Chapter 51- Taunting Hearts

[] A M E L I A []

He was shocked at first, stunned by what was happening. His arms that once were holding me went slack against his sides. I could feel his heartbeat against mine, and I couldn't tell who's was more empowered.

After a few moments, Leo finally responded to the kiss.

His hands wound around me once again, caging me in completely. He was a layer of warmth, and I moved impossibly closer to him to bask in it. He groaned against my lips, and my heart jumped at the sound.

Suddenly, Leo started moving forward, and I unintentionally started moving backwards. Our feet tangled with one another, but we somehow didn't trip. I barely got sight of where we were going, and when my back hit something, I opened my eyes just long enough to see that I was pressed against the kitchen counter. And our lips never left each other.

My hands eagerly left his face and trailed down to his chest, landing by his heartbeat. He moaned into the kiss, and brought his hand up to cup my cheek, angling me to kiss me deeper. His thumb was caressing my cheek, while his fingertips brushed myhair. I had now noticed that between my back and the counter, Leo had used his hand as a barrier. The counter didn't jam into my back, but rather, his hand. And this time, I groaned into the kiss.

How does he keep doing little things like that? Things a normal person won't even think about doing.

His hand tightened around my back, embracing me and pulling me impossibly closer into him. He kissed me ferociously, his tongue demanding entrance in my mouth. I gave it away eagerly, not wanting to be separated from him. The kiss was different from anything I've experienced before. It felt as if Leo was pouring all of him into me in this moment. His kiss offered protection, warmth, and everything I needed in this moment.

The haze of fear I was in before was now replaced by a haze of everything that was Leo. I could only feel him, all of him, all around me.

We finally pulled away to catch our breaths. Leo attached his forehead to mine once more, his hand still cupping my cheek. I opened my eyes after a few moments, only to see that Leo's were still closed. His brows were furrowed, his lips parted slightly as he breathed through his mouth.

"I've been dying to do that all night long," he breathed out against my lips.

My heart was hammering against my chest, my mouth parting at his words. Leo finally opened his eyes slowly, as if he was just awakening from a slumber. I watched him mesmerized, unable to do anything else. His eyes stayed trained on me for a moment, before trailing back to my lips. I licked them out of instinct, feeling them dry out by how he was looking at me. His gaze traveled lower and lower, and it was then I realized that I was in his clothes. He swallowed deeply as he saw me wearing his hoodie, and then snapped his head up to me again.

"I think I love this look more than the dress."

And despite everything that happened today, I found myself laughing at what Leo said.

* * *

After eating a bowl of noodles each, Leo and I sat down on the couch. Well, Leo sat down on the couch and pulled me onto his lap. And despite the warning bells going off in my head to not let Leo get too close, I found myself relaxing against his touch. I couldn't help it anymore.

I found myself snuggling against his chest, as he rested his head against the top of the couch, his arms wrapped tightly around me. We stayed like that for a while. The sound of the electric fireplace serving as the only noise in the room. Leo started tracing patterns on my arm, lulling me into another sleep. However, I didn't want this night to end, so I kept my eyes wide open.

"Why did you let him hurt you Amelia?" Leo suddenly said.

I frowned and looked up to him. He sat up a little straighter now, his face merely inches away from my own. I sighed and finally voiced out the truth to him.

"I felt like I needed to be punished for not telling anyone about what was going on."

He mirrored my frown.

"What did you know? That Levi liked Brittany?"

I sighed and sat up straighter in his lap, my head now in level with his.

"I knew that Levi said weird things when it came to her. I often found him saying that she'll be his no matter what, or that he'll beat John one day. I just didn't know how far he was willing to go."

My eyes lowered as I spoke, now thinking of all the possibilities of what could've happened if I took the signs seriously.

Suddenly, I felt a soft pressure under my chin. I snapped out of the trance I was in and turned my attention to Leo. His finger was guiding my head up to face him, and I let him. His eyes latched on my own and he brought his hand back down around my waist to gather me fully into his arms.

"You didn't know Amelia. And that's that. You didn't know how that night was going to end. It just did. And as horrid as the ending was, we can't change the past. But Amelia, we can change our future. And for our future to be good, we have to let go of the horrors of our past."

I sucked in a breath at the reality of his words. He brushed away a few strands of hair from my face, tucking them behind my ear. The ticklish sensation snapped me out of my reverie and back to him.

"And it's over Moonie. Whatever punishment you thought you needed is over. Now, if he ever comes near you again, I won't think twice before calling the cops on him."

I stared at him, letting his words sink in, and for once, accepting them.

"I get it now, Leo. I do."

Without any more words, he guided my head down to rest against his chest. He relaxed against the couch, pulling me closer to him. I brought my hand up to his chest, the other resting on his arm. His hand found a way in my hair, runing his fingers through it. I sighed at the sensation, feeling more content than ever.

"Where did you learn how to fight?" I asked, suddenly curious.

He was silent for a few moments, and I wondered if he fell asleep. However, he spoke a moment later, letting me know he was awake.

"I did it for Clara."

I looked up at him in surprise. That was not the answer I was expecting.

He looked down at me, a strange humor in his eyes.

"Goodness Moonie, if you met me five years ago, you wouldn't even recognize me."

My eyebrows furrowed at this, as I stared at him in confusion. He smiled sadly at me, and brought a hand out to intertwine it with mine. His gaze then fell to our joined hands, and I let him gather his thoughts. I stared at our hands too, finally seeing his bruised knuckles. They were turning bluish, and were ripped at some parts, but it seemed like he had tended to them, making me feel relieved.

I waited for him to continue speaking, and he did after a few moments.

