a wedding planner," he then quipped, nodding at the girl snuffling against his shoulder.

This reminder of their earlier discussion made her turn immediately away, embarrassed.

"Sorry, I think she is going through a wedding phase now. I am afraid she might force you into an arranged marriage with one of her plushies any day now."

His smile faltered a little. Perhaps it was just some girlhood phase and had nothing to do with what he had in mind.

"I do hope I have a choice in my bride. Otherwise I demand a discount," he went on to remark, forcing the smile back on.

Raquel gave a snort. "Which one has caught your fancy?"

Sergio did not reply, just gazed at her, smiling.

It took a moment for her to catch on to the significance of this look. A flirtatious glimmer lit in her eye and she let out a cute, bashful little sound.

"You are awful," she said, focusing on her own magazine again.

Was this just flirting? Or something more?

He did not have the faintest idea.

They had booked a cute little cabin in Kuusitunturi. They couldn't imagine going anywhere else when so much love was bound to just this place. Despite the town being almost unrecognizable in the lush green summer, every nook and corner of the town made them remember a new memory about each other, resulting in a kiss in most cases which couldn't have made Sergio congratulate himself more about his choice of a vacation destination. The most they blushed and laughed was at the sight of the spa building, which confounded Mariví.

"Do I even want to ask?" she inquired, and her daughter shook her head in a firm no.

After taking a tour of the town, they finally settled into the cabin. The most amusing surprise awaited Sergio and Raquel in the room they had reserved for themselves; there were two twin beds, pushed to the opposite sides of the room.

This was such a delightful déjà vu that they had to restrain themselves in order not to burst into hysterical laughter.

Holding back their giggles, they pretended nothing was amiss and started emptying their bags.

"I cannot believe I have to room with you," groaned Raquel.

"How can the universe be so cruel?" moaned Sergio in response.

"You better not even look at me," said Raquel, starting to change out of her traveling clothes.

"You would have to pay for me to look," Sergio said, plopping himself down on the other bed, staring at her unabashedly. She was wearing a lovely red bra today.

She peeled off her trousers, revealing matching red panties. His cock stirred a little at the sight.

"Enjoying watching what you can never have?" she taunted, shimmying her ass in the cutest manner known to man.

Sergio fought the urge to throw his head back and laugh to his heart's content. Instead, he hoisted himself up from the bed and grabbed its frame.

He started dragging it across the room as Raquel watched, snorting.

"Oh, look, there is only one bed," he said, feigning horrified dismay as he pushed the two beds together.

Raquel clamped her hands on her cheeks and let out an exaggerated "Oh nooooooo."

"Looks like we have no choice but to share," Sergio said, shaking his head like he was beholding a terrible tragedy.

"What a horrible turn of events," she said, taking a big fluffy sweater from her bag and slipping it on. She looked unbearably lovely with it on, her legs bare. Sergio settled on top of the bed in order to admire her better.

"Indeed," he said, grabbing a hold of the edge of the sweater, giving it a yank. "Oh stop it," she said, but let him pull her to him with absolutely no reluctance. Soon he had giggling Raquel captured in his arms, both of them kneeling on the mattress.

"I cannot stand you," she whispered, holding her face very close to his. Their noses bumped against each other, and he struggled not to kiss her.

"Perhaps we should lie down then," he said, suddenly pushing her down. A sharp laugh escaped her.

Before Raquel could even make a pretense of wiggling away from him, he covered them both with a blanket and snuggled close to her.

"Oh, this is worse than torture," she whined, nuzzling into his neck.

"I'd rather be anywhere else in the world," Sergio lied, pulling her even closer, his hands boldly pushing below the barrier of her sweater. They both shivered when his palm finally pressed against her warm, smooth skin.

"I loathe you," she murmured, her eyes closed and lips parted. A content sighed slipped past them as Sergio's hand roamed down her body.

"I loathe you more."

His fingers slipped past the waistband of her panties. Raquel released a deliciously shaky breath against his neck, making his hair rise at the nape of it.

Now she was very silent and still, all thoughts of further banter fading as Sergio touched her. Her curls were soft and damp, a heated promise of what he would soon reach.

The first brush of his fingers against her wet folds made Raquel press an appreciative kiss against his throat. Oh, how he loved to be kissed there. With his sounds and motions, he encouraged Raquel to continue licking and sucking on his neck as he toyed with her entrance.

