I don't know what love is but I Love You

Chapter 10

Fortunately, Vicki knew that Leo lived near the restaurant "La vita e bella." 

" Which house is it?" Vicki asked as she parked the car.

Ali looked around and then pointed her finger at one of the private houses.

"The lights are on upstairs, so he must be home," Vicki said.

"He doesn't live alone," Ali replied, but didn't mention how the light was coming from Leo's bedroom.

At that exact moment, Victor walked past the car. Ali instinctively turned her head.

"Is that him?" Vicki asked.

"No, his cousin," Ali replied.

Vicki quickly got out of the car and walked toward the young Italian. Before Victor had time to say anything, she spoke up.

"My friend would like to talk to Leo. Could you see if he's home?" 

Instead of an answer, she heard a whistle coming out of Victor's mouth. A moment later, a half-naked guy appeared in the window.

That must be him, Vicki thought.

A few minutes later, a carelessly dressed Leo stood in the front doorway, but Vicki noticed that Ali was still in the car. Vicki explained to her friend that she should talk to him since she was already here and Leo had come out to see her. Ali thought that things couldn't get any worse.

 Leo sat on the steps and listened to his cousin complain about the restaurant's surly customers, but when he saw Ali getting out of the car, he could no longer focus on Victor's words. As soon as Leo's cousin realized what was going on, he smiled, waved his hand, and went inside. Vicki whispered a few more encouraging words in her friend's ear before nearly jumping in the car and driving away as if she was afraid that Ali would prefer to go home instead of talking to Leo.

Ali, like most people, when she was nervous, didn't know what to say.

" I'm sorry to come unannounced and bother you. I'm sure you're busy, so I'll leave now," Ali began nervously.

"I'm glad to see you," Leo replied, smiling gently and gesturing for Ali to sit down next to him.

As Ali continued to stand there staring at him, Leo walked over to her. When he touched her cheek, a shiver ran through her body. She closed her eyes as if that would help her feel his touch more intensely. Or did she want to see if it wasn't just a dream? As soon as she opened her eyes, his lips touched hers, and their initial gentleness was replaced by a wild passion. Everything inside her exploded. All she wanted, was for this moment to last forever.

When Leo ended the kiss, he embraced her with his whole body, feeling how cold her arms were. 

"Let's go inside," he said, intertwining Ali's hand with his palm.

As they walked toward his bedroom, they heard Victor telling his girlfriend Casie that the dish would be tastier if she sautéed the garlic in olive oil alone first before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Leo sat down on the bed and pulled Ali over to join him. He covered her with a blanket to warm her up. She rested her head on his chest.

"I guess it's over between Joe and I," Ali said softly.

"I guess?" asked Leo.

"We became a couple right before he left for college. I told him that a long-distance relationship wasn't that easy and it turned out I was right," she said.

Leo silently played with Ali's hair wondering if he should take advantage of the fact that a girl who needed to be comforted after a breakup was just lying in his bed with him.

"Why did you sleep with Julia when you knew she had an on-and-off relationship and could go back to her boyfriend at any time?" asked Ali.

"You're probably one of those people for whom sex is inseparable from being in a relationship, fidelity, and trust. And for me, it's one of the pleasures. So if a girl shows up in my room and wants to spend the night with me, as much as I want to spend the night with her, I'm not going to wonder whether or not she'll regret it tomorrow," Leo explained.

"What if she wanted something more after that moment of oblivion? Ali continued.

"There's no one who's wanted that yet," he replied.

"Really?" asked Ali incredulously.

"I think so. But, there's one I like. Pretty, capable, intriguing. Maybe it could work out with her."

His captivating gaze, almost arrogant confidence, and triumphant smile made Ali's heart beat faster, even though he'd just told her about another girl he wanted to be with.

What am I to him then? Another moment of oblivion? wondered Ali.

Leo leaned forward and his lips pressed down on hers again. Ali could think of nothing else but to hold on to this moment forever.  Just then Leo's phone rang. He intended to ignore the ringing, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw that it was Daniel trying to reach him. He quickly got out of bed and answered the phone. When Ali noticed that Leo turned pale and became serious, she knew that something bad had happened. 

While still talking to Daniel, Leo grabbed his jacket and ran down the stairs. At the same time that Ali heard the motorcycle driving away, she received a text message from Rebecca saying that things were bad with Mia. Ali asked Victor to order her a cab, but he decided to go to the hospital with her.