I catch Leo’s gaze again. He doesn’t look upset anymore. He just seems fed up, like a teacher witnessing two five-year-olds fighting in the playground for the millionth time that week.
“Get it for me?” Leo asks, nodding at the front door.
I comply, shoving Teddy out of the way, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground. I snatch hold of the handle and open the door, gesturing for Leo to leave ahead of me.
Leo doesn’t hesitate, carrying his still struggling and screaming mum out of the townhouse and down the steps towards our borrowed car.
Teddy makes an attempt to follow after them but stops dead when I give him one steady look of challenge. I’d be more than happy to pop a kneecap in this situation. He seems uncertain for a moment, unable to read the threat for how serious it is.
“Stay down,” I warn him, my voice a low growl.
He makes his first smart decision by remaining on the ground, staring up at me with fearful eyes.
I want to tell him to stay away from Alicia because no matter what she might say, and not knowing the full scope of the situation, I can almost guarantee she’d be better off without him.
But I can’t do that. I don’t have the right, even though it would be mostly to protect Leo. You can’t fix this kind of shit for people, especially not people you have no official claim to. Partners at work only goes so far.
It probably wouldn’t matter anyway. Alicia will make her own choices, regardless.
Without another word spared for Teddy, I spin around and exit the house.
Leo has his mum strapped into the back seat of the car when I get over to him. She’s quiet now, Leo having somehow managed to calm her down some. She’s leaning her head back against the headrest, a bizarrely petulant look on her face, reminding me again of a stroppy child.
Leo is leaning against the car, arms crossed, waiting for me. He has a soft smile on his face, which I don’t understand until he asks, “You scare Teddy a little?”
“Not as much as I wanted to,” I admit, standing in front of Leo and thinking about how much I want to reach out and touch him.
Unlike Teddy, Leo must read me just fine because he uncrosses his arms and grabs hold of my hand. He squeezes it, hard, the gratitude so strong in his eyes that he doesn’t need to speak it aloud.
Leo’s hand is warm, his palm lightly calloused. He squeezes again, looking at me with such an open expression of fondness, blue eyes appearing lighter than usual. Lips spread into a small, intimate smile. Everything about him is soft in this moment, and all that softness is for me. It sparks something white-hot and real inside my chest, like a fire rock chipping against tinder.
I want to tug on his hand, pull him into my space. Or maybe I want to move into his, push him more firmly against the car door and take his mouth. I don’t really know. I justwant.
Leo’s eyes skitter to my mouth, then away again. He puffs out some air and shakes his head, dropping my hand.
I recognise the signs of him pulling back, more than just physically. I take a step away from him, having not realised just how close I’d gotten. Close enough to grab hold of him and. And.
“You okay to come home with me?” Leo asks, startling me out of my thoughts for a moment. He’s looking at me very seriously, like the question holds some kind of weight.
I meet his eyes, taking in the heat and intensity of his gaze. He seems sure I’ll refuse, which would be the right decision. Going home with Leo seems like a mistake I won’t be able to control the consequences of.
“Yes,” I say, ignoring my better judgement, not for the first time in my life. As I’ve said before, Dan was the smart twin. Now he’s gone, leaving me with all the hard choices to make on my own.
Leo doesn’t appear either relieved or disappointed, which matches my own feelings perfectly. He furrows his brows slightly and leans into me again, putting his hand on my bicep. His eyes scan my face, looking for clues he’s unlikely to find. I can feel the tension emanating from him. He opens his mouth to speak, but he’s stopped from doing so by his mother.
Alicia bangs on the car window, glowering up at us from the back seat.
“Are we going home or not? You two can eye fuck each other just as easily from our living room.”
Leo lets out another exasperated groan and hangs his head, bringing up a hand to rub at the back of his neck. It’s a show of discomfort at his mother’s impudent statement.
I fix Alicia with a flat stare and offer her a shameless statement of my own in the form of a lone middle finger. Leo catches the gesture and raises his head, only to throw it back in laughter. Alicia’s two-fold response is to roll her eyes and sit back in her seat again.
“Okay, let’s go,” Leo says, laughter still in his voice. He steps forward again and pats my chest in possible thanks.
I move out of the way to let him get into the car, going around to the passenger side and taking my previous seat.
Leo opens his door and slides in behind the wheel.