His motions were languid at first, lazy and exploratory as if he did not already know every inch of her by heart, all the spots he could stroke to make her gasp and smear his palm with wetness. He only pushed in when she started to squirm, grazing her teeth against the sensitive skin of his shoulder, shifting toward him ever-so-slightly.

His fingers plunged through her drenched folds and startled a choked gasp out of her.

Her desperate little gasps were so beautiful. He savored each one as he pistoned his fingers in and out, deep and hard while grinding his palm against her clit. Raquel was a trembling, gasping mess by the time he curled his fingers to her G-spot, stroking it until she was on the verge of screaming.

He muffled any potential cries by kissing her just as she came. He had no idea how soundproof these walls were, and he wasn't taking any risks.

They were both out of breath, but their lips returned to each other again and again for a sweet peck after another until they were quite spent and happy.

"Still loathe me?" Sergio teased, drawing his fingers out.

"Yes. Now my favorite sweater is all sweaty," Raquel pointed out with a frown that did not quite reach her eyes that were still glimmering.

"If you want me to stop giving you orgasms, you can just say so."

"Don't you dare deny me the lifestyle I am accustomed to," she warned.

Sergio gave a gentle laugh.

"I would never."

It seemed that Raquel was about to say something cheeky in response, but the words died on her lips as she glanced at the clock on the wall and then back again at Sergio. Suddenly the look in her eyes softened to such a degree that the air of jesting and ribbing was completely sucked out of the room. Only something impossibly gentle and loving remained.

"Hey," she said, reaching out for his hand.

Sergio let her take it.

"It has been six months now," she exhaled.

"Yes," Sergio acknowledged.

"We did not kill each other," she said, her voice overflowing with happiness.

At first he was confused at this very odd statement, until he remembered.

That was what she had been afraid of, half a year ago. That they would kill each other, hurt each other, unable to move past the bitterness and regret.

And yet they had.

You were right, she seemed to be saying with her gaze.

Sergio squeezed her fingers tight into his own.

Thank you for giving me a chance, he answered with his.

He hesitated. Raquel was looking at him like she was ready to lay the world at his feet, and it was hard to imagine anything but overflowing happiness from her lips if he were to ask right now how she felt about their relationship and the future. However, the speech he had been practicing for a long time was suddenly completely erased from his head. His tongue felt heavy and sticky. All he could think about was that a ring. That damned ring.

He had brought it with him for some inexplicable reason. The box was currently hidden inside a secret compartment in his bag. He couldn't chase away the image of it sweating there, and how easy it would be to just take it out and...

He violently pushed these thoughts aside and set on doing just one thing, asking her a simple question: Can we talk about us?

But just when he opened his mouth, a voice rang out.

"Mama! Come look! It is snowing!!"

It took a moment for both of them to register the words.

Snowing?

Paula sounded so ecstatic about witnessing this natural phenomenon for the first time that Raquel pushed past her disbelief. She bounced off the bed, swept the curtains of the window aside to confirm that it was, indeed, snowing before rushing out of the roof.

Sergio stayed behind for a moment, pressing his face against a pillow, trying not to curse.

Only in Finland, it would snow in the middle of the June.

Paula loved snow.

Even that was an understatement. Paula couldn't get enough of snow. From dawn until dusk, she was out, playing in it, shaping it, practically swimming it. It was a struggle for Raquel to drag the poor girl inside before she would get a frostbite.

Sergio quickly got over his resentment about the snow ruining his plans and decided to make the most of this short winterlike spell. It was a miracle Raquel did not break it off with him during first few days because he was Paula's worst enabler. Whenever Paula asked him to go sledding with her or challenged him to a brutal snowball battle, Sergio took less than a fraction of a second to yield. Paula hardly even had to break out her pleading doe eyes.

Raquel had taken to calling him her daughter's poorly treated servant instead of her boyfriend after watching him drag her around the town daily in a sled. He did not mind it because it made Mariví call him father material and Raquel to blush prettily.

Currently, he was building a snow castle in the yard with Paula. The girl had wanted it to rival the size of the cabin, but Sergio had refused. It would be a normal sized snow castle. He had to stand his ground somewhere after having been forcibly recruited into snow construction work, an arranged marriage with a plushie he had not even met before waiting for him further down the line. He did not have it easy.

That last thought sparked a recollection in him.

"That bridal magazine..." he began, looking up from his work of strengthening the foundation.

"Yes?" Paula said, sitting on a mound of snow like a princess on her throne.

"What did Raquel say that made you buy it?"

