Love is Beautiful (She's so Ugly)

Chapter 24 : Part Five

After making sure Merida was safely home, Leo finally walked back to his own place. His sigh was heavy. To be honest, he hated the role he was playing. It was obvious Merida didn't truly love him. His heart just couldn't say no to her, even though he knew her heart still belonged to Jacob. They were all hurting—and it hurt him the most because, in the end, none of it was his choice.

At the vacant lot near the street corner, Leo spotted Jacob waiting. He stopped in front of him.
"What's up?" Leo asked evenly.

"I'm not stopping," Jacob grunted, fists clenched, his gaze fixed on Leo. "I'm taking her back."

Leo shrugged. "I don't care. If you can take her away, then take her. I'm not stopping you."

"Then why stick around her?" Jacob shot back, eyes blazing. "If you don't care, tell her off!"

Leo exhaled deeply. "Don't you get it? It's her choice. Not mine, not yours." He drew a breath, steadying his voice. "I told you I like her—maybe even love her. But if she loves you, then she loves you. Right now, though? I'm the one she's choosing. So figure out how to win her back. If you can't do it before her feelings fade, then you've lost her."

Jacob's jaw tightened, a bitter frown crossing his face. "Why did you even let yourself fall for her?"

Leo gave a crooked, boyish smile—annoyingly casual. "I didn't try. It just happened when I wasn't paying attention." His smile faded into something serious. "What about you? Why do you love her?"

Jacob looked away, his voice rough. "Same reason. It just happened. The first time I saw her cry... I wanted to keep saving her. But instead, I kept hurting her."

Silence stretched between them. Finally Leo said quietly, "Then I'll give you a chance. Prove you're worthy of her. Steal her back like she's a diamond worth your whole life."

Jacob's frown deepened. "What are you really trying to do?"

"I'm letting you choose," Leo muttered as he turned and walked away. There was no point in explaining further. A hollow chuckle escaped him. He was letting them choose—but he wasn't giving himself that same freedom.

Where was his place in all of this?


***

Lisa wandered along the pavement, staring at the ground, feeling strangely empty. How was she going to befriend someone like Yuri and Merida. Leo said to apologize but who in their right mind would accept an apology that fast after everything she did?

She sighed heavily. 

Out of nowhere, a palm landed on her forehead, making her jolt and look up. She frowned—then froze when she met those calm, unmistakable blue eyes.

"Looking for coins down there?" Leo asked, a sly smirk tugging at his lips. His hood was pulled up despite the heat, which made him look even stranger.

It took Lisa a moment to process that he had just appeared out of nowhere. She slapped his hand away, her shock—excitement, if she admitted it—turning into a mask of disdain.

"What about you? Is the sun a joke to you?" she snapped. His hood shadowed most of his face, but when he smiled, it was the kind of smile that was both creepy and... annoyingly cute.

"I escaped," he said simply.

"What?" she asked, brows furrowing. "From where?"

"We're not friends," he replied with a shrug. "I don't tell strangers my secrets."

Lisa snorted, rolling her eyes. Typical. Here was her chance to finally talk to him about the past few days, but of course, her mouth chose sarcasm.

"Look, I—"

Before she could finish, Leo suddenly grabbed her hand and broke into a run, pulling her along. She nearly tripped with how sudden it was, practically being dragged down the street, her protests dying on her lips. When he glanced back at her, laughing like a mischievous kid, the world around her seemed to fall silent.

It was like the night of the fireworks festival all over again—when sound turned into color, and all she could do was stare.

By the time they stopped inside a corner store, Lisa was breathless. "Wh–Why the hell did we need to freakin' run?" she wheezed.

Leo handed her a water bottle, the same irritating grin still on his face. She glared at him but snatched it anyway, gulping half of it down. Before she could lower it, he grabbed the bottle back and drank from the same spot, like it was nothing.

Lisa froze, staring.

"What?" he asked, brows raised as if nothing was wrong. "You're gawking."

"Are you insane? I drank from that bottle!"

"So?"

"So—you're not supposed to—"

"Come on. You'd rather waste water?" He tilted his head, unfazed.

Lisa opened her mouth, but no comeback came. Instead, he tilted his head at her. "Why were you walking like you'd lost something?"

"I wasn't," she muttered, shaking her head. "Why did we even have to run?"

"You didn't have to," he said lightly. "But you ran anyway."

That smug little laugh of his made her want to scream. She glared daggers at him.

"You grabbed my hand! What was I supposed to do?"

"Pull back."

Lisa froze. No, this wasn't the Leo she remembered. That man had been sharp, cold, and untouchable. This one was playful, careless, and impossible to read.

"What's wrong with you today?" she demanded. "Did Merida reject you or something?"

His eyes snapped to hers, and for a split second, she regretted asking. The dullness in his gaze was worse than anger—it carried a warning, a quiet darkness. She felt like she was staring at the devil himself.

Finally, he looked away, his voice low. "Nah. She won't reject me... but she won't choose me either."

**

A flicker of pain crossed Leo's eyes, but Lisa pretended not to notice. Instead, she let out an exasperated sigh. Why did she have to hear things like this from him?

"Well, I gotta get going now, crackhead. You're just wasting my time."

She stepped forward, but Leo moved to block her path. Lisa stopped short, glaring up at him. One corner of his mouth tugged upward in that infuriatingly proud smirk, like he was enjoying every second of making her angry.

"I didn't drag you here for nothing," he said, folding his arms. "I'm inviting you for a walk down by the lake. Care to come?"

Lisa blinked, completely thrown. First he claimed he "escaped" without explaining from where, then he dragged her into this store like it was her fault, and now—what? A casual invitation to the lake?

"No," she snapped, shoving at him. He didn't budge an inch. Stepping back, Lisa clenched her jaw, the blood in her veins heating. "I swear, if you don't move, I'm going to scream that you're harassing me."

She gave it a few seconds, waiting to see if he'd call her bluff. Of course, he didn't. The aisle was empty, no witnesses to back her up, and Leo's proud little smile only widened.

"I thought you were going to scream," he teased. "Tell you what—I'll explain what I escaped from if you come with me. And I swear..." his smirk softened into something more serious, "...I won't touch you without permission anymore."

That hardly reassured her. And yet, against her better judgment, Lisa found herself nodding.