Obsession

Chapter 16

"Let's try that again," Leo says, trying to hide his frustration.

He thinks I'm getting over a stomach bug and he's being so patient with me. The truth is, I can't concentrate around him anymore. He's turned my brain into a clump of useless putty. And yet, he has no idea just how much he's affecting me.

I repeat the moves again, this time, trying my very best to keep up with him. The footwork is quick and complicated. I watch Leo's feet closely, baffled by how smoothly he rolls from one move to the next, making it look so easy.

"Better," Leo says, watching my feet. "But you're still too stiff. Just relax."

Haha. Just relax, he says.

I blow out a breath and straighten my body. I rock back on one foot, jump out, cross, spin.

Leo smiles proudly and claps his hands together. "Yes! That's it!"

I sigh in relief. "I can't believe it took me so long to learn this. We've done way harder moves than this one before."

"You've been sick, it takes a while to bounce back from that. Pretty soon, you'll be back to normal again."

Back to normal? Ugh, that's right. He's gonna be expecting me to have my shit together by next week. And the next. And every week after that until our competition. But at this point, am I even capable of being normal around him?

"That's all we're gonna do today. Go home and rest," Leo says, taking a sip from his water bottle.

"But it's only been an hour."

It's not until he grins at me that I realize how that must've sounded. "Not ready to leave me yet?" he asks, the water bottle still pressed to his lips.

I hesitate, just a millisecond too long. He catches on right away, like he always does; always so perceptive of what I'm thinking. I hate how he can read me so well. 

My brain goes haywire, trying to recover. And out of all the things to choose from, I, in the most un-casual fashion ask, "Hey, what did you want to talk to me about?"

I catch him off guard with my question. His mouth opens, then closes, and finally, he shakes his head. "You know, I can't even remember."

Liar.

I can read him just as well as he can read me. He remembers, he just suddenly no longer has the guts to say whatever it is he wanted to say. It's probably for the best. I more than likely don't need to hear it.

"So," he asks, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his black sweatpants and rocking back on his heels. "Valentine's Day is tomorrow. What do you and Kai have planned?"

"Uh..." I don't even pretend to have an answer. I only shrug.

Somehow, the mention of Kai's name shifts something between us. There's still tension, but it's not the same as it was just seconds ago. This tension is heavy and unwelcome. It leaves us just standing there, no more than four feet apart, but yet it feels like oceans are between us. 

"I'm sorry," he says quietly, laughing humorlessly to cover up the emotion he can't hide in his voice.

"For what?" I ask him.

His eyes meet mine, really meet mine, for the first time since I injured my hands at the beach. I can see how much this is hurting him, and I'm selfish enough to keep throwing fuel on the fire. He doesn't deserve this. Does he even know he could do so much better than me?

"This," he says, motioning between us. "This...awkwardness between us. I'm really trying, you know? But it's hard."

The tension between us finally depletes the last little bit of oxygen from the air, causing my breath to quicken and my heart to thump rapidly against my chest.