One Life Stand – Chapter 30

“I normally don’t care for strangers touching me, but his hands are magic.” Lucy let out a long sigh.

“Thank you,” the masseuse said. “Have you ever had a massage before? Your muscles are so tight.”

“No, never.”

“I think it’d be in your best interest to come in once in a while. With muscles like this, you must have a lot of pent-up stress.”

“I’m a worrywart; everything stresses me out.”

“I’ll do my best to make sure you can relax while you’re here.”

“Thank you.” 

This really is relaxing. Ella’s eyes started to droop, and before long, she passed out.

Her mom glanced over at her and smiled. “Sleep tight…”

“Do you want to play games? There’s a casino here,” Ella said after they came out from their massage.

“How about lunch first? I’m hungry. By the way, where’s Leon?” Lucy asked.

“Sorry, I had something to take care of.” Leon popped up behind them, and they both jumped.

“Geez.” She held her hand over her racing heart. “You’re as quiet as a cat.”

“Oops, sorry. I’ll make it up to you with lunch. I know just the place.”

Leon led them to a cafe with loads of sweets with a few savoury meals available. “Order anything you want, even if we have to get a to-go box. I have a call to make.” Leon sighed, looking at a text from Zeke.

“I’ll order you something, too,” Ella said.

“Thanks.” He wiggled his phone around. “I’ll try to make it fast.” He headed out of the cafe.

“He sure is busy, isn’t he?” Lucy sighed. She couldn’t help but think that he’d end up leaving Ella alone too often because of work. It’d be how it was when Ella was growing up.

“I know that look, and don’t worry; he makes time for me.”

“You wouldn’t be lonely with me around,” a male voice came from beside them.

Ella froze, goosebumps trailing up her arms. It can’t be…

Sebastian sat down in Leon’s chair and smiled at her. “Hello again, Ella; this must be fate.”

“It’s not fate,” she snapped at him. “You know I work here, so it stands to reason you can find me around somewhere. Where’s Alice?” I thought she was keeping an eye on him.

“I got tired of her following me around so much, so gave her the slip.”

“You… I remember you…” Ella’s mother narrowed her eyes. “How dare you even show your face in front of my daughter, you rotten pig?”

He leaned away from her, wide-eyed and speechless.

Go, mom!

“Come on, it was in the past and not a big deal—”

“Not a big deal? My daughter loved you, and you spit on her love by cheating on her; how is that not a big deal?”

A hand gripped the back of Sebastian’s seat. “Excuse me, I think you’re sitting in my seat.” Leon did his best to hold back his anger.

Sebastian looked back at him, then at Ella’s mother, before standing. “Now’s not a good time, I suppose. I’ll see you soon,” he said to Ella before taking off.

“I hope not,” Ella grumbled.

“I swear, I can’t leave you alone for even a few minutes without that cockroach showing up.” Leon sat down, glaring at Sebastian’s receding figure. “I wish I could get rid of him. Too bad a restraining order isn’t good enough.”

“It still couldn’t hurt to have one…” Her mother watched Sebastian leave the same way Leon did.

“I know he’s not the most influential, but he can cause a lot of damage because of how determined he is. So it might be in our best interest to avoid getting involved with him,” Ella warned.

“I would love to avoid him, but he’s after you.” Leon gently pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “So I won’t back down if something happens.”

“T-thank you…”

“You know, I still wasn’t sure about you two, but I think he truly loves you.” Lucy sighed. “Official stamp of approval.” She winked at him.

“My protection stretches to you as well, should you ever need it.” He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. “My future mother-in-law.”

“I-I should be fine, but thank you nonetheless.”

“Y-your order.” The waitress wasn’t sure if she should interrupt but brought their plates over, anyway.

“Thank you,” Leon said, and they each dug in.

“So, what do you two want to do now? We have a variety of sports activities available,” Leon said.

“I’m not the most athletic… not anymore.” Lucy sighed.

Leon raised an eyebrow.

“When I was in high school, I was on the volleyball team.”

“Cool. We have volleyball courts, but if you don’t want to play any sports, we can find something else to do. There are a few beaches near here and an amusement park.”

“I don’t think I’d want to go to an amusement park. A beach isn’t so bad; it’s been a long time.”

“But you can go to the beach anytime. How about the casino we have here?” Ella suggested. She had been there only when she checked out the entire resort for reference, but hadn’t had the chance to play.

“You know I don’t like to gamble money away…”

“It’s Leon’s money, which if we lose, will go back to his company, so you shouldn’t worry too much. This is a chance to have some fun without worrying.”

“When you put it that way, it doesn’t sound so bad.”

“I insist you spend my money.” Leon laughed. “Our money,” he corrected himself.

“A phrase that would make most men shudder.”

“I’m not most men.” He winked at her.

“Do you like to throw your money around or something?”

“Generally, no, but I want to spend it on Ella, so please spend it. Outside of the company, investments, and boring stuff, I don’t actually spend a lot of it.” He sighed. “I’m too busy to.”

“Sounds like you’re the one who needs a break. Are you going to join us in the casino?”

“I can, but I can’t promise I won’t be pulled away for more work.”

“What are you always working on?”

“A multitude of things, really. Working with other companies, opening another branch, my mother keeps calling me… and so on.” He sighed.

“Opening another branch? I thought your father was basically eating your company with his?” Ella asked.

“He wants to when I officially take over his company, but I want to see what I can do on my own until then.”

“And didn’t this place just open?”

