35. Dahlia
Chapter Thirty-Five
DAHLIA
“Is it really you?” I step up to my old college crush, who used to make my heart flutter every time he entered the room. And by the way it’s fluttering now, he still does.
“Yeah. What are you doing here?” Leo’s pearly grin brightens the dining room, and I stare into his remarkable hazel eyes. No one has eyes like that.
“This is my cousin’s house. What are you doing here?” I haven’t seen him since that summer, right before I took off for Europe. That was ten years ago. So much time has gone by, but the man’s aged like a fine wine. How does he look even better than he did when he was a sporty college kid?
“Liz is my sister,” he says.
My jaw drops. As they say in London, bloody hell. Liz and Leo are siblings? “Oh, my gosh. Liz said her brother was in the film industry, but I never put two and two together. Her last name’s McKenna.”
Leo’s last name is Chance. I never forgot it because, well .
. . I never forgot about him. Back then, I remembered his name because I knew I never stood a chance with a guy like him.
He’s one of those really gorgeous, all-American types.
The kind of guy who’d have tanned, blonde Baywatch babes for girlfriends.
Not quirky, pale, brunette actresses like me.
“We have different dads,” Leo says. I don’t know if I ever knew that. That means he and Liz are half-siblings just like Dash and me.
“How do you two know each other, exactly?” Liz asks, confused.
“We were in the same film program together at UCLA,” Leo answers without breaking my gaze. Perhaps he’s in as much disbelief as I am. But I’m also in awe. Of all the surprise guests who could’ve shown up at Mick’s door today, Leo is the perfect one.
“So now your sister’s marrying my cousin?” I ask.
“Yeah, I guess.” Leo smiles and looks into my eyes. Like really gazes into them like he’s happy to see me after all these years too. “So, Dahlia, catch me up.”
And just like that, Leo and I divert to our own conversation over eggs and cinnamon buns at our own corner of the table while the rest of the family chats amongst themselves.
“I can’t believe you just showed up today.
That’s so crazy,” I say, and not just because of the very small-world circumstance.
Because ever since I arrived back in London, I’ve been a third wheel.
Third-wheel to Dash and Charles, then Liz and Kent, then Mick and Beau.
And even with the family all together, everyone’s in a couple. Everyone except for me.
I’m the youngest in the family, so I always feel like a little kid compared to everyone.
And being the only single one here makes me feel even more childish.
I almost expect them to seat me at the children’s table.
So while Leo isn’t here to be my boyfriend, it’s nice to have someone to be single with.
“Crazy is the perfect word,” he says.
“How long are you staying in London?” I ask.
Leo’s gaze draws up to the ceiling. “Umm, probably New Year’s.”
Oh, my gosh. I know I’m getting way ahead of myself but I can’t help but briefly fantasize about spending New Year’s Eve with Leo, kissing as the clock strikes midnight.
“So, what have you been up to?” he asks, pulling me out of my little daydream.
I snap off a piece of my cinnamon bun and wipe my fingers on the cloth napkin. I’m too jittery to eat. I was always a little jittery around Leo. Crushes are like that. “I actually just moved back to London.”
“Really?” he says, taking a bite of his eggs, clearly not as jittery around me. “What brought you to England?”
I let out a sigh, not at all excited to tell him about how I basically failed as an actress in L.A.
But just because Hollywood didn’t see my talent doesn’t mean I don’t have any.
So I put a spin on it and act like everything’s great so he doesn’t think I’m a total loser.
“I’ve been in L.A. pretty much my whole life and was ready for a change. ”
“Are you still acting?” he asks.
I nod. “Mmhmm, I’m doing theater now.”
“Wow, that sounds exciting. Is that what you’ve been doing all this time? You’re such a great actress. I kept waiting to see your face on a movie poster.”
You and me both, my friend. You and me both. But I just giggle and turn the focus back on him. “What about you, Mr. Director? What have you been up to these days?”
Leo shakes his head. “Eh, I still haven’t had my big break yet. I’ve done some TV but mostly indie films. I’m in pre-production for another indie right now. It’s too bad you’re not doing film anymore. The lead is a great part for you.”
I feel an instant lightness at his words. A great part for me? I’d go back to L.A. to do a movie with Leo. I’d probably go back to L.A. to do anything with Leo. “I’m not opposed to film,” I say, playing it cool. “Are you still looking for an actress?”
Leo makes a face. “No, we’ve got one. But if you’re open, I’d love to let you know if I see something you’d be right for, now that I know where to find you.”
I smile at him, grateful that he’d consider me. For a part that is. “That’d be great.”
It’s too bad the role’s gone. That would’ve been perfect. But that’s pretty much the story of my life. Every time I think I’m about to get the answer to my prayers, fate swoops in and it never quite pans out. That’s what happened with him a decade ago.
Leo leans back in his seat. “Wow, Dahly Bonnaire. What’s it been? Ten years?”
I nod. “Yep, that sounds about right.”
“Yeah, I remember you went off to Italy right after graduation, and I never saw you again after that.” He remembers.
I didn’t think he would. I wanted him to go with me in the hopes I could somehow get him to fall in love with me on a gondola ride in Venice.
I even offered to pay his way. But he said he got a PA gig on a film, which I took as his way of kindly saying, no, thanks, you funny little American-Brit.
“You missed an unforgettable summer,” I say.
It was unforgettable because I couldn’t forget about Leo.
God, I was so into him, especially after the night of graduation.
He’d spent the night in my apartment, where we hung out on my living room floor, sipping on old fashions and listening to records while incense burned on the coffee table.
We were together. Alone. When the alcohol got to our heads, we kissed the sweetest, gentlest kiss that made time stop.
He was immediately weirded out and that’s when I knew my feelings for him were truly one-sided.
“Yeah, I bet I did,” Leo says with what seems like a hint of regret.
As I stare into his pretty hazel eyes, it all comes flooding back to me. The warm sound of his laugh, the way his brow would knit when he was editing, and the way I always felt being near him—like a billion dollars.
Leo is strong, thoughtful, and unpretentious. I’d like to believe that it’s not an accident that he showed up here. My little Christmas miracle. Perhaps this is my second chance. Or perhaps my twenty-two-year-old self had it right, and there’s no way I stand a shot with Leo Chance.