Paula looked at him blankly.

"Why do you want to know?"

Sergio suppressed a sigh. Have some mercy on me, Paulita.

"Because," he managed, half a grunt, half a sigh. "I just want to."

"Hmmm," Paula murmured, evaluative.

Sergio was about to give up and abandon the subject when the girl finally dropped the bombshell.

"Well, it had to do with you."

He was instantly zapped alert.

Raquel had told her something that had to do with him and had Paula planning a wedding.

"What?! What did she say?"

Paula smirked. Actually smirked.

On some aspects, she was infuriatingly similar to her mother.

"You really want to know?"

"Yes," came rushing out of his mouth.

Here he was, beginning for crumbs of information from a little girl. He did not feel dignified in the slightest.

"Will you make the castle bigger if I tell you?"

"I will buy you double fries the next time we are in a restaurant. Deal?"

"Deal," said Paula immediately. Fortuitously, she was very easy to persuade, unlike her mother.

She hopped down from her throne and walked over to him, hunched. The ceiling of the snow castle was not high enough for the girl to stand up straight, let alone Sergio.

"Mama said," she began, leaning to whisper into his ear as if betraying a state secret.

But before she could finish her sentence, the subject herself happened to peek her head through the entrance.

"I said what?" asked Raquel, smiling.

Sergio decided it was for the best to swiftly change the subject. He graciously offered Raquel his hand.

"Welcome, your majesty the queen. This new castle is built entirely in your and the princess' honor," he said suavely.

"I am the princess!" exclaimed Paula excitedly.

Raquel gave a small laugh, accepting Sergio's hand readily. "I did not realize we were royalty. What does that make you, Sergio?"

Paula opened her mouth to answer. Sergio was lucky if she said 'a knight', but his expectations were tempered to a 'workhorse."

He was shocked when he heard her reply.

"The king."

"Oh," Raquel said, beaming. "I suppose that makes me your queen."

"Indeed," Sergio exhaled.

Raquel brought his knuckles up and gently grazed them with her lips. He was amazed how a simple kiss against his gloves could be so sensual. She might be simply play-acting, but he would kill to have her do this again. Later, in private.

"Thank you for this castle, your majesty."

Sergio's eyes flickered to Paula. I owe you one.

The girl grinned.

"Only the best for you, mi reina," he exhaled before sweeping her in his arms in a very unregal fashion. They both toppled to the snowy floor of the castle.

"Your majesty!" exclaimed Raquel in mock outrage while Sergio just guffawed.

In the next moment, both of their breaths wheezed out of their lungs when Paula too decided to leap on top of them with a grace very unlike a princess'.

They were now a big pile of snow and limbs and laughter. They only quieted down when Raquel wrapped her arms around the two and squeezed them tight against her, showering them both in fond kisses.

"Mis amores", she murmured, holding them close. "I would be very happy to live here until the end of my days."

Her eyes met his and he saw that she meant it. She was shining with unabashed happiness.

At once, his heart felt very full. So full in fact, it was starting to ache. His stomach also gave a lurch.

He soon realized the reason why.

It was his nerves, realizing there couldn't be a more perfect moment than this to talk with her. Paula was there and he would very much like her blessing as well. Would the girl be willing to let him into their family sometime in the future? What did Raquel think about sharing a home with him, even if he couldn't quite give her a castle?

"Raquel," he called out gently.

The woman turned to him, some snow still stuck to her hair. Sergio took his time to lovingly brush it off. He would later curse himself for this action. Who cared about some petty snowflakes? It certainly wouldn't have affected her answer.

And so it went that when he finally opened his mouth to let out those well rehearsed words, the world came crumbling down.

Or more accurately, their snowy abode. First the northernmost wall collapsed on top of them, causing a domino effect until the whole mighty castle was in white tatters on the ground, covering them in a heap of cold wreckage.

However, the survivors of this calamitous collapse were able to dug themselves up in no time. Raquel and Paula were laughing as they stared at their sudden transformations into snowmen and laughed some more. The only one not laughing was Sergio. He spat snow from his mouth and slapped it off his shoulders with furious frenzy.

It had been so perfect. But his dreams had caved in like his poorly constructed foundation.

Perhaps all was not lost yet. He could make some funny quip about what just happened and make a transition to his big speech. Somehow.

But in the next moment, Raquel was already rattling her daughter like a salt shaker, trying to get the snow out from the crevices of her clothing before finally giving up and lifting her in her arms. "I think it is time for us girls to head into sauna. Wouldn't that sound nice, cariño?"