“And it’s been doing spectacularly! Which is why I’ve been looking for a new location to make another one. Now, enough of this business talk; let’s go have fun.”

They left the cafe and Leon headed to the casino below, escorting Ella and her mother on both sides of him.

Chatter, music, and the sound of slot machines filled the air as they entered the casino.

“This place is busier than I expected.” Lucy looked around with curious, wide eyes.

“I’ll grab us some chips and coins. You two decide what you want to try out.” Leon excused himself.

“Would it be bad if I just want to use the slot machines? I’ve actually always dreamed of seeing the seven-seven-seven show up…” Lucy asked her.

“If that’s what you want to do, then go ahead.” Ella looked around. I don’t know how to play poker or any of the card games. What would be easy to at least tryout? Roulette? Maybe I’ll just try everything once? But if I win, I’ll be tempted to try again…

“Lost in thought again? I hope you’re not thinking of rushing off?” Leon popped up beside her.

“What? No…” Where’d my mom go?

“She’s over at the slots already,” Leon answered her unspoken question.

“Maybe I should just play slots with her.”

“I know you two want to hang out, but you’re both grown women; you can play different games if you want to. And with everyone having cell phones, it’s easy enough to find people, even with a crowd like this.”

“I guess.” She bobbed her head around, biting her lip.

“I’ll teach you any game you want.”

“You know how to play them all?” What in the world has he been up to?

“Yes,” he chuckled. Another habit of his from college, and he always came out ahead.

---

Continued in chapter 31.

One Life Stand – Chapter 25

Ella finished making a chicken burger and fries for each of them and sat down to wait. She looked at the time on her phone, checking to make sure he didn’t send a text about lunch.

“What’s taking so long?” she mumbled, her stomach gnawing at her. Tired of waiting, she picked up one of the fries with ketchup and nibbled on it.

Despite eating as slowly as she could manage, she finished her fries, and Leon still hadn’t shown up.

“What’s going on? He said he was going to be home for lunch, right?” Ella stared at her phone, debating on contacting him since he was already more than an hour late. “I should be working right now… but I can’t help but worry.” She dialled his number, but only got a busy signal.

Should I finish my meal and get back to work? But what if something happened, and they call the suite instead of me? Arg! She texted him, just in case.

She paced around the kitchen as she waited, checking her phone every few minutes.

The door burst open, and Leon came through, huffing. “I’m so… sorry… I’m late… Meeting… went long… because they were late…” He leaned over, resting his hands on his knees as he panted.

“You’re okay…” she sighed, nearly dropping her phone.

“You were worried?”

“Don’t you know how to pick up the bloody phone?!” she snapped at him.

He flinched back and then held his hands up. “I’m sorry. I tried to call earlier, but I got a busy signal.”

“That’s what texts are for…”

“You’re right; I should’ve sent a text.”

“Should’ve answered my text.”

“You texted me?” He looked at his phone and paled. “I had the sound off, so I didn’t hear it. I’m so sorry, Ella.” He stumbled over and pulled her in for a tight hug. “I’ll try to be more careful from now on.” He couldn’t help but smile, since she had actually worried about him, but he hid his expression by keeping her in the hug.

“As long as you’ve learned your lesson…” She hugged him back. I can’t believe I worried that much. I can only imagine how much Nathan worried when I ran out… Who knows how badly he thinks of me after what I’ve done to him?

“Ella?” Leon held onto her shoulders as he looked into her eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Yup… Just glad you’re okay. Um, I should get to work—”

“Sit and finish your lunch, please. Don’t make me eat alone; defeats the purpose of coming home for lunch.”

“You come home so you could eat with me?”

“Of course! Why else would I come home to eat? I know the food here is great, but it’s not going to make me rush home from the other side of the city…” he trailed off, realizing he admitted more than he wanted to.

Her eyes widened. “Why would you do that? Downtown is so busy at lunch; I can only imagine how long it would take to rush back here…”

Leon tried to hide his smile, biting his cheek. “I always wanted to come home for lunch and have someone waiting there for me. Not that I want you to wait, but that you’re here for me; someone to go home to.”

From how his parents are, I’m going to guess he never had that as a kid.

Ella nodded. “I think I get what you mean. Seriously though, call or text if you’re going to be late… and do it before you leave the building. I don’t want you getting into a car accident because you were doing something stupid, like talking on the phone or texting while you’re driving.”

“Zeke was driving me around, but I understand your point.”

If Zeke was driving him around, didn’t he have time to call?

“Um… Did I say something wrong? I feel like I did…”

“Nope, it’s nothing…”

Leon put his hands on her shoulders again. “If I messed up, then I messed up, but I may not always know what I did, so please tell me. Talk to me, Ella.”

Ugh… fine! “If Zeke was driving you around, shouldn’t you have had time to contact me?”

“After I called and got a busy signal, I ended up on another business call, which ate up most of my time. I should’ve gotten back to you afterwards, so I’m sorry.”

“You’re so busy…” She sighed. “Doesn’t that burn you out?”

“Yes, and it used to get me so tired I’d waste my weekends away sleeping, but things are different now. Seeing you, and knowing you’re here for me, recharges me.” He smiled at her.

“Dripping sweetness…” she mumbled.

“Do you forgive me?”

“You make it hard not to.”

“Thank you.” He gave her a quick peck on the lips and sat down to eat. “Looks delicious.” He dug in right away. “Mmm… Yup, tastes as good as it looks. Aren’t you going to eat?” He nudged his head towards her chicken burger, still sitting on her plate.

