Chapter 21 #2
She sets the phone down. “Apparently, he told Mitch about it, but according to Mitch, the bro code is sacred or whatever, and it’s more important than letting his girlfriend in on the gossip related to her own brother.
I mean, since when do guys tell their friends before their sister?
Frankly, I’m shocked Leo even told anyone. ”
I’ve never met Sabrina’s boyfriend. All I know is that Mitchell’s obsessed with her and has been Leo’s best friend since second grade.
His parents are divorced; his dad cheated on his mom with his assistant.
His aunt spends half the year in Hawaii, his third cousin owns a big construction company in Richmond, and his younger brother has a podcast about crypto.
You can find out almost anything about a person with a little bit of grit and determination.
Is Sabrina aware that I know her boyfriend’s family tree? No.
But what type of person would I be if I didn’t try to get to know Leo’s friends?
Leo, the man who might have been playing me this whole time.
Karma is a bitter bitch.
“Really?” I set my cup down. The nausea is setting in. “He told you nothing about her?”
Sabrina checks her phone with an irritated frown.
“Nope. Just that they talk all the time, and they’re super serious and blah, blah, blah.
I managed to get Mitch to admit that she’s some kind of creative, though.
My guess is an artist or something along those lines .
. . Oh, and Mitch said, and I quote, ‘They’re just as batshit as each other.
’ Which is concerning, but godspeed to anyone who ends up with Leo.
I love him, and he has a lot of patience for all of my shit.
But if he weren’t my brother, I’d be scared of him. ”
My nails dig into my palms hard enough to break skin. Every time she’s spoken about Leo, it’s only ever been about her plans that week, like they’re meeting up for dinner, or she’s going to a game or whatever. She’s never given me tangible inside information before.
I should say something in response, but the words are lost on me. She doesn’t notice the red blotches blooming over my face, or that my eyes are burning. She doesn’t realize that I’m fucking obsessed with her brother and my heart is shattering right in front of her, and I have no idea how to cope.
Not only is Leo cheating on me with his new girlfriend, but they’re good together. Have been for months. Two peas in a fucking pod. What am I doing with my life?
“It’s the lack of emotions on his face,” I agree. I’m not even sure if that’s an appropriate response to what she said, but it’s the only thing I can conjure.
But maybe this is a misunderstanding. Maybe . . . maybe—God, I’m desperate—he was talking about me? I’m considered a creative, right? I told Leo I’m a freelance editor, which is sort of creative if I twist it enough.
And maybe the picture he posted was of a . . . stock photo.
I clamp down on the inside of my cheek. I’m grasping at straws here. I should be embarrassed of myself, yet here I am, leaning into my delusions that something black and white might be gray.
Sabrina huffs. “He’s one bad day away from a murder charge.”
What? My Leo? No way. She’s just saying that.
He’s got that angry energy around him, but he’s been nothing but a sweetheart—in the same way a Rottweiler is still a gentle baby.
Wait. He’s not my Leo. He’s someone else’s Leo.
“It’s hard to look him in the eyes sometimes. You’ll see soon.”
I’ll see? Soon?
“I wish I could say not to take it personally if he looks like he hates you, because he probably does,” Sabrina continues.
Hold on. What is she talking about? Why does he hate me? Do they know who I really am? Panic thrums through me as I shift in my seat.
“I genuinely don’t think he likes anyone aside from me and Mitch—and I guess his new girlfriend.
” She shrugs, looking at her phone again.
Her ensuing eye roll gets me no closer to any answer.
“Ugh. He’s so annoying. I’m sorry. He’s invited himself because it’s the only time we have this week to catch up. ”
My eyes widen. “Wait, what? He’s coming? Here?”
I need to get out before he sees me. It’s too soon.
“Unfortunately,” she mutters, looking at her phone again before looking over my shoulder. “Speak of the Devil.”
Oh, God.
Oh fuck.
I steal a quick glance behind me and almost throw up. He’s here. Behind me. Breathing the same air. Sharing the same space.
Ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod.
