Book 3 [ The Untitled Series ]

Chapter Thirty-Four

Unedited- I said this would be a short chapter but its actually almost full length so... enjoy

Ashley

Leon wasn't too keen on the idea of me going to have lunch with Carmen, but he didn't have much choice. Even in my state, I had my mind set on going. Maybe the lunch would give me a sense of normalcy. I knew I'd have to tell Carmen about the miscarriage but after that I was hoping that we'd just be able to talk like normal.

Leon insisted on going and sitting in the car just in case I needed him. There was no talking him out of it, and even if there was, i didn't want to try. Having him close by seemed to keep me as calm as possible in our current situation and i needed that.

Carmen called me three times in the span of an hour just to make sure that I didn't change my mind and that I knew where we were meeting at. The last time she called, I fully had to cuss her out. At my cursing, she just laughed and hung up.

" that girl is crazy." Leon noted, helping me from the bed. We had gotten an hour and a half of sleep after eating breakfast. It definitely wasn't enough.

" yeh, but I love her."

" yeah, I know."

He proceeded to pick me up and carry me into the bathroom.

" Lee! I can walk! Put me down!"

" 'Lee, I can walk. Put me down.'" He mocked me in as high of a voice as he could get, which wasn't high at all considering how deep his actual voice was.

" I hate you! Put me down!" He placed me on my feet once we reached the bathroom and smugly walked around me to turn on the water.

" you love me."

" ' you love me'." I said, mocking him the same as he'd done me.

He smiled. " take your clothes off."

I pulled my t shirt over my head before grabbing tightly at the waistband of sweatpants. " wait, I'm- um- I mean-"

" blood don't scare me, you should know that by now, especially not from the woman I love. Now take 'em off and come on."

Although the clotting had stopped, I was definitely still bleeding, not heavily, but I could see it. Leon didn't really care, didn't flinch, didn't complain. He began washing my body so tenderly and with so much care that I couldn't help but feel my heart swell. Any other man probably would have be disgusted at the idea but Leon didn't even think twice about it.

He just did it.

" you must love me." I said, looking down at Leon as he ran the soapy wash rag across my feet.

He looked up at me. " Either that or I'm dumb as hell, right?" He asked, referring to a joke I'd made a while ago. It'd only been a few months but it felt like a lifetime. We had been completely different then.

Our relationship had been completely different then.

" I'll take 'he's just dumb as hell' for four hundred, thank you." He laughed before going back to what he was doing. " no, but seriously, I love you. You're a pain in the ass and everything but I wouldn't trade you for a million dollars."

" you better not, especially not when I can get you that and make it right back."

" where's my million then? I feel like I've earned it."

" you tell me. You the one with all the businesses."

" and you're not?" His business weren't legal, but they were raking in money all the same. I knew it.

" nah, I'm poor."

" mmhmm." I said, rolling my eyes and knowing full well that he had more than a few stashes.

With washing, rinsing, and dressing done, Leon drove me to a small Asian restaurant that Carmen and I had agreed on. I went inside, Leaving Leon in the car with his phone in his face.

Carmen spotted me from across the room and waved me over to the booth that she was in.

" hey." She screeched, standing up to hug me tightly.

I smiled, enjoying the small embrace before we broke apart and slid into opposite sides of the booth. " so, how are our numbers from-"

" oh I know the fuck you didn't just come up in here like this is a business meeting." She rolled her eyes. You been ducking and dodging me all weekend and then you think I'm just going to let it slide?" Flipping her hair over her shoulder she mumbled. " who the fuck do she think I am? I'm not just gone let that shit slide."

I released a huge huff of breath and decided to get it over with in one go. " I miscarried." I grabbed one of the small menus covered in plastic with red trimming around the edges. " do they have Pad Thai? I really want a spicy Pad-"

" I'm so sorry." When I looked up at her, her mouth was hanging open and her eyes were wide in shock. And then out of no where her eyes started to glisten under the light.

" no, please don't cry!" I begged. " I'm so tired of crying. I've been crying all weekend and I really can't right now."

" I'm sorry. I just love you so much and I know what this is doing to you." She grabbed a napkin and dabbed carefully under her eyes, so as not to disturbed her makeup. " how are you feeling? You feeling okay?"

Knowing that my voice would shake if I spoke, I didn't. I just gave her a little nod of the head and smiled.

" Ima get you all the fucking Pad Thai you want. I don't care if they make it or not. They gone get to making it today or ima flip some tables in this bitch."

I chuckled and shook my head. " and that's why you're my Bestfriend?"

" really? And here I was thinking that you only liked me cause I'm pretty."

" you're the lesbian, not me." I joked.

" true." She shrugged. " but seriously, I'm here for you, Ashley. I been here and I'm always gone be here."

We did this weird bonding thing-holding hands over the table while smiling like idiots. And once the waitress came over we ordered, me, ofcourse, Pad Thai. I didn't eat the whole thing, only three bites before I called Leon in to finish it. He ate some of it before practically force feeding me what was left.

After sitting at the table for another little while, talking and joking with Carmen, we parted ways. I was a long way from being okay, I knew that, but leaving the restaurant, I was just grateful for Carmen being as pushy as she is. If she hadn't forced me out the house then I wouldn't have had that hour or so of normalcy...and I needed it.