𝓛𝓮𝓸𝓷 𝓚𝓮𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓭𝔂| ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴇꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ 4

Shocks and All

I step into mine and Leon's shared apartment feeling oddly uneasy, I can't quite place my finger on it, but somehow I know our home isn't the same as I left it. It's like my survival instincts are kicking in, telling me that something is wrong. I kick off my shoes and set down the bags of groceries, both actions were enough to alert any intruders of my presence, but nothing happens, I'm only met with the faint hum of electronics and the brief voices from the TV- coming our neighbours upstairs.

I frown to myself, flicking on the lights before grabbing the groceries and taking them into the kitchen. I put them away in silence, feeling that inkling of loneliness creeping in at the lack of my personal human guard dog sniffing around the snacks I brought home. Leon's always had a habit of rummaging around the shopping bags whilst hugging me from behind, pressing gentle kisses to my shoulders before suggesting some kind of game or movie night. I miss him so much, it's been two weeks since he left for a mission, and he's not expected back for another week at least.

Once the food is put away, I grab a few snacks and head into the living room to watch a comfort movie, but the sight of a dozen red roses on the coffee table has be freezing to the spot. I stare at then as if they're going to leap for me, my eyes scan the shadows of the living room for anything else unusual, but there's nothing. I step forwards, setting down the snacks to bend down and pluck up the bouquet. Attached to them is a note, the handwriting feels familiar but I can't place it due to the shock of the unexpected gift.

My mind instantly goes to Leon. This is exactly the kind of gesture he'd do to make me smile, but it's impossible. Right now he's in a completely different country, doing who knows what. I run a finger over the writing as I finally read it.

'To the other half of my soul, I love you so much. I'm always thinking of you, my beautiful darling.'

The note isn't signed, but the words have an impact on me. I feel my lips curve upwards as I reread the note, but when I remember that someone came into my apartment to put this here, my smile soon fades. If Leon's not here, then who decided to invade my safe space and do this? I put the flowers down with shaky hands, suddenly hyper-aware of every creak and shadow in the apartment. The red roses no longer seemed romantic, instead they felt like an omen.

A sudden creak from the hallway has me spinning, pulse racing as I clench my hand into a fist and raise it just as a shadowy figure emerges into the living room with hands raised. I yelp, throwing out a jab and hitting something hard.

"Jesus Christ, baby!" A familiar voice exclaims, stumbling back as Leon lets out a pained chuckle. "That's one hell of a jab you've got there, I'm glad I taught you well."

My eyes widen to the size of saucers as I take in the sight of my boyfriend. Here. At home. "Leon?" I whisper in disbelief. Said man steps back, turning on the main light as he cups a hand to his bleeding nose. Despite having just been sucker punched, Leon grins at me.

"Surprise?" He nasally says, eyes twinkling with soft amusement.

“Oh my God!” I gasp, rushing to him as I wave my hands up in a panic. I can't believe he's home early, tears prick my eyes as I try to assess the damage. "I'm so sorry, I thought you were some kind of creep!"

Leon huffs a laugh, but winces as blood drips between his fingers. My brows knit together in concern as I guide him into the bathroom, already shoving him onto the toilet lid as I grab a warm cloth to wipe him with. I gently dap his nose with a cloth, pinching it to stop the bleeding as he looks up at me, lips still curved into a tender smile. "Even though the first thing I get is punched, I'm glad to be home." Leon deeply says, voice still nasally as he reaches out with a clean hand and gently rubs my hip.

I bite my lip, "I'm glad you're back too, I've missed you. But you scared me to death! Why didn't you call or text me beforehand?" I ask, setting a hand over his as his thumb smooths over my hip bone. I pull the cloth away since the bleeding has stopped, then I start wiping his chin before carefully lifting his bloody hand and cleaning it up.

"I wanted to surprise you," Leon shrugs, "I thought the flowers would make you feel all warm and happy, but I guess in hindsight the idea wasn't planned out well enough." He leads off looking like a disappointed kid. I let out a small laugh, shaking my head as I lean down and press a kiss to his lips.

"You and your damn grand gestures." I ruefully reply, "Next time just announce yourself before I end up breaking your nose. Or worse." I joke, glancing downwards. Leon's eyes widen before he nods in understanding. I sigh, tossing the cloth in the wash basket before stepping back. "I feel terrible about it."

Leon stands up, wrapping his arms around me and tugging me to his chest as I slump against his comforting warmth. "Don't feel bad, it's just a little blood and maybe a bruise, I'm just glad you can defend yourself." Leon murmurs, kissing my hair as I snort.

"You forgive too easy."

"Only when it comes to you." Leon says, guiding me out of the bathroom and to the sofa. We sit down, with me snuggled up next to him like a quotation mark, all legs and arms wrapped around him as he holds me close.

"How was the mission?" I ask.

Leon sighs, he looks like he wants to rant, but instead he holds back and shrugs up a shoulder. "Long and exhausting, but I got it done quick enough to come back to you as soon as I could, you know how I can't sleep without you."

I hum in agreement as Leon passes me the remote. I put on a movie and open the snacks I left on the coffee table. We share them out as we catch up on the things we haven't had a chance to talk about, I glance at the roses, now feeling cheerful and thankful for them. The night passes without further incident, Leon ends up falling asleep first on the sofa, soft snores filling the room as I smile and grab a blanket before draping it over us. I close my eyes as Leon reaches for me in his sleep, I let him guide me to his side as he shifts onto his side.

In the gentle quiet of our apartment, I feel a sense of rightness that only comes with being with the person who loves and understands me unconditionally. No matter what surprises come our way, we'll cherish them together- shocks and all.