Living With My Fiancé - Leonetta

[1]

Fall term is anew in this autumn season and everyone is gearing up for their first day. All but one... Leon. Violetta is preparing to leave on the first morning of school, Leon a lump on the bed as he watches his fiancé curl her hair. A lot has happened since Federico's wedding, a lot. And it all dates back to the last day of the semester before.

Classes were conducting an end-of-the-year seminar, each one similar to the last. They all required the class to reiterate their findings throughout the year. Leon, for one, could not come up with a single thing. Nothing stood out to him during the year, not a single thing. No new path to solving a situation. No meticulous form of gathering information. Not even a better style of a fabricated version of trial and error. It was all just words that went in one ear and out the other. Nothing stuck, nothing was going to stay with him for the rest of his life and he felt weird about it.

Life wasn't supposed to be this way. This was the information he was going to need to strive, to be the best of the best in the lawyer world. Though, the more he thinks about it, the less he wants it. He doesn't want to be the best of the best or even just the best. It was all too much. And in the end, he had stared at the computer screen, seconds away from clicking the link to re-register for school. Then a minute passed, then another. Then a whole hour and before he knew it, the deadline had passed; he could no longer take part in the upcoming year.

The worst thing was his inept to care, his emotions weren't in it. There wasn't an ounce of regret in his body at not being able to attend the new school year.

And it scared him.

If he thought school wasn't his next step, what was? There had to be something else for him, but what? What?

"Leon, you have to calm down. I know it's not the most ideal situation, but you don't have to get fed up about it either." Lara told him, watching as he made another copy. He'd been standing at the copy machine for almost an hour. Stapling and copying, stapling and copying, a routine so embedded in his brain; he thinks he might even be able to do it in his sleep.

Summer had come so fast, long, hot days were taking over. The office was air conditioned, but people still fanned themselves, case files becoming a cooling source even for a minute. It was excruciating, this time lapse of his day always spent in the office. But Leon was the one who agreed to it, his boss having asked him about it after his finals week. He said yes because he felt he had to, something about the boss' tone making it seem like it was the only option. Now, he regrets it, not liking how much has been put on his plate with no classes taken into account.

All his time has been in and out of the office building, arriving home to Violetta binge watching some new show. Leon will sit through some episodes with her, fighting sleep to spend time with her, to hold her while he can. It seems like the call of night is the only time he gets to see Violetta, hidden in the shadows of the dark living room. It's not the life he wants to live.

He pounds on the machine when it whirs with a paper jam, frustration reaching its brink. He doesn't want to deal with this now, wants nothing more than to be home and asleep, tucked next to Violetta. Lara, taps his arm, nodding to the table.

"Sit down for a while, I'll take over." She slips the papers out of his grip, taking over his work, letting Leon have his rest.

"I wish I wasn't so scared of your father." Leon laments, head tilted back to watch the ceiling. "Maybe then I wouldn't have agreed to all these extra hours. " Lara laughs, the silent buzz of the scanner filling the silence afterwards. Leon focuses on it intently, lost in the oddly rhythmic sound it creates. It almost puts him to sleep, until Lara is dropping the stalk of papers on the table, the table creaking at the added weight.

"Finished. Why don't you call it day, I'll make something up." A true lifesaver. Leon kicks out his feet, hopping to it with every intention of spending the summer night outside with Violetta.

Going home feels like a breath of fresh air, the house becoming even homier with all the new decorations and furniture. Gone is the giant box in the kitchen, replaced by an actual kitchen table and chairs. Their bedroom has finally been fitted with a bed, a bed that's piled high in pillows because Violetta can't help herself anytime she's around them. Knickknacks have been crowding open living room space, random figurines or wooden signs Violetta calls cute and buys on impulse. Leon will laugh at her for it, but he secretly loves all the little things, makes everything feel like it's coming together.

"Leon?" Violetta enters the hall, still wearing her day clothes, probably having just arrived home too. "You're home early." She comments, sliding into his arms and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Mhmm, I managed to escape the workload today." She nods, puffing her bottom lip as she considers his words.

"Lara help you?" Leon pretends to think it over, and nods, watching the way Violetta's smile falls.

"You know there's nothing there anymore." Leon reminds.

This wasn't the first time she'd questioned Lara's actions.

Violetta had been overly inspective about everything Lara did involving Leon. Mostly because her actions seemed to speak for her, as Violetta liked to say, she was still flirting.

Leon honestly doubted that. She was completely back to her normal self, even enjoying the stories Leon told her about Violetta. Leon couldn't imagine her falling for him again, especially with the way he spoke so fondly of Violetta. He thinks Lara's heard the message loud and clear.

Leon is completely enamored by Violetta. He'll be marrying her soon.

Soon... feels like such a long way away. It's only been two months and all Leon can think about is scheduling everything, having their big day and being married to the only love in his life. But, there's still so much to figure out and sort through, not just together, but on their own. Leon still has to figure out the whole "boss thinks I'm his daughter's boyfriend" thing and Violetta is deciding on her next career path, dealing with the choice of what to do because school is almost ending for her and she's going to need a job.

The planning can wait for now. He's happy either way, happy that he can sit outside with Violetta and hold her in his arms as they watch the sunset along the horizon. It's all he needs to put a smile on his face.