I bit my lip as I considered her point. “I hear you, but… she’s my mom. I can’t just ghost her forever.”
“I’m not saying you should. If you want a relationship with her, I think that’s worth pursuing. But if I can give you any advice? Pursue it on your terms. Whatever you feel like you owe her, you don’t. Not your money, and certainly not your happiness. And if that’s too far for her… Just know I’m here. Happy to talk about anything you need, Princess.”
“Thanks, Leo.” Warmth bloomed in my chest at the reassurance. It was nice to have Leo close, to get to talk to her like normal. We hadn’t been able to do that since…
“There is something I want to talk to you about, actually.” I cleared my throat, trying to fight down the blush on my cheeks as her eyes softened toward me. “About that kiss…”
Her lips pursed slightly. She knew as well as I did that this conversation needed to happen, and from the looks of it, she’d been avoiding it just as much as I had. “I’m sorry about?—”
“You have nothing to apologize for.” I shook my head hard, swallowing down my nerves. “I’m sorry. I should have talked to you about it sooner, or at least given you any sort of warning that it was coming. My head has just been spinning with all sorts of questions and doubts, and it was a spur of the moment thing, and…”
As I paused to take a breath, I could see her bracing for the letdown. The flicker of pain in her eyes cracked open something in my chest.I never want to see her look like that again.
“I… I really like you, Leo. And to be honest, I don’t know what that means. I don’t know what I want, exactly. But… I know I don’t want to keep avoiding you until I figure it out.”
She blinked back her shock, a broad smile swiftly taking over her face. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, seriously,” I laughed.
“I’m sorry, too.” She shook her head.
“I told you not to?—”
“I shouldn’t have avoided you. I told myself I was just giving you space to think, but it was a stupid idea. I should have checked in and made sure you were okay.”
“I’m more than okay now.” I smiled, lifting my free hand to the side of her neck.
The feeling of her skin prickling beneath my touch sent a shiver through my spine. She grinned back at me, raising an eyebrow. “So much for our ‘straight’ roommate. Called it, by the way.”
“Oh, did you?” I leaned back, raising an eyebrow.
“Mhm. Spence did too. To be fair, I think you might be the only one who didn’t know.”
At the mention of Spencer, I realized there was one more secret I was still holding onto. “Actually, about Spencer. We, um…”
“Fucked?” Leo raised an eyebrow.
I nearly choked. “She told you?”
“No, you just did.” Leo laughed. “But to be fair, I had a suspicion, especially once you kissed me. Spencer’s beenwayyyyto giddy lately, so I figured she had to be fucking someone. It wasn’t me, and it certainly wasn’t Dom, so…”
I shook her by the shoulder. “Ew, please don’t make me think about Dom fucking.” Discovering my attraction to women via exposure therapy with my roommates was alreadyoverwhelming enough. The last thing I needed was to find out I was secretly into that monstrous millionaire.
But as Leo hovered in front of me, letting her free hand rest on the side of my thigh, all thoughts of Dom faded to the background.
Admitting my feelings had lifted a weight off my chest. I wanted to close the gap between us, to give her a real kiss instead of the panicked peck I’d snuck in the other night. But first, I needed to make sure we were on the same page.
“Is this okay?” I bit my lip. “That I don’t know what to call these feelings?”
“Absolutely.” Leo nodded, eyes flooding with earnest compassion. “You never have to label it if you don’t want to. I’m just glad that, whatever you end up being attracted to, it seems to include me.”
Relieved by the reassurance, I smirked as she brought her hand to my cheek, gentle pressure inviting me to lean forward. As she guided me closer, my chest tightened with anticipation. The tension had been building between us for days now, and I couldn’t believe I was actually about to kiss Doctor Leo Callahan.
But before our lips could meet, the office door slammed open, startling me bad enough that I headbutted Leo.
“Oh fuck!” My hands clapped over my mouth as I watched blood spill from her lip, painting her teeth red.
“Is it bad?” She lisped, raising a hand to the cut and pulling her fingers away bloody.
