The months I spent dating Antonio were the happiest ones of my life. We saw each other every weekend except for when he had conference meetings, so I pretty much kept half of my stuff at his apartment while he kept half his stuff at mine.

And yes, we had keys to each other's apartments as well.

My friends kept asking me why we didn't just move into one apartment, but that would make our individual commutes to work much longer. Besides, I loved my apartment and wasn't ready to give it up.

It was a Thursday afternoon in September, and right as I was about to head down to the cafeteria for lunch—it was Burger Day, and I was freaking pumped—I got a call on my desk phone from Sarah, the grumpy lady who worked at the sign-in desk on the main level.

"Good afternoon, Sophia. You have a visitor in the lobby," she informed in a robotic tone.

"Who is it?", I asked, giving my new manicure a quick inspection.

"A Mr. Antonio Rossi. He claims to be your boyfriend."

My eyes widened in surprise.

"He's here?", I said a bit too excitedly.

"I asked if you knew about his visit, and he said he wanted to surprise you." I could imagine her air-quoting the word "surprise" while rolling her eyes.

"Tell him I'll be right down."

Grabbing my purse, I bolted out of my cubicle and down the stairs like a cop on the chase, only pausing once to check my reflection in the glass walls of the laboratory. When I spotted Antonio up ahead standing at the front desk with his hands shoved in his pockets, I finally slowed down.

I cleared my throat, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear and at the sound, his head whipped around as a million-dollar smile lit up his gorgeous face.

"Antonio, what a surprise," I greeted brightly, returning his smile while my heart did somersaults.

"Was that the sound of your shoes just now racing down the hall?", he asked, his eyes gleaming with humor.

"No, of course not. Must've been my manager, Darren. He's always on the run," I lied, blushing furiously.

"Oh, my bad," he said, playing along.

Seriously, though, I shouldn't be this insanely happy to see Antonio, but I couldn't help it—I was a woman in love.

I turned to Sarah, a wide smile on my face as Antonio went to put his arm around me.

"Thank you, Sarah. Have a great rest of your day."

She gave us both a judging look, then said "You, too," in a clipped voice before directing her eyes back to the computer.

"Something must have crawled up her ass and died," Antonio muttered once we were out of her earshot.

I laughed, sliding my arm around his waist.

"So, what brings you here on this fine afternoon?", I asked, gazing lovingly up at his face.

"I'm here to take you out to lunch," he replied with a broad grin.

"Don't you have to teach today?"

He shook his head.

"I only lecture Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays."

"Office hours?", I prompted.

"Canceled them today. And I'm sure my graduate students can handle me being away from the lab for a couple hours."

"Aww, I feel so loved."

"You are." He gave my waist a squeeze.

I texted Ella and Peter to inform them that I would be having lunch with Antonio then we headed outside the building.

"This is a nice place you work at. You should give me a tour sometime," he commented, admiring the rolling green grass—a rarity here in dry Southern California—and blooming flowers.

"Will do." I smiled at him.

"So, what's good around here?", Antonio asked once we got in his BMW.

"There's a park nearby. They've got food trucks, if you're into that stuff." I quickly eyed his crisp dress shirt and tailored pants before adding, "Or, if you'd prefer a dine-in restaurant, there's—"

"Park sounds good to me. It's nice out today, too."

"Perfect!" I beamed.

"Don't be fooled by what I'm wearing, mia bella. I love a good, greasy burger just as much as you do. Perhaps even more," he said, patting his flat stomach.

Marry me, I thought to myself.

It took us five minutes to drive to the park, and as soon as Antonio parked the car, we charged straight for the food trucks. After reviewing the diverse options, we both decided on bacon cheeseburgers and cherry Cokes—guess I wasn't missing out on Burger Day after all.

We sat down at a bench beneath the palm trees to feast on our burgers, watching the young moms pass us by pushing their babies in strollers. More than once, I caught a mom eyeing Antonio appreciatively, which didn't faze me. I mean, back then, I used to stare longingly at guys whom were taken, too.

At one point, this one lady stopped in front of our bench to talk on the phone while her baby boy was wailing in the stroller, facing us.

"You've got to be kidding me," Antonio muttered under his breath.

Setting his burger down purposefully, he began making goofy faces at the baby, blowing raspberries, and to my utter amazement, the baby grew silent. He stared at us with his big, round eyes before bursting into giggles, drool gathering at the corners of his mouth.

"That's better," Antonio said, fighting a smile as he resumed eating his burger.

Was it possible to love him more than I already did?

Our half hour together flew by as we talked about our plans for the weekend. Even Thanksgiving was brought up, and Antonio invited me to spend it with him and his mother up in San Francisco, which I agreed to wholeheartedly—I was dying to meet the woman who birthed this perfect man.

