1999, May 31st,

  William and Eve got out of the taxi and walked into the hotel. It was Hotel Ancira in Monterrey. They were there to check one of the facilities and make sure everything was going well.

  Eve had a leather coat over her shoulder, partly covering her red dress. Her dress was long, just above her ankles, and her hand was looped around William's. As for him, he was simply wearing his usual long coat and a shirt with a vest above it. He dragged a large suitcase. It was fitted with 10 sets of outfits, with only three of them being his and the rest being Eve's.

  They walked into the hotel and were greeted by the concierge, a middle-aged man in an impeccable suit who smiled professionally as they approached the front desk.

  "Welcome to Hotel Ancira. Do you have a reservation?"

  "Winter," William said in Spanish. "Two rooms."

  The concierge, not surprised at his fluent Spanish, typed into his computer, then paused, before continuing in Spanish as well. "Ah, yes. Mr. Winter. We have you down for... one suite?"

  William narrowed his eyes and looked at Eve on his side. She whistled with a face that said she was entirely innocent about it.

  "Eve."

  "What?"

  "You booked one suite."

  "Did I? How careless of me." Her tone was anything but apologetic.

  With a sigh, he looked back at the concierge and continued in Spanish, "Si. One suite."

  The concierge, clearly used to this sort of thing, maintained his professional smile. "Excellent. The Master Suite is on the third floor. It has a separate living area and bedroom, a king-size bed, and a wonderful view of the Macroplaza."

  "King-size bed," William repeated flatly, looking at Eve.

  She smiled sweetly. "It's a large bed. We'll manage."

  The concierge handed over the key cards. "Your luggage will be brought up shortly. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"

  "No, thank you," Eve said in Spanish as well, taking one of the key cards.

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  They walked to the elevator. William pressed the button for the third floor.

  "You planned this," he said.

  "I have no idea what you're talking about."

  "Eve."

  "William."

  The elevator doors opened. They stepped inside. As soon as the doors closed, Eve turned to him with a grin. "Okay, yes, I planned it. We've been dating for three months. We can share a room."

  "We share a house."

  "That's different. We have separate bedrooms at home." She leaned against the elevator wall. "Besides, this is supposed to be a business trip with some vacation time. You said yourself we should take advantage of being here."

  He couldn't argue with that logic. "Fine. But don't snore."

  "I don't snore."

  "You absolutely do."

  "That's slander, and you know it."

  The elevator dinged. They were on the third floor. They stepped out into a hallway with plush carpeting and warm lighting. Unluckily, their suite was at the end of the hotel.

  Unlocking the door, William pushed it open. The suite sure was impressive. It had spacious living area with a sofa and coffee table, a work desk by the window and through an archway, the bedroom with the promised king-size bed. There were also large windows that overlooked the Macroplaza, and beside them, a door that led to the small balcony. There were two more rooms that were closed. He assumed one was the bathroom, but he didn't know what the other one was.

  Eve immediately went over to the balcony as she looked outside, her hair slightly swaying with the wind. "This is beautiful."

  William set the suitcase down and looked at her. She was looking straight at him, her hand held out in front of her as the smile radiated. It was as if she was shining, due to the sun facing her back. He froze for a second before smiling as well and joining her, taking her hand as he hugged her. She turned towards the city.

  He continued looking at her before muttering, "You're right. Beautiful."

  "Right?" Eve asked as she turned to look at him, only to find him staring straight at her with his blue and brown eyes. She blushed as she softly hit his chest, "Don't embarrass me like that..."

  William grinned, "What? I'm just telling the truth. You really looked like an angel when you held out your hand to me, you know? With the sun behind you and all that."

  She beat his chest again, this time just a little harder, "Stopppp."

  William chuckled. "Alright, alright. How about dinner? It's already 6 now."

  Her blush lessened as she nodded, "Okay. How about Restaurant Los Barandales?"

  "Sounds good."

  She grinned cheekily before planting a kiss on his cheek, "I'm gonna go freshen up."

  Eve opened the door on the left, and it was the bathroom. She immediately went in and locked the door, her heart beating fast. She pressed her hand against the sink as she tried to calm herself. Deep breaths, Eve. Deep breaths. She told herself as she looked at herself in the mirror. The woman staring back looked composed enough, with cheeks faintly pink and eyes bright, but otherwise she looked composed.

  She had only felt like this once before, and that was when she realized she was in love with him. She hid her face inside her hand as her cheeks brightened even more. Idiot! She thought. But despite her thoughts, she smiled.

  She fixed her hair before smiling at herself. It's just a dinner. Right, I can do that. I've eaten with him countless times before. It shouldn't be a problem at all. She convinced herself. After a minute, she managed to become more confident and walked back out of the bathroom.