Chapter 18

Leo's POV

I could feel my hand shaking as I pulled my keys from my pocket and attempted to unlock the door, lifting them to the lock I struggled to actually insert them into the handle due to the trembling, then watched in horror as they slipped from my hand and fell the ground before me. I could hear a sigh of exasperation come from behind me as we both reached down for the keys, causing our heads to collide with one another, making both us stumble backwards from recoil.

Great, now we can add assault to the long list of crimes I've broken in the last twenty-four hours. Drinking underage, smoking underage, and now headbutting a teacher. If today could get any worse, the universe would be hard pressed to make that happen. Reaching down for the keys I was able to get a solid grip on them and rushed to unlock the door before the trembling started up once again. Finally getting it open and walking inside I waited by the door for Kavaar to follow me inside and took a seat at the dining table, waiting for him to join me.

Sitting directly across me, I saw him survey the overly large room we were currently in. Normally I felt small in here, with the walls separated by more arm's length than anyone would actually need in an area where you eat food, but not this time. I felt like I was being suffocated. The walls felt too close, as if the air in the room itself was trying to close in on me, push in and crush me from the outside. I just waited. Waited for him to finally say something, waited for him to break the silence and just scold me, yell at me, anything, the silence is what killed me the most.

"I'm sorry I lied, Kavaar." I managed to meekly get out through quite a bit of stuttering and a lump in my throat.

Turning to look at me, he raised his usual eyebrow, placed both hands on the table furrowed his brows, but didn't say anything. He just kept looking in every direction except mine. Shit, how bad did I mess up that he can't even look at me. I didn't know what to do, what to say. I started to apologize once again before he cut me off, finally breaking his silence.

"You didn't lie to me, and that's the problem. I should have asked more questions. You barely seemed old enough to be at that bar, which reminds me I now have to fire the man that let you in without having you provide ID."

"Wait, fire him? You work there as well?"

"No, Leo, as I stated earlier in class, I own twelve bars, I just never stated where they were located."

Crap, he did mention that. It explained how he was able to make a simple gesture and the bartender jumped to his whim, why he was able to just bypass the entire line and get treated as if he owned the place, because apparently, he did.

"I didn't mean to get anyone fired. I didn't think anything like this would happen."

"That's the problem, you didn't think!" he replied sharply. "You know going into a bar and drinking under the legal age is against the law, same with smoking. There are consequences for actions like this."

I just sat there and listened. He was right. I never once thought about what would happen to others if I got caught. I knew I would be in some deep crap, but never once figured someone else would be in just as much trouble as I would.

"Then there's the matter of me providing alcohol for you at my house, kissing, almost doing more. At the time I was curious as to why you stopped me, but now I'm glad you did. Fortunately, the age of consent in Texas is seventeen and I can assume that since you're a senior you're at least that, but it was still wrong Leo. I really did enjoy my time with you. I really wanted to take you on an actual date to see how things went, but now? I literally can't."

"I turn eighteen in a few weeks, we can sti-" I started before getting cut off.

"I am your teacher at your school! At your high school! As it is, if anyone finds out anything happened already, I could lose my license, my job, and any possibility of working with anyone under the age of eighteen for the rest of my life!"

"All I was going to say was that we can still move on like this never happened. I can transfer classes, take English at a different time of the day so it won't be an issue."

The guilt I felt was starting to get a bit overwhelming. Honestly, I did like Kavaar. I had a great time with him, but I didn't realize I would ever seem him in this manner. Not that he was angry, disappointed, or anything like that, just that I never imagined my choice of going to a bar after losing Axel as a friend, and possibly even Shylo, all in one day to eat nachos and drink soda would end up with a guy I had a genuinely good time with upset at me because I inadvertently screwed up a number of things in his life.

I felt angry at myself, anger that was only amplified when I felt a tear fall from my right eye first, then together from both eyes. I hated that my body's response to anger is to cry. I wasn't even really crying, I was just angry, and my eyes started to water, but no matter how much I tried to explain it to anyone, they just assumed I was crying, which only made me even more angry.

Standing up from his chair and walking towards me he knelt down and brought his hand to my face, wiping away the anger that fell from my eyes. His hand was soft, gentle, despite his face painted stern. Leaving his hand there for a moment he paused, as if wanting to say something, but decided against it, then all at once stood up and took a step back.

Following suit, I got up from my chair and stood facing him, eyes now dry and a little more relaxed as everything had come out in the open. We didn't say anything for a moment, just stared at one another, each waiting for the other to make the first move, to say something first, but neither of us did. Walking over towards me he pulled me into an embrace, holding me close to him for a moment, allowing me to take him in.

He smelt like snow, like it had just fallen from the sky and blanketed the ground in it's soft cooling embrace. There was a slight bit of stubble on his face as little hairs stuck out, pushing against my neck in an almost tickling irritation. Looking up his soft light brown eyes sparkled down towards me, he wasn't much taller than me, maybe two or three inches, but enough that I had to look up to see him face to face.

"I'm sorry for making you cry, Leo, that wasn't my intention. I just, I liked you and was a bit surprised you were interested in me." He said softly, pulling away from me. "I do think it's best we maintain our distances, but I would still like to have you in my class. We should also keep the texting to a minimum, keep it to a strict teacher student relationship."

