The Other Me

23. Everything

God, do I feel like shit right now. Leo shakes me very carefully, but his grip on my shoulder is still firm, and he does not stop until I open my eyes. Groaning, I roll onto my back and squint against the brightness that the lightbulb is sending my way. Leo's fingers travel up the side of my neck to my temple, then massage it softly.

"You have to get up," he murmurs, and when I search for his gaze, I notice, well, quite a few things. He's just come out of the shower; water is still glistening on his skin and his hair's wet. There's only a towel wrapped around his body, more precisely his hips, and that leaves me all of his upper body to gawk at.

Yeah, my eyes got distracted.

His gaze is terribly tender, knotting up my stomach real tight. When his thumb trails across my skin towards my lips, he's watching me so attentively, as if looking out for any sign of disapproval. Hell, it's like he's asking permission to touch me, which has never happened before.

"How are you feeling?"

His thumb reaches the corner of my lips and trails along the crevasse they form, then pulls down my bottom lip.

"Shitty," I admit, and Leo chuckles, nodding.

"Thought so much. And-" he starts, but then stops himself to take a deep breath, "how about, well, here?"

His hand falls from my chin onto my chest, and he pushes lightly against it, right above my heart. I gulp and turn my head to avoid his gaze. The question has awoken the suffocating ache that rests right beneath where his fingers lie. I stare at the ceiling, trying to blink away the stinging in my eyes that threatens to send tears down my cheeks yet again.

I'm crying too much, seriously.

"Really, I'm sorry, Lian. I had no idea this wasn't okay anymore. I mean, I knew Ginny was always jealous, but that's between you guys," he tries to explain, then stops himself as he starts rambling. Groaning, he rubs his fingers across his eyes and the sides of his nose. I think this is as miserable as he can look.

"Leo, not your fault. It's a bit more complicated," I reassure him with a weak voice, partly just because I don't want him to feel this bad. There's no need for him to stress himself out over this; he's right, after all.

We'd always done it that way, and hell, it's not like Ginny hadn't enjoyed the threesome in a way, at least. Leo couldn't have known that something had changed, and I am the one at fault for throwing myself at him when Julian had promised otherwise.

Leo nods, and grabs his phone from the nightstand, casting a quick glance at the screen that lightens up at his touch. He curses under his breath, his attention shifting back and forth between the phone and me.

"You should really get up. If I have to drop you off at school before I-" he stops when he notices my expression falter until it's completely blank. I press my lips into a thin line, to suppress the unnecessary protest that is forming on my tongue already. Leo heaves a sigh.

"I promised your mom-" he's effectively stopped by my glare. While I understand that we've got to get going, there's no reason to drag my mom into this. It's not like he was that serious when he told her he'd make sure I go to school. Or was he?

Leo rolls his eyes at me, tossing his phone onto the bed.

"This is just because you look like you've been run over by a truck. You got that?" he groans and I nod with a relieved sigh. Leo lifts a finger, shaking it accusingly, and I can't help the small smile that spreads across my lips because these lectures are kind of adorable.

"But let me tell you, education is important, so if you can't handle your liquor, then don't drink," he reprimands me, then mumbles as an afterthought: "Or your boy drama."