Before I knew it, it was time for me to go back to work, and when we pulled up in front of the building, I was reluctant to leave him.

"Thanks for lunch today. It was so much fun," I said.

"Anytime. Now get your ass back in there and solve healthcare's biggest challenges." He gave me a proud grin, and I wanted to kiss him for hours. Instead, I had to settle for a brief kiss on the lips, but it was a kiss nonetheless. I reached for the door handle, getting out, then bid him farewell.

"Good-bye, Antonio."

"Good-bye, Sophia. I love you."

"I love you, too. See you Saturday."

I watched him drive away, and with a longing sigh, dragged my feet back in to work.

***

"You're taking up so much space," I complained, nudging Alexa more towards the other side of my bed.

"I can't help it, I'm sorry."

It was the night before Nick and Alyssa's wedding, and here I was, lying in bed with my best friend. David, her boyfriend, was sleeping in the guest bedroom. He was a great guy with an even greater sense of humor. I really hoped he and Alexa were going to stay together.

Christmas was two days ago, which we celebrated at Alyssa's parents' house in LA. Antonio's gift to me was a diamond heart-shaped necklace from Tiffany & Co., which I treasured greatly, but the best part had to be the Hershey's Kisses-filled mason jar which had the words "Kisses for When I'm Not Around" on it in red.

I bet my entire life savings he'd gotten that idea from Pinterest.

According to his exact words, however, these weren't the only gifts I'd be receiving from him for Christmas. When I'd asked what he meant, he'd simply said "The third gift you'll hopefully get in a couple days."

The man was full of surprises.

As for me, I'd gotten him a customized coffee mug that said "Hottest Professor Around", a watch, and a pair of Periodic Table socks tailored to his chemistry-loving self.

"You wanna hear my evaluation of Antonio?", Alexa's voice sounded in the darkness.

"Can't it wait til the morning?", I grumbled into the pillow.

"It'll be brief, I promise."

"You have one minute."

"He's not a dick. Or a lowlife. Or a jerk. He's...perfect. Too perfect. Which makes me wonder if he's hiding something," she said thoughtfully.

"You read too many crime novels."

"Girl, you know I don't read. I'm just saying..."

"Whatever you say, Alexa."

"But seriously, though, congrats. You've literally found the most perfect man to be your boyfriend," she said in a bubbly tone.

I laughed quietly, turning on my side to face her. Our matching tattooed wrists rested in the space between our heads.

"If I ever have a kid one day, I'm making you the godmother," I stated.

"I'm making you my kid's godmother, too," she said with a teary smile.

Our arms instantly went around each other as I hugged my best friend in the whole entire universe. Poor David would probably die to be in my exact position right now.

The following morning, we both woke up early to prepare for the eventful day that lay ahead. Nick and Alyssa's church ceremony was set to take place at eleven, followed by an evening reception at the Taglyan Complex, one of the hottest indoor wedding venues in the Los Angeles area.

For the church ceremony, I decided to wear a light pink knee-length floral dress while Alexa wore a flowy yellow maxi dress. Antonio arrived at my apartment right at nine, looking utterly breathtaking in a fitted black suit with a wine-colored tie to match the evening gown I'd be wearing later.

"How long are you gonna stare at me? Personally, I don't care if we're late to the wedding," he said with a teasing glint in his eyes.

"I wasn't staring. You have something on your shoulder," I spoke, rubbing off an imaginary piece of lint.

"You look beautiful, mia bella." He smiled.

"You don't look too bad yourself." I smiled back, blushing slightly.

Alexa and David rode with us to the church, and when we arrived, I was immediately swarmed by relatives whom I hadn't seen in years or had never met before. The ceremony promptly began at eleven—there were about one hundred people in attendance. Tonight would have a much bigger attendance level.

Alyssa looked like an utter goddess in her Vera Wang gown when she walked down the aisle, and the look on my brother's face as he watched her was priceless. I couldn't help but let the tears I'd been bottling up fall as I thought of our mom, who should have been here to see her firstborn child get married. My dad sat in the row in front of me, and his eyes were watering as well.

Antonio reached for my hand and gave it a comforting squeeze, silently letting me know he was here for me. I turned to face him, mouthing a "thank you" before directing my gaze back to the front.

Later that evening, all two hundred and fifty of us were gathered at Taglyan Complex to celebrate the newlyweds. A large screen at the front played a PowerPoint consisting of photos and videos of them. Earlier, I'd given my speech dedicated to Nick that I miraculously was able to come up with on the spot. I mean, I shouldn't have to memorize a speech about my own flesh and blood.

