June 1 2025

The time was eight twenty five p.m, Maria and Tony were seen outside his mansion, sitting by the outdoor chairs as both of them were drinking lavender tea while holding hands, She was recalling old stories from her childhood as Anthony was listening to her, focused on her voice while his eyes roamed around her face. He placed a hand on his chin and continued watching her which made Maria forget what she was saying, She stared for a moment in silence before Anthony smiled.

Anthony: Go on? I'm listening.

Maria: I. . . Oh my gosh, Tony.

She playfully smacked his hand as He chuckled, still not taking his eyes off of her, Tony knew exactly what he was doing.

Anthony: What? I'm being a good listener.

Maria: *Giggles* And you had to distract me.

Anthony: Revenge. . . A sweet revenge.

He chuckled and snapped his fingers as Maria rolled her eyes smiling and blushing a little.

Anthony: Makes me wonder, Does getting flustered so easily run through your blood?

Maria: I mean, My mom was really shy and quiet, Just like me.

Anthony: So you got her traits, That's cute.

Maria blushed again, giggling as Anthony continued smiling at her, But when he mentioned about her mother, It made her remember something which made her smile even wider.

Maria: I remember, When it was their seventh anniversary, My grandparents came over that day, Then Dad returned home with so many bouquets, Like there was a lot! And for the whole day, Mom's face was red like a tomato and my grandparents couldn't stop teasing her.

Anthony: *Laughs* Awww that's actually sweet.

Maria: *Smiles* And for his kindness and love, She sang a song just for him.

Anthony: Aw, Love songs are adorable especially during anniversaries.

Maria: I agree on that, She had a beautiful voice as well.

Anthony nodded as Maria continued smiling to herself, He gently caressed her hand and had a curious question in mind.

Anthony: Can you sing?

Maria was caught off guard by that question, She did tried singing after seeing her mother but never went further into it, She shook her head, speaking to him.

Maria: I can't say I can sing, But my mother was my inspiration for that.

Anthony: *Smiles softly* Then go ahead and sing a song for me, sweetheart.

Maria: *Blushes and shakes her head* N-No, Maybe next time.

Anthony tilted his head before smirking a little, Knowing she felt shy and nervous to sing in front of him.

Anthony: Come on, Maria. Just one note. I won't laugh. . . Unless it's so angelic it makes me cry.

She laughed, covering her mouth as Anthony grinned, leaning closer to her.

Maria: *Laughing* Stop, I'm gonna sound terrible, I know it.

Anthony: *Pouts* Awww you broke my heart, I got rejected by my most beautiful girlfriend.

Maria: *Smiles* I know what you're doing, Anthony. Don't make me feel bad for you.

Anthony: Then sing a song, At least a few verses.

Maria: *Chuckles* I can't do it, I don't think I can.

She smiled but was also serious about her answer, Anthony kept the smirk on his face but soon his face softened into a genuine smile.

Anthony: I'm pretty sure you can. . . I bet your voice is just as sweet as your laugh.

He leaned closer, touching her hair as Maria blushed again and felt her heart skip a beat, She knew he wasn't going to give up yet.

Maria: I don't know though.

Anthony: It doesn't have to be perfect, Maria. You could hum, whisper, or sing completely off-key, and I'd still think it's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard.

Her eyes lit up as Anthony leaned back, gazing to her eyes as Maria stared in silence, He was completely honest. . . And now she couldn't even refuse anymore.

Maria: Okay fine. . . But you're gonna regret it when I sing the first line.

Anthony: Or maybe I'll regret not hearing you sing before.

Maria blushed, smacking his hand again which made him chuckle, She could say anything negative about herself. . . But he would always find positive words to say.

Maria stood up, preparing herself. She remembered a song her mother used to sing, She just hoped she could match the same softness as her mother did, Anthony watched her silently as Marshall looked at the sky and took a deep breath before she started singing.

Maria: "You have my heart"

"And we'll never be worlds apart"

"Maybe in magazines"

"But you'll still be my star"

Anthony's eyes lit up and felt his heart racing, Her voice was beautiful, Just like what he thought.