I didn't want to agree, but knew I had no choice. Nodding my head and giving him one last hug, I took in his scent one more time, as I was certain it wouldn't happen again. Feeling something soft against the top of my head I realized shortly afterwards he had given me one last kiss before making his leave, stating he needed to get back to the school and prepare for his next class in a few hours, leaving me alone with my thoughts in a completely empty house.

Everything he said was right. Everything. I was in the wrong the entire time, but I still couldn't find it in myself to regret the kiss. That, I was still happy about. I was able to make my choice, for me. I was sad about Kavaar, though. It's not like I had known him for long, but I did like what little I did know. He was a good guy that I put in a crappy situation.

Getting closure for myself was one of the few things I was unsure of, though. They always draw it out in the books I've read, movies I've watched, everything. Like it's supposed to take months at a time to finally be okay with not having them around. Was that how long it was going to take? He and I had literally met last night, got drunk, and kissed, surely it wouldn't be too bad, right?

I needed to stop. To take a break from everything and just focus on me. I sent my mom a text letting her know I went home sick from school then made my way upstairs to my room, climbed into bed and grabbed a book, then proceeded to get lost in another world.

I guess I fell asleep. I'm not sure when it happened, but I rolling over in my bed and looking at the time, I managed to pass out for a quite a while longer than I realized. Glancing over at the clock I felt my eyes widen when I realized it was already eleven pm, the sun had gone down, and the lights in the house had all been turned off.

Grabbing my phone and looking at the home screen I saw nine text messages, three from my mother, the rest from Kavaar. Confused as he had just said we needed to keep our texts to a teacher student relationship, I reluctantly opened them to see a few homework assignments as well as a message telling me to make sure I'm locking my car doors as someone had broken into his car the other night. Getting up to go look at my car, hoping that I had locked it and set the alarm I thought I saw something in the distance, getting closer and closer to my vehicle.

Cautiously, I walked out the back towards my car and could have sworn I saw some type of movement near my window. Walking a little faster, my concerns of were quickly justified as my driver's side door was wide open and appeared to have someone leaning over in the seat. Quickly but quietly making my way around the back of my car, to the driver's side where I stood directly behind whoever was rummaging through my car.

Wanting to get the jump on whoever it was, I grabbed the back of their shirt and ripped them from my vehicle, then threw the hardest punch I could muster. I connected with what I thought was their eye but turned out to be just above it, causing a rush of blood to fall from the new broken skin around their eyebrow.

I watched as they recoiled in pain, falling backwards onto their back while now holding where my first had connected just moments ago. Something lied next to them on the ground, but I couldn't quite tell what it was. Not wanting to risk it possibly being a weapon that could be used in retaliation, I quickly rushed over and kicked it away.

It was too dark to really make anything out with complete clarity. The light from my car had gone out before I made it over to whoever it was I punched. There wasn't a street light on, so with limited visibility I moved to stand over the person who was just in my car, pulled out my phone to call the cops, and told them not to move or they would get punched again.

"Leo, don't."

The voice was hazy, forced, struggling to sit up and move away from me slightly I stared down in horror and I realized the person I punched, was the very person who warned me about people breaking into cars.

"Kavaar?!?" I asked incredulously.

Forcing himself to stand up in place, I watched a blood continued to fall from where my punch had connected, despite him trying to cover the wound with his hand. A million questions blew through my mind at once. Why was he here? Why was he getting in my car? What happened to keeping our distance?

I tried to voice all these thoughts, everything that was coming to mind, but the only thing I could manage to get out was a simple apology for punching him. A small chuckle left him followed by a sigh and apology from him.

"Why are you here, Kavaar? Why were you going through my car?" I finally managed to get out. I'm sure my tone was a little defensive, but he really had no business coming here, getting into my vehicle, especially after telling me that we needed to keep our distance.

It took him a while to answer, he just stood there staring at the ground before finally turning around and picking up what I previously thought was a weapon, that turned out to be a single flower. A simple red rose that now had several pedals missing from getting kicked moments ago. I was confused, angry, and now stood there, even more in shock than I was before.

"I had been drinking after today. When I got home from work, I got drunk. Really, really drunk. I somehow got in my head that what happened earlier, me making you cry was my fault and wanted to make up for it. I didn't recall you locking your car door when we first pulled up and when you didn't answer your text, I figured you were asleep and that I could set this in your car for you to find."

I could feel the anger in me rising. While it was sweet, he completely went against what he had just said hours ago. He said we needed to keep it professional. A student teacher relationship, maintain our distance, yet here he was putting a rose in my car.

"It was wrong of me to come here, and I am sorry Leo."

Setting the now damaged rose on the ground at my feet he rushed passed me and down the side of my house, where I could see him cross the street before he disappeared from my line of sight. I just sat there frozen. Blood still trickling off my hand from where I punched him. Bending over to pick up the flower I turned in place and walked inside to clean the blood off me, and process everything that just happened.

I had no idea what to think of this. I knew I wasn't going to get any sleep tonight, partly due to me sleeping the day away, but mostly because of this. He had no right to show up like this after everything he said earlier. After cleaning my hand off and getting a pill for the pain my hand was now shooting through my entire arm, I climbed back into bed and pulled out my phone, debating on calling him, or just deleting his number from my phone.

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