She sat down with a huff and started to eat.

“So, how was work this morning?” Leon asked her.

“Shouldn’t I ask you that?”

“Mine was chaotic, and yours?” He kept fishing for the details he wanted.

Ella rolled her eyes. “Yes, I called my mom. She agreed to come here, though I must warn you, she’s not too enthusiastic about me being engaged again because of my past.”

“It’s good she agreed. Can she come this weekend?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to pick her up, or would you like me to send a car?”

“I… She can take a taxi, or rather a bus.”

“We’ll send a car to pick her up.” Leon finished eating. “Less stress that way.”

“I’ll set it up…”

“Is something wrong?”

“Nope.” Ella wiped the corners of her mouth to make sure her face was clean and picked up her empty plate.

“What is it?” He followed her over with his own empty plate.

“She doesn’t like taxis and whatnot because she sees it as a waste of money. I mean, it’s not like we didn’t have any money, but she’s a single mother, which can be quite hard, so she always tried to keep her expenses low.” Ella washed their dishes as Leon leaned against the counter.

“I see… But we’re sending the driver; she’s not spending anything. By the way, if she needs money or anything, we can help her with it. Heck, we can buy her a new place wherever she wants.”

“We?”

Leon shrugged. “We’re going to be married; my money is your money, remember?”

I guess that means I’ll be rich… I should be excited about that, but I never even think about it.

“I doubt she’d accept anything extravagant from us.” Ella sighed, thinking about how many times her mother turned down help from her over the years.

“Don’t worry; I know how to get her to accept it. You make sure she has no other choice. We’ll have to get a place in her name though…”

“I don’t think she’d want to move from her current house; a lot of memories there.”

“But wouldn’t she want to move closer to you if she could?”

“I guess…”

Leon looked at the time. “I wish I could stay longer, but I have to go if I want to get to my next meeting in time.”

“Oh, okay.”

“I’ll send you the list of services I regularly use, so you can set up the normal driver. I’ll see you later.”

Ella turned off the water, finishing with the dishes, and turned. “Okay—”

Leon cut her off with another quick peck on the lips. “Have a good afternoon,” he said, smiling as he took off.

I have a feeling he’s always going to catch me off guard…

---

Continued in chapter 26.

One Life Stand – Chapter 24

It took a long while for Leon to fall asleep; he spent most of his time watching Ella sleep. When he woke up, she wasn’t there anymore. He shot up out of bed, wondering if she left early again.

He left her bedroom and heard the sound of pans being moved around. He made his way over to the kitchen and leaned on the doorway as he watched Ella making pancakes.

With a stake of pancakes, she turned around to put it on the table, and jumped. She hadn’t expected to see Leon there and nearly dropped the plate.

“Oops.” He reached out instantly to help her. “I didn’t mean to scare you; I like watching you cook.”

“I didn’t hear you at all… Um, did I wake you up?” She set the plate on the table and turned back to make more.

“I don’t think so.” He sat down in his spot at the table. “These look and smell delicious.” He sniffed the pancakes, and a sweet vanilla scent took over.

“Hopefully, they taste as good as they smell then.” She laughed.

Ah, why do I still feel so awkward? We didn’t even do anything last night… and we’ve done much more before… Maybe I’m feeling guilty? Guilty for giving him the cold shoulder? Guilty for being resistant to trying? He wants to try, which I assume means he’s not afraid of getting hurt, right? Can’t say the same for me though, despite being the one who hurts others in the first place.

“Ella?” Leon called out to her again from right behind her. “I’m no expert, but pancakes burn fast, right?”

“What? Oh!” She flipped over her pancakes in the pan. They were a bit dark, but not burnt yet. “Thanks…”

“Lost in thought, again? I hope you weren’t thinking anything bad.”

“Just… contemplative…” She sat in her seat with her own plate of pancakes, though a bit overdone.

“I’ve been thinking as well.”

She froze, with her fork stabbed into her pancakes, bracing herself.

“I want to meet your mother. You’ve met my parents, so I think it’s time I meet your mom.”

“She lives outside the city, so it’s a bit of a drive to get there…”

Leon let out the breath he was holding in, glad she didn’t say she didn’t want him to meet her. “That’s fine. I like driving and maybe we can even make a weekend stay of it or something. Even if she doesn’t have space, we can get a room at the closest hotel. I’m sure she’d be happy to see you.”

“Right… my mom…”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just been a while since I went back home, that’s all.”

“Why? Did you two fight or something?”

“You could say that.”

“About what?”

“About her staying single the whole time after my father left. She said it was for me, but I gave her my blessing, so I told her it was just her fear. She got upset, then I got upset… and we kinda stopped talking. I mean, we still see each other for birthdays and Christmas, but… we haven’t talked much despite how close we’ve always been. I’m not sure what she’ll think about being engaged to you after the previous ones… not that she knew about Nathan proposing.”

“I see… but she’ll know eventually either way, right?”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Time to reconcile?”

“I suppose so. I’ll call her later about it.”

“Okay, thank you. I’m looking forward to meeting her.”

“Really? I was terrified of meeting your parents.”

“Of course, because she’s the reason I got to meet you.”

“Ha… Do you really mean all this stuff you say?” Ella asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re always so sweet and whatnot that it feels… unreal. I mean, it’s not like I haven’t had people be sweet to me, but you seem like you’re like that all the time. Is this just the ‘honeymoon’ phase or something?”

