Chapter 32 Lots of Gifts
"Here are the gifts from your lover."
Lover? Seriously, Dante?
In his hands, Dante holds a bouquet of various flowers and a quite huge black gift box. I can't wait to see what's inside. Whatever it is, I'm sure I'll still be surprised anyway. I mean, it's Antonio. He usually gifts me jewellery, but this one's different. A huge box could mean a huge gift. However, he did say it would be something simple, but still, it has to be something interesting inside.
"Don't call him that," I say, cringing at the word "lover". I can't believe Dante called Antonio my lover after his accidental confession earlier. I guess he's trying to accept the reality that Antonio and I might end up being together after we figure out if he's on the Romanos' side or not.
Gosh. Can't he see it already that I like him? I feel like I've told him about it. If not, I've hinted at it so hard to his face. I want to let him know so bad that I only want to be with him. I mean, Antonio has been kind so far, but there's just something about Dante that always draws me back to him. So, no. No matter how hard Antonio and my father might try to keep us together, I only want to be with Dante.
"Anyway, thanks. Hand me the box. As for the flowers, please put them in that vase," I say, pointing at the flower vase on the coffee table by the couch. "I can't let such a beautiful arrangement go to waste."
"Alright. Here. Watch out. It's heavy," Dante says. He gives the huge box to me, and surprisingly, it is heavy. What's inside this? I hope it's not a bomb or anything explosive. It's obviously not. Dante would've thrown it away if it were actually a bomb.
Dante brings the flowers and the vase to the bathroom while I open the box. My eyes widen at the assortment of snacks and sweets inside the box. Grinning like a madman, I pour everything onto my bed and chuckle at the sight of my favourite snacks and sweets in the mix.
Good lord. This is incredible. I should thank Antonio later. Ah, this is the best thing I've gotten today. All of this will go into my stomach in less than an hour. I really need to thank Antonio now.
"Those are a lot," Dante says. His gaze is fixed on the snack. It doesn't leave the mountain of snacks while he stands next to me, holding the vase of flowers that radiates a beautiful floral scent. He definitely wants some of these. I'll gladly share them with him. I don't think it's good for me to eat all of these myself anyway.
"Yeah. You can have some if you want to," I say.
"Nah. It's a gift for you," Dante says, shrugging as he tries to act nonchalant about it. No. He's definitely tempted to take at least one of these. From what it looks like, Dante seems to be after the chocolate bars. Damn. I was going to keep all the chocolates to myself, but now that Dante wants them, I have to spare some for him.
"Oh, shush. Antonio won't know. I can't eat all of these myself anyway," I say.
"Then you should save them for later. This is like weeks' worth of snacks and sweets," Dante says. Yep, that's how many snacks I have now. I feel like I want to eat all of them in one go, but I would look like a damn glutton in front of Dante. So, it's better if I share these with him.
"I know I can save them for later, but I'd rather eat them with you," I say, shrugging. His grin is enough to tell me that he's glad I'm letting him eat them with me. Ah, his grin. His wide, charming smile always makes my heart flutter. He looks so much better when he's not all grumpy and too serious. I wish I could see him smile and give me that stupid, cocky grin every day.
"Alright, then. Thanks," Dante says.
"You're welcome," I say, smiling widely at him. "Now go put down the vase where it was and get back in bed with me."
While Dante goes and puts the vase back on the coffee table, I grab my phone and text Antonio. I should thank him for his gifts right now before I forget about it. He really deserves the appreciation, whether it's just an act or not.
Me: Thank you so much for the gifts! The flowers are lovely. And the snacks! You're a lifesaver. I was craving them earlier, and I'm glad you got me a lot of them.
Antonio: You're welcome, Ale. I'm glad you like them. Get well soon, sweetie
Sweetie? That's the first time he ever called me that. Does it mean- No. No, no, no. God. I hope not. I can't let him get through me. I must stay focused. I can't let my guard down. For now, Antonio is still on the enemy's side. Until all that is cleared up, I must stay on high alert with him.
Me: Thank you again!
I put down my phone on the nightstand again, not wanting to chat with Antonio any longer. Next to me, Dante is already seated with his legs stretched out before him. He seems more relaxed now. I guess my father said something to him earlier that made him calm down a bit, and that is great. Now I don't have to worry about him not wanting to rest.
What should we do now? Taking a nap again is not on my list for the moment. I feel like taking another long nap would only worsen my dizziness. So, instead of sleeping, I think watching a movie is my best option for now.
"I'm bored. Let's watch a movie or something," I say as I grab the remote control. A scowl appears on my face as Dante snatches the remote control from my hand. Why did he do that?
"You should be resting," Dante says.
"I've rested enough. I'm only going to get dizzier if I go back to sleep now," I say. I reach out for the remote control, but Dante holds it away from me.
Seriously? How the turntables. I was the one who forced Dante to rest earlier, and now, I'm dealing with the opposite. Instead of me forcing Dante to rest, now Dante is the one who's forcing me to do it. Fuck my life.
"You can watch a movie, but only one. One movie. After that, you need to go back to sleep," Dante says.
"Okay. Fine," I say.
"Good," Dante says. The remote control is now back in my hand. Thank god. I thought he was going to force me to go back to sleep again, and it turned out to be the opposite. He's definitely kinder to me than I was to him earlier. Heh. That's nice.
"So, what do you want to watch, Your Highness?" Dante asks.
Your Highness? That's new from him. I prefer him to call me princess, though. I feel like an old lady if he keeps calling me Your Highness. But it's whatever. I'll let it slide for now. On second thought, fuck it. Two can play at this game.
"Hmmm, let's watch something humorous, my guard. Perhaps romcom?" I suggest. Dante gives me a solemn nod, but the smile on his face lets me know he's trying to hold back laughter from how silly we're being right now.
"The choice is yours, My Lady," Dante says.
"Alright. Romcom it is."