"Yes please."

Paula cast a pitying glance at him over Raquel's shoulder as she carried her inside, and with that, Sergio was left alone.

It took a good 5 minutes before he would stop kicking the snow with all the violence in his body.

Mariví was testing him.

She somehow managed to scout out every single activity in this tiny town and packed their days with them. There was not a moment to catch his breath, let alone figure out how to bring up the whole commitment to a commitment thing.

He tried calling his brother for advice, but Andrés just laughed after he told him about his preparations to have this talk with her.

"You are the biggest idiot on the planet," he guffawed. "Just propose instead of proposing to propose!"

Sergio hung up.

There were always the evenings and the mornings, but Raquel was very keen on having sex at every possible moment they were not on the move. That he did not complain about, even if it left him in a bit of a time crunch.

One morning, he was resting his head against the shower wall, letting the water stream over him while he mentally lambasted himself for being utterly unable to even ask his girlfriend whether she could see herself married to him in the future.

No wonder his relationships never lasted. He had the communication skills of a potted plant.

Or maybe Andrés was to blame, with his infectious desire to make anything a romantic spectacle. Sergio had become too much of a perfectionist because of it.

In any case, Sergio was so paralyzed by this simple task that sliding a note with a single word Future? alongside yes and no options beneath her door was starting to look like a really nice idea.

Before he could arrive at any definitive decisions, however, he was startled by a finger tapping on his shoulder.

He flipped his head around to see Raquel standing naked behind him, smiling with one of her brows cocked.

"You are taking too long. Move it."

Sergio's eyes were glued to her form as Raquel stepped next to him under the stream. At a gentle push of her hand, he made room for her, dazed.

He watched her as she started dousing her body with water, his awareness of what was happening growing. Raquel's body was inches away from his, radiating warmth. This realization finally got his senses razor sharp, and he focused all his attention on her tempting pair of lips, already dotted with waterdrops.

Raquel swiftly rejected him, however, when he made a move on her. Him trying to set his hands on her hips and chase her mouth with his was met with fond eye-rolling and a shove back.

"I really have only timesaving in mind, Sergio. We are leaving for the reindeer park in 20 minutes and you are hogging the shower."

"Ah," he said.

He really had no good explanation for his procrastination so he said nothing, deciding to just quickly rinse out his hair one more time and get out of her way. He really needed to get away from her anyway if he wanted to be able to think. Sometimes, it was impossible to be rational while looking into her brown eyes.

He could feel Raquel's eyes on him as he combed his fingers through his wet strands. He avoided looking back at her because he knew even one more glimpse of her skin would only work to distract him. But just when he was about to step out of the shower, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Give up so easily?" asked a flirtatious voice.

Sergio turned back to her so fast he almost gave himself a whiplash.

"What kind of game are you playing?" he asked while backing her against the wall, his voice immediately gaining a dangerous edge.

Raquel looked pleased by this sudden change in his demeanor, a small dark flush appearing on her cheeks. A languid smile spread on her lips next and she started running her hands along his arms that had her caged against the tile wall.

"Just wanted to test if you are tired of me yet," she said sweetly.

Sergio was not sure whether she meant this in the context of their trip where they had been going at it like rabbits or in general, but he was offended by the mere idea nevertheless.

"Yet? Oh, there is not even a remote possibility that I will ever get tired of you," he said firmly.

Her smile was still sparking in the corner of her mouth, but it was shyer than before. There was some hesitance in it.

"You sound so sure," she said, and he was not sure if it was a joke or a heartbreaking admission of disbelief.

That wouldn't do.

He pressed himself even closer to her, fire in his lungs.

"Raquel, if you accept, I promise that for the rest of ours lives.." he began, his voice unwavering.

Raquel's eyes snapped up in alarm and her lips pursed together softly as if she had caught herself before breathing out and was now holding it. She continued staring at him like that, her eyes wide and expectant as Sergio drew out his words.

...I will always ask you to join me in the shower," he finished triumphantly.

In an instant, Raquel's brow dropped and she looked at him with some exasperation. Sergio was not sure why.

Then she muttered something that sounded awfully lot like "You are going to have to do better than that."

Huh?

Before he could ask her what she meant, she grabbed the back of his head and crashed their lips together.