“Um… That’s just me.” Leon shrugged. “Or at least me when I’m with you. I can’t seem to help it; I always want to be sweet to you… Well, maybe not quite always.” He smirked. “If you catch my drift.”

“What are you… Oh…” Ella blushed and stuffed her face full of pancakes.

Leon couldn’t help but laugh, since she looked like a chipmunk with her cheeks full.

When she finally swallowed, she summoned up some courage to ask more questions. “How did you manage to keep hoping to meet me again?”

“It wasn’t hard for me, because I believed it would happen one day. I just knew it. Like it felt… fated to come to be. Either that, or I wished so hard it’d be cruel for you not to show up again.”

“It was barely in time though, wasn’t it?”

He shrugged, thinking about it. “More than a year left until they’d force someone on me… or maybe I would’ve broken the company and kept waiting. Hard to say, but I’d rather not go into those what-ifs. You’re here now, even if it took longer than I would’ve liked… And it’s time for work.” He glanced at his watch. “How are you feeling, by the way? No hangover?”

“Hangover?”

“From drinking too much last night?” He narrowed his eyes.

“Nope!” Crap, I forgot about that… I didn’t drink nearly enough for that, anyway.

“Good… Now, the first thing for your work today is to call your mom and make sure we can get some time soon to meet her. As early as Friday, if we can.”

“That’s part of my job?”

“I’m not going to ask Zeke to call your mother, so yes.”

“On that note, do you really need a personal concierge when you have a personal assistant?”

“He deals more with the business stuff; you deal with my personal life.”

“But then I have to double-check things with him… Wouldn’t it be easier if he had control of both?”

“Are you trying to get out of being my personal concierge?”

“Well…”

“I figured it’s a good job for you, since sometimes we’ll get to spend more time together. Besides, it pays more than being a regular concierge.” Not that she really needed the money with him around.

“You haven’t used me too much, though. You haven’t visited any of the facilities on-site or—”

“You make a good point. I should spend a day testing out the rest of the place.” Leon hummed as he thought. “I know I said for us to visit your mom, but is there a chance she’d like to come here? There’s quite a bit to enjoy; it might be a nice little vacation for her.”

“I guess she might.”

“Good, get on that.” He pulled on his jacket and headed for the front door, then stopped. “You can keep doing the odd jobs I give you and either stop for the day or help out otherwise, like normal, or you can join me anytime. I know Zeke might complain, but you’re free to stay beside me and learn the business if you want.”

I don’t think I’d be any good with that…

“I’ll stick with this.”

“Okay then. The option stays open for you. One more thing.”

“What?” Ella had cleared the table and was about to do the dishes when she looked back at him. “Oh!” Her eyes widened as he gave her a quick peck on the lips.

“Have a good morning. I’ll talk to you soon. I’m off.” He gave her a quick wave and left, smiling because he loved her surprised expression.

Feels like he’s getting bolder, but I guess that isn’t a bad thing. She lightly touched her lips, smiling.

After doing her normal cleanup around the suite, Ella sat down at the kitchen table with her phone, staring at her mother’s phone number.

I don’t think there’s any way of getting out of this. It’s just mom; suck it up and call her, Ella.

She dialled the number and waited through a few rings, tempted to hang up the whole time.

“Hello,” her mom answered. “Ella?”

“Um…”

“Is something wrong? Are you okay? Did something—”

“I’m okay,” Ella said, cutting off her mom’s worried ramblings. “Um… I don’t even know how to ask this…”

“You can ask me anything, honey; you should know that.”

“But we haven’t talked all that much in a while.”

“I’m your mother; I’ll always listen to what you have to say.”

“Well, actually…” Ella fiddled with the pen sitting on the table. “I got a promotion and I’m working at a new hotel.”

“That’s great!”

“And…” Ella wiped the sweat off her forehead. “I’m engaged.”

Her mother was silent for a moment. “Again?”

“Y-yup.”

“Honey… do you think this is a good idea? With what’s happened before, you might be better off—”

“Mom! I’m already engaged, and I will marry him, but he wants to meet you first.” Surprising how easily that came out.

“I see… I understand, but I still think—”

“He wants to invite you here to the hotel to enjoy a short vacation. All expenses paid.”

“He works at your hotel?”

“He owns the hotel.”

“Oh…”

Ella gritted her teeth, the silence deafening. “Look, I know we disagree on a lot of things, but… it’d mean so much to me if you’d come to meet your future son-in-law.”

“I…” She sighed. “Okay, I’d love to come to meet him.”

“Thank you. Now, can you come for the weekend coming up?”

“I have no plans, so it should be fine.”

“Only pack what you need, and we can get you anything else right here. This place is great that way, along with all the stores right nearby.”

“You’re not wasting money, are you?”

“No, of course not.” Leon may spend however he like,s though… and to him, it probably isn’t a waste.

“If you say so… Okay, I’ll be ready for this weekend.”

“Alright then; I’ll see you soon.”

“Wait, don’t hang up yet! Are… are you doing okay? Eating properly?”

“I’m fine, mom. How about you?”

“I’m fine; the same as always.”

I wish I knew how to talk to her…

“That’s good…” Ella sighed.

“I miss you.”

“I miss you too, mom. I guess it’s a good thing Leon wanted to invite you over.”

“You can invite me over anytime, you know? You can also come home anytime you want. You don’t need an invitation; just show up.”

