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

Chapter 13

Rebecca and Ali cleaned up in the kitchen after lunch. Joe was relaxing on the couch in the living room, watching a tennis match. When Ali heard the doorbell, she instinctively opened the door as if she were in her own home.

"Is this Mr. and Mrs. Mackenzie's house?" asked a tall brunette with brown, tired eyes.

"Yes," Ali replied surprised. 

"I'm Vanessa. I got this address from Leo," the girl said nervously.

Ali stared at her in silence for a moment. Then Rebecca came to the door and invited Vanessa in.

"Come in, please. You must be tired after your flight. I'll show you your room and the bathroom so you can freshen up. Leo will pick you up in a few hours."

Rebecca took one of Vanessa's bags and went up the stairs to the second floor. Vanessa followed her. Ali suddenly remembered Leo's conversation with Julia, in which Vanessa's name had been mentioned. She began to wonder why the girl had come.

Ali parked in front of the hospital. She noticed Leo sitting on one of the benches. She decided this would be a good time to talk to him.

"Hi," Leo greeted her with a gentle smile.

"Hi," Ali replied, handing him a box of food Rebecca had prepared for him.

"Mia fell asleep. She's having a bad day today," Leo announced.

" I'll come tomorrow. I can't stay too long anyway. I'm going to pick up my friend at the airport," Ali said.

When he heard the word airport, a grimace appeared on Leo's face.

"Have you seen Mia's father? I've papers for him that he forgot to take from home," Ali asked.

Leo just stood there in silence. 

"I met your girlfriend," Ali said hoping to hear that Vanessa was just a friend.

"I was going to tell you that Vanessa was coming, but I didn't get a chance," Leo replied.

"You don't have to explain yourself to me," she cut off the conversation.

Leo considered telling the truth for a moment. He saw that Ali could barely control herself not to cry, but he knew that was the only reasonable thing to do in the current situation. He watched her enter the hospital building and convinced himself that it would be better for everyone.

If Vicki wasn't her best friend, Ali would have texted her that she couldn't pick her up. On the way to the airport, she really wanted to focus on something else, but, the question kept popping up in her head. Why did he act like that? She thought that Leo had been probably amused by the whole situation and tears started to flow down her cheek.

When Ali entered the arrival hall, Vicki was already looking around for her. Ali quickly walked up to her friend and hugged her. It took a few minutes, but in an airport, no one is surprised by such behavior.

"Leo has a girlfriend in Italy that I wouldn't have known about if she hadn't come to America," Ali whispered in her friend's ear, holding back tears. 

The girls spent the next few minutes in each other's arms in silence. For that moment they became one. They were united by the feeling of being rejected. They were united by their broken hearts.

Vanessa, wearing a short bathrobe, sat on the bed next to Leo. He was so busy sketching that he paid no attention to her.

"That's a nice family you've," the girl said cheerfully.

"It's not my family, it's my sister's," Leo replied dispassionately.

Vanessa looked over his shoulder and before Leo could cover the sketch, she spotted the portrait of the girl she'd met today.

"I don't like people looking at my work when it's not finished," he explained.

Vanessa liked Leo from the first moment she met him. She'd never forget the day when Julia introduced her to this handsome guy. When Leo learned that Vanessa had an audition in a few days for a role she really wanted, he offered to help her prepare for it. She had never met a guy like him before. That was probably why she felt a stab in her heart now. She'd give a lot to be his muse.

"I thought you wanted to forget about her," Vanessa said quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"That's none of your business," he replied, getting up from the bed.

Vanessa looked at him with sad eyes.

"I just asked you for a favor. I didn't promise you anything," Leo said.

After a while, he felt bad.

"I'm sorry, I've had a hard day. I'll sleep in the living room if you need anything."

Leo took his sketches and left the room. Vanessa felt so humiliated. She decided to leave for San Francisco tomorrow morning, even though the film festival she'd be attending was only starting in a few days.