Irreplaceable {1}

Chapter 26

When Leo's tour ended, I took another little vacation to go stay at his parents house with him. We went on the Wednesday together in his car and spent the first two days doing nothing but helping his mom cook and bake. On Friday, his parents invited us out on a double date and we all dressed up a little before going to their favourite local pub.

A lot of people knew Leo, and every single one of them had to come say hi and meet me. It was a little nerve-wracking, but Leo knew almost all of them by name so I knew they were just crazy media people or fans.

When we left the pub, it was pretty late. The streets were dark and there were a few drunk people stumbling around.

"Hey Leo!" Someone shouted from behind us.

Everyone turned and I saw a blur before there was a thud and Leo was falling out of my grasp. I blinked, and Leo was swinging back.

That one hit harder than the first and the first guy sprawled onto the pavement.

"I'm calling the police!" Leo's mother screamed from behind us and I got a good look at the drunk guy on the ground.

"Fuck," I muttered and then looked at Leo and grabbed his face, "oh my god, are you okay?"

His face was red and already turning purple on his cheek under his left eye. Leo coughed, "who the fuck."

I frowned at the guy on the ground who was trying to get up. There were people around videoing now. "That is Ethan."

Leo stared at me in disbelief, then he looked down at Ethan, "you've got to be fucking kidding me." He felt his own face and then coughed again, "don't get up, you can stay there until the police get here."

Ethan groaned and attempted to get up, but the sirens were heard and soon I was being interviewed by a police officer while Leo was sitting with a paramedic and another police officer.

No one had got the incident on their phones, it was too fast, but since Leo's family, me, and the few people that were on the street all agreed that Ethan had started it, he was the one who went in cuffs into the back of the police car. Soon enough, some of Leo's security also arrived to help us out and then the paparazzi showed up. 

I was surprised by their lack of reaction time, but they all looked like they had just crawled out of bed. 

The police did a better job of holding them back and the security guys stepped in to help which surprised to police so much that they didn't know what to do with the information. Then my phone was ringing. It was Leo's publicist team. I groaned.

"Hello?"

"Please tell me Leo did not punch your ex boyfriend."

I frowned, "Ethan punched him first."

She groaned, "thank goodness the tour is over though, because his face is already purple and that would have been bad."

"I'm getting a restraining order," I told her and she hummed in confirmation. "Anything else I should do?"

"Don't post anything until we sort this all out." She sighed, "and you're both going to have to stick to your houses for a while."

"I have to go to work," I told her. "I'm not putting my life on hold for good media."

"I will talk to your manager."

"Please do not," I insisted. "I need my life to stay sane."

We went back and forth for a bit longer before Leo was released from the paramedics and came back over to me. He gestured for my phone and I handed it to him.

"You will not tell Marie how to live her life," Leo spat at the phone. I gaped at him, he was definitely still in fight mode. "She is a regular person, not in a boy-band like me."

There was some murmuring I couldn't hear on the other line and then Leo hung up on her. He looked at me with concern, "are you okay?"

I slowly nodded my head and then he pulled me in for a hug. I hugged him back so rightly, "I'm so sorry you got hurt, it's all my fault."

He laughed, "I will always take a punch for you."

We stood there for a while, until one of Leo's security came and helped lead us to a car. Leo's parents went in one car and we went in another and the security and police made sure we got back safely to his family home. When we walked in, we were all in a daze like we still couldn't believe what had happened.

"I'm going to make some tea," his mom told us and his dad flopped on the sofa to turn on the tv, but he didn't look like he was actually paying attention. I grabbed Leo's hand and pulled him to the kitchen where I made him sit at the table and then I went to get some ice from the freezer.

Leo was confused until I put the ice against his face and he hissed in pain.

"Sorry," I mumbled, "but its starting to swell."

He didn't say anything, but his legs went out wide and he wrapped his hands around the ack of my thighs so I moved closer to him. Leo rested the good side of his face on my stomach while I held the ice to his bad side and played with his hair with my other hand.

Leo let out a sigh of relief, and soon his mom put two cups of tea in front of us and brough two more back to the living room for his dad and her.

"I'm so sorry for all the mess I cause in your life," I whispered. "You wouldn't be having any problems if I wasn't around."

Leo moved quickly, taking the icepack and setting it down, then looking up at me with a sad expression. "Marie, I don't care about any mess. I only care about you."

I frowned, "but you could have literally any girl, and I'm sure none of them would cause you injuries like today."

He scoffed, "I don't want any girl. I want you. Marie, you are irreplaceable."

My insides melted and my legs turned to jello. Here I am, causing Leo so much more stress than he deserves and he doesn't even care.

"Even though your face looks like a blueberry?"

Leo grinned, "I will love you no matter what fruit I turn into."

I kissed him, a little too aggressively at first, because he winced in pain. So I backed off a little and tried to be more gentle.

Leo did not care, he pulled me down onto his lap and we made out a little too aggressively for his parents kitchen.

*~*~*~*

The next morning, Leo and I opened up the news stories on his laptop and read them together. The main pictures being featured were the hug him and I shared after the ordeal and one of his face being examined by the paramedics. There was also one of Ethan getting put into the back of the police car that made me laugh and one of me where I looked worried and disheveled.

Most of it was all about how we had been attacked, barely anything about Leo fighting back. Even though Ethan definitely had a black eye.

Leo's face also looked worse and I got some more ice for him. We spent that Saturday in his bed watching movies. His parents brought us food and snacks which was nice. But most of it I think was them checking to make sure Leo was okay.

On Sunday we packed up to leave, and I drove Leo's car because his eye was still pretty swollen. We went to his house and I called Roxy to come get me. Roxy took one look at Leo's face and cringed, "please take some motrin or something."

"It doesn't hurt," he grinned at her. But it was lopsided.

She was still very concerned, "please call if you need anything. I am almost in my practicum era of doctor life."

"I promise," he said and we kissed goodbye, gently.