twentynine
Leo's POV
I don't even remember the drive over.
I only remember my hands shaking on the steering wheel, my heartbeat thundering in my ears, the sick panic crawling under my skin.
She thought Maya was-
No, I can't even think that without wanting to punch a hole through something.
I park crooked-illegal, probably-jump out of the car, and run into her building.
I don't bother checking the elevator.
I take the stairs two at a time.
I reach her floor out of breath, chest burning.
I knock once-
No answer.
Twice-
"Liya? Aaliyah? Please-open the door."
Silence.
I knock harder.
The lock twists.
I exhale in relief-
Until I realize it's not her.
The door swings open.
It's Caleb.
Caleb.
His face is blank for a millisecond before it hardens into pure, cold fury.
"What the hell do you want?" he growls.
I stiffen.
"Where is she? I need to-"
"No."
He steps forward, blocking the doorway completely.
"You're not going near her."
I blink, stunned. "Caleb-"
"I said no."
Zaria appears behind him, arms crossed, eyes sharp.
She looks me up and down like she's deciding whether I deserve her sympathy or to be set on fire.
My stomach drops.
They know.
They know she's upset.
"It's not what it looked like," I say immediately. "Let me explain-"
"Explain what?" Caleb snaps.
"How you let some girl open your door wearing your clothes?"
I flinch.
That's exactly what Liya saw.
"Nothing happened," I say firmly. "Nothing. She showed up last night crying because of some guy-she's my friend's little sister-she crashed on my-"
"And she was wearing your shirt?" Zaria cuts in.
"It was the closest thing she grabbed. I didn't give it to her-"
"You're lying," Caleb says.
My voice cracks.
"I'm not."
He steps closer, in my face now.
"Do you know what time she came home yesterday?"
My chest tightens. "I-I don't-"
"She drove into the lot crying so hard she almost didn't see a car backing out."
I swallow hard.
"She wouldn't answer us," Zaria adds, looking a little pink-eyed herself.
"She didn't talk. She didn't move. She just... collapsed."
My vision blurs for a second.
Fuck.
Caleb's voice drops low.
Threatening.
"No," I whisper, shaking my head. "I swear-I swear I didn't."
"You DID," he snaps. "Maybe not physically. But emotionally? You wrecked her."
My throat closes.
Zaria softens a little, stepping forward.
"She's not even leaving her room, Leo."
My chest caves.
"Let me talk to her," I say, voice cracking. "Please."
Caleb scoffs. "Not happening."
"Caleb, PLEASE-"
"No."
"Caleb-"
"I said no."
I try to move past him, desperation rising in my throat, but he pushes me back-not hard, but firmly.
"You don't get access to her just because you want it."
I clench my jaw.
"I'm not leaving until she hears me out."
Caleb steps closer again, eyes blazing.
"Then you'll be standing in this hallway for a long fucking time."
Zaria looks between us, tension thick in the air.
I lower my voice.
"Caleb... just ask her. Ask if she wants me to leave."
"I did," Zaria says.
I blink.
My heart stops.
"What did she say?" I whisper.
Zaria hesitates.
Then quietly:
"She said she can't see you right now."
That hits me harder than any punch could.
I take a step back.
Breath shaking.
Caleb crosses his arms.
"Now go."
I shake my head. "No."
Zaria flinches faintly, like she wasn't expecting that.
"I'm not leaving without saying something," I whisper.
"Not until she knows the truth. Not until she knows I would never-NEVER-do that to her."
Caleb's jaw ticks.
"Leo-"
I raise my voice-just enough for the words to reach inside the apartment.
Not yelling.
Just raw.
Silence.
My voice cracks.
"Aaliyah, please-please just listen. Just for ten seconds. You don't even have to open the door."
Caleb tries to cut me off.
"Leo-"
"No," I snap. "She deserves to know the truth."
My throat burns.
"Maya isn't-she's not-she's nobody. She's not anything to me. I didn't touch her. I didn't want her there. I wanted YOU. I only want YOU."
Zaria's eyes soften.
Caleb looks slightly thrown.
I press a hand to the doorframe to keep myself upright.
"You think I would hold you the way I did last night," I whisper, voice almost breaking, "and wake up wanting somebody else?"
I swallow hard.
"That wasn't nothing to me. You're not nothing to me."
Silence.
The longest, heaviest silence of my life.
Then-
Inside the apartment-
A soft, broken sound.
Like someone crying.
My chest squeezes painfully.
Caleb glances back, worried.
Zaria bites her lip.
I step forward one last time, voice barely a whisper now.
"Liya... I'm not asking you to forgive me."
Caleb looks over sharply.
I continue anyway.
"I'm just asking you not to walk away without letting me explain. I can't fix anything if you won't even look at me."
More silence.
Then-
soft footsteps.
Closer.
My pulse spikes.
Then-
A quiet, shaking voice from behind the door:
"...Leo, please go."
Everything inside me collapses.
Caleb steps forward-gently this time, not aggressive.
"Man," he mutters, "you heard her."
I breathe out hard, broken.
My voice barely exists when I whisper:
"I'll come back later."
Zaria flinches. "Leo-"
"I'm not giving up on her."
I look at the door one more time, eyes stinging.
Then I leave.
Walking backward.
Because turning around feels too much like letting her go.