Chapter 13
Leo
After what Noah and I decide that it qualifies as a hybrid of dinner and breakfast, we are sitting in Rachel’s living room, curled on the couch, reading one of Noah’s books that Rachel already had a second copy of.
It’s good,, really good, actually. It isn’t, though, how I thought this night would end.
It wasn’t how I thought it would start either.
“Noah?” Rachel calls as she enters the house. “Leo?” She calls my name next, and I turn, confused, to look at Noah, who mouths a silent apology.
“Hey, Rach, I forgot to message you.” Noah greets his friend as she enters the living room.
“That’s okay. I thought you might need a ride to work, but if Leo has it covered, I can just grab some things and leave.
” She seems awkwardly calm. It’s strange.
Different even. I guess maybe what I have seen of her is her reaction to Kai’s chaos.
It would sure make sense. I am calmer when I am with Noah why wouldn’t she be a little more chaotic around Kai?
“Can you tell Danielle I am not going to be in today? I have no appointments anyway, and I would probably just be there for walk-ins. Just tell Charlotte to schedule everyone for next week.” I want to ask the reason behind his decision, but the look on his face tells me I should stay quiet.
“No problem. I will let them know. Do you need the house?” She asks, and now it clicks.
“Actually, yes. Can you stay at mine until Friday?” I realize that he asked her to stay at his apartment yesterday. I wonder why he didn’t want me there. Is he hiding something, or simply doesn’t want to let me in his space?
“Don’t overthink,” he whispers in my ear before he turns to Rachel again. “Yes, I will come pick you up from the salon on Friday night. We can go to the bookstore before we head here for book club night.”
She smiles. “Deal. Nice to see you again, Leo. Tell Kai I said he messed up.”
Rachel leaves before I can respond, but I yell the answer anyway. “He knows. Nice to see you too, Rachel.”
“My apartment is tiny; I wanted us to have more space.” Noah explains before I can even ask.
A simple explanation that wasn’t truly needed, but the fact he chose to explain anyway makes my heart swell.
It’s a sort of comfort that I have been missing.
A sense of security. As if willing to hide a body for me wasn’t enough of a security.
Rachel comes down from her bedroom with a bag full of what I assume is clothes. “You know Alex also ghosted me? I went from two men running after me to zero men in a day.” She tells Noah, and I choke on nothing, coughing while I try to act normal.
Noah pats my back gently as he talks to his friend.
“Alex left on Monday, Rachel. His father told me yesterday.” He lies effortlessly.
He doesn’t even show any signs of his lie in his eyes.
His voice is steady, calm, calculated. I would have blurted the truth in zero time, but Noah is sitting calmly next to me, lying through his teeth.
It’s scary and impressive at the same time.
It makes me wonder if he can lie to me that easily.
“He could have said goodbye first...” Rachel’s voice breaks on the last word, and I can tell this woman doesn’t deal with rejection well.
“Rachel, we’ve talked about this. Rejection hurts, but it’s not always you that is the problem. Maybe he got caught up in something and couldn’t say goodbye.” More like he got hit by something. Someone. Me.
“Rachel, it’s none of my business, but because you mentioned it, Kai isn’t ghosting you.
He’s dealing with something. Give him time.
” I choose to word it in a way that this woman won’t spiral, but will get some reassurance at the same time.
The reality is that Kai is actually ghosting her, but not because of her.
It’s because Kai gets moments of guilt between his chaotic moments.
He’ll get over it soon and start running after her again, or worse.
I only hope she will still want him by then.
They are, after all, made for each other.