Betrayal Down Memory Lane

Convincing Leo (6)

I quietly walked in, closing the door behind me. I sighed.

You've got this Nadia.

I walked into the kitchen, seeing Leo sitting on a counter stool with a half empty beer bottle in his hand. Sometimes Leo would visit me, and this was like his second home. He would stay at my place for a while, then I'd stay at his place and vice versa.

I smiled at him. "Hey, I'm sorry about Maia, she's just," I didn't know what to say. "She's just being Maia." I chuckled, but it came out more like a sigh. 

He laughed, placing the bottle on the counter. "Don't be, I've gotten used to the harshness by now." My expression dulled. "Oh, Leo." There was a distinct hint of sadness in my voice.  I walked over to him and he embraced me. We were about the same height when Leo was sitting down.

"I'm sorry." My hand ran through his hair, stopping at the back of his neck. 

"Those are some friends you've got there." He mumbled. 

I sighed, caressing his cheek. "Don't worry about them." I said before kissing him. Leo kissed me back, and it was hard to ignore the taste and smell of alcohol on his breath. 

I let my lips linger for a moment and smiled against his to add affection. He chuckled, and the sound of his laughter gave me an uneasy feeling to this whole plan. I closed my eyes and rested my forehead against his. His right arm had been wrapped around my waist, while the other rested on the upper part of my back.

"Leo?" I whispered.

This was it, no turning back. 

Once again, I thought of Danny and I and all the "what ifs" we could have been if he hadn't left me. I so desperately yearned for what that could be. I opened my eyes. "Sweetheart what's wrong?" I realized I blanked out not hearing Leo's response.

"Are you okay?" I asked. My question threw him off.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine I-"

"You're sure?"

"Sweetheart, yes I'm fine. What's the matter?" I smiled at that nickname. Sweetheart. Leo called me that simply because I was younger than him. Leo was 29 years old. At the time he came into my life of despair, I was only 21 and he was 26. It wasn't too much of an age difference. I didn't mind it because, hey it was Leo, what was a 5-year difference when you had a guy like him.

"Leo, I need to tell you something serious."

He gave me a look of uncertainty. "O-okay, sure," he stuttered. It was time to put on an act. I initiated the sweetest, innocent voice I could come up with. 

See, it wasn't that hard because my voice was naturally soft. I sighed.

"Leo, I'm so sorry, I wish they'd let me know ahead of time."

I briefly looked up to see Leo in utter confusion. I continued. "You remember I told you I'm working with the psychiatric program, right?" He slowly nodded. "Yeah, there's a workshop in Las Vegas tomorrow and I can't miss it Leo, I can't. They've invited me to go." Leo relaxed now.

"This means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

I smiled. "Yes, I think it'll be a wonderful learning opportunity for me that would help me out in the future." I made sure to smile as much as I could. 

Leo slightly smiled and that let me know he was falling for my plan. "You can go if you want," Leo spoke softly. "I won't stop you, just know I'll miss you." He smiled. 

My face lit up. "Really?" He chuckled. "Really." I squealed in excitement. "Oh Leo, thank you!" I gave him a quick kiss before hugging him tightly. "You're welcome." He said breathily, trying to emit a laugh. 

"Did you get your ticket yet?" He asked. I nodded. "Yeah, Maia and Amelia even offered to take me to the airport tomorrow." Leo looked slightly insulted and disappointed.

"You didn't want me to take you?"

Sadness quickly washed over me. "No, Leo, it's not like that at all. See, I'm leaving at night, and I thought, why not spend the day with you. Just you and me. We could even start right now...after I pack of course." I added sheepishly. 

Leo sighed. "Alright, take your time. If you need me, I'll be here." He raised his beer bottle up, indicating he was going to have another drink.

I gave him a stern look. "Leo,"

"What? Do you want one too? Because there's more in the fridge." He held a bottle in front of me. I held his hand, along with the bottle bringing it down. 

"Leo, I'm serious. I don't want you to drink so much. I care about you." He sighed and couldn't help but smile.

"It's just beer Nadia. Besides, as long as I'm with you, I'll be okay."

He took another bottle from the fridge and placed it down on the counter and patted the bar stool next to him. "Now would you have just one drink with me before you go?"

I grinned, giving in and taking the stool beside him. "Why not?"