(Anthari Fanfiction) Fade

Chapter 3

"Woah," I say sitting straight ahead. "Just, wow."

"You do not know how long I've wanted to do that," Anthony says, his cheeks becoming rosy again. He turns to face me and takes my hand.
"Why are you leaving?" I selfishly whine. "The movie isn't even over yet!" He gets up off the couch, as I follow close behind, curious to what he possibly could have planned. He takes a few steps, stops and turns to face me.

"What's going on?" I say smiling.

"Mari, I have wanted to tell you this since the day we first met and I figured now would be the best time. The thing is, I have never connected with someone as much as I have with you. When you smile, I smile. Even if I just had the worst day of my life, I couldn't not smirk a little seeing your beautiful face. When you cry, I cry. Even if I had the happiest time of my life, seeing you sad makes me the saddest person in the world. Your existence and presence in my life has made it billions of times better than it could've been. I can't imagine waking up in the morning and not knowing you're one text message away. All I need to say is, Mari Takahashi, I love you."

"Anthony Padilla," I say, tearing up a little. "I love you too." I put my hands on his cheeks and kiss him again, the sparks reoccuring once more. "Why didn't we do this years ago?" I ask, laughing a little.

"I guess neither of us had the guts," he says laughing. "I'm glad we finally decided to. Honestly, I'm really happy."

"Me too Anthony, me too." I say.

Suddenly we hear a loud thump at the door. I jump and Anthony quickly turns to face the door. Another knock. Then one more. "Who's trying to get into your apartment?" Anthony asks, concerned for my safety. How sweet.

"I don't know," I say stepping backwards. Anthony put his arms around me in a protective way. The door flies open after about a minute and I couldn't believe who I saw standing at the door.

"Kalel?" Anthony yells. "What in the world are you doing here?"

She steps into the room and I notice her stained clothes and smudged makeup. Her breath reeks and she doesn't look like she has slept in a while. She stumbles into my apartment, the bags under her eyes clear as the sky and her balance is off most likely due to her lack of sleep. "I'm here to get you back," she says prominently. "You deserve better," she says glancing over to me. I can feel anger rising in me but I knew I had to stay out of it. This is Anthony's battle, not mine.

"I wasn't asking for your permission," Anthony says glaring at her. "And you were the one who left me. And guess what? I'm over you! I'm in love with Mari! And I don't even think I ever loved you!"

"You can't be over me!" Kalel whimpers. "I love you! And I'm gorgeous and like the best girlfriend ever and you'd look so cool with me! My awesomeness would rub off on you and my beautifulness would distract from your appearance. And you can't love Mari! She's not me! She's nerdy and ugly and not worth your time!" I can't believe she just spoke to me like that. My eyes tear up a little because her words hurt a lot. Mostly because I know they are true.

"Excuse me," Anthony started, looking infuriated. "I will not stand here and listen to you insult Mari and I like that. She is a beautiful girl who deserves better than anyone would have to offer her! And I may not be the most handsome guy ever but that definitely ranks you lower, sweetheart."

This got really intense really fast. I back away slightly, not wanting to get in the way if this did turn into a fist fight.

"You idiot! You are gonna miss me Anthony Padilla! This was your last chance and you blew it completely! And you Mari," she said pointing to me and moving uncomfortably close. "I'll get you Mari Takahashi! I'll get you good! Watch. Your. Back."

Kalel storms out of the apartment leaving me in terror and Anthony in a complete state of utter shock. He takes a couple steps towards the door, obviously contemplating whether or not he should chase her. It's obvious he still loves her, at least a little bit. "Anthony," I start, moving towards him. "You can go chase her if you want to. I would understand."

"Oh Mari, you have been doubting yourself ever since I met you. You always have the "queen bee" attitude, but deep down inside, I can see your struggle and pain. And I will do everything I can possibly do to help you get through it. I would never chase after Kalel knowing that a much more beautiful, understanding, and talented girl was standing right in front of me. I haven't realized this until now but, I have been in love with you ever since I met you. I had never realized and was blinded by the fact that it wasn't meant to be. But now I'm positive. It most certainly is meant to be." Anthony finishes, tears clouding his vision. His grabs my cheeks and plants a kiss on my forehead.

"Thank you," I whisper.