6. Aria
CHAPTER SIX
Leo visibly relaxes in his seat and a slow smile creeps across his lips. The butterflies in my stomach flutter to life. Earning a smile from Leo Wells feels like a goddamn reward. He's pleasant enough with most people, but it isn't often that I see him genuinely smile. He's really good at faking it.
"Are you going to eat?" I ask him as I point to the food Griffin ordered that Leo moved to the other table.
Leo takes a sip of his wine and shakes his head at me. "I don't want that."
"Well, if you don't want it, I'll take it home in a box if there isn’t any meat in it," I tell him as I motion for him to move it back to our table. Leo's movements are hesitant but he reaches for it and sets it down by my plate.
"Are you going to take it to Griffin?"
I look up at him as I move the plate to the side. "No. Although, I probably should. What you did was pretty rude."
It wasn't a lie. Leo was rude as hell for showing up like that. What he needed to talk to me about could have waited. He didn't have to come in and insert himself. I'm not sure what his motive really was or if he was even thinking about any of that. It all seemed very impulsive, yet there was an underlying tension between Griffin and him. I don't know what happened between them when we were younger, but it was clear that neither of them had moved past it.
"I would say I'm sorry, but I'm not." Leo shrugs with indifference as he sets his wineglass down on the table. "He's not a good guy, Ari."
My eyebrows draw together. "Says who?"
"Me." He pauses, his nostrils flaring as he lets out a deep breath. "Just trust me, please. You only see what he wants you to see."
I want to question him, but I don't want to pry. I want to know what evidence he has to support his claims about Griffin. He has never been anything but nice to me and from what I know, that's how he is to everyone. There's something that Leo knows that he isn't openly offering. This might be the most civil conversation I've ever had with him, so the last thing I want to do is chase him away now. I want him to be like this with me—easy and comfortable.
I'm not going to argue with him and I'm not going to press the issue. I'll let it go… for now.
Instead of commenting on what he said, I shift the conversation in another direction. “So, since you decided to crash my date tonight, what are you going to do to make it up to me?”
Leo cocks his head to the side as a smirk lifts one side of his mouth. “I already made it up to you. I agreed to skate with you.”
Clicking my tongue, I shake my head at him. “Nope, that won’t do. That was something we already planned on doing, so just because you finally decided to be on board doesn’t mean that counts as a way to make it up to me.”
“What would you propose I do then?”
The server comes back and I break the conversation with Leo to tell her that I need two boxes to take the rest of the food home with me. She sets the check down on the table before walking away. I extend my arm, reaching for the small black folder, but Leo beats me to it.
"All you drank was wine. Let me have it."
Leo narrows his eyes at me and leans to the side in his chair as he pulls his wallet from his back pocket. "Absolutely not, and don't you dare argue with me, Aria." He takes out a credit card and slides it into the folder while he continues to stare at me. He holds the check in his hand instead of setting it back down on the table.
A sigh escapes me and I slouch back into my chair as I cross my arms over my chest. "If that's your way of making it up to me, that doesn't count."
A chuckle rumbles in his chest and he rolls his eyes. "I didn't say it was. I asked you to tell me what I can do to make it up to you."
"I want to go dancing."
His lips part and he stares at me like I have two heads. "Just because I skate, doesn't mean I dance, Aria."
"Well, tonight you do," I tell him with a smile as the server comes back to the table. She takes the folder from Leo and hands me two boxes. I can feel Leo's eyes on me as I begin to shovel the food into the two containers. As I finish, I look back up at him just as the girl returns with his credit card. The smile is still on my lips as Leo slides his card back into his wallet and rises to his feet.
He pushes his wallet into his back pocket and he picks up his wineglass. I watch him as he tilts his head back and drains the liquid before setting the glass back on the table. He holds his hand out to me as I shrug my jacket on. "Let's go, tiny dancer."
I place my hand in his and he pulls me to my feet as I get up from my seat. He releases my hand and I half expect him to leave me to follow him, but instead he bends his elbow and holds it out to me. I look down at his arm and back at his eyes before I gently slide my own through his. My forearm presses against his and I can feel the warmth of his flesh through his long-sleeve shirt and my jacket. Leo grabs the food containers from the table and begins to walk, shortening his stride as I fall in step beside him.
He walks up to the door and holds it open for me, but he doesn't move his arm from mine as I step through the threshold. My car is parked in the parking lot that is situated along the right side of the building. Leo turns to the left and I walk with him. "My car is in the parking lot," I tell him as I stay beside him. "I can follow you wherever we're going."
Leo shakes his head. "We're not going far. Just down the street to The King’s Inn."
