Esto Mamey

He sure was a romantic, and Ceci was completely and utterly swept off her feet. She was far from the person needing someone else to tell her what she was worth, but she never wanted Manny to stop telling her how special she was.

Ceci wrapped her arms around him. “Oh yeah? You were just made for me? I think I like that.” She kissed him again, gently this time. “How about — since you’re such a romantic — you pick me up and carry me to that bed?”

Manny winked and scooped her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. “As you wish.”

He was careful not to crumple her dress up too much. He had no idea if it was hers, a rental, or what it costed, but he knew from experience with his sisters that it was better safe than sorry. He’d worn one of his dad’s old suits himself, forever grateful that he was built exactly the same way as his father.

Señor Toro had died when Manny was eleven during a bodega hold up. He’d tried to be a hero and stop the robbery, but the guilty party had gotten spooked and reflexively pulled the trigger. The family mourned for two years straight, but it had left Manny with very few people to supervise him despite living in such a packed home.

Earning a light criminal record never went down with his family too well, considering how they lost their patriarch, but Manny brought the most money into the house and he’d be damned before he saw his grandma on the street.

Ceci took a breath and went to the bathroom connecting her room with Trixie’s. She took her hair down, and her scalp – which she hadn’t even registered was starting to feel tense – found immediate relief. Never in her life had a man thought about her enough to suggest something like this. Tears pricked at Ceci’s eyes and she fanned her face, trying desperately to recall them.

She didn’t do crying in front of guys, and certainly no crying during sex. She wanted this, so why did she also have to feel….this? 

Cecilia brushed her hair, focusing on the feeling of her hair being gently pulled as the brush detangled. A few more deep breaths, and she was good to go. She took off her shoes and tights and took one last look in the mirror. Irresistible.

“Are you ready for me yet?” She called out, slowly opening the door. Her breath caught in her throat and she took in what Manny had done in what felt like the minute she’d been in the bathroom, and then she was smiling again. “Oh my God, Manny”

His heart was pounding, but her reaction helped his shoulders relax. He chuckled. “I’m a romantic, what can I say?”

Manny made his way to where she had froze, making sure to walk slow and cool. Okay, maybe he was trying to emulate James Bond a little too much, but he wanted to look smooth and sexy.

He placed a hand on each side of the doorframe and leaned to be level with her. Her smile was just... perfect. It pulled a genuine out of him. Not forced, not intentionally funny, not seducing. Just... his smile. Manny wore a lot of different faces for a lot of different people in order to be what they wanted. But with Ceci, he felt this need to be the best version of him.

Ceci smiled. “I love how you call me that.” Mi amor. Her mom used to call her that, but it sounded infinitely better rolling off Manny’s tongue. She hoped he meant it more than her mother had.

She grabbed his hand and led him inside, up to her room in the boarding house – doing her best to ignore the anxiety in her stomach that’d been conjured by the thought of her mom. Today was Rebecca’s day, and it was her day, and her mother sure as hell wasn’t going to ruin it.

“Here we are, home sweet home,” she said, closing the door behind them. Manny had picked her up a few times, coming in on occasion, but Cecilia had liked to keep them out and doing things more than spending time in her room.

Looking at him now, wanting to take him to bed, Cecilia knew why she’d put it off this long. She’d undressed for him before….for money. She didn’t remember it. There were so many people in and out of those clubs, Cecilia just danced. She’d told herself she’d never dance like that again, but maybe she could. 

Doubt and insecurity were a look she never liked on herself, so instead, she kissed him again, trying her best to banish the question: If she took her clothes off again for him, would he only see a whore?

Manny kissed her back, savoring every second, memorizing every move she made. He didn’t know where his fascination with her stemmed from, but it was strong. Strong and robust and very, very leading.

Almost too much.

He knew Ceci had her reservations and he respected them as best he could. So he couldn’t ignore the little nagging feeling at the back of his head reminding him that, even though she had never explained why or explicitly said so, she was fragile.

“Wait wait wait, mamí. Just a second,” he murmured against her mouth. He allowed himself one more kiss before leaning back a bit, his brows furrowed with concentration. ‘Cause it certainly took a lot to hold himself back. “If you wanna do this, we’re gonna do this right. We’re gonna do it the way you deserve.”

He took a step away from her to look around the room. There wasn’t much, but all that meant was it’d be easier to find what he wanted. Smiling at her, he said, “Give me five minutes, okay? Go pull all the pins and shit out your hair so you don’t get a headache. I’ll be done by then.”

Manny smiled at her wary expression and released a sigh when she obliged him, stepping off to the bathroom. He moved quickly, opening cabinets and drawers, scrounging up some half used candles, matches, and some flower samples she had lying around from planning.

Two minutes later, he had her room decorated as romantically as he was capable of pulling off with what he had. Candles lit, petals on the bed. He caught a glance of himself in the mirror and swallowed hard. He’d been waiting for this, but the anticipation had built up so much that he started to feel like it would never happen. Like it was just going to be their game.

