It’s not until the catchy chorus loops in that a glittery curtain gets thrown back and Leo stands there in a flawless re-creation of Madonna’s white suit and vest combo from the music video. In classic Leo fashion, he breaks into the music video dance moves flawlessly and, once again, I’m in awe of him.
I’m in awe that he put this scavenger hunt together. I’m in awe of his skill. I’m in awe that there’s nary a stain on his well-fitted all-white suit even though I spot a platter of chicken wings in the corner.
“Did you use part of your winnings to get that suit?” I ask during an instrumental break.
“Duh. Now shut up and sing with me!”
Twenty-Nine
“All right. I played your scavenger hunt,” I say, flopped onto the couch beside Leo. Breathless, both from a whirlwind day and this sexy man in the dapper suit. “How long were you waiting here for me?”
“An hour.” He shrugs. “Maybe two. Time flies when the guy you like is out having fun.”
“Who said I was having fun?” I ask, raising my eyebrow at him. I don’t make any comment about:the guy you like.I let the warm, fuzzy feeling take me over.
“Did you not?” he asks genuinely.
I drop the snark. “No, I did. A lot of fun, actually. The most fun I’ve had in a long time.”
“Good. I hoped you would.” Leo’s shoulders are drawn back yet relaxed, and a smile takes up his handsome face.
I take a deep breath. “I’m sorry I was a coward and left a note instead of saying goodbye.”
“I know you are.” His hand casually falls onto the seat between us in an offering.
“I was so conflicted,” I confess. “I should’ve been ecstatic, yet I hadn’t confronted my grief, I hadn’t gotten over my ex, and suddenly I was falling in—” I stop myself but the grin inching onto his lips tells me he gets the hint. “I needed to be alone to sort that all out.”
“I understand,” he says, grinning fully. “I forgive you.”
I scoot closer to him, wanting our closeness from Los Angeles back. I crave skin-to-skin contact. Now that I have his forgiveness, has he come to give me his heart again? I ask a different question instead: “Ready to tell me the other part of why you’re here?”
“When I woke up and realized you’d left, I was pretty hurt. Not gonna lie. It was like Carter all over again.” My stomach sinks. Because my misguided attempt to save him from hurt caused it anyway. “But I started thinking about what you said, how something felt off. I wanted so badly for our last night together to be special that I was ignoring the fact that something felt off for me, too.”
“Oh, yeah?” I ask, very curious. “What was it?”
“The lies,” he says, turning off his microphone and setting it down between us.
“The lie we told to win the money?”
“No, the lies I told my mom.” He sighs a heavy sigh. “Admittedly, it was good that you left. It forced me to go home and talk to her. I told her why I did all of this in the first place. I let her know that I love her and want to take care of her and be close to her, but I also need more space and independence.”
I shift into him. “How did she take that?”
“Not great at first.” He takes an audible breath. “She was mostly mad that I got fired from another job, so she iced me out for a few weeks. After some extensive home cooking on my part, she broke her silent streak and finally spoke. She told me she was hurt that I felt I couldn’t be honest with her. Since it’s always just been me and her, I’ve never had the option to keep her in the dark when it came to my life, but then Carter happened and I felt ashamed and I started keeping secrets.”
“You told her what happened with Carter, too?”
“I did.”
“Was she understanding?” I could imagine Mrs. Min being rigid in her stance. She obviously holds firm beliefs about life, the world, and relationships.
“Surprisingly, she was.” This makes me relax. “And then, she opened up to me about my dad because she was keeping secrets, too. We never really talked about him. He left, she told me that he wasn’t coming back, she let me cry about it, and then we went about with our lives. This time, she admitted that she kicked him out because he was embarrassed that he had a gay son.”
“Leo.” I say his name as if it cures any of the hurt he must be feeling right now after learning this information.
“In a way, I should’ve known.” He shakes his head. “As soon as he left, I was able to start taking dance classes like I’d always wanted to, and I was allowed to listen to my music at full volume around the apartment. For the most part, I grew up without a dad, but I got to grow up asme. I can’t be mad at my mom for giving me a gift like that.”
“That’s a great way of looking at it.” I reach out a hand, and he takes it. I summon all the pride I feel for him into my palm. I’m utterly impressed at the man sitting in front of me. Still Leo, but Leo 2.0. Leo leveled-up. It’s a miracle that our journeys have synced up like this.
