#meetaguy

“you know i cannot,”           she protested immediately, though any seriousness she hoped to convey was betrayed by the blush on her cheeks and the growing smile tugging up both corners of her lips. how she would love to, though; maría’s heart fluttered at the romantic notion of being able to wear his jacket home, to have it keep her warm from the chillier night air on her walk to and from work that night, to have a tangible reminder of him that fit his long limbs and carried his scent and could thus almost substitute for his embrace if she really tried hard enough. but tensions were already reaching a fever pitch in the streets, led by her own brother and tony’s best friend on opposite sides. giving into such temptations, however blissful and fizzy and sunny they made her feel, would only be stoking the flames of an already-raging fire. she would just have to commit to memory how it felt now around her shoulders, when the shroud of anonymity they were able to hide in in the crowded subway car actually allowed her to enjoy it. at least, for these last few seconds; they were taking a risk enough as it was, with familiar sidewalks just a staircase away now that they were disembarking the train. she did, however, hesitate just a moment to slip it off her shoulders, a second within which she pulled it around herself just a little bit tighter. 

High Pain Tolerance Starters | accepting

“what is this, huh? worried the old lady’s gonna freeze to death?"           she was teasing though, of course, tone lighthearted and smile amused as she pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. the city was cold enough in the winter, but the snowstorm had kicked up the wind chill and the frost around the windows — and knocked out their electricity. though valentina poked fun at the way he was so quick to swoop in for her without her even asking, and though she would always advocate for her own agility and energy in her old age, she was grateful that tony was around. he was good company, helpful, and thoughtful — he filled a certain void in the shop quite well, and on tonight’s occasion when they were without power and in near-darkness, he would be good to have around her upstairs apartment, as well. “get one for yourself,” she instructed, gesturing to the linen closet he’d just come from with hers. “there has to be one somewhere that will fit your shoulders,” she added with a little grin, in teasing reference to his broad frame. “then come back and sit with me. talk to me, entertain me.”

maría laughed lightly,           endeared and amused - he acted as though he had never heard his given name before. while she felt safe in assuming that his friends always addressed him as *tony,* surely he had not been addressed as such from birth. she had a pet name of her own amongst her family - maruca - but it had been used almost interchangeably with maría, perhaps even less so as of late. she realized then, though, that she knew very little of tony’s family, not even the names of his parents nor if he had any brothers or sisters, let alone what any of them had called him. maybe they did just use tony most often, or maybe, given the fact that he lived with valentina, it had just been a long time since he’d heard his name used by those who had given it in the first place. it softened her a bit, smile unfaltering and instead simply warming a bit. “anton,” she repeated gently, placing a small hand over his, “no es un nombre - … you all have your nicknames, yes?” she asked, referring to his friends. many of her brothers’ did, too - street names, which she supposed were meant to make them sound tougher. her brows raised in innocent curiosity, posing the question delicately. “como riff, y ice, o como chino, pero ... does anyone call you by your full name? or are you just tony now?”

@meetaguy​ CONT FROM HERE

she had made empanadillas at home countless times;           they were a favorite of papí’s, an often requested dish during all of the years he was essentially in maría’s care. they were a rather labor intensive venture, with separate steps required to make the dough, the filling, and then to combine the two into the final product. but particularly now as she lived away from home, the process put her especially at ease, temporarily transporting her back to a different time, when she was perhaps longing to go explore bigger things like her brother got to first but still immersed in the comforts and unconditional love of home and family. cooking was a part of her that she had been eager to share with tony, to introduce him to something integral to her family and her life before she’d moved to new york and something that could cure any homesickness or nostalgic feelings of melancholy. it was another way for him to get to know her, a way for the two of them to connect. it was special to her.