Her kiss made the blood in his veins instantly boil. He responded by wrapping his arms around her shoulders and locking her tighter in his arms. Raquel's tongue was instantly thrust in his mouth and her lips moved against his in a frantic, sloppy dance. She seemed very frustrated for some reason which made her motions wild and unpolished, but Sergio did not mind. She was writhing against him in an absolutely delicious manner. He could only show his appreciation by matching her enthusiasm.

He snapped their hips together and began grinding himself against her. That gave Raquel a pause for a moment and she shuddered out a ragged exhale. Seeing such an obvious sign of need from her was intoxicating.

"I will give you anything you want," he rasped out against her skin. "Anything."

Raquel did not answer, taking him between her soft, wet thighs instead.

The sensation was divine.

Sergio had to strain all his muscles in order to not immediately start rutting against her flesh, and this tension erupted in the form of a choked grumble from him. Raquel hushed at him and began sliding herself along his shaft, doing what he desperately ached to do for him.

"What about what you want?" she asked hoarsely.

Sergio's eyes were clenched shut. He was unable to answer, so hard he was concentrating on not losing control. There was something about her, her body, her voice, her whole being, that exposed his savage side more often than he would have liked.

"What do you want?" she repeated, more insistent this time.

Sergio did not say a thing, just breathed out raggedly instead. She could hear the plea in his whistling exhales. Mercy was all that he needed, no matter how she decided to deliver it.

She let him fall from between her legs. A devastating turn of events, but one he was hardly able to process because in the next moment she was crouched down, caressing the insides of his legs.

Then, he felt a single, torturous breath against him.

Pure, wet bliss followed.

Sergio was rather proud of himself for not immediately erupting inside her mouth. But it was damn close. Too close.

He made an instinctive, small thrust into her mouth but she did not mind, just took him in deeper. Jesus, his eyes were about to roll back into his head.

"I am very, very close," he warned Raquel with a broken voice as she sucked on his head, sliding her tongue expertly along the sensitive ridge like some goddess of torment. She knew exactly how to get him to come. Her other hand was inching closer and closer to his crotch. One brush of her fingers against his balls and there would be no return.

Just then, she released him from her mouth, and Sergio's insides shifted places from the unraveling tension.

"What do you want?" she asked once again, a strange glint in her eyes.

"Get up," he ordered.

She did just so. She did obey him sometimes, and the effect was always just as spine-tinglingly good.

As wonderful as her mouth was, he would enjoy it even more when they were in a more comfortable place for it. He would use these few minutes before they definitely had to be out of this bathroom and getting ready for something that would gratify them both. So he encouraged Raquel to wind her arms around his neck, took her in a secure hold and lifted her leg to gain easier access.

After a soft, slow slide they were joined.

They were in a relative hurry, but he still settled into a patient rhythm, intent on just enjoying the exquisite sensation of being inside her. During the first few languid thrusts Raquel had simply looked into his eyes, breathless, but now she was kissing him sweetly and hungrily at the same time. It was as if she needed to kiss him as deep and long as possible before the diminishing number of kisses allotted to them ran out.

For a moment, he did not even move, just kept still as they enjoyed this intimacy. Raquel's fingers in his hair were gentle and caressing, making him feel particularly loved. He tried to convey this same feeling to her, but found himself utterly unable to do anything at this instant.

How could he possibly show her just how much she meant to him?

His actions were inadequate. He couldn't find the words no matter how desperately he labored. But she, she could only look at him and he would feel like he was the only man she would ever love this way.

He felt rather small and miserable then, like it was only a matter of time she would realize he deserved a man who perhaps wasn't so repressed as to be able to hold the truth of his feelings in for eight years. It was not as if he had changed much. He could tell her he loved her but articulating just how relentlessly he knew he would love her until the end of his life was impossible.

Raquel did lift his spirits slightly by starting to rock against him while whining softly, encouraging him to start thrusting into her again. He smiled, kissing her in the tenderest way possible and pushed himself all the way inside.

Her eyes fluttered shut and a sharp sound escaped her. He seemed to have hit her in the perfect spot. He kept this stance and began driving in with focused intensity. Raquel began trembling.

Before he could even reach down for her clit, she came with a soft shudder.

He needed a moment more in the clutch of her walls before he was swept away as well. He held onto her tight, licking waterdrops from her skin as they both rode out the aftershocks of their orgasms.

Raquel lifted her head to look at him, her eyes swimming with some emotion he could not recognize.

He wanted to tell her.

I will never stop loving you. Please stay with me.

