Red crept up my neck. “Really?”
Leo nodded. “After I hung up, I couldn’t get your voice out of my head. I realized, shit, I’ve made a crappy mistake not being brave enough to be next to her. The idea wouldn’t leave me alone and kept repeating until I got in the car and decided to come home. My thoughts calmed when I finally saw you.”
I couldn’t contain the wide smile that spread across my face. Leo smiled back and asked, “What?”
“I didn’t think you thought about things that much. When we were kids, stuff just rolled off your shoulders. You barely blinked an eye. Now… I see.”
“See?”
“You’re scared of making mistakes. Of not being perfect. Just like me.” I twisted my mouth to the side, weighing my next words. “I’m kind of glad. Not that I’d wish crippling compulsion on anyone, of course.”
“It’s just nice to know you’re not the only one,” he offered.
I nodded, silently. Leo leaned over and kissed me. I kept my eyes closed, even when he pulled away, in hopes my head would stop spinning. There was no reason to fall for him this quickly. We had time. I needed to remind myself to use said time wisely.
The board I’d let go of floated in Leo’s direction. When it bumped against his leg, he retrieved it.
“Come on,” he encouraged and handed it back to me. “Couple more laps. We need to work on your legs before we incorporate your arms.”
I nodded, feeling a bit lighter after hearing some of his side of the story. Once again, he’d successfully chipped at my wall. At this point, my foundation was screwed. For the first time, I wasn’t thinking about ways to mask the crumbling.
