Pent Up 🔒𖦹 ⋆｡♡

Chapter 3 - Risque Business

The first few seconds after Leo's call with Malakai ended, his mind was racing. He jumped off the couch and immediately made a mental rundown of what he was supposed to do an hour ago.

He ran to the kitchen and got out all his dinner ingredients and dishes. He ran around and visually checked everything again and finally ran to the bathroom to freshen up- he wasn't going to answer the door in basketball shorts.

Luckily he didn't take long to get ready so only a few minutes later, he walked out of the bathroom in nice black pants with a black leather belt, his favorite leather boots (also black), a dark blue shirt, and a few of his favorite rings. His brown hair was put up in his favorite style- he was feeling good about himself despite the panic he was feeling.

He had barely stepped foot into the kitchen when he saw a shadow pass by the living room window. He froze. A few seconds later, he heard a knock at the door.

Leo choked. Had it been 6 minutes already? He briskly walked to the door, composing himself along the way, and took a few deep breaths before opening it. What he saw took those few breaths away.

She was gorgeous. Stunning. Ravishing. Her smile immediately put him at ease. Her hair was put up and curled and her makeup was so pretty and perfect it was like he was looking at an angel. He stared briefly at how sharp her eyeliner was- it's like she knew all of his favorite things he liked in a woman and decided to use all of them in her appearance: a cute dress, pretty makeup, curly hair, and bonus points for color coordination in her outfit. Her earrings, a bright red and dangling strawberry, were adorable. They were so Malakai.

Malakai giggled, "Hi Leo", her gorgeous blue eyes entrancing him.

He gestured inside, nervous to the core but confident in how the night would go. "Hey! Come on in!"

Malakai smiled wider and skipped inside, hugging him before he could even close the door.

She let go and pulled away, seemingly embarrassed at being so forward. He thought it was super cute.

"I'm so happy to finally be here" She said, looking around the room. "I like your place!"

Leo grinned, "Yeah I straightened up for you! I wanted it to look nice. Not that it wasn't already clean or anything I just wanted you to really feel welcome"

Malakai blushed. "It looks really nice. I like it."

Leo looked around as well, as if seeing his own living space as she saw it for the first time would somehow make it look more interesting. He had his tv and game console, a few movies, some furniture from IKEA, a few pieces of hanging art prints from his favorite artist, and a neatly arranged coffee table with- fuck- an empty space where a bottle of wine and two wine glasses were supposed to be. He had forgotten to set them out.

"Oh shoot I forgot to get the wine. I'll be right back! You can go ahead and have a seat."

"Okay, handsome" she walked by him and kissed his cheek, something he did not expect at all. His heart fluttered. They had been more and more flirty lately, but a kiss on the cheek? His heart was racing. It wasn't a particularly daring action, but it was so unexpected he couldn't help but get a bit flustered. Then he smelled her perfume. It smelled divine. He had to force himself to turn away and go to the kitchen.

When Leo returned to the living room, wine and glasses in his hands, he saw her sitting down on the couch with her legs crossed. He briefly looked at them, admiring how long they were despite her being nearly a foot shorter than him.

"Ooh is that sweet red wine?" Malakai blurted, interrupting his train of thought. "That's my favorite! Did I tell you that?"

"Nope!" Leo chuckled, now very proud of himself for this decision. "I just made an educated guess since you like sweets so much. Turns out I was right!"

"Mind if I have a glass?" She cooed.

"Not at all," Leo replied. "I got it just for you."

Malakai giggled and blushed deeper. He walked over to the table and poured them both a glass before sitting next to her. He handed her glass over to her and raised it. They talked for a few minutes, exchanging pleasantries and making small talk about their day so far.

"I'm really glad you could be here." Leo said, " I didn't expect you to be here in my place so soon."

Malakai's smiled dipped slightly.

"Was I being too forward?"

"No not at all!" He stammered. "I've just only known you for about a week now. I really expected more dates first."

Her smile came back in full force.

"This IS a date, silly!" She exclaimed before taking a sip of wine. "Just not a public one. The coffee shop sounded amazing, of course, but after the last date I had been hoping for someplace a bit quieter and more... private."

Leo felt himself get a bit hot. What did that mean?

"So" Malakai asked, before he could say anything "What's for dinner, Chef Leo?"

Leo loved cooking so he was excited to see her reaction to his dinner plans. He felt more relaxed now and responded with a smile.

"How does salmon, sauteed vegetables, and crispy potatoes sound?"

His smile faded in a heartbeat when Malakai picked up something next to her- his book, with his bookmark placed on one of the dirtiest spots in the book he had read so far. He had left it right here on the couch like an idiot. She looked at the cover, analyzing it for a moment, then flipped open to the page he had bookmarked and read a few sentences. For a few seconds, she looked at him, her eyes locked onto his face as if she now decided to start reading him. Finally, after several more agonizing seconds, she set the book down.

"Looks like an interesting read." She said calmly.

"Oh... th-thats... I just got that one a while back... I didn't really, uh, know what it was about when I got it, I think."

"Sure, baby. Is it good so far?"

Leo's internal voice was screaming, berating himself for being so stupid and forgetting to put away the book.

"It's alright, I guess. Not really sure how I feel about it yet," he lied.

Not only was he sure about the book being the dirtiest and smuttiest book he had ever read, but it was also his new favorite.

Leo thought he was panicking before, but now he felt like he was having a heart attack. He was horrified. His head was pounding. This book made HIM flustered but she seemed so cute and innocent... If she knew he was reading that kind of thing, she'd run and never look back. But then she called him baby?? He was getting tons of mixed feelings. They weren't even official yet and already she was using his favorite pet name. He felt his face get red hot as she looked at him. He felt more embarrassed and flustered than he had ever been.

"Salmon sounds amazing, Leo." Malakai added, responding to his previously unanswered question. "I'd love to have some, whenever you're ready. We can talk more while you cook, if you're fine with that."

Leo laughed nervously, "Y-yeah that sounds great. Id love to get started!"

He helped her up, taking her glass and setting it down at a spot in the kitchen where she sat down. He started to cook dinner, talking about various things: the first time he made this salmon recipe, where he got it, different things he wanted to make in the future... anything to move past the horrific embarrassment he just experienced.

This was going to be a long night.