“I’ll… keep that in mind. I have to go now; more work to do. I’ll see you soon. Love you, mom.”

“I love you too, sweetie. Take care.” “You too.” Ella hung up first and melted back into her chair, all the tension releasing. Ugh… this shouldn’t have been hard… Ella looked at the time. It was almost lunch, and Leon had put it on the schedule that he’d be home for lunch, so she started working on it.

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Continued in chapter 25.

One Life Stand – Chapter 23

Leon arrived at Charlie’s house and gazed up at the dark sky before knocking on the door.

Kyra opened the door. “Even avoided ringing the doorbell, so you wouldn’t wake anyone? Come in.” Kyra led him into the living room. “There’s your sleeping beauty.”

“Should we be getting Alice home?”

“She can stay there; she’ll be fine.”

“What about you? Do you need a ride?”

“Me? Oh, my, that’s sweet of you, but I can call my husband for a ride.”

“You have children, right?”

“Yes… who should be in bed right now.”

“Still, it’s best not to leave them home alone.”

“It’s a bit out of the way…”

“Don’t worry about it. I insist on you letting me drive you home.” He smiled at her, and her heart skipped a beat.

“Oh dear… you are quite charming. Did you know that?”

“I aim to be.” He was confident he could charm most people.

“Fine, you can drive me home.” Kyra found herself unable to stop smiling.

“She looks so cute when she’s asleep… Then again, she’s always cute,” Leon mumbled as he stared at Ella softly. Careful not to wake her – though she wasn’t actually asleep – Leon cradled her in his arms and headed to his car. Kyra held the door to the house open, to make sure she didn’t hit her head, and helped him lay her down in the backseat.

Kyra sighed as she sat in the front passenger seat. “It’s so cushy… and warm.” She giggled as she buckled up. She lightly slid her hand across the door. “Must be super-high-end or something.”

“I suppose so,” Leon chuckled. “Where to?”

Kyra gave him her address, and they drove off.

“So…” Leon glanced back at Ella in the backseat. “Is she feeling any better?”

“I’m not sure. We talked a lot and drank a lot, but she has her own issues to work through.”

“I’d like to help her with that if I can.”

“She told us about how you two actually met.”

“Oh?”

“I think it’s sweet, and now this makes more sense. You’re still being a bit pushy with wanting to marry her, but at least I understand it now.”

Leon gripped the stirring wheel tighter, a faint blush forming on his cheeks.

“I’m sorry if you didn’t want us to know about that—”

“I understand how close you all are, so I expected it,” Leon said. “It’s just embarrassing. My younger self was so weak.”

“Everyone is weak when they’re young, and everyone has times when they’re weak otherwise, so don’t worry about it.”

“Ella’s right about you; you’re the wise, mature one of the group.”

Kyra nodded. “I have to be that with them and at home.” She sighed. “Such is my life.”

“Must be tiring.”

“It can be, but I love it. They rely on me, and I like that feeling.”

“I have a feeling they always will.”

“I imagine so, but Ella will probably be relying on me less soon, with you in the picture.” She watched the light posts as they sped by them. “You’re going to have to have a lot of patience and tenancy to be with her.”

“I have that in abundance, trust me.” The fifteen-year gap since he saw her felt long as it was passing, but short when he looked back at it.

“I guess you’d have to have a lot of patience to hold back for so long in the first place. Or at least, I’m assuming it is, but some people have no issue going without…”

“Ha…” He swallowed hard, not really wanting to talk about it. “Sometimes it was, but I’m crazy enough about her to keep waiting and hoping we’d be reunited.”

“But wouldn’t you only be in love with the version of her from your memories? How about now? Now that you’ve come together again, and you’ve gotten to know her better, are you still crazy in love?”

“Yes.” Leon had a soft smile and gaze as he kept his eyes on the road. “And yes, I know how crazy this all is, but it’s a dream come true for me. I know she has her reservations about me, and I can’t blame her, but I’m not going anywhere, and I plan to be the best man I can be for her.”

“Damn… Ella’s a lucky girl.”

“Thank you.”

“Just stating facts.”

“No, I mean thank you for talking to me like this, and for being there for her. If you ever need anything, don’t be afraid to ask.”

“Might not want to be so open with favours like that; there are people who’ll take advantage of you.”

Leon pulled up in front of her house and leaned closer to her, staring into her eyes. “But you’re not one of them, are you?”

Kyra froze for a moment, entranced by him. “No… I suppose I’m not. Thanks for the ride. Get home safe.” She rushed out of his car, shaking her head and fanning herself as she tried to calm down.

Ugh, it’s hard to keep pretending to be asleep while they talk like this the whole way! Ella peeked at Kyra out the window and shut her eyes again as she adjusted her position slightly. And why was Kyra getting flustered?!

Leon looked back at her again. “Still asleep? I’ll try to make it a smooth ride home.” He drove off.

Ella couldn’t help but notice how he was still as sweet as he was as a kid. Some things don’t change.

On the way home, Ella actually passed out, and when she was starting to come to, she could feel strong arms carrying her. She leaned into him more, snuggling close as she breathed in his comforting, familiar, citrusy scent.

“Did I wake you? I’m sorry, but you’ll be safe in your own bed soon,” Leon said as he carried her through their penthouse suite after kicking his shoes off at the door. He pushed her door open with his foot and laid her down on her bed. He took her shoes off and kissed her forehead. “Sleep well, my Ella.”

Give him a chance, hmm?