"Baby, 'cause in the dark"

"You can't see shiny cars"

"And that's when you need me there"

"With you I'll always share"

Anthony had a smile on his face and could hear his heart pounding, Maria turned around, hesitating to look at him but she noticed the smile on his face which immediately made her smile as she looked back at the sky, continuing the song.

"Because"

"When the sun shines, we shine together"

"Told you I'll be here forever"

"Said I'll always be your friend"

"Took an oath that I'm a stick it out till the end"

"Now that it's raining more than ever"

"Know that we still have each other"

"You can stand under my umbrella"

Maria finally faced him, no longer feeling embarrassed or shy, His smile was enough for her to know that he was enjoying this.

"You can stand under my umbrella"

"Ella, ella, eh, eh, eh"

"Under my umbrella"

"Ella, ella, eh, eh, eh"

"Under my umbrella"

She stopped, looking at him. His eyes never left her gaze before he realised the song was over as he blew a kiss for her which made her blush.

Eventually, Anthony got up from the chair, walking towards Maria with a huge smile on his face.

Anthony: I knew I was gonna regret. . . Not hearing you sing before.

Maria: *Giggles* I was so nervous. I thought you would laugh at me.

Anthony: *Chuckles* Laugh? Are you kidding? I almost forgot to breathe.

He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer as Maria blushed, smiling at hIm. She was glad that he loved the song,

Maria: Thank you, Anthony.

Anthony: Of course. Like mother, like daughter.

She laughed, knowing he made a point. Her mother sang for her father and today, She sang for the one she loves, Anthony pulled her close for a hug as Marshall hugged him back, She could hear his heart beat as she gently grabbed his shirt.

Anthony: I don't think I'll be forgetting about this.

Maria: Mmmm, And you're the music in me.

She kissed his cheek but Anthony surprised her with a kiss, pulling her to his chest while his other hand moved behind her hair, Both of them didn't pull away, It lasted longer then it used too. They broke the kiss and smiled at each other as whispers were heard.

Anthony: I love you, Maria.

Maria: I love you too, Anthony.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Steve fixed the button on his sleeves and entered the nightclub, He was supposed to meet Anne here tonight, There wasn't any crazy party people here since the nightclub was a little stricter, Drinks were limited but they can dance and sing as much as they want too.

And because of the rules, There wasn't too many people around, Which Steve didn't mind, He preferred it this way. Miller continued walking around the club while thinking about Anne, He was so excited to see her.

Anne: Ahem.

He heard her voice through the music which made him smile, Steve immediately turned around and saw Anne, All glammed up while wearing a long black slit dress, He looked at her before slowly moving to her legs as Anne chuckled and snapped her fingers as he looked up, smiling.

Steve: Sorry. . . You look absolutely stunning.

Anne: *Giggles* Awww thanks, I'm gonna be nice and say you look handsome as always. Not "I wanna rip that shirt off in ten seconds"

He laughed and walked towards her, kissing her cheek which made her smile.

Steve: I'll admit, I also thought about that for a few seconds~

Anne: Mmm, Why wouldn't you~?

Steve: You really enjoy making me lose my composure, don't you?

Anne had an evil smirk on her face before they both shared a quiet laugh as the steamy tension faded into something softer, They weren't planning on anything steamy tonight, They just wanted to have fun for now.

Sometime has passed as Anne and Steve were dancing at the dance floor, He grabbed her arm, spinning her around as Winters laughed and continued spinning, Steve noticed she wasn't stopping which made him smile as he decided to spin around with her, Both of them looked silly with their dance moves.

Steve spun her again, but this time when she landed back against him, his hand lingered at her waist as Anne had a teasing smile on her face.

Anne: Ohhh, so this is how you dance now? Hands wandering?

Steve: *Grinning* What can I say? The music's got me inspired.

