Chapter Text
“Right now I just wanna kiss you hard…before the sun sets”
You look back into his tender, devoted eyes and gently take his hand.
“But Emilio, we’ve got a long time…thousands of sunsets.” Your voice is full of reassurance. It is a gentle reminder to him, and even to yourself, that you no longer need to rush.
“Yeah. Again and again, over and over…I’m going to keep falling in love with you.” A gentle breeze sways across the grassy field as his words settle into your ears. Your chest tightens and your heart warms from this promise given by a man who only yesterday swore them off completely.
Emilio slides an arm around your waist and pulls you to his side. You lean your head on his shoulder, watching the golden sun descend upon the horizon. Emilio was right about this spot, it truly is a breathtaking place. You look up at his face, wanting to see the way the last flickers of golden sun illuminate his eyes. Instead of stealing a shy glance at him, you find that he is not looking at the sunset, but rather he is looking at you. Feeling yourself start to blush at being caught, you quickly attempt to turn your face away only to be stopped by Emilio gently grabbing your chin. He keeps you there. His eyes fixated onto yours. There is a devotion in his eyes that makes time seem to stop. It feels like he is looking at some incredible treasure.
The gold is gone from the sky before either of you realize it. In its place are the beautiful blues and purples of a twilight sky. A cold breeze sweeps across the field, pulling you out of the trance and sending a shiver down your spine.
“Oh! I’m so sorry my angel, I was so entranced by you that I didn’t even notice the chill. Hold on just a moment.” Emilio quickly runs off back up the hill and begins searching in the grass. It’s hard to see but you watch him grab something, assumedly his jacket, from the ground before running back towards you.
“Here,” he says, a little breathless. You feel him drape his jacket over your shoulders and you could practically swim in the fabric. He wraps his arms around your shoulders from behind.
“Thank you, Emilio. It’s gotten pretty late, we should probably head back to SU City.”
“Wanting to be rid of me so soon, my angel?” He brings his chin to rest on your shoulder as he teases you. You cannot help but dramatically roll your eyes at him.
“You know that is not what I mean. It’s a long drive back to SU City from here and I’m not too familiar with these mountain roads.”
“Then spend the night in my cabin and leave when morning comes. You know it’s not my style to send someone home by themselves and besides…I would worry too much knowing I sent you down those winding roads in the pitch dark.” Those last words are so sincere, not at all flirtatious like the ones preceding them. He is right, roads have many sharp turns, and the roadsides are covered with trees that hide long drops down. It was stressful enough coming up the mountain during the bright daylight, going down it at night would be a different story entirely.
“You’re right, it would not be the smartest of ideas to leave tonight. But I don’t have to sleep in the cabin, I would be perfectly fine sleeping in my car-
“Absolutely not.” Emilio interrupts you, his face turning serious. “What kind of man would I be if I let the one I love sleep in the cold and snow? There is more than enough space in the cabin for both of us.”
“Unless…it’s not space you’re worried about?” A flirtatious tone returns to Emilio’s voice as a teasing grin spreads across his face.
“Ugh! You’re such a flirt, Emilio!” You let your words hang in the air before considering your options. Do you really want to spend a cold night in your small car? That cabin did look kind of nice even if a bit on the minimalist side…
“Okay, IF I spend the night in your cabin, you have to promise me that nothing…weird will happen. No watching me in my sleep or anything like that…”
“Hmmph, you’re no fun.” Emilio turns you to face him before continuing, “But if that’s what it takes to make sure you’re safe tonight, I swear on my Rosales name that there will be nothing ‘weird’. I’ll even sleep on the couch.”
“Promise?”
“Y/N I promise.”
“OK. I trust you,” you exhale gently.
“Well then, I suppose-“ He scoops you up into his arms, “We should start walking up the hill!” Being picked up so suddenly you gasp and start to squirm in his grasp. Emilio lets out a laugh as he starts to carry you up the hill.
“Emilio! Put me down! I can walk up myself! Why do you feel the need to carry me?”
“Dearest, I did not forget that you hurt your ankle yesterday. It’s dark and I don’t want you to trip and fall.”
“I only hurt my ankle cause I was sitting down for so long! It’s fine now!” Your words seem to fall on deaf ears, however, as Emilio does not put you down. While you could try to wrestle your way out of his arms, your strength is no match for his. Realistically, it would only cause the both of you to fall if you tried to break free. With no other choice, you let Emilio carry you up the hill to his car.
He gently puts you down on the car’s passenger side before opening the door for you. The drive up the mountain is mostly quiet, even a little bit peaceful. It’s a ride is so smooth that you could almost fall asleep on the twisty gravel roads if not for the occasional sharp turn jerking you awake. You cannot help but steal glances at Emilio, expecting to catch him looking at you from the corner of his eyes. Never once do you see him sneaking glances at you, however. His eyes remained fixed on the road the entire time; his hands stayed perfectly set at 10 and 2 on the steering wheel.
All the light is gone from the sky now, except for a waning crescent moon and sparkling stars. The moonlight illuminates the growing amounts of snow weighing on the tree branches. It would not be long before the car reached the cabin near the mountain's peak.