Illegally Drawn

Combine

I warn my parents twice that Leonardo hates being touched, the words hanging in the air like a caution tape I pray they won't trip over. I watch them take it in. Papa frowns, eyes narrowing as if he's preparing for a duel, and Mama, ever the hostess, just smiles thinly, nodding along with a look that says she's already planning how to charm her way through it.

"He's not like... other people," I remind them, trying to set the tone before Leonardo even steps through the door. I'm bracing myself, nerves already frayed. But I'm well prepared for his personality to be entirely different tonight, completely charming, simply to piss me off.

When the doorbell rings, my heart jumps. I can't tell if it's from anticipation or nerves, but my fingers shake a little as I adjust my dress, the dark green satin clinging in all the right places. I wanted to look nice, but I didn't expect to feel this exposed. When I open the door, my breath catches.

Leonardo stands there, dressed in a sharp, dark blue suit that hugs his broad shoulders and tapers perfectly down his frame. His crisp white shirt is unbuttoned at the collar, showing a glimpse of tan skin. He's striking, magnetic in a way that's impossible to ignore. His dark hair is neatly combed back, but a few strands fall loose, softening the edge of his usual intensity. His eyes meet mine, and for a second, I can't think of a single thing to say.

He looks every bit the man who'd pinned me beneath him, every brush of his mouth deliberate, his touch devastatingly slow. My skin heats at the memory, my pulse thrumming in the exact rhythm he'd set that night, all control, all teasing. I swallow hard, forcing myself to stay composed.

Next to him, his mother, Carmen, is stunning. Dressed in a sleek black dress, she carries herself with an elegance, her dark eyes sparkling with curiosity. There's something familiar in her gaze, and I feel a flicker of recognition.

"Isabel," Leonardo says, his voice smooth, and I can't help but shiver. There's a weight to the way he looks at me, an intensity that pulls me in even when I know better.

"Leonardo," I manage, swallowing hard. I turn to his  mother, unable to play this staring game of ours any longer, forcing a smile. "Mrs. Garcia, welcome."

"Carmen, please," she says warmly, then glances around, her eyes catching on my parents, who are now walking towards us. "Oh my—"

"Carmen?" Mama's voice is thick with shock, eyes widening in disbelief. She looks at Leonardo's mother like she's seeing a ghost. Papa steps forward, his face tight with recognition, and suddenly it all clicks into place. Carmen Garcia. Of course, our parents know each other, the Garcias and the Bianchis go way back, to a time when our fathers were business partners.

Leonardo stiffens beside me, his brow furrowing as he watches the exchange. He looks as surprised as I feel, and for a second, there's a flash of something raw in his eyes, confusion, maybe even vulnerability. This gives us history. We shouldn't have history.

"Carmen, it's been years. When you changed your number when you started rehab, I couldn't get ahold of it again." Mama says, hugging her briefly, and I see Leonardo tense at the mention of his mother's former drug addiction, his discomfort visible even in the smallest of gestures that I know how to easily read.

"Small world, isn't it?" Carmen says, her gaze flicking between Leonardo and I. "This calls for a blessing. You two have mine."

Both Leonardo and I's eyes shoot open in surprise, shaking our heads immediately.

I can't help but look at Leonardo, who's now staring at the floor, trying to piece together how we've all ended up here, tangled in old connections we didn't even know existed.

Mama recovers quickly, inviting them in, and we all move toward the dining room. I try to breathe, try to steady myself as we settle around the table. The conversation starts with pleasantries, old memories traded back and forth between our parents like treasured relics. Leonardo sits beside me, his leg brushing mine under the table, and it's like every nerve in my body is suddenly on high alert.