Chapter 29- Taunting Laughs

[] G E M M A []

The day after Amelia told me about Leo's invitation, I had a wicked idea. It was obvious the two felt something toward each other. The problem was, they just needed a push.

So being the amazing friend I am, I decided to be the push.

I texted Andre, asking about Leo's whereabouts and waited for his reply. When his reply came in, I was happy to hear that Leo had some spare time before his next class, and he was in the library studying. I headed over there immediately and searched until I found Leo seated at a table on the third floor. It was the quietest floor, one where no one really climbed all the way up to.

Leo was seated in the far corner and I made my way to him. However, realizing that I had to look a little scarier for this plan of mine to work, I contorted my face into a small scowl.

When I came to a stop at his desk, Leo finally looked up. A look of recognition crossed his eyes and he nodded at me.

"Gemma," he greeted.

I nodded curtly and took the seat across from him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, closing his book and facing me.

I clasped my hands together and rested them atop the table.

"There's something we need to talk about," I said sternly.

"Okay..." he said, sounding confused.

'Good, he's nervous already, Gemma,' I praised myself.

"I heard you want to take my best friend home this weekend." I stated.

At my words, Leo awkwardly rubbed the nape of his neck with one hand.

"Uh... it's not what you... it really isn't what you think," he finally said, his expression mildly embarrassed.

I had to hold myself back from cooing at him.

"I'm aware that you want her to meet someone. Can I ask who that is?" I asked, trying to push him further.

He sighed and looked down.

"I'm sorry. That's something I can't tell you," he said, his eyes now shifting to look almost annoyed.

I let out a breath and faced him head on.

"Just let me know... you aren't taking her home to meet some girlfriend you left behind, right?"

At this Leo sat up straight and faced me with his mouth agape.

"Of course not. Do I look like the type of guy who would do that?" he asked incredulously.

I sighed.

"I know not to judge books by their covers, Leo. So with that, I don't know what type of a person you are. But it seems that Amelia knows. And it seems like she trusts you. I just want to make sure her trust is worth it," I said.

Leo kept his gaze in level with mine, his eyes holding a certain intensity I noticed came around whenever Amelia was near. It seemed as if the mention of her also did the trick.

"Truth be told, I'm not the best person around Gemma. Someone who's probably not even worth her time. But I know that she trusts me, and I won't ever let that trust break."

I let out a small sigh. It took all I had in me not to gush at his words. I kept my cool, and finally said what I had been itching to say since I saw how much Leo liked Amelia.

"Get this, Kennedy. I know that there's something magical going on between you and Amelia, and I swear to God it's beautiful and amazing- and shit I'm off topic but here's the deal- if you so much as make her feel an ounce of sadness, I will call up all 12 of my cousins and land you in a place where no one would even find a trace of you for the next 3 centuries," I finally added in for good measure.

I let out a breath and gauged Leo's reaction. I took a good look at his face, which was still contorted into the same seriousness as before.

"I don't have enough power in me to hurt the best thing that's ever happened to me. And I'm sorry for any time that I've hurt her. It won't happen again."

No amount of acting experience could have prepared me for Leo's response. My mouth fell open and close, like a fish out of water, and I finally spoke.

"Oh." I said. "Well glad that's settled then."

Hesitantly, I got up from my spot and decided it was best I head back to my dorm. But before I could move, Leo spoke again.

"And I trust her too, Gemma. I just need some time before I open up to her."

And with that, Leo opened his book again and started studying, as if we never had this conversation.

As if he didn't just openly showcase how much he liked my best friend.

* * *

[] A M E L I A []

I don't know what exactly Gemma had done. However, the day after I told her about Leo's offer, she met me in class and told me that I should accept his invite. When I saw her in class again today, she asked if I had agreed to Leo's offer yet. She seemed persistent about it how, which I thought was odd.

The whole situation was weird and I didn't know what to make of it. It was making it hard for me to study, and I simply gave up after a frustrating hour of trying to concentrate. I stayed seated at my desk, unsure of what to do. Leo was leaving Saturday morning and I still hadn't responded to him yet. He didn't ask again, and I wondered if it was because he wanted to take back his offer, or if he wanted to give me space to think about it.

On top of the Leo situation, my mind was preoccupied with everything on back home. I had called my parents yesterday and it turned out that Levi hadn't asked to me meet me again. My parents had wrapped up the situation by telling our lawyer that I couldn't see him right now. Some sick part of me felt bad.

But I knew that he had no right to do this.

He doesn't get to demand me to come to him. Not now, and maybe not ever again.

Before I could continue on with my thought process, my phone suddenly rang. I sighed and flipped it over to see who was calling so late in the evening.

My eyes widened when I saw Leo's name flashing across the screen. I was frozen for a moment, making sure I read the name right. When his name flashed for a third time, I finally picked up the phone. I slowly brought it to my ear and waited for him to speak.

It was silent for a few minutes, and then Leo finally spoke.

"I'll meet you outside in five."

* * *

It was a cold night, but it was warmer than it had been in the past few days. I was wrapped up in my warmest winter coat with my scarf wrapped tightly around my neck.

