Once I pulled up to Tara's house, I knocked loudly on the door hoping it would wake her up. She sleepily answered the door in a tank top and boxers and gave me a lazy smile.
"Back for round 2?", she yawned making my cheeks flush.
"N-no, just came to give your car back", I said as I handed her the keys, "one of the tyres went flat, Leah came and fixed it", I said clearing my throat as Tara looked past me and seen Leah leaning against her car and staring at us.
"If looks could kill, I'd be dead", Tara muttered.
"Yeah, sorry about her", I said scratching the back of my neck.
"Well, thanks for not stealing my car", she joked as she pulled me in for a short hug.
"See you", I said retreating from her house as she waved at me and closed the door. I walked to Leah's car as we both climbed in and she started the drive to my house, both of us silent and it was eating me alive. I wanted to tell Leah everything, I didn't want to lose her.
"Me and Jordan called it off", she blurted as I let out a small scoff.
"You or Jordan?"
"Both, it wasn't fair to either of us, and it wasn't fair to you-"
"What you do now is none of my business-"
"Fuck sake, Liv, I'm trying to apologise"
"Yet you haven't even said sorry-"
"I am sorry okay? I'm so fucking sorry, I shouldn't have left that night, especially when you got so upset with your mum turning up and I- I should never have broken up with you, I just felt like you couldn't trust me but your past is your past and I shouldn't have pushed you, I'm really sorry, Liv, it just hurts because I love you", Leah breathed out as she bit her lip to hold in her tears. Now or never, Liv, just tell her.
"Leah-", I cut myself up as I felt a surge of sickness pass over me, "stop the car", I said as she quickly pulled over and I jumped out and emptied the contents of my stomach. Leah was quickly by my side as she rubbed my back until I stopped.
"I'm sorry too, I do trust you I just- when I tell you about my past, I don't think you'd look at me the same Le", I said as she placed her hand on my cheek.
"Nothing you say could ever make me look at you differently, Liv", she said softly as I let out a breath and rested my head on her chest. After a minute or so, we got back in the car and I turned in my seat to face her and pulled my knees up to my chest.
"I ran away from home when I was 17, nearly 18, I packed a bag and got on a train to Manchester and never looked back. That's where I met Less, she found me wandering the streets and took me back to her flat with Ella. I lived with them for about a year or so until Less found my passport-"
"Your passport?", Leah asked softly but confused.
"With my real name, I told her my last name was De La Cruz because I didn't want to be associated with my father, which clearly was the right decision in the end", I said as Leah's eyebrows furrowed but she reached to grab my hand and stroked her thumb over my knuckles.
"That's not your real name?", she asked softly as I shook my head. I gave her hand a squeeze as I prepared to tell her everything.
"My first name is Olivia, but my last name- my last name is Castillo", I said shakily as her brows furrowed and she looked down a bit.
"Castillo? How do I know that name?", she muttered as I waited for the penny to drop.
"No", she whispered with her eyes closed as I look up to stop the tears from falling.
"Luis Castillo, his name was all over the news, a pedophile who assaulted over 10 kids and teenagers but he disappeared before the police could catch him", she breathed out as I nodded my head.
"I'm his daughter-"
"But they said his daughter was his first victim, that's not- god, Liv, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry that happened to you", she choked as she placed her hand on my cheek and wiped my tears with her thumb.
"It's okay, I'm okay-"
"Nothing about this is okay, Liv, he's who called you after the Barcelona match isn't he?", she asked as I nodded. I told her about the call, how I thought I saw him in Barcelona, and how I went to the police.
"What about your mum?", Leah asked softly after we had both stopped crying.
"The first time he touched me- I was 13, I told my mum but she didn't believe me, said I just wanted attention", I mumbled as Leah scoffed.
"You're kidding? I'm sorry, Liv, you didn't deserve any of this", she said grabbing my hand again, "what happened after?"
"She left when I was nearly 15, I never found out why, she just left and that's when he started touching me again. During the day I would go to school, come back to an empty house and then he would come back from work. Some nights he left me alone, but when he came into my room some nights, it was just torture- I felt like I couldn't move or couldn't breathe and-"
"Hey, it's okay, shhh", Leah said softly as she pulled back her seat and pulled me into her lap.
"He's going to come for me, Le", I cried as she ran her fingers through my hair.
"He won't get near you, you hear me?", Leah said as she cupped my cheeks and made me look at her, "I'll get Jonas to triple security round Colney, hell, even matches too, same with Sarina for England camps, I'll do everything I can to keep him away from you", she said so softly and genuinely that the words just spilled out of my mouth.
"I love you", I breathed out as her eyes widened slightly.
"What?", she asked with a smile on her face.
"I love you, Leah Williamson, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to say it", I said as I leaned down and placed my lips on hers.
"I love you, and you don't need to apologise for anything, Liv ", she said back as she tucked some hair behind my ear.
"Move in with me?", she asked.
"Woah, slow down there tiger", I giggled as she rested her hands on my waist.
"Please? You basically live there anyway, well, before everything happened", she said sheepishly as I jokingly rolled my eyes.
"If I have to", I said sighing dramatically as she slapped my bum lightly, "is this your way of keeping an eye on me?"
"Is that a problem?", she said with a cheeky smile.
"No, I like this protective side"
"Then it's settled, we'll get your stuff tomorrow", she said pecking my lips as I climbed back in the passenger seat.
"I love you", I said gazing lovingly at her.
"I'll never get tired of hearing that"
"Say it back", I whined.
"I love you", she said scrunching her nose at me as she started the car and placed her hand on my thigh, prompting me to place my hand on top of hers.