Her hand shot out and grabbed his. “Stay…” she mumbled.

“Um… Do you know what you’re asking?”

She nodded, her eyes open a slit. “Just stay near… nothing more…”

I wonder if he can manage that; we’ve been a bit naughty any time we’re in bed together.

“If that’s what you want.”

Ella nodded again and let go of his hand.

Leon took his jacket off and laid down beside her, his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. “I hope you’re feeling better now,” he whispered, not sure if she was awake enough to hear him anymore.

“Mmm…” She rolled onto her side and cuddled up to him, her hand resting on his chest and head on his shoulder.

Leon wrapped an arm around her, feeling comfortable. He stayed awake, though overly aware of her presence. “How am I supposed to sleep like this without doing anything?” He sighed and closed his eyes, wondering if she was trying to test him somehow.

Ella smiled a bit as she cuddled closer to him, leaving no space between them. I probably shouldn’t tease him too much after he’s been so sweet.

He looked down at her. “Are you awake?”

Don’t answer him! She had to remind herself as she kept her eyes shut.

Leon sighed. “I’ve been hoping to talk to you since that night, but you’ve been avoiding me. For reference, I like eating breakfast with you in the morning; it’s like we’re already married, and it’s nice to have someone to eat with at home. Oh well, we will talk later, but for now, let’s try to sleep.”

---

Continued in chapter 24.

One Life Stand – Chapter 22

Ella rushed to unbuckle her seatbelt and nearly rolled out of the car, hurling.

“We haven’t even started drinking yet,” Charlie complained as she rubbed Ella’s back.

Kinda glad I didn’t eat much today… Ella wiped her mouth with a tissue. “Isn’t this your house?” Ella looked over at the two-storey, double-garage house with a garden near the front door. She had come over a few times, but Charlie always wanted to go somewhere that wasn’t her place, so they rarely went there. “Why are we here?”

“So we can drink and not worry. Besides, I also have a freezer full of ice cream.”

“Look, I’m not really in the mood—”

“Don’t give me any of that.” Charlie pushed Ella towards her house. “We want to know what happened, and we’ll do whatever we must to get you talking, even if that means getting you piss drunk.”

“Oh my gosh, I’ve already told myself I wouldn’t be doing that anymore. I’m too old for it, anyway.”

“But you’re more open when you’re drunk.”

“But if we’re all drinking, then you guys probably won’t remember what I say.”

“Kyra is going to be here, and you know even if she drinks too much – which she never does – she still wouldn’t be drunk. That mama is immune, I say!”

“She can hold her liquor, can’t she?”

“Indeed.” Charlie dragged Ella into the living room, where Alice and Kyra were already waiting.

“Aren’t you busy making supper at this time normally?” Ella asked Kyra.

“My eldest has agreed to make supper for me and told me to enjoy my night,” Kyra explained. “I am a bit worried, but they are the most responsible of them, and my husband will be home soon enough, anyway. Now, how about you sit down and we get to drinking?” Kyra patted the seat on the couch between her and Alice.

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” Ella tried to back away, but Charlie gave her a push forward, and Kyra caught her, sitting her down with her hand on her shoulder. “I’m not in the mood to drink…”

Charlie vanished into the next room for a moment and came back, rolling in a cart full of bottles. “Time for our own mixtures,” she cheered and pulled out a mixer. “So, what should we start with?”

Ella sighed, leaning back on the couch as she stayed silent.

“How about we make it fun?” Alice pulled out a pair of dice. “Going across for the numbers, we’ll just roll to see what to mix.”

“I imagine getting some wonky mixes… Let’s do it!”

Kyra gave Ella’s shoulder a squeeze. “Sometimes it’s good to have some silly fun like this with your friends.”

“Isn’t that what got me into the mess with Leon?” Ella wiggled her left ring finger around.

“Don’t you like him now, though?”

“What?” Ella frowned.

“Between what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard from the others, you are way more comfortable around him than your past boyfriends.”

“Am I?”

“I mean, I admit I thought Nathan would work out… but you two seemed a bit off. You seemed better with Leon until Alice ran her mouth… then things changed again, so—”

“Your turn!” Alice handed Ella the dice, making a face as she drank her drink.

Ella stared at the dice as her friends chanted ‘throw’ all around her. “I’m not doing this.” She went to put the dice down, and Alice knocked her hand.

“Oops, looks like you get one and six.”

“Isn’t that a seven?”

“Not when we’re lucky to even get one throw of the dice from you.”

“I didn’t actually—”

“Too bad!” Charlie set the drink down. “Drink up, missy.”

“You know they’re not going to back down,” Kyra whispered to her. “At least indulge them a little; they’re worried… and so am I.”

Ella chugged down her drink. “Ah…” It had an unusual mix of flavours and burned going down.

“Uh… you didn’t look at what it was, did you? That was a strong one.” Charlie cringed.

“Ugh… what was in that?”

“Next!” Alice handed the dice to Kyra to continue it. She ended up rolling the same number twice, and they fought over having two shots of the same thing or three different things in one, by splitting the number.

How can I feel buzzed off one drink? What the hell did she give me? Ella leaned her head on Kyra’s shoulder, and Kyra stroked her head.

“There, there, girl. We’re all here for you. Now, can you tell us what happened?” Kyra asked.

“Alice was right…”

Kyra and Charlie both looked at Alice, who was frowning, trying to remember what she’d said.

