Straight as Guitar Strings

𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟴 [𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵]

WHAT did he mean by saying he'd do whatever he wanted because we were in his room?

He moved closer and closer, and I kept stepping back to avoid contact until my heel caught on the edge of his bed. I tumbled onto the soft mattress, the bounce surprising me. Looking up, I found him leaning over, his face mere inches from mine.

As he neared, I averted my gaze, but he grabbed my face firmly, forcing me to look at him. Our faces were so close that I could feel his breath on my skin. His eyes locked onto mine, refusing to let go.

Is he going to kiss me?

Why was he forcing this? What kind of game was he playing? I closed my eyes as he inched even closer, his warm breath brushing against my lips.

"Leo!" Aunt Leah's voice rang out, accompanied by a rapid knock on his door.

My eyes flew open. Leo had turned to face the door, his grip on my face loosening before he finally let go. I rubbed my cheeks, numb from his firm hold.

He gave me a look and nodded, a silent command to get dressed quickly. Aunt Leah’s persistent knocking and calls for Leo added urgency to my movements. I hurriedly pulled on my clothes, my heart racing.

Once dressed, I joined Leo by the door. He nodded at me again. When he opened it, Aunt Leah was there, ready to lead us out, muttering complaints about our tardiness.

I avoided eye contact with Leo, walking quietly beside him. I slowed my pace until he noticed and stopped, waiting for me to catch up. When I finally did, he spoke softly.

"Hey, I was just kidding earlier. You looked so terrified. Come here, you’re too far away." He tried to pull me closer, but I elbowed him and stepped away.

"Why do we need to be close?" I rolled my eyes, taking a deliberate step sideways.

"Hey, that was a joke! I was just pranking you," Leo chuckled as he brushed aside his damp hair covering his forehead, slicking it back neatly.

"Whatever," I continued walking, maintaining my distance from him.

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••

Dinner with Leo's parents was a real hot seat. It felt like I was on a talk show, with endless questions coming my way. I managed to answer all of them, but it felt more intense than a job interview. Leo learned things about me he didn't know before, thanks to his parents' curiosity.

"How are things with Colleen?" Uncle Austin asked Leo.

"We're fine," Leo replied, glancing at me for my reaction.

"Do you know Colleen?" Uncle Austin directed his question to me.

"Me?" I clarified, and he nodded. "Yes, I do," I answered, checking Leo's reaction.

"Isn't she beautiful? My son has great taste, doesn't he? He picked someone even prettier than his mom, right? Just like his old man," Uncle Austin said, clearly proud of his son's choice.

"Dad, you were the one who chose Mom, not me," Leo retorted.

I wanted to laugh at Leo's response, but seeing Aunt Leah getting annoyed, I quickly told her she was more beautiful than Colleen. Her annoyance vanished, and she gave me a generous helping of food.

"Finally, it's time to eat!" someone announced, drawing our attention to a tall, thin man who resembled Uncle Austin.

"There's your good son, Mom," Leo remarked, and I realized this must be his brother.

"What did you say?" his brother approached, ignoring Leo.

"We're full. Liam and I have to work on our thesis," Leo announced, standing up and signaling me to follow.

Thesis? More like some BS.

Leo led the way out, and I politely excused myself to his parents. In my hurry, I bumped into his brother and quickly apologized.

"Thesis? Seriously? You're just a freshman! Freshmen don't have theses at Libertad!" his brother shouted as we walked away from the dining table.

Leo fired back, "If you didn't pass the admission test, you shouldn't even talk."

I heard UncleAustin intervene, "Lenard, just eat. You just got home, and you're already causing trouble. The house was peaceful before you arrived."

"Yeah, right," Leo added with a smirk.

"Is that your brother?" I asked once we were a safe distance from the house.

He nodded, "Yeah, don't worry. That's just how we talk to each other."

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••

Leo and I brushed our teeth together in his bathroom. I wasn't sure if he had planned this, but there was a toothbrush ready for me. He assured me it was specifically for me and hadn't been used by anyone else.

I left him behind when I finished because he was being so playful, like a kid. So annoying! I headed to his room and sat on the bed. Growing impatient, I started wandering around. Knowing he'd take his time, I figured I'd explore his room a bit.

As I roamed Leo's room, I sifted through his belongings. I stumbled upon pictures of him and Colleen, snapshots of his family, and even mementos from our senior high school battle of the bands. However, what caught my eye was a metal screen adorned with Polaroid photos and fairy lights.

Among them were stolen moments captured by Leo himself—probably a picture of my victorious performance, my joy evident in the picture, another from our camp night performance with me in focus, and a close-up. I thought he hated me back then?

There were also candid shots of me sleeping in class, getting our ID photo taken, and oddly enough, one of me enrolling. Why was there a picture of me enrolling in college? It seemed strange.

Just as I was lost in thought, the door swung open, and before I could retreat to the bed, Leo caught sight of me. He turned on the light, our eyes meeting, with his gaze questioning while mine was left stunned, unsure of what to say.

"That's fine, looks like you've discovered quite a bit. I won't ask," he said, breaking the silence.