Heart of Gold | L.N. - Part One

XXI

Leah let Lando sleep on the plane as she was flown out. She took another picture of him and saved it as her camera roll. When the plane landed she gently shook him awake.

"Sorry," He grumbled. She kissed his cheek as they both got up. He was carrying her luggage as they got to George who was waiting for them. The siblings embraced and then George shook Lando's hand

"I'm sorry," Lando told him and George gave him a tight smile. Leah looked around.

"Where's mom?" She asked stepping back towards Lando's side. George shook his head.

"Let's just get back to the house, Sam is waiting for you," He rubbed his nose and Leah knew something was wrong. They got into the back of the vehicle and rode in silence.

They pulled up to the house and when they got out. Jamie and Samuel were waiting on the porch the police were there as well.

"She didn't," Leah muttered as she looked around, Lando was called over by Samuel. He took the kid and brought him inside.

"She killed herself last night," George explained. Leah stood there in shock.

"Did she leave a note or anything?" Leah asked as the police were loading up the body.

"No, uh, we are cremating her," Jamie sniffed. They stood outside a little longer trying to discuss what they were going to do about the house, about Samuel and everything. Jamie was taking her son and going to live with her sister in Colorado, they were going to leave the house in their parents' names because George decided he was reenlisting in the service. By the time they realized Lando had been left inside with Samuel the entire time they walked in and Leah smiled. He was sitting on the couch with a sleeping Samuel in his arms.

"I'm sorry," Jamie came forward taking her son.

"It's no problem, he's a good kid," Lando muttered. Leah was playing with her necklace as she looked upstairs to her old room. Before George could say anything against it Leah went up the stairs to her mother's room, it was clean. She moved into her room and saw it was clean untouched, but when she went to Charles's room, she saw the tape, and the door was shut. She put her hand on the door and sighed.

"Leah," Lando muttered as he saw her leaning against a closed door. She turned to look at him.

"I wanna go back home and forget all of this happened," She sighed and moved back toward him. He held her in his arms. He didn't know exactly what happened to her mother, but he had a pretty spot-on guess. Leah's family has been fucked for years. She was losing person after person in her family and Lando didn't know how much more she could take.

That night Lando and her both sat down on the bed. He didn't want to push her, but he knew she wanted to talk about something. So he waited.

"Lando," She sighed and looked at him. "We gotta talk."

"That sounds bad, but I'm listening," He gave her a soft smile. She took a deep breath preparing herself. She didn't want to have this conversation, but she needed to have it.

"I don't know if I can do this," She muttered as her eyes watered.

"A relationship, or sleep in the same bed?" Lando laughed a little and Leah did for a moment before she cried. "Leah?" he reached for her but she stopped him

"A relationship, I don't want to drag you into something that I don't know will even last," She closed her eyes as the words came out of her mouth.

"What do you mean?" Lando knew she was emotional, so he knew she didn't really want them to break up she was just going through a lot and trying to push him away.