"I never had many friends. I never wanted to share my life with anyone. But more importantly, people were scared to approach me. I was protective of Lard and mama. When news got out about our family abuse, some people were nice about it, most were sympathetic, and there were a few that were downright assholes about it. And the assholes... they just didn't leave us alone. One guy cornered my mom in Clara in the supermarket, asking personal things and getting too close to Clara. She was still in her wheelchair then. He touched her leg and that's when I joined them. And I don't know what came over me but I just punched him straight in the jaw. I just couldn't deal with seeing anyone hurt my family again."

My hurt clenched as he spoke. How could someone do that? And to Clara? To Laura? People were assholes.

"But that wasn't the last time. God, Amelia. I was a crazy overprotective freak. I couldn't stop fighting. I guess it was all the pentup frustration I had for not protecting my family when I should have. I'd fight anyone who even looked at me or my family wrong. I was so angry."

He let out a breath and closed his eyes. He opened them again, a faraway look in his eyes.

"But more than that, I was scared. Scared that one day, my so-called father would return, and I wouldn't be able to protect Mama or Clara. And that thought made me work harder to protect them."

I watched him mesmerized, trying to imagine all he had been through. His hand was still palying with my own, his eyes now downcast. He was silent for a few moments, and this time when he decided to speak again, he brought his gaze up and rested it on mine.

"Then one day, everything changed."

And now, he smiled. A real, genuine smile. One that had my heart going absolutely haywire.

"Clara decided to get therapy. And from that day onward, I knew I had to control myself. I couldn't just be ready to kill any one who was trying to help us too. It wasn't easy Amelia, letting go of the anger, but I did. For my family's sake."

My heart was shaking as he told me this. He stopped fighting because Clara decided to get therapy?

Did he know that Clara and I met the day she decided to get therapy?

But that's impossible. I told Clara not to tell Leo, so there's no way he would know. Right?

He let out a breath as he finished his story, his hand letting go of mine to wrap around my waist again. I used this opportunity to brush away a strand of hair on his forehead. Then, I leaned up, cupped his face and pulled it down to kiss his forehead.

I heard Leo suck in a breath, his hand suconsciously digging into my hip. I smiled against his forehead, and then lowered my head to kiss his cheek. When I pulled back to look him in the eyes, I saw that Leo's eyes had widened in surprise.

"You're a hero, Leo. A crazy, serious, silent, hero."

His eyes softened.

"I'm no hero, Amelia."

I shook my head at him, cupping his cheek harder to get my message across.

"You are to me. You protected me when I didn't even know I was allowed to be."

And before I could chicken out, I leaned forward and quickly pecked his lips.

"You're my hero, Leo. And I know your family feels the same."

Leo stayed silent for a few moments, his posture rigid against me. His eyes were searching mine continuously, but he wouldn't find the lie he was looking for, because I was completely honest with him.

"Goodness Moonie, I fucking love you. I can't believe I held it back all this time," he suddenly said, hugging me tight.

His head fell against my shoulder, right in the croon of my neck, and I wrapped my arms around his neck to hug him back. We stayed like that for the longest tine, and at one point, Leo lifted himself up, taking me in his arms, and started guiding us toward his bedroom.

That night, we fell asleep in the same bed once more, but this time, his arms were tight around me, his legs entangled with mine, and he kept whispering "I love you" to me before we dozed off.

* * *

A soft pressure on my face was screaming at me to wake up. I frowned at the feeling, not liking that it's absence left me feeling cold. I groggily opened my eyes, only to come face to face with Leo's burning gaze. I swallowed deeply at the sight of him.

He was propped up on his elbow, staring down at me with a sultry smile. His hair was tousled, his shirt wrinkled, and his free hand was hovering above my face, tickling me softly. The morning sun peaking through the window was casting a glow over him, making him look absolulety unreal.

I smiled shyly at him, worried about my own state of being right now. But then I remembered that this wasn't the first time I was waking up next to Leo, and all my insecurities washed away.

"Morning Moonie," Leo said, his hand finally landing on my cheek.

"Good morning, Leo," I mumbled.

He grinned down at me, finding amusement in my nervousness. He suddenly leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to my forehead. I squeaked and he laughed at my dispense before getting out of the bed. He stretched out once he stood up, his shirt riding up as he did so. I caught sight of his firm body underneath, and I quickly looked away before he saw me staring and teased me about it.

"Hey Moonie, I'm gonna head out to get us some breakfast after coming out from the bathroom. There's not much in the fridge and you are not leaving me today. It's me and you today. Unless you want to eat out?" Leo asked, looking down at me for an answer.

I contemplated what I wanted to do, and then I told him I'd rather stay in bed. The events of yesterday were still fresh in my mind, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to leave the confinements of his house today. Leo nodded in understanding then headed for the bathroom. When he came out, he grabbed a hoodie from his closet, threw it on and came straight for me. He leaned down, pecked my cheek and then reached for something in his sidetable drawer. I was blushing madly at his antics, but he didn't seem to notice. He stood straight once he got his wallet, and then started heading for the door.

"I'll be right back Moonie. Don't you dare go anywhere," he called out.

"I'll be here Leo," I replied.

And then, he was disappearing through the door, closing it behind him. I heard the front door shut after a moment, and I finally let out a deep breath. Before I could even have a moment to think, something buzzed right by my head. I turned abruptly, only to see that it was my phone. I don't know how it had gotten there, but I was glad I didn't lose it somewhere last night.

I slowly reached for it, feeling a heaviness kick in at the thought of seeing my phone right now. And as soon as I saw 'Mom' flashing across the screen, I sat up straight, my heart hammering against my chest.

I quickly picked up the call, getting out of bed.

I answered the phone, bringing it up to my ear.

"Amelia?" I heard her say from the other side.

"Yeah mom?"

And I wish I had never answered the phone that day. I wish I waited for Leo to come home before I did. But that didn't happen.

Which is why everything between us was ruined that day.