Turning my head to the side, I look up at him, but he continues to walk. When I said I wanted to go dancing, I didn't plan on going to the local dive bar. Leo stares straight ahead, confidence dripping from him as he walks. He pays me no attention, so I don't bother questioning him. A sigh escapes me and I let him lead me down the street.
The bar isn't far away from Davino’s. It's only about a two-minute walk and we find ourselves standing outside the door. It's noisy inside and I'm surprised with it being a Thursday evening. Leo pulls open the door and we step into the dark room. Lights flash from above and I feel like I've stepped into a club instead of the local bar. They tend to get a lot of locals here and I know some nights they try to make it a little more exciting than people just sitting around getting drunk.
On the weekends they tend to showcase different DJs who want to come to the small coastal town. When it's not off-season, we get a lot of tourists that come to Idyll Cove. This is a different vibe for tonight, but I'm not going to question it. It saves us from driving into the actual city tonight for a similar scene.
The music is loud and the bass pounds throughout the building as Leo unlinks his arm from mine. Instead, he drops his hand down to hold mine and he leads the way as he pulls me through the crowded room. He stops when he reaches the bar and I almost collide into his back. I let go of his hand and place it on his shoulder as I lift myself onto my toes to speak into his ear. Instinctively, Leo dips his shoulder, lowering himself so I can reach him better.
"What are all these people doing out tonight?"
Leo turns to face me, dropping his mouth down to my ear as he speaks. "There was some kind of a beer fest at The Garden tonight, so I imagine a lot of the people came here afterward." He pulls back and looks at me, shrugging. "We can leave if you want to."
I shake my head at him. "No, this is fine."
Leo turns back to the bar and I watch him as he leans across it to yell something to the bartender. Turning my back to him, I glance around the room, watching everyone dancing. A popular song sounds through the speaker that there is an actual dance to. I look and see that everyone is dancing in synchrony, following the rehearsed moves. Now it makes sense why there aren't many people sitting down.
There's a tap on my shoulder and I turn back to Leo. He sets the containers of food down and hands me a beer. I don't comment on the drink choice and I don't tell him I actually hate the taste of beer. Instead, I smile and take it. Leo takes a swig of his and his hand finds mine again. The song shifts to a new one and the floor clears off a bit. Leo leads me onto the dance floor, his hand leaving mine as he turns to face me. I'm a few feet away from him and I take the opportunity to drink him in.
Goddamn him for being so good-looking.
He begins to move his body to the beat as he throws back another mouthful of his beer. My fingers circle around the neck of my bottle and I hold on to it as I begin to move. Closing my eyes, I let the music slide through my veins and just begin to mindlessly dance. My hips sway back and forth and I hold my arms up as I begin to turn around. All the thoughts fade away from my mind. Suddenly my problems seem fairly insignificant. I forget about Griffin and how he may have been feeling with the way Leo interrupted us.
And then I feel his hands gripping my waist.
He hauls me backward until my back is pressed flush against his chest. His hands drop down to my hips and his fingers splay across the front of them as he holds me tight to him. His body feels firm and warm behind me. I melt into his touch, feeling myself relax against him. Tilting my head back, I take a sip of my beer and make a face at the gross taste of it. Leo starts to move with me, both of our bodies moving in perfect harmony together.
The song shifts, the tempo slowing down as it shifts into a slow song. Leo's hands are on my hips turning me around to face him as the music continues to play. It's some old school R&B song that is definitely meant for slow dancing. I lift my arms and hook my wrists behind the back of his neck as his hands settle again on my hips. We begin to move back and forth together, swaying side to side as he begins to slowly rock us around in circles on the dance floor.
I haven't been paying attention to anyone else and I don't bother looking around as we continue to move. I don't care who else is on the dance floor. I don't care if anyone is watching us. The only thing that matters right now is this moment with Leo. And I know it is one I need to hold on to because I already know this will never happen again.
It's just like that time we skated together in high school. This is what Leo does. He shows a softer side of himself and lets his guard down just enough to give me a peek inside. It makes my insides warm and fuzzy and I find myself melting into him. I'm sure it won't be long before he's putting his guard back up again and shutting me out. It may not happen tonight, but that just means I need to savor this moment and his warmth.
When we meet on the ice again, he will undoubtedly be just as cold as the surface beneath our skates.
It's Leo's MO.
"What are you thinking about?" Leo asks me, his voice soft and almost hard to hear over the sound of the music echoing throughout the room.
I tilt my head back to look at him. I can't tell him the truth—I can't tell him I was thinking about how it’s only going to be a matter of time before he’s shutting me out again. "I was thinking about our trip to Germany that is coming up soon."
