Baby I Loved You First- Leonetta

Chapter 11:

\Leon\

Clothes are scattered around hi floor, bed, and closet. Leon never knew it would be this hard to find an outfit. Especially with the amount of clothes he owns. Andres emerges from the closet once more, a black button up in one hand and dark jeans in the other.

"I think I finally found it." Leon walks over to him, taking the clothes and inspecting them for himself.

"Seems suitable." He strips off his pants and Andres is quickly shutting his eyes.

"Dude, warn a guy."

"Sorry man." He rushes to put the pants on and change into the shirt. He's on the last buttons when he tells Andres it's okay to open his eyes. Andres gives Leon a once over, nodding his head in approval.

"Looking good." He compliments. Leon smiles and grabs a pair of dress shoes. He slips them on, standing after to let Andres look him over one more time. "I think you're ready to go." Leon grabs his wallet and keys, heading out to his car with Andres in tow.

"I hope this goes well."

The party is kicking when they arrive. The DJ has almost everyone on their feet. Cups of various drinks are lying about on countertops and tables and some even on the floor. It's darker now, the only real light being the strobe lights on the dance floor. Leon follows Andres as they head to the kitchen for some drinks of their own.

The kitchen light is on, casting dimmed rays of yellow on the few party goers in there. Andres hands him a drink, some fruit punch, and they head back out to wander around. The faces blur together as they walk through, Leon only recognizing about half the people there. He hears a shout in the distance, the voice familiar and welcoming. He smiles when he sees Marco making his way toward the duo.

"Glad you made it." He yells over the music. He gives them each a "bro" hug and then stands closer so as not to strain his voice. "Haven't seen you in a while Leon."

"Busy with a new movie." He answers back. He takes a sip of the fruit punch and stares at the groups of people. No sign of Violetta yet.

"Oh yeah I heard, isn't Violetta in it too?" At the mention of her name, Leon sets is eyes back over to his friends, nodding in answer. "Must be tough man."

"We're working on it."

"I'm glad to hear that." He pats Leon on the shoulder in encouragement. "Have you seen her around yet?" He shakes his head. Marco points behind himself with his thumb as well as tilting his head in the direction. "Last I saw her, she was talking to Fran over there."

"Thanks." He finishes his drink, placing the empty cup in Andres' hand and walking off in search of Violetta. He heads for the common room first, it being the most crowded part of the house. He doesn't see her, squinting to the left and then the right. It's a moment later when he spies her wavy hair. As he makes his way over, she catches sight of him. He intends to wave, but she's dashing off, leaving Leon confused. He goes after her, spotting her next to the stairs next. When she sees him again, she turns away, running from him again. Now Leon is even more confused. He thought they were trying to fix things, but here they are in some game of cat and mouse. He continues after her, hoping to get an explanation.

/Violetta/

Violetta hides behind a door as she watches Leon pass by. This wasn't her plan for tonight, the hiding, but it must be done. She thought she would have Tomas here for support, someone she could easily immerse herself in. Unfortunately, the call she had with Tomas yesterday had done no good. He had still been half asleep and agreed because he didn't remember he already plans.

Violetta had been in the process of getting ready for the night when her cellphone went off. She answered cheerfully when she saw who it was. She was off rambling the instant she answered, almost missing what Tomas had to say.

"What was that?"

"I can't make it to the party." Her good mood was ruined as she fell on the bed, sigh leaving her lips. "I totally forgot I had plans at the studio tonight and I can't bail. My album is almost done and we're running through backup vocals. Please don't be mad." He explained. She couldn't be mad, not when it was her fault for telling him when he was still partly in dreamland.

"It's fine Tomas. I'll just go with Fran, it'll be fun. Don't worry about it." She replied calmly. In reality, Violetta was freaking out. Now she'd have to face the party pretty much alone. Sure Fran and Cami would be by her side, but eventually they'd be on the dance floor, leaving Violetta to her own devices. The though scared her because if she was left alone, Leon would surely try to talk to her and she was still working on talking to him. The party scene brought to many memories she wasn't sure she could handle right now.

Now, at the party, she hides from Leon because she has no idea how to face the music. How is she supposed to look at him normally when all she can think about is that party all those years ago? It's all too much for her and she suddenly feels the need to get some fresh air. She briskly strides through the maze of halls until she finds what appears to be the back door. Turning the knob, she escapes out the door, the fresh air calming her down. She closes her eyes as she inhales the crisp scent, settling down on the patio swing as she starts breathing easy again. Her favorite time of day had always been evening, the skyline making a beautiful sight at the moment. The pretty lights were such a contrast to the dark of the night.

"I knew I'd find you out here." The moment is ruined when she hears Leon's voice a few feet away. It just reminds her of the party again.

"It seems I always go outside to catch my breath."

"Yeah you do." He hesitantly steps closer, wondering if she'll shoo him off. Her heart tells her to let him stay, resigning to patting the seat next to her. Leon eases in, making sure to leave space between them as the sit and enjoy the view together. "Why were you running earlier?" There's no way to avoid the conversation unless she runs off again, but she tried of doing that so she simply gazes over at him, shrugging stupidly.

"I don't know. Fear maybe." She sits up to place her arms on her knees. "Do you realize how hard it is to be normal after so long? It's so hard; I don't know how you can do it." Leon clears his throat which has Violetta looking up at him.

"It's hard for me too. It's hard knowing you've moved on and I'm still..." He trails off; eyes in the distance with his shoulders slumped forward. "You have Tomas now." He finally says, eyes now on Violetta. "I'm happy for you." His tone is sincere, but his eyes, oh how his eyes show his true pain. Violetta knows it hurts when you have your heart broken. She chooses to ignore the look, knowing full well that it will only make her feel worse. Going to this party only made this worse. "Can I suggest something?"

"What?" Violetta would take anything at this point as long as they finally got some closure.

"Can we start over again, like forget the past and just try again? As friends?" The idea was all Violetta could ask for. In other words, they were going for a clean slate. She let herself smile, a real smile, gently nodding because she fully agreed to this. It was better than nothing. Leon grinned; nodding his head was well and sitting back against the swing.

"Looks like 'Violetta and Leon' are back at it again." She teases and it's a weight of her shoulders.