“I ruined Bruce’s life. I hurt him so much… I wasted his time… If it wasn’t for me, he could’ve been married with kids and had an easier ride getting promotions.”

“Sounds like that jerk is blaming you for his misgivings.” Charlie slammed a bottle down after chugging a chunk of it. “What an ass!”

“Watch your mouth,” Kyra warned her, too used to saying it to her husband around the kids or her eldest kid.

“Sorry, ma’am.” Charlie made a zipping motion across her lips. “I’ll try to contain myself while you’re here.”

“Thank you.”

Guess I really can’t handle much alcohol, anymore…

“Alice and Bruce are both right… What kind of scum dates people for years and throws them away as soon as marriage comes into the picture? A severely damaged person, that’s who.” Ella sighed.

“The first one wasn’t your fault; he was a cheater,” Kyra said. Among other things.

“But what about Justin? What about Bruce? What about Nathan? I’ve run away every time, and they’re good men…”

“At least you didn’t agree to marry Nathan and then run away,” Alice said. “Ow!” she yelped as Charlie punched her in the arm.

“You’re not helping.” Charlie slung back another drink.

“What?” Alice pouted. “I was trying to help.”

“The lot of you are drunk already, aren’t you?” Kyra sighed. “Such lightweights. Look, Ella.” Kyra wrapped her hand around Ella’s. “We can all admit you’ve had issues in the past, but there’s no saying what would’ve happened if you stuck with any of them, and playing the what-if game will only make everything worse. You don’t know what might’ve happened, and there’s no way to know. For all you know, you could’ve been miserable. Could you have gone about it a different way, yes? But you didn’t, so how about thinking about the future instead of the past, or rather the present? Think about Leon. He’s your future—”

“What if I mess him up, too? He’s so young and innocent… I could destroy him…”

“If you don’t want to destroy him, then stop running away!” Kyra snapped at her. “He’s stronger than you think, and you’ll never truly be able to outrun your problems!”

Ella flinched back, her eyes wide as she stared at Kyra.

“Give him a chance. I think he deserves that much.”

“And if I don’t actually love him?”

Kyra exchanged a look with her drunken friends. “Why are you deciding that before you give him a chance? But I’m also certain he’ll chase you even if you run away. And I don’t mean in the crazy Sebastian way, but in a way that you’ll know he’s waiting for you with open arms.”

“How are you so sure about him?” Ella’s words slurred. “I’m not sure… even after him telling me we met when we were younger.”

They all froze and turned to her. “What?” they asked in unison.

Ella gave them a brief summary of what happened when she was fifteen.

Alice squealed. “Oh my gosh, this just got way sweeter!”

“For once, I agree with her.” Charlie chugged on another bottle of unknown alcohol. “How can you not fall for that story? And why haven’t we heard about this incident before?”

“It didn’t come to mind…” Ella shrugged. It hasn’t been long since I found out.

“Ugh! I feel so bad for him now! He’s been pining after you since he was an elementary school kid, and you haven’t thought of him at all.”

“I probably did when I was fifteen… because I was worried about him, but life moves on.”

“But this is totally fated!” Alice cheered. “You saved him. Now it’s his turn to save you!” She threw her hands into the air and fell back on the couch, unconscious.

“And she’s out!” Charlie laughed. “And girl, your life is complicated, but I don’t think it needs to be. How about you learn to relax and go with the flow? This Leon fellow seems like a keeper.” She chugged on another bottle and sighed, closing her eyes.

“And they’re both out.” Kyra looked at Ella. “It’s hard having such an active, anxious mind, isn’t it?”

Ella nodded.

“You understand that Bruce shouldn’t have taken his pain and anger out on you, right?”

“I deserved it…”

“Ella…” Kyra combed her fingers through Ella’s hair. “You hurt him, yes, but that doesn’t mean you’re to blame for everything that’s happened to him since then. He stayed stuck in the past. You haven’t even talked to him in years, so it’s not like he’s being reminded all the time. It says more about him than you that he’s like that.”

“You don’t get it? I did break him!”

“You obviously didn’t want to live your life with him, so you had to end it eventually.”

Ella went silent.

“Same with the others. I think you need to be a bit kinder to yourself and realize the real reasons you didn’t want to marry the other ones. Was it really because of your father? Because of Sebastian? I think there’s a reason for each one, and I think it wouldn’t have worked out, anyway.”

“How do I get this out of my head? How do I stop running away? How do I stop hurting people? I don’t want to hurt Leon.” Ella teared up.

“The only way to stop running is to summon your courage to face the situation head-on.”

“How…?”

“Confront your past issues.”

“Are you telling me to confront all of them?” That’s terrifying.

“I’m not sure I want you anywhere near Sebastian, so maybe a letter to him and then burn it. For the second one…”

“Well, Justin actually has a wife and kids now, and even happily asked to meet for coffee…”

“Not sure you have to worry about him, then; he moved on and seems fine. Bruce made you cry and left you like this, so I’m not sure he deserves an apology or anything.”

“I did apologize already…”

“Then that leaves Nathan.”

“Nathan… I ended up talking to him, but it didn’t feel like anything got resolved.” He’s still such a sweetie, and I think I hurt him the most. But if our talk last time didn’t leave it feeling resolved, what will? Maybe I just need to know he’s doing okay now.

“He’s probably the only one you have to deal with before you can truly move on with Leon.” Technically, Sebastian was the bigger issue.

“How do I not mess up with Leon?”