He’s going to figure out who I am. He’s going to know I’ve been using his sister to get to him. I haven’t gotten my hooks in yet so that I’m sure he won’t run in the opposite direction when I tell him the truth.
Sabrina may never forgive me. Leo’s friends were horrible enough when all I did was send a single message. Imagine if they found out how far I’ve gone?
And for fuck’s sake, the asshole has a fucking girlfriend.
I start to get up, hiding my face behind my hair. “Sorry, I need to—”
“Thanks for crashing our girls’ date, you dick,” Sabrina says, completely ignoring the fact that I’m attempting to make a run for it.
So does Leo. He drops into the spare seat beside me, and my heart stops beating.
“Tala, this is my brother, Leo—or Duval, he prefers. Leo, this is my friend Tala. Be nice.” She points an accusatory finger at him, but his hazel eyes don’t so much as glance at her. They’re firmly set on me.
Every inch of my body, both exposed and unexposed, burns under the weight of his attention. I don’t dare look up at him, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that he’s watching me.
He holds out his hand in greeting. I stare at it. Then stare some more. It feels like watching someone hold out handcuffs that I’m supposed to voluntarily put on, and then escort myself right to my prison cell.
“Leo.”
I shiver at the deep tenor of his voice. From the corner of my eye, I see Sabrina’s brows hike up her forehead.
My throat bobs. “Tala,” I whisper, placing my trembling hand in his.
The moment our skin connects, the heavens open up, and angels sing in the distance.
I’m sure tears are welling in my eyes, and I’m gawking at our clasped hands.
His is calloused, yet somehow smooth. Firm, but in a heavy, engulfing blanket type of way.
It dwarfs my own, and he holds mine for a little longer than necessary.
I’m either going to throw up or pass out—or both at the same time.
I snatch my hand away, daring a glance up at him, but it’s a mistake. Whatever dream I’ve had, every single photo I’ve seen of him, the videos, none of them do him justice.
Leo Duval is even more . . . more in person.
He has the slightest cleft in his chin I’ve never noticed before, and the lightest dusting of fine, almost invisible hair on the highest point of his cheeks that glows beneath the sunlight streaming in from the window beside us.
A single stubborn strand of hair just sticks out and refuses to conform to his eyebrows.
There’s an air around him that I’ve never been able to properly see until now. It holds a volatile edge, an all-consuming magnetism that has every one of my instincts on alert to either move closer or run away.
“Riiiight,” Sabrina drawls, pulling me out of my trance.
My face flushes red, and I try to make myself as small as possible, inching toward the window away from him. I’m not sure whether this is my personal brand of Heaven or Hell.
There was no recognition in his eyes. Nothing that might indicate I look familiar at all except for all of his . . . staring.
“Well, if you want anything, you’re going to have to go up and order it yourself,” Sabrina tells Leo.
“Okay,” he answers simply, still staring at me.
My anxiety ticks up at an alarming rate with every second that passes where he’s looking at me. He’s going to figure out who I am. It’s all over.
For some stupid reason, that compels me to speak without daring to look at him. “Y-you can have my share. I won’t be able to finish it all.” Why did I have to say that?
“I’m good.”
My stomach drops at the instant dismissal. His face is completely unreadable. I want to crawl out of my skin and die.
Sabrina bats his arm. “Jesus Christ, stop scaring my friend. You’re being creepy.”
“It’s fine. I’m alright,” I quickly say.
The silence that follows is substantially worse than whatever else could have happened from Sabrina pointing out that he’s being weird.
I keep waiting for the moment he points out that he knows me from somewhere, or that I’m not who I say I am. Or maybe that I’m the crazy author who messaged him, and all his buddies had a go at harassing. But it never comes.
“This is super awkward,” Sabrina grumbles.
I couldn’t agree more.
He’s not talking. I’m most definitely not about to. This whole interaction is ruining everything. How am I going to approach Leo as me now? How am I supposed to let him see videos with my face in them without fear that he immediately catches on to my lie?
“Wait, oh my God.” Sabrina holds up her hands in dismay, and I brace for impact. “I haven’t filled you in on what happened with that model in Vegas last week.”
