𝓛𝓮𝓸𝓷 𝓚𝓮𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓭𝔂| 𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝟯

Cupid Complex

Mine and Leon's friendship is one of complete trust and understanding. It's like we're two sides of the same coin, perfectly matched to balance each other out. When we hang out we always have the best time ever, and whenever something big happens in our lives the first people we tell are each other. In college we were inseparable, often choosing to spend our nights at the movies or bowling instead of going to house parties or hanging out with anyone else. People often mistook us for a couple, which was inevitable, but neither of us ever showed any obvious signs of having romantic feelings. They were there though, at least on my end. Sometimes Leon was hard to read, and when it come to romance he was a blank page. 

It wasn't until recently, years after our friendship first blossomed that I'd begun to notice a subtle change in Leon. We've always hung out on a regular basis, but lately Leon's been seeking out my company more and more, he's turned up at my house randomly to have spontaneous movie nights or just late night talks. We've been having a lot more days out together, with him paying for our meals more times than I could count. It's been peculiar few weeks, and I think I've finally figured out his problem. 

He's lonely. 

 I mean I'd like to think he's been hanging out with me more because he more than likes me, but Leon's not said anything that gives me any hints. Our relationship hasn't exactly changed, and he's not tried to hold my hand or anything. Other than the small hugs and hand on my back when we're in a crowded area there's been no other signs that his feelings towards me are romantic. I've somehow come to the conclusion that he's only been spending more time with me because he's got nobody else available, so I'm on a mission to fix that. I'm shoving Leon into the dating pool. It's a tough call to make, especially since my own feelings towards conflict my best interests for him, but somebody's gotta get the man moving, and since I'm the only person he trusts or talks to on a regular basis I figured I'm the only help he's got. 

It began as an innocent conversation at a coffee shop. I brought up the prospect of him being in a relationship and all I got as a wide eyed look and a snort, but the way his lips lifted into a warm smile showed me that the idea wasn't too terrible to him. From then I embarked on my quest, often subtly pointing out pretty women or joking about asking our waitress for her number on behalf of Leon. He played along at the start, indulging me by laughing and trying to play it cool, and though I was incredibly jealous of the thought of him with someone else, I didn't want him to be lonely. I was doing this from my heart. 

The weeks of playing cupid turned into a couple of months, and my efforts went without a payoff. Leon was no more closer to love than I was becoming a pigeon. I even tried to encourage Leon to try dating apps, and after hours of begging and teasing he finally did...only to completely base the profile off of one of his favourite characters from some old movie. I was honestly surprised how many guys and girls were into it though. It seemed like no matter what I did Leon remained uninterested in anyone else but me. I felt honoured, but still worried, like an overbearing BFF. What if something happened to me and I couldn't be there for Leon? He'd be all by himself, wallowing in a isolated apartment filled with his books and movies. 

It wasn't until one night at our favourite bar that everything was finally revealed. 

The Friday night vibes were full of freedom and letting loose, it seemed like everyone around us was having a great time, and thankfully the music blasting from the speakers was amazing. Leon and I sat in the corner together, leaning in close so we could hear each other as we talked about our week and discussed future plans. This place was filled with beautiful, carefree women who would tug Leon out of his shell and make him happy. I eyed up potential girlfriends, pointing out the different blondes and brunettes as Leon rolled his eyes and tried to change the subject, but I never let it go. When we went back to the bar and ordered another round of drinks I finally took the plunge for Leon. 

"Hi, excuse me," I politely smile as Leon sips his drink, brow arching as I lean over the bar to get the pretty woman's attention, "my friend here thinks you're gorgeous, and would love to get your number please?" Leon coughs into his drink, setting it down on the bar with more force than necessary. He throws the woman an apologetic look as he tugs me away, leaving my drink stranded in the woman's outstretched hand. "What are you-"

"Damn it Y/N," Leon growls when we're away from people, "can't you just leave it alone!"

I frown, pulling my arm back. "I just thought you wanted a girlfriend-"

"I do!" Leon explodes, thankfully the loud music drowns out his outburst, "But you're not getting it. I don't want her number, or anyone else's, not when I've already got the woman's number that I want." I pinch my lips together as I try to decipher his meaning, Leon lets out a frustrated groan, rubbing a hand over his face. "I want you Y/N." He softly mumbles, closing his eyes as he sighs. My eyes widen, but then Leon's turning on his heel, stalking out of the bar. I look behind me longingly at our abandoned drinks, then rush to catch up with Leon. We burst out into the cool night, the sounds of the party behind us as Leon heads to the alleyway and leans against the wall as if having an actual crisis. Hesitantly I step towards him, sucking my lip between my teeth as he stares at the floor. "I love you but you'll never be mine."

"Why won't I?" I whisper when close enough. Leon fake chuckles, looking at me with what I now understand is yearning. 

"Because you don't love me back, you're trying to get rid of me." 

"What! No!" I exclaim, scaring away something that rustles in a nearby dumpster. I reach out, grabbing Leon's arms as our gazes meet. "I was just trying to set you up with someone because I thought you were lonely. You started spending so much more time with me and paid for everything and--ohhh..." It all hits me in the face. Leon has shown his affection for me, but I was too dumb to realise it. My heart races as Leon's lips curve up, he knows that it's just clicked for me. "Really? You mean it?" I ask. 

Leon nods slowly, reaching up to cup my cheek. "Yeah sweetheart, I do." 

I smile, then lift onto my toes as my mouth hovers inches away from Leon's. Our breaths mingle as our eyes question each other, but then Leon grabs the back of my head and crashes our lips together in a long overdue kiss. It's deep and full of passion, we've both been so clueless but now I think this blunt action is pretty clear. My arms loop around Leon's neck as he turns so I'm pressed against the wall, then he lifts me until my legs are wrapped around him too. I'm sure he groans as I tilt my head to give him more room to devour me. We kiss until we run out of breath and our lips are puffy, and even then we just hold each other, smiling like idiots in love and best friends who will cherish each other forever. 

 "Are we doing this?" Leon mumbles. 

I nod, kissing him again. "I've wanted you for so long Leon, we're definetly doing this and now that I've got you, I'm never letting you go." 

"Ditto." Leon laughs, setting me on my feet and helping me straighten out my clothes. He holds out a hand for me, nodding at the street. "Come on, let me take you on our first explicit date." I arch a brow at his possibly innuendo-ish words, Leon's mouth pops open before he fixes his meaning. "I meant our first date that's obvious, like, I'm now taking you on a date, a romantic one." 

I giggle, squeezing his hand as he leads me out of the alleyway and to our beginning of something new.