Cecilia laughed. Manny so easily made her laugh – and not her fake, flirting laugh. No, with him, it was the real thing. Always.

“Let’s go.” She grabbed her coat and nodded at Tom on her way out, not seeing Nora or Rebecca. 

Manny’s hand in hers, Ceci led the way to her place, each step feeling lighter than the last. Was joy like this even possible? Cecilia chose not to dwell on thoughts of when it would end. It always ended, but maybe not this time? She hoped not this time.

Cecilia pulled Manny into a kiss at the doorway of her building. “This has all been perfect.”

Manny kissed her back, if not a little tentatively. He was still a bit unsure. Ceci had created some very strict boundaries and he’d be damned if he crossed one just because she seemed a little enthusiastic. It would be too far off to blame it on Tom’s open bar.

“Sí? I’m glad. You put a lot of hard work in. I had no doubt it was gonna be great, but I’m glad that you’re not being too critical,” Manny said. He raised the hand that was holding hers to his lips and placed a kiss across her fingers.

He had known since she’d called his loud mouth ass out in the coffee shop that she was going to put him through it. And there was nothing Manny loved more than a challenge and a strong woman. He’d found both in Cecilia.

His brothers ribbed him for being too clingy and eager, but they were all the same way with their wives and girlfriends. If there was one thing Toro men did well, it was fawn over their women.

Sure, they were kind of a lustful lot, even his sisters got around, but once one of them chose a person, the person, that was all they could think about until they won them over. And even after.

Manny held his breath when she moved closer. He reflexively moved his arms around her, smiling shyly. Normally, he felt pretty confident and had no trouble voicing his attraction and affection to her. But he felt a bit more self-conscious here, in front of everyone Ceci knows.

He was on his best behavior. He’d schmoozed with Rebecca and Nora, laughed with Tom, and drank a bit with some of Nora’s family. Manny was a socialite. He’d join any crowd that let him talk.

“So, what’s next? In my family, a wedding will last from morning until, like, midnight, but I doubt this crowd rolls like that. But I’m not really ready for the party to be over. Can’t leave you just yet, sweetheart.”

Cecilia smirked. Manny really had been on his best behavior. He’d done really well with everyone, but Cecilia was ready to have him all to herself.

“I don’t know that Rebecca’s ever partied, but that’s the beauty of this shindig, everyone can leave when they want. I can grab the decorations tomorrow. So…”

She trailed off for a second, for emphasis. And because teasing is fun.

She was too valuable to have slip away.

"If that's what you'd prefer. I was gonna walk you home at the very least anyway. I wouldn't mind a night cap." He winked at her. "Besides. I'm definitely more fun than that big, Hawaiian dude over there."

Cecilia smiled at Manny’s answer. “We paid like a third of that,” she said, beaming.

And just like that, there they were again, the butterflies in her stomach. All day she’d been stuck in the details of the wedding, but now, she was only here, with him.

Cecilia closed the distance between them a little. The relationship so far had been pretty tame, and she’d appreciated Manny allowing her to take things slow. She wasn’t usually a slow kind of girl. She was usually a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of girl, in fact. But she liked this. She liked actually getting to know someone a little, at least enough to start to think about letting some walls down.

She caught Rebecca staring at them and she smiled at her sister. She hoped Rebecca was enjoying the day even more than she was.

Manny held his breath when she moved closer. He reflexively moved his arms around her, smiling shyly. Normally, he felt pretty confident and had no trouble voicing his attraction and affection to her. But he felt a bit more self-conscious here, in front of everyone Ceci knows.

He was on his best behavior. He’d schmoozed with Rebecca and Nora, laughed with Tom, and drank a bit with some of Nora’s family. Manny was a socialite. He’d join any crowd that let him talk.

The ceremony was over, the toasts were done, and the appetizers were out. Cecilia finally felt like she could breathe. It felt nice to sway on the makeshift dance floor with Manny. His cologne pulled her back to the present moment – back from the endless checklists she was doing in her head to make sure everything was perfect.

“The place looks nice, right?”

It was not the first time she’d asked, but Cecilia couldn’t stop scanning the decorations and the guests, looking for any sign of judgement. She’d never done anything like this before, but KJ and her had made most of the decorations. The whole wedding had almost been DIY, and Ceci felt proud of their work. She wanted other people to like it too.

Manny would never be able to describe to anyone how much work he was putting in to not running his hands down her sides. He liked to think of himself as a gentleman, but would anyone else blame him with how Ceci looked in her dress? It was equally as hard not to pull her closer to him and hold her properly.

It was her sister’s wedding. He had to be respectful. He had to... He cleared his throat and focused on locking his elbows so they wouldn’t move.

Manny laughed lightly at her question. The place was done up nice. It wasn’t super extravagant, but it was very well decorated considering it was a bar. “Mi corazon, it’s amazing. Look at those centerpieces. No one believes that you didn’t pay at least sixty bucks for each one.”