But he couldn't.

For a moment, it felt like she wanted to say something too, but nothing came out of her.

It was their second to last day in Finland. He had just spent the whole day teaching both Raquel and Mariví to ski, failing miserably, and Raquel was cross with him for some reason (probably because Sergio had snapped at her for teasingly suggesting calling Mikael to give them some off-season instruction. In his defense, he'd rather die than let that man anywhere near her). He was exhausted, Paula was moody, Mariví was starting to look like she was drafting her daughter a mental list of eligible bachelors to replace Sergio, and Raquel was either giving him the silent treatment or muttering something about him never being able to take a joke.

His chances of passing the relationship audit were not looking too sunny.

However, being optimist had always worked in his favor before, especially when it came to gathering confidence to win huge clients or getting into Raquel Murillo's pants in the first place. He shouldn't throw his towel into the ring quite just yet.

But as he would soon realize, there was a fine line between optimism and desperation.

There he was, on the phone with the only fine restaurant in this town, trying his pathetic best to arrange an absolutely perfect night for him and Raquel. The only problem was that the restaurant was not cooperating.

He dug his fingers into his brow before enunciating his last words to the sommelier once again. "No, I am talking about the 1949 vintage of that wine, not the 1999. Are you trying to serve dishwater to the love of my life?"

"Sir," said the sommelier with utmost patience. We are a small restaurant in Lapland. 1999 is the best we can do."

Sergio sighed. "First the candles, now this..."

"We will be able to provide candles, just not in the exact scent of 'freshly fallen snow in a crisp winter night'. And in regards to the wine, I am afraid that—"

"I don't care if you have to dig it up from the catacombs of Paris, get me that damn 1949!"

The sommelier began speaking in an even terser tone than before, but his words went to deaf ears. Sergio's attention was snatched by the sound of motion behind him.

He turned his head, the phone still pressed against his ear.

He was surprised to see that the source of the noise was Raquel. There she was, leaning against the doorway, staring at him. He thought she had gone to bed a long time ago.

There was something very strange about her demeanor. All the disgruntlement from earlier was completely gone, as if it had never even existed. Instead, her eyes were shining with something that could be nothing but complete and utter happiness. She was beaming like all the stars of the night sky gathered together.

Whatever it was that had her so elated, it quickly demoted his fight with this hack of a sommelier in his list of priorities. He was just about to open his mouth to end the call, but then Raquel spoke up herself and stopped his heart.

"Were you really going to make me drink some ancient wine for this?" she asked, sunny laughter in her voice. She moved her hand fully to his view.

She was wearing his ring.

Sergio felt like someone had just pierced his chest with a harpoon.

For a moment, the shock of this sight made his brain near convinced he had gone insane. It couldn't possibly be his ring. It couldn't possibly be Raquel that was wearing it. It couldn't possibly be that Raquel had found it and willingly put it on.

It just couldn't.

He heard distant cursing from his phone. He absent-mindedly turned it off without taking his eyes off her.

At his prolonged silence, Raquel spoke up again.

"I mean, it is a really nice ring, but I would prefer it without the food poisoning," she said teasingly. Then the mirth in her voice was drowned out a strange, strangled sound and Sergio saw her cover her mouth with her hand as she let out a shaky laugh.

He then realized what exactly was glimmering in her eyes.

They were tears of joy.

"How?" he managed to rasp out.

It was only thing he could think to ask. How was she wearing it?

Raquel gave a nonchalant wave of her hand. "It was in your sock drawer. Not the most genius hiding place, especially with it still in that unmistakable ring box. It was almost as if you wanted me to find it. Did you?"

Sergio stared at the simple, beautiful stone now glimmering in her finger.

He did not answer her question.

Raquel wiped some wetness from her eyes and assumed a dazzling, if a bit wry smile again.

"My answer is yes, by the way."

Another set of harpoon-like words. His heart was going to bleed out.

"But I would still like to see the part where you are on your knees," she went on. "So hop hop!"

Sergio did as she said. Rather literally, in fact, because his legs were so weak that he near collapsed on his knees right in front of her.

He took support from her legs like a man drowning.

"Why are you wearing the ring?" fell from his mouth.

Raquel furrowed her brow, not only at the strange question but his stance as well.

"I am sorry if I ruined some big plans you had, but I honestly couldn't wait a second longer after finding the box," she explained herself.

Her answer did not make any sense. His fears and doubts had rotted the part of his brain that was able to make sense of all this. So he just continued staring at her, feeling hopelessly adrift.