I stepped out of my dorm and looked for Leo. I spotted him right away, standing a few feet away from the door, kicking lightly at the snow by his feet. When I got to him, he simply looked up and nodded in greeting. He then started walking, with me falling in step beside him.

He was dressed in a black coat, the buttons open at the front. He was wearing a simple black shirt underneath and casual jeans to go with it. The jacket was the only form of warmth he was getting, but he seemed to be just fine. I, on the other hand, was trying so hard to keep my teeth from chattering.

We continued walking in silence for a while and then started heading in a familiar direction. We were going towards the History building, the same place where I first met Andre and Jamal, and the second time where I saw Leo.

I turned to Leo, wondering why we were going this way, however, he continued avoiding my gaze. He started waking towards the side of the building and I followed after him confused. I opened my mouth to say something, but before I could, my gaze wandered over to the sight before me.

Bright, is the first thing I noticed.

There was a small garden area hidden just beside the History building with picnic benches lined up near the building wall. Right across from the benches, there was a small pathway consisting of a row of bushes and trees, all of which were lit up with Christmas lights. The floor of the pathway was outlined with small lights, making it easier to see the path.

I couldn't help the grin that graced my lips seeing the place. It was so cute and lively, but calm and serene at the same time.

It was my kind of place.

Before I could help myself, I quickly went over to the tall trees, a little laugh escaping my lips as I did so. Without wasting another second, I grabbed a giant branch of the tree, and started shaking it. Out of instinct, the large piles of snow that were on the tree before, were now falling over me. A loud giggle escaped my lips and I stayed in my spot for a few moments, enjoying the feel of the snow against me. When I was done, I quickly shook all the snow off of me, chuckling as I did so.

Suddenly, I felt a presence near me. I looked up, seeing Leo almost a few feet away from me. He was on the pathway and was looking at me hesitantly, unsure of whether or not to join me under the tree. I gestured for him to come over and he shook his head.

Feeling oddly excited, I ran over to Leo and grabbed his hand in mine. Without thinking twice, I tightened my hold on his hand and guided him over to another tree. Then I stopped, dropped his hand and latched onto the branch instead. He was staring at me with a disdainful look and I simply grinned at him. And again, I shook the tree.

This time, when the snow was falling, I caught a glimpse of Leo's face beforehand. I nearly fell over from laughing so hard, since his face was contorted into the most funniest expression I had ever seen. He looked as if he just ate a sour lemon, his body shuddering violently.

I continued laughing at him, even after the snow had stopped falling. My laughter finally died down, and by then, Leo had shaken all of the snow off of himself and was staring at me with a flat look. I burst out laughing again and this time, he showed no remorse.

Suddenly, Leo took a step toward me, his body nearly an inch away from mine.

I froze from his close proximity and held my breath in surprise. He took a step closer, his gaze fixated on my own. This time I took a step back, trying to create some space between us. However, he took a larger step forward. This time when I took a step back, my back hit the tree behind me.

"L-Leo?" I mumbled out.

Suddenly, he reached a hand forward and placed it on the tree trunk, just beside my head. My mouth fell open and this time, Leo smirked at me. He took one final step closer, his eyes unwavering. Suddenly, he reached his free hand forward and I followed where it was going.

To my surprise, his hand landed on my head.

I closed my eyes instinctively and he slowly patted all the snow out of my hair. His hands were gentle, almost as if he was scared he'd hurt me if he pressed down any harder. My heart was racing a mile a minute, and I wondered if he could hear it.

It was absolutely crazy just how Leo made me feel. He made me feel joyous and heartbroken at the same time.

Maybe it was because I hadn't gotten close to a guy in four years. Maybe that was it. Maybe this was normal for others.

When I no longer felt his hand on my head, I opened my eyes, only to see him smiling down at me.

"We're both going to be sick at this rate Moonie," he said, his mouth forming a secretive smile.

And there it was again.

He said the simplest of things, yet my heart was going into overdrive. His smile was causing all sorts of emotions to run through me, and I simply needed him to move away before my heart burst out of my chest.

I stayed quiet, his closeness not helping my case. His smile slowly diminished after noticing my quietness and he stared down at me with an intense gaze. His cheeks were now red, and his parted lips left a cloud of air as he breathed out. We were caught then. Neither of us being able to hide the vulnerability in us. And it was then that I was reminded that we were here for a reason.

Leo looked away first. He finally tore himself away from me and cleared his throat. The hand that was on the tree beside me, was finally back at his side. He took a step away from me and threw his hands in his pocket casually.

I finally let out the breath I had been holding and stepped away from the tree as well.

"Alright Moonie, enough with the funny business. Let's get down to the serious stuff," Leo said, patting his jeans down.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

Leo finally turned to me, a hesitant look in his eyes. He searched my face for something, what it was I didn't know.

After a moment, the hesitance in his eyes diminished and was replaced with a small smile. He took a step forward and suddenly reached out his hand toward me again.

This time however, his hand came forward and wrapped around my wrist.

I let out a small gasp and looked down at the gesture. But before I could think much of it, Leo spoke again.

"Amelia... I... I'm ready. Ready to face my past."