Nick and Alyssa were currently making their rounds at the different tables, and when they arrived at mine, I stood up to give them a toast, and everyone joined in. Once the first dance was finished, and the wedding cake had been cut, it was time to party.

"Wanna do a song with me?", I asked Antonio as he sipped his champagne, gesturing towards the stage where the live band was playing.

"Are you kidding me? My singing voice shatters windows and makes children cry."

"Oh, don't be silly. It can't possibly be that bad."

It actually was.

And the fact that I'd chosen Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana" didn't help at all. The song itself I'd always found to be so mysteriously sexy because of its notable guitar riffs. During the inhumanly high-pitched notes, we both sounded like shrieking hyenas. The guests absolutely loved it, several getting onto the dance floor to move to the beat.

However, where Antonio lacked in his singing ability, his dancing made up for it. During the chorus, he gyrated his hips like an actual male stripper, which sent the women—young and old—into a frenzy.

At the end, he took my hand in his, and we did a dramatic bow when Nick yelled from the back of the room, "One more song!" The crowd began chiming in, chanting his words.

I turned to look at Antonio.

"Shit, what do we do?"

"It is your brother's wedding, is it not? I say we honor his wishes," he said with a crooked smile.

"You're right." I sighed, taking a gulp of water out of someone's glass at the table closest to me before joining him back on stage.

Deciding to just stick with MJ, we ended up singing, "Thriller," which was an old-time favorite of all generations. At the middle part, both Alyssa and Nick got on stage to join us, and the guests went wild. It was honestly the most fun I'd ever had in my life.

"We'll be dropping our mixtape some time in June. Stay tuned," I said into the microphone when we finished the song, which earned a roar of laughter from the crowd.

Antonio and I headed back to our table to catch our breaths for a moment and resume eating. He'd taken off his suit jacket ages ago, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. A thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead, and I couldn't help but laugh at the show we'd put on just now.

"You must have been a male stripper in your previous life," I joked.

"Maybe I was." He winked then added, "I'm gonna go use the restroom real quick. I'll be right back."

I nodded my head, and he gave me a peck on the cheek before getting up to leave.

However, fifteen minutes passed, and he was nowhere to be found. Assuming he might have had an upset stomach, I went to join the young, single women up front as we anticipated the tossing of Alyssa's bouquet.

Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" was playing through the speakers, and when Alyssa turned her back to us and tossed her bouquet, I watched as it soared up, up, up...

Before landing right into my awaiting hands.

I simply stood there blinking when I heard Nick's voice through the microphone.

"Give it up for my sister, Sophia, everyone!"

Around me, people clapped and cheered before Nick continued.

"Now, my buddy, Antonio, would like to say a few words to this lucky lady."

Holding the bouquet in one hand, I watched as Antonio stepped onto the stage, his stride long and confident. Nick handed the microphone to him, giving his back a slap before jumping off the stage.

What in the devil was going on...

"Hey, everyone, it's me again. The talented vocalist you all had the pleasure of hearing earlier," Antonio announced with a grin. The crowd laughed heartily then he directed his intense gaze right at me before continuing.

"Two and a half years ago, I met the world's most unforgettable woman...we fought over a Kraft mac and cheese box in the middle of Ralph's. Little did I know that I would fall for this mac and cheese loving, awful parallel parking, Drake-worshipping, smart-mouthed woman.

"Because believe it or not, folks, she isn't just those things. She's also beautiful, honest, smart as fuck, and her heart is bigger than the entire state of California. Oh, and did I mention she's beautiful?"

All two hundred and fifty pairs of eyes were on me, but in that moment, Antonio's brown ones were all I could see. I was clutching my chest in my hand, my entire body trembling, as I stored each and every single word he was saying to me deep in my heart.

"Her smile lights up an entire room, and her laugh...God, her laugh could end the Middle East conflict."

I laughed through the tears that I didn't even know were falling. Antonio rocked back and forth on his heels for a minute, looking deep in thought, then brought the microphone back to his lips.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is...I'm madly in love with her. I love her for every little thing about her, but above all, I love her because she loved me at a time when I couldn't love myself."

Yup, I was definitely a crying mess right now.

"Mia bella?"

"Y-yes?", my voice cracked.

"You know how I told you I had a third Christmas present for you?"

I meekly nodded my head as Antonio hopped off the stage, and before I could process what was happening, he was down on one knee before me.

"I'm the third present...if you'll have me," he said tenderly, his eyes full of love.

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.

"So, I guess the appropriate thing to ask is—," he paused and fished out a small box from his pocket, flipping it open to reveal a stunning, princess-cut solitaire ring. "Sophia Grace Weston, will you marry me?"

And of course, I said yes (maybe it was more of a scream, depending on how well your hearing was), because who in their right mind would turn down a Christmas present?

Notes