Odessa

chapter 16 - am i overthinking this?

We take our seats on the balcony, directly in the middle so we can see the entire stage. The best, and most expensive, seats in the entire theatre. I sit in the middle seat, between Nick and Leon, while Cal and Dina sit beside Leon. The theatre fills quickly, women in their gowns and furs, men in their suits and tuxes.

I feel the deja vu creep back and my hands begin to tremble. The last time I went to see the ballet, 2 years ago, was the day everything changed. The day I lost a part of my soul. The day I lost my innocence. The day my heart was ripped out of my chest and I was left for dead.

A warm hand grabs mine, causing me to lose track of my thoughts.

"You're okay." Leon whispers in a low voice, squeezing my hand slightly, stopping it from shaking. I turn to face him, to see him studying my face intently. Leave him to notice my vulnerabilities.

I give him a small smile, "Thank you." I whisper, moving my head next to his ear before giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Before I can see his reaction, my head turns to the stage at the sound of Tchaikovsky's introduction.

The lights dim and graceful feet tip toe onto the stage. I get sucked into the scene, sitting at the edge of my seat I'm unable to tear my eyes from the stage, absorbing the sound of the orchestra.

Time didn't seem to exist as before I knew it, it was time for the intermission. I slowly lean back in my chair, only to notice the warm grip on my hand hadn't been lost. I look down at my lap and see my hand wrapped in his. It feels so... comfortable.

I hadn't even noticed I'd been squeezing onto his hand throughout the performance. I look back at Dina, who has very clearly seen mine and Leon's hands intertwined and she gives me a knowing look.

I feel the butterflies grow in my stomach as my face begins to heat up.

I quickly lean across Leon, who is now texting, one handed, on his phone.

"Bathroom?" I whisper to her. She nods and we both stand. My hand feeling instantly colder as the connection is lost. I notice Cal passed out in his chair. I laugh quietly at the sight of him; he didn't seem like the ballet type.

I turn back to my chair to grab my purse, only to see Nick gone. I hadn't even seen him leave. Leon is texting on his phone intensely. Is this man ever not working? He doesn't even look up as I shuffle past him, typical.

-

"Did you notice Nick leave?" I ask Dina as we make our way through the foyer.

She sighs, "I did. He left about 30 minutes through. You didn't see him?" She replies.

I shake my head, "No. I didn't even notice I and Leon were holding hands until the intermission." I finish shyly. Me. As in me, Layla Stone, just held hands with a mafia boss' son, on purpose. And now I'm being shy about it?

It's such a small thing, but it felt so intimate. It sounds stupid when I try to even describe it; I guess I just never took him for the 'hand holding' type.

Am I overthinking this?

She hums and smiles as we make our way towards the bar, buying some snacks and drinks to get us through the rest of the performance.