Then, finally.

"You'll marry me?"

He'd just and just managed to get the words out.

"Yes, of course," she said with a confused smile. "Was that not clear?"

At that, Sergio desperately pressed himself closer to her, so close that his face was buried in her abdomen. It was the only way to keep his mind from reeling.

Raquel gave a laugh. "Just getting down on your knee is quite enough for me, cariño, don't get any ideas—"

"I was not supposed to propose," he said quickly, interrupting her.

The confusion returned on her face in an even greater volume. She studied his face, her frown deepening and deepening.

"You weren't supposed to..." she wondered aloud, then cut herself short.

She crossed her arms, quirking her eyebrow in a very Raquel-esque manner as she looked down at him.

"Is there some other girlfriend in Lapland you were saving this one for?" she asked in a extremely dry voice.

Sergio shook his head, feeling rather helpless.

"No, I was going to ask you to pass us."

"Pass us?"

Raquel looked and sounded like she had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

He looked down to the floor as he explained.

"We agreed on a trial at the start of our relationship. I asked for a year. After that, we would have been able to talk about future. But I couldn't wait that long. I booked this trip because wanted to sweep you off your feet again, convince you that I was serious, that I wanted a future together and ask you if you felt the same way."

Complete and utter silence flooded the room.

Had he said something he should have? Fuck. He knew he would just freak her out. He should have waited that whole year before even raising the question.

Then he remembered.

She was wearing his ring.

A ring she had put on out of her own accord.

That definitely made the situation less dire than he thought, but definitely more confusing.

"Sergio..." she began in a gentle tone of voice that unnerved him again.

He must have fucked up somehow. And now she was going to tell him exactly how, and she was going to take off that ring and explain that him orchestrating this whole thing just to have one conversation with her was too romantically immature for her and she had changed her mind, and—

"...I felt that way five days into our relationship," she continued.

Sergio blinked.

Raquel smiled nervously. He blinked twice more.

Her smile shifted into something less smile-y and altogether nervous.

She seemed to be just about to say something when Sergio suddenly leaped to his feet and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"I felt it a couple of days in too!" he said urgently.

"Really?" Raquel asked, beaming.

"Yes! I spotted this ring in a shop window after maybe a week and couldn't stop thinking about it. I thought I was insane!"

"I thought I was insane! I told Paula I wanted to marry you after our third date!"

So that was why she had bought the bridal magazine.

Without really noticing, Sergio had begun to bounce on his feet. Raquel joined him, giggling a little.

"I really did not meant to propose, I just brought the ring just in case. But I really wanted to."

"I really wanted you to ask! I thought that was why you booked the trip. But nothing happened so I was thinking of just doing it myself before I found the ring."

A flame of joy lit up inside him at that, but then it quickly wavered. It was a good thing Raquel had not gotten a chance to do that. He would have just embarrassed himself with how fast he would have said yes.

"Only after six months?" he asked, grinning.

"Hey, you were thinking the same thing," she said with mock affront.

"I thought we were taking things slow," he asked, more serious this time.

"Yes, I thought that was what you wanted."

"I thought that was what you wanted!"

"You are the one who suggested that trial," Raquel reminded him pointedly.

"Because I thought it would make you feel more at ease. You were so nervous about this relationship."

"In the beginning, yes. But before long it started to feel so right."

"Nothing had ever felt righter," he agreed, caressing her cheek with his palm.

Raquel leaned into his touch, sighing. "Why did we not just talk about this with each other?"

"I thought it would ruin everything."

She frowned. "Why did you think that?"

Sergio fell silent, trying to collect his thoughts. Forming his fears into words was no easy process. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth, like all the times before when he'd looked at Raquel and just hadn't been able tell her wonderful she was, how he couldn't stop thinking about her, how miserable it made him to treat her coldly.

But he had to try. She deserved that much.

So he took her hand gently, the one with the ring on it. He stared at it, still not quite able to believe she was wearing it, drew in a deep breath and looked into her overwhelmingly beautiful eyes.

"I spent so long loving you from afar," he choked out. "It is hard to move on from that state. What we have..."

Raquel's fingers squeezed around his and she looked at him with shimmering eyes, encouraging him to continue.

"Sometimes it does not feel real. I still feel afraid to even breathe for the possibility that you will realize what an asshole I am, how little I deserve you."

"Sergio..."