Leo nods. "We leave in two weeks," he reminds me as his expression becomes unreadable. "Did you book a room and everything yet?"
Shit. Shit. Shit.
"No," I admit as I purse my lips. "It was supposed to be handled for me and then we canceled the reservation after Preston decided to take a leave of absence." I pause, feeling my shoulders deflate as I let out a sigh. "I didn't even think to try and rebook it."
"If you need a place to stay, you can stay in my room," Leo offers, completely catching me off guard. Who is this man and what did he do with the Leo I've known for years?
"I appreciate that, but I don't want to impose," I tell him. I appreciate his generosity, but I'm sure he'd rather not have me in his room. "I'll figure something out before we have to go."
Leo stares at me for a moment and I can't quite make out the emotions in his eyes before they abruptly vanish. He shrugs with indifference again. "If anything changes, just let me know. I'm here for whatever you need, partner."
We both fall silent as the sound of the music playing envelops us. The scent of his cologne tickles my nose and I inhale the smell. He smells like teakwood and the ocean. I don't know how to explain it. I'm not sure he's managed to find a cologne that has that smell bottled up, but he smells like a spa on the ocean shore. I find myself enjoying it a lot more than I should.
I need to come to my damn senses.
This is Leo Wells. He's a broody asshole who only really cares about himself and winning. He has the temper of a teenager who doesn't know how to control their emotions yet. I can't be thinking of him like this. I can't be reveling in the way he feels and the way he smells. Every moment with him is fleeting. We agreed to skate together and nothing more. I need to separate the two inside my mind. This is all things can ever be between us.
He was being nice. He interrupted my date and this night of dancing was his way of making it up to me. I asked him to take me dancing and he was simply complying.
I couldn't help but feel slightly deflated at the realization. I let myself get lost in the moment. I let myself be fucking delusional.
This meant nothing to Leo and I couldn't let him know it affected me in any way.
As the song comes to an end, I release my wrists from around the back of his neck and take a step away from him. Instantly, I feel his absence and miss his warmth. I resist the urge to step back into his space. His eyebrows scrunch and he gives me a perplexed look as his hands hang by his sides, one still clutching the neck of his beer bottle.
"Thanks for the dance," I tell him with a smile as I curtsey. I lift the rim of the beer bottle to my lips and tip my head back as I drain the beer. I chug what's left from the one sip I took earlier. It tastes bitter and disgusting, but I manage to keep a straight face as I momentarily block out the taste. I straighten myself as the bottle is empty and hold it up for Leo to see. "I think I'm going to call it a night."
He cocks his head to the side, blinking like he's trying to figure out what the hell is going on. I spin on my heel and march back over to the bar as Leo follows behind me. He stops beside me and I set the empty bottle down on the bar top. Leo looks at me. "Are you okay?"
I nod. "I'm good." I slowly turn my head to look at him. "Today has been a long day, so I'd better get home and get some sleep." I grab the containers of food and hold them up. "I need to get these in my fridge before the food goes bad."
Leo's silent for a beat before he finishes his own beer and leaves it beside mine. "I'll walk you to your car."
"That's okay, you don't have to do that." I can't help it but there's a part of me that wants to get as far away from him as I can.
"I know I don't but I want to."
Leo and I walk back through the bar until we're stepping out onto the sidewalk out front. He falls in step beside me, his legs moving slower than normal so he's not walking ahead of me. With our height difference, his stride is naturally longer than mine. The silence stretches between us and I'm afraid to speak a single word to him, as I don't know what the hell I'll say. I can't let Leo in—I can't let him in because I know he'll never stay.
It's a short walk back to the parking lot and I walk over to my car. "This is me," I tell him with a smile as I look back at him. "Thanks for tonight, even though you did interrupt my dinner with Griffin."
"I'll never apologize for that, Aria," he tells me, his voice hoarse. His eyes burn holes through mine. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"See you then," I tell him, my words coming out in a rush as I unlock my door and climb inside. Leo takes a few steps back as I turn on the engine. He stays where he is, watching me as I back my car out of the parking spot. My eyes meet his as I push down on the brakes and put my car in drive.
His expression is unreadable as he tucks his hands in the front pockets of his pants, his gaze never leaving mine. His lips part, almost like he wants to say something to me, but I can't hear him. I ease my foot off the brake pedal and push down on the gas pedal before pulling away. As I head out onto the empty street, I glance in my rearview mirror and see Leo as he begins to walk down the sidewalk in the opposite direction. There's an unsettled feeling inside of me as I drive away from him. I know I'll see him in the morning, but I can't quite dissect these emotions that are rippling through my body.
Leo Wells will always be the greatest mystery in my life.
I just hope one day I'll be able to figure him out.