She rolled her eyes but didn't move his hand away. Instead, she pressed closer, swaying her hips against his just enough to make him catch his breath, Both of them continued dancing but the tension was starting to heat up between them, She turned around, leaning closer to his face while Steve's hands moved to her hips as both of them grinned before he began kissing her neck.

Soon, Winters gently pushed him away, His eyes lit up with intrigue but there was a hint of tease as Anne stepped back and began singing the song that the DJ was playing.

Anne: "Boy, I know you wanna get a taste"

"I know you wanna see me levitate"

"But when you come around, don't make me wait"

"You heard it's sweeter than a ~lemonade~"

Steve couldn't help but smirk as Anne danced while singing a sultry tone.

"Boy, I don't wanna be your one and only"

"Cause all they wanna do is try to own me"

"But you're the one I'm calling when I'm lonely"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah"

Steve walked towards her, grabbing her by the waist as Winters bit her lip and continued singing while both of them were dancing, slow and rhyming the song.

"You said you never had it like this with dem other girl"

"That's why you wanna keep the business to the minimal"

"Could never be my ~Inta Habibi~

"If you wanna get with me~"

Steve chuckled as they continued dancing before he spun her around as her back was pressed against his chest as Winters smiled and continued singing while holding both of his hands.

"And you can be my ~Dirty little secret~"

"Be my dirty dealer"

"Baby, 'til you fall asleep"

"I could put your body on the ceiling"

"You don't need a reason"

"Call me 'til it's after three"

Steve: "Cause I can make you never wanna leave"

Anne's eyes were widen, not expecting him to follow up with the song, But she liked it, They both did. She giggled and turned around, facing him as both of them had smiles on their faces.

"Bring you to your knees"

Steve/Anne: "~Come and live your fantasy~"

He lifted her up as Anne placed both of her hands on his shoulder, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"You can be my dirty little secret, be my dirty dealer"

"You could put the X on me"

"X on me"

Both of them shared a passionate kiss once the instrumental hit, The kiss was hot, with the same rhythm of the song still pulsing around them. They deepened the kiss while Anne rolled her hips against him in sync with the beat.

Soon, They broke the kiss, smiling at each other as Steve was telling her about something, She listened intently before her attention shifted when she saw a familiar person by the bar.

It was Kelly.

Anne was shocked, She didn't expect to see her tonight and her blood was already boiling, She didn't want Kelly to ruin this night. But the ex just stood there, There was a hint of anger. . . But shame, Maybe regret? Something was different about her.

Anne continued staring at her as Kelly stared at them before walking away, Winters's eyes softened for a moment before Steve spoke to her.

Steve: You alright?

Anne: *Looks at him* Y-Yeah, Sorry.

Steve: *Looks around* Is someone staring at you?

Anne: *Chuckles* No, No. Don't go on fight mode now.

Steve: I have too, If someone is giving you the dirty looks.

Anne laughed as she got off of Steve, standing on her feet while he gently held her.

Anne: Relax, Just some of the guys were giving a few glances, Don't go on full battle mode.

Steve: Doesn't mean I'm not aware. If anyone's messing with you tonight, They'd regret it.

Her eyes softened for a moment as she had a genuine smile on her face, Winters pinched his cheek as Steve's eyes softened.

Anne: You're adorable when you're protective.

Steve: Only for you.

Eventually, Both of them had a lot fun at the nightclub, But it was starting to get late now, Steve was dropping Anne back to her house while Winters was thinking about Kelly for a moment, She wondered why she was even there in the first place, Was she trying scheming something?

Her thoughts were interrupted when Steve stopped the car as She looked at her house before looking back at Miller, He smiled at her which made her smile back.

Steve: I enjoyed our night.

Anne: *Smiles* And I always enjoy being around you, Steve.

Steve: *Smiles* Me too, Anne. You make everything better. Even a simple night out feels like it's meant to be.

Her heart skipped a beat from those words as Steve leaned close to her face and placed a hand on her cheek.

And suddenly everything around them felt different...

A/N: Thank you so much for reading and stay strong!!! :)