"It is like we are still having that beautiful dance at the Christmas party years ago. I thought if I was just still and silent, tomorrow would never come."

Raquel closed her eyes, a small sad sigh falling from her lips.

"You have to tell me stuff like this," she pleaded.

"I know."

Raquel knotted her brow, radiating both concern and staggering amount of affection at the same time. Both made it momentarily effortless to believe she returned all his love and then some.

She took his head in her hands like scolding a small child. "Well, I do not take kindly to my taste in men being judged, even when it is coming from you towards yourself. We have been over this, I have a very good reason for being with you. You understand me like no one else. I feel safe and loved with you. You are so beautiful, both inside and out. I feel lucky to be with you."

He released a breath he had been holding. The stern look in Raquel's eyes softened.

"I know I may not able to convince you just like that. I know because I am still plagued by my own insecurities. I too fear I am not enough for you."

That Sergio did not like to hear. He released a faint noise of protest, but Raquel stifled it by laying a light kiss in the corner of his mouth and pressing their foreheads together.

"I don't think that is something we can ever stop fully feeling. But it will get better with time I hope," she whispered. "We just have to keep holding each other up."

"Raquel, I..." he began, already ready to start the first round of loving reassurance.

"Hush now. You can sing my praises when we are in bed together because I will want to fuck you after this. We just got engaged, after all."

Well, saying that was certainly a way to lift his spirits.

Sergio released a small laugh. "You know, I never really asked."

"I do not care. I am wearing the ring, and there is nothing you can do about it."

There was an enormous, relieved smile tugging at his lips. He let it consume his face and with a burst of joy in his chest, he took Raquel's hands in his. Despite there not being even a hint of music in the air, he started swaying with her. She went along with it, laughing a little.

He was happy enough to act a little foolish, and he was sure she wouldn't hold it against him.

"Alright, I will marry you since you are so into me," he said wryly.

Raquel snorted.

"And I will marry you only as a favor since you are so into me, you poor thing."

Sergio looked at her heatedly. The vixen in his arms was just begging to be kissed.

He held off on that, though. He had been dreaming about a moment like this. He would like for it to last just a little while longer, like a slight, beautiful buzz he did not want to turn into a full-blown intoxication. He was already so dizzy from this whole breathtaking surprise.

But then his thoughts became clouded again, unbidden.

"Is 6 months too short a time?" he asked. He had always thought he would need years for a step like this. Apparently not.

"It is not unheard-of. I do not think your brother waited longer than a few months before blowing off most of his savings on a new wedding," Raquel pointed out.

"Even with our history?"

They both considered it.

Sure, they had both exclusively communicated with glares across the room seven months ago. Sure, Raquel would have probably had a stroke if someone had gone back in time and told her about the existence of that ring in her hand now. Sure, Sergio had considered it more likely that they eventually stab each other than end up kissing under the Northern Lights.

But if snow can fall in June, a Raquel Murillo can fall in love with a Sergio Marquina. The thought was strangely comforting.

Finally, Raquel shrugged. "It might be weird to some, hilarious to others, but I find myself not caring about what the others think."

Sergio smiled at the wonder that was her.

As they continued swaying, Raquel laid out their future in front of him, and he let her voice lull him into a dreamy trance.

"You are getting rid of that apartment. They hardly book it anyway because of your weird art."

"Hey," he faintly protested. "It is not that weird."

"It is. You are selling the apartment and you are moving in with me."

That he did not protest, smiling like a fool instead.

"And we are having a wedding. Maybe we could take a look at that plan Paula has been drafting us."

"Us? Not me and her favorite plushie?" Sergio teased, catching Raquel in the lie.

Raquel defiantly ignored his words.

"And then we will have a honeymoon. Somewhere warm this time," she added.

Sergio nodded his approval.

"And I will get that job so I can show my new husband off in all the company functions."

Sergio started beaming.

"Oh, stop looking at me like that."

"I am just very happy to hear it."

"Shut it."

They were immersed in a pleasant silence for a moment, continuing to dance together.

"What then?" he asked.

"And then we will live happily ever after," she breathed out.

There was a brief, beautiful pause.

"Does that sound good?"

"Yes, that sounds very good."

The kiss was inevitable. Without thinking about it, without planning it, his lips ended up against hers. She let out a small, happy sound.

It was the sweetest thing.

After that, they broke apart and headed back to the bedroom.

Their dance had ended, but he did not mind.

It was tomorrow. And it was alright.

Fin.