My shoulders sag. She launches into her story about her client who she calls Satan’s Spawn without stopping to take a single breath.
If there’s one thing Sabrina has, it’s news to share, whether it’s a bad interaction with a client, gossip her clients let her in on, or the dark side of the celebrity industry.
I’ve never been so grateful for her ability to carry a conversation.
The entire time Leo doesn’t say a word, while I provide appropriate sounds of disbelief or agreement.
I’m barely listening.
That’s a lie. I’m not listening at all. My entire focus is on the man a foot away from me.
If I move my leg even slightly to the left, I’d knock into him. The knowledge is surreal—no, that’s not right. It doesn’t make me awed; it makes me feel sick to my stomach because I have no idea how to process the onslaught of all my emotions: excitement, fear, betrayal.
I’m choking.
Leo’s eyes flick between me and his sister, staying longer on me whenever I feel them land. I squirm in my seat because I can’t tell whether my mind is playing tricks on me or if there really is something heated in the way he looks over at me.
The ball is going to drop at any moment, and then everything is going to explode around me. I can’t see any of this going well.
He wouldn’t keep eyeing me if he had no idea who I am, right?
“Tell me about yourself.”
I jump, eyes widening on him. Shit, did I zone out staring at him? They’re both looking at me. When did they stop talking?
“I— Uh . . . I . . .”
“For fuck’s sake, don’t interrogate her. Not everyone is crazy like you.” Sabrina rolls her eyes. “Back when we were in high school, Leo learned how to poison my ex and gave him this crazy rash using the chemicals in the school lab because he cheated on me.”
He what?
Leo says nothing, studying my reaction. I’m not sure what he expects me to do except gawk at him.
“And before then, he caught a snake and put it in my bully’s bed. Leo was only eight.”
Excuse me? Leo with the cute, innocent home library and dazzling smile? There’s no denial from him. Nothing.
“They had it coming,” he says coolly.
A normal person would get scared by this. But I am not normal. I’m aroused. And very, very hopeful that it means I could be forgiven for all the crazy things I’ve done to get closer to him.
And keeping everything crossed that he’s not fucking cheating on me.
“So?” Leo pries. He’s picking me apart just by looking at me.
“You don’t need to answer that.” Sabrina comes to my defense.
“It’s fine. I’m, uh, I met Sabrina online because we’re both into . . . clothes.” That could’ve been worded a hundred different ways, and I somehow chose the worst one.
A single brow arches. It’s his first reaction. “Is that your job?”
“It’s currently paying my bills.” Not a lie. My royalties won’t be paid out until later.
A slow hint of a smile plays at his lips. “Suppose that’s what matters. My sister speaks highly of you. She says you’re not the type that would stab her in the back.”
Leo’s comment spears me in the center of my chest. He knows.
“Stop being weird. My gosh,” Sabrina says.
“I just want to make sure your priorities are in line. You can do whatever extracurriculars you’d like, but I’ll always look after my sister.”
What precisely is he referring to when he says extracurriculars?
She huffs. “You’re being overbearing.”
My pulse roars in my ears. “It’s fine.” I swallow, frantically trying to find the right words to say.
“I have no intention of hurting Sabrina.” It’s not the full truth, but it’s not a lie either.
I may not want to cause her harm, but it doesn’t change the fact that I already have, and there’s no going around the fact that I want to do everything in my power to prevent anything else from happening.
“Good.” He nods in approval. “Then we have no problems.”
My heart thunders in my chest. He’s not seriously trying to imply that . . . he knows who I am, is he? I’m reading into this, I have to be. Leo would call me out if he actually knows who I am and what my plans are. Right?
I grip my coffee mug, so they don’t notice how badly I’m shaking. This is the end. This is how my months of stalking come to a tragic end, and then he’s going to call the police, and my parents are going to find out, and my entire life is going to be completely and utterly screwed.
Leo rises to his feet and dips his chin to his sister, saying he needs to go to practice. Then he turns to me. “I’ll be seeing you later, Tala.”
Out of everything that’s unfolded over the past ten minutes, there’s only one thing I’m certain about: that sounded like a threat.