“Okay,” I whisper. My fingers nervously pick at my sundress. “Sing for me, Leonidas.”
I look up and find him with his eyes closed. His chest rises up and down. He’s anxious.
“I have to admit, I’ve never been this nervous to sing before,” he mumbles and laughs at himself.
I place my hand on his knee. “Why?”
“Because you’re the only one who matters. The only opinion I care about. I want to help you, but what if I just make it worse?”
I lean over and place my lips delicately on his cheek. I give him a peck. “You’re overthinking things. Just sing.”
I trust him. I really do. It looks as if I’m not the only one who needs to work on things. We both need to heal together. I’ll be there, holding his hand, when he gets sudden urges to take pills, and he’ll be there for me when I get random flashbacks of my past.
We’re a team. The best team out there.
I let out a surprised squeak when Leonidas’s gigantic hands find my waist. Pulling me onto his lap, my back to his chest, he breathes out a sigh of relief. I settle into his lap when he winds his fingers together in front of my waist.
“This is a song I wrote about you,” he explains. His chin rests on my shoulder. “If you hate it, please tell me.”
I nod even though I know I’ll hate nothing he’s written. He’s always so poetic with his words, and it’s no wonder why. I feel like laughing at myself for not catching onto the signs.
My body freezes as he takes a deep breath and starts singing lowly, and I immediately zone in on his angelic voice. Leonidas’s voice is husky. Filling my soul with something I can’t place my finger on.
How can his voice be as smooth as butter but then rough at the same time? It makes a beautiful and engrossing combination.
I take in every high note, low note, pause, and tap that his hand makes on my leg. I breathe in and out while I close my eyes, leaning my head back on his chest. I enjoy what’s only meant for me.
His voice drops huskily as he finishes the last lyric. I open my eyes and stare straight ahead of me, shocked. Leonidas tenses against me as he waits for a reaction.
The song he just sang is beyond words. Knowing it was about me has me appreciating it even more. His voice is as sweet as honey. And damn, if that doesn’t make me want to listen to his voice on repeat for the rest of my life, then I don’t know what will.
My body didn’t panic when he began singing. I felt at ease, like everything that had ever stressed me out evaporated out of my body and left to the hell it had come from. My hands didn’t start shaking, like they usually do. The thoughts that haunt me didn’t cross my mind once.
I don’t know whether I should cry or jump up and down in happiness.
Maybe both.
Leonidas is quiet behind me. He hasn’t uttered a single word since he stopped blessing me with his voice.
I let out a breathy sigh. “You’re amazing.” My hands grip his, which are wound together in front of my stomach. “I’ve never heard a voice so captivating.”
“You really mean that?”
“Of course. I didn’t even get sad. I’m actually the opposite. You’re fantastic!” I reply and turn around. My legs straddle him. “Maybe I didn’t panic because it’s you. You always seem to calm me. Or maybe I’m getting over it.”
My eyes bore into his, and the brown orbs that I’ve fallen in love with fill with pride.
“I’m so proud of you. Look how far you’ve come. You being able to listen to my voice has nothing to do with me. You did that all on your own.”
“I guess.” I shrug my shoulders, placing my cheek against his chest. I listen to his fast heartbeat. “But you helped.”
He’s helped me more than my therapist that I had for years. Leonidas is helping me face my greatest fears. I couldn’t be more thankful.
“I never thought it would feel this easy.” My fingertip trails along a lion tattoo Leonidas has on his forearm. “Do you think it would have been this easy a couple months ago?”
“Every bruise takes time to heal,” he admits. “So, no, I don’t think it would have been this easy, but you’ve grown, and that’s what made it easy.”
It always amazes me how he can be so wise, that makes me love him even more. That’s the thing about love. When you find it, you want to grip on to it and never let go. A couple months ago, I never thought positive thoughts. I always dwelled on the past. I was stuck. Since the first day I saw Leonidas, I was intrigued. He riled me up and made me angry; he fired the spark back into me I used to have.
