Bittersweet Honey

12. In Your Eyes

Toni.

"I'd rather be 
So oblivious.
I'd rather be
With you."

-The Weeknd

​ It ended up being a perfect date. Yes, I said it. It was a date because he didn't let me pay, we had lunch together and we literally talked for hours.

Now he's driving me back home and I'm kind of quiet because I'm so comfortable with him after all we talked about that the silence isn't awkward. I almost never mention details about my family, but I felt free to tell him about it.

​ We arrive to my apartment, but I've got this weird feeling at the pit of my stomach. I don't want this date to be over. Yet.

     ​ "So...the coffee machine was broken at Fiorentino's." I causally mention. Hoping he'll take the hint.

     ​ "Antonia...are you suggesting we go upstairs to your place for coffee?" He exaggerates his tone, as he does, and raises his eyebrows in an obnoxious way.

     ​ "I only have instant coffee." I clarify.

     ​ "Sounds perfect." So he turns off the engine and we walk towards the building.

This is nerve-wracking, I should've just sent him back to his hotel, but now we're walking up the stairs to the third floor where I live. I almost drop my keys because my hand was shaking a little. This is the first time a guy comes to my apartment.

​"Welcome, mi casa es tu casa." I say as we walk inside.

     ​ "You've got yourself a real nice place, Toni." He comments as he looks around and wanders to the living room area.

     ​ "Thank you." I grin as I take off my coat and leave it on the hanger.

"It's small, but it's my space" And it is. I try to give it a lot of personality with my wonderful green velvet couch, decorative lamps, and pictures and paintings on the walls.

I walk over to the kitchen and take out two mugs, my favorite mug for my tea, and another one for Daniel's coffee. I put the kettle on and walk to the living room again to find Daniel looking at the pictures on the walls.

     ​ "That's you?" He asks, pointing at a picture of me when I was around 12. I had won a diploma that day for writing an article about an endangered species of turtles for the school's newspaper. I was a little dorky, but since then I knew I wanted to do something in communications.

     ​ "Oh God, yeah, that's me."

​"You look so cute!" He exclaims, making me laugh for the millionth time today. I'm about to thank him when he points something out.

"Hey, the diploma says Antonia F. Scott...what's your middle name, Toni?" And it seems like such a stupid detail, but no one ever asks about it.

     ​ "I...everyone just calls me Toni, you know? It doesn't matter." I try to brush it off. Not because I'm embarrassed or anything, but because it's a little complicated. I make my way to the couch and Daniel follows me, taking a sit beside me.