I had no other choice but to cling to Leo's arm the entire walk to Culver's. My balance was failing me between the effects of the alcohol, and my struggle to move in wedges. I didn't talk this time around as we traveled together. I just kept thinking about how the cold air was stinging my skin, and occasionally would look at Halloween decorations we passed. I was lost in my thoughts even when we finally arrived at the restaurant.
"What would you like," Leo wondered as we stood before the glowing menu that was behind the counter.
"I think I'll have a double cheeseburger with fries and a Coke," I simply decided, him nodding.
He went ahead and ordered for both of us, and we were seated at a table with our meals in no time. I chewed slowly as the food made my emotions worse, since it was sobering up my mind. I couldn't deny it was delicious, but I hated how much I was overthinking about earlier.
"I'm sorry I kissed you like that earlier," I randomly spoke up, my cheeks flushed.
"It's alright, Brielle. I know that you had a little too much to drink," Leo claimed, giving me a small smile.
"I know, but I still feel embarrassed about it."
"We can forget it ever happened, alright?"
"Alright," I agreed, but that made my heart hurt. I had secretly hoped he would return my true feelings. I hated the thought of him just being polite and not considering this an unofficial date. I busied myself with eating my fries, Leo glancing at me off and on.
"So, do you still want some frozen custard," he checked once our food was nearly gone.
"Yeah, I guess so. Are you getting anything?"
"I'll probably pick something out. What kind do you want?"
"An Oreo Concrete Mixer in vanilla, please," I requested.
"What size do you want?" He stood up before lingering to ask me that.
"A mini, since I don't want a lot. I'm pretty full from the regular food," I slightly laughed.
He nodded before going up to the front counter. I crossed arms as I just leaned back in our booth, the thoughts still swirling around my brain. When he returned he had my dessert along with one for himself.
"What kind did you get," I curiously asked after he handed me mine. His was a medium, so it was quite a bit bigger.
"I got the same thing with Dove chocolate," he explained before taking a bite off his blue spoon.
I merely nodded before digging into my special treat, the sugar helping to boost my mood. I dreaded the walk home once we were finished. It had started raining, but we wanted to get back as soon as possible, since it was getting late. I kept my eyes on the sidewalk as Leo held onto me, the rain picking up speed once we got to my house.
"You want to come inside until it lets up," I offered. I wanted to return the favor, since I had done that the other day when I was at Ned's with him.
"Yeah, I think it's getting worse," he observed, me unlocking the front door before hobbling inside. The first thing I did was take off my black wedges, sighing in relief when my feet touched my soft, creme carpet. Pooh Bear was already running over, barking up at Leo, since he was a stranger to him.
"Pooh Bear, it's okay. It's just Leo," I urged, bending down to pick my small dog up. I petted him as he eventually calmed down. Leo cautiously reached out to pet his head, and I could tell that made Pooh Bear happy. Leo chuckled softly before I went over to sit on the couch, him joining me. "He usually doesn't warm up to strangers so quickly."
