Caramel || Leonardo DiCaprio

Chapter 14: Caramel

Originally Published: November 26, 2022

LEO'S POV:

Thanksgiving seemed to come in the blink of an eye. The last few weeks all I had been doing was falling for Nena more. I was annoyed when she woke me up extra early on the autumn holiday until I realized why.

"Wake up, Leo," she gently shook me awake. We had shared her bed the night before, since we fell asleep while we cuddled and talked.

"What," I mumbled, nuzzling my nose against my pillow.

"It's time to get up."

"No, it's not," I groaned. "Lunch isn't until like noon and the sun's not even up yet."

"I know, but it's about to be. I want you to watch the sunrise with me as it comes up over the lake."

"Alright," I caved, sitting up as I rubbed my eyes. I stumbled into the guest room, so I could change into my own clothes. I sluggishly pulled my pale yellow sweater over my head, yawning after I had tugged my jeans up and slipped into my shoes.

Nena was already reaching for my hand when I exited the room, leading me all the way to where their porch swing was located. I leaned my head against her shoulder as I fought not to doze off. The world was already a hazy blue, fall leaves blowing across the grass. They were a lot more crunchy and dry than when I first arrived in Vermont.

"There it is," Nena breathed, me fluttering my eyes open to see the brilliant colors. It was mostly a rich orange, but there was a bit of yellow mixed in.

"It's really nice," I admitted, squinting my eyes against the light.

"I figured this might be the first and last sunrise we see together for awhile," she sadly smiled. I felt her hold onto my arm as she rested her head against my shoulder this time.

"You never know. I mean, I might stick around a little longer."

"Ellen's picked out the apartment, and I found a good job for now. It's just a small job at the YMCA, but it pays well, and it will get me by until I find my real profession."

I managed to nod before kissing the top of her head, us staying quiet as we savored the early morning light.

Even though it was still fairly early, the rest of the family was either up or getting ready for the day. Their dad was double checking he knew which channel the parade was on, while their mom was going straight to work on the turkey. Tobey was just lounging on the couch in the living room, so I joined him. Nena had to use the restroom, and I had no idea where Ellen was.

"Hey, where were you," Tobey asked me.

"Nena wanted to see the sunrise with me. I was just wondering, where are you with Ellen?"

He looked at her father through his side eye, waiting until he left the room. "We're in a good place."

"I mean, how serious are you? Are you in love with her?"

"Um... I think we're getting there. Why," Tobey questioned, scratching his head for a moment.

"Do you think it's crazy I've already told Nena I love her?"

"No," Tobey scoffed. "Come on, man, you've been in love with her since like day one. That doesn't happen very often. I mean, it's never happened to me that way."

"Do you think it's crazy I already know I never want to leave her?"

"I never want to leave Ellen either. Wait... You don't mean...?"

"I know, I didn't expect it to happen this soon either. I thought I would need more time to get over Kristen, but I don't. I just know Nena's the person I'm meant to be with. I've never been more sure in my life," I emphasized.