23. Leah
CHAPTER 23
Leah
I thought about calling Marco about fifteen times a day, but I didn’t. I thought about sending a message a hundred times, but I didn’t. What would I say?
The thing was that with Kevin, our relationship was lopsided, so we never fought, not really. I didn’t stand up to him. I didn’t lose my temper. I didn’t push. It was unhealthy as fuck.
I didn’t know if Marco and I had a fight and this was normal or if we’d broken up. I felt like crying a lot because I felt like I’d fucked up a good thing by being, as he’d accused me, a coward, which was why even though I didn’t want to go to a salsa class and deal with a no-Marco situation, I did. It was the least I could do. It was all I could do. If he showed up, we could talk. I could…ah…I don’t know, tell him that I was all shaken up because of what he told me Kevin said to him and maybe said some stupid stuff to him. He could then tell me that he was annoyed and said some stupid stuff to me. And then we could make up. People swore on make-up sex, and I was sure that, given the chance, Marco and I would be really good at it.
So, I went.
The studio was quieter than usual when I walked in. The lights were dimmed, the air warm and still. I glanced around, expecting to see the usual group of students warming up, but the room was empty, save for Viviana, who was standing by the stereo, grinning wide.
“What’s going on?” I asked, frowning as I walked in. “Where is everyone?”
“Tonight’s class is special .” Viviana’s eyes and voice were full of mischief and excitement.
Before I could ask what she meant, Marco stepped out from behind one of the support beams. He was dressed in dark slacks and a fitted shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His expression was soft, almost nervous, and his hands were tucked into his pockets.
“Hi,” I whispered.
He was here. Oh My God! He was here. He hadn’t ended us.
“Hi.” Marco stepped closer to me. “I asked Viviana if I could have the studio for a little while.”
I swallowed. “Ah…we could meet…ah….”
“It had to be here,” he insisted.
Viviana clapped her hands, breaking the tension. “Okay, lovebirds, I’m off. Play nice.”
“Viviana, I, thanks and?—”
“Bye-bye, Leah.” She sashayed out of the room without a backward glance.
The door clicked shut behind her, leaving Marco and me standing in the empty studio.
“I’m sorry,” I blurted out.
Marco smiled. “I’m sorry, too.”
I bit my lower lip. “I don’t even remember what I said.”
“I remember what I said,” he admitted. “I was an asshole.”
“I should never have brought up your wife.”
Marco exhaled, stepping closer. “Leah, I have fallen in love with you.”
The words hit me like a wave, knocking the air from my lungs.
Say what?
“Marco—”
“No, let me finish,” he crooned. “I felt like I was giving you everything I had, and you were running away from me, so I was an ass.”
I took a step toward him. I could feel his body heat, we were so close, though just shy of touching each other. “I was scared that you’d dump me anyway, so I thought I’d do it so I could…I don’t know, not be rejected.”
He cupped my cheek. “How do you feel about me, carino ?”
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them away, my chest tight. “I think…I think I’m in love with you.”
He bent his head and kissed me.
It was the best kiss. Wet, long, deep, and full of love.
He looked at me with wonder. “I’m here with you, Leah. And I swear to you, I’m not going anywhere.”
I stared at him, my heart pounding. “I’ll try and not be scared.”
He shook his head. “Be whatever you want to be. I’ll still be there with and for you. I know you’re insecure, and that’s okay. I’ll just have to prove to you until you start believing it that we’re happening, that we’re…meant to be.”
I felt tears get past my eyes.
“Oh, baby, don’t cry.” He wiped my tears.
“I’m so sorry for being such a bitch to you that night.”
“We’re gonna fight again, Leah. We’ll say stupid shit. The key is to make up…quickly. I made a mistake. I was pissed with you and thought I’d give you a couple of days and let you apologize.”
I raised an eyebrow.
He grinned. “But I realized, thanks to my daughters, that I had my own apologizing to do.”
“I hear that make-up sex is a good way…you know, to make up,” I suggested, wanting desperately to lighten the mood.
He laughed and walked up to the sound system. He fiddled with it, and salsa music poured into the studio.
“Why don’t we start with a make-up dance?” He came to me, extending his hand. I placed mine into his, just the way I had been for the past many weeks. He guided me into position. His hand settled gently on my back, and I put mine on his shoulder, my other hand clasped in his.
We moved together. The steps were familiar now, and our bodies fell into a rhythm that felt like second nature. When he spun me out and pulled me back in, I was so close I could feel his breath against my skin.
“Leah,” he whispered, his forehead brushing mine. “I love you.”
I closed my eyes, the words sinking into me like a balm on wounds of the past. “I love you, Marco.”