Kyra shrugged. “Trust him. Talk to him. Be open. It’s all I can suggest, really.”

“Kyra, you’re always so amazing.” Ella hugged her tightly. Hopefully, I can manage to follow your advice.

Ella’s phone rang, and she sat there staring at Leon’s name as it continued to ring.

“You’re not going to answer?” Kyra asked.

“I’ve… kinda been avoiding him.”

“And we just agreed you’d try to talk to him openly, right?”

“But… I’m drunk right now.”

“That should make it easier.”

“‘Should’ being the keyword here.”

“Have some courage.” Kyra snatched her phone and answered it.

“Ella? Thank goodness you’ve finally answered. I know the girls were going to talk to you or something today, but I haven’t heard from you, and you’re not back… and it’s pretty late,” Leon rambled on.

“Aren’t you just sweet?” Kyra said.

“Um… Is Ella there?”

“She’s right here…” Kyra looked at Ella, who was waving her hands frantically, not wanting to answer her phone. “Unfortunately, she drank too much and fell asleep. All of them did.” Kyra sighed. “Lightweights, the lot of them.”

Leon chuckled. “Okay, as long as everything’s alright.”

“Maybe you should come and pick her up. I’m sure she’d be more comfortable in her own bed than on the couch.”

“Ah, okay…”

“I’ll text you the address.”

“Thank you. I’ll be there soon.” They both hung up.

Ella stared at her with her mouth agape. “How… how could you?”

Kyra smiled at her. “This is what you get for not answering your phone. Now, let’s grab blankets for these two.”

---

Continued in chapter 23.

One Life Stand – Chapter 20

Ella stared at the picture as memories of that day played in her mind. No way…

Leon gazed at her from nearby as she stayed still for a while. He wanted to say something to her, but wasn’t sure where to start.

“You… you were that little boy back then?” Ella finally spoke. “How is this even possible?”

“I said I’d marry you someday.” He laughed awkwardly, not sure if she was angry or not that he didn’t tell her.

“Ha…” She covered her mouth with her hand as she thought. She glanced at him and an image of his younger self overlapped with him. “You’ve definitely… grown up.”

“Bound to happen.”

“That was that same rude butler from back then too, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.”

No wonder he doesn’t get along with him.

“I probably don’t have to ask, but I want to hear it from you… I wasn’t some random person to you when we met in the bar, was I?”

“No…”

“You actually remembered me from back then? It was so long ago… and you were so young. I barely remember anything from when I was eight like you were…”

“You were my first real friend. I met you before I even met Zeke, and if it wasn’t for you, I might not have even accepted him. If it wasn’t for you, I might not even be here anymore…”

“Wait… you were seriously thinking about killing yourself when you were eight years old?”

“Let’s just say it more than crossed my mind… but you showed up and everything changed. I fell in love with you that day, Ella. And I know I was a little kid then, but you never left my mind these past… fifteen years.”

“No wonder you had trouble finding a woman to marry you when you were fixated on someone from the past.”

“But the whole time I was also hoping for you to be my future.”

“That’s a long time to pine after someone, and people change, so I don’t know if I can really live up to my past self in your mind.”

“You haven’t changed that much, Ella, and I haven’t been disappointed at all. You know, I couldn’t believe it when we ran into each other that night you stole my taxi.”

“You recognized me then?!”

“You’ve matured, but you still look the same.” Her image had stayed burned into his mind the entire time.

“You’ve definitely changed.” Ella chuckled.

“To be fair, I was a kid, and you were a teenager.”

“True…”

“So… are you mad?”

Ella sighed and lightly touched the picture of them. “More flabbergasted than anything. This is all… so much… I don’t even know what to say…”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”

“It makes more sense why you’d be so adamant about marrying me now, at least. I’m your first crush—”

“First and only love.”

She looked up at him, conflicting emotions displayed on her face. “How can you hold a torch for someone you haven’t seen in so long?”

“I do have a picture.”

“You know what I mean. Until recently, we haven’t met up in person… or online or anything, so how can your feelings last fifteen years without wavering?”

“I have wavered. I’ve tried dating other people, but I can never get you out of my head for long enough to try to have a relationship with someone else. I always end up thinking… ‘but this isn’t Ella’ and there’s no going back once that thought crossed my mind. Trust me, I know this sounds insane, but this has been my reality since I met you. I loved you before I even understood what love was.”

Ella’s heart skipped a beat, her nerves on end while she tried to take everything in.

“I’ve been so happy since I saw you again. I know you didn’t recognize me, and I can’t blame you; I’ve become such a handsome man.” He smiled at her and tried to show off his face. “And when you let your guard down a little, we seem to be great friends like we were then, so I hope none of this scares you away.”

“I know I’m a flight risk…”

“Do you feel like running away now that you know all of this?”

“I’m a little nervous, but not yet. We shared more dessert at the restaurant.” Ella couldn’t hold back a smile. “Just like we did back then. Did you do that on purpose? Have you been trying to get me to remember?”

“I remembered, but I wasn’t thinking about it when it happened… at first, anyway.” Leon shrugged.

Knock, knock. “Leon, your parents are requesting your presence once again,” Zeke spoke through the door.

Leon grumbled about being found and rolled his eyes. “Ugh… What now?”

The door opened. “I don’t know, but they’re not going to lay off my back until you talk to them again.” Zeke headed for Leon.

“I don’t like that glint in your eyes.” Leon backed away.

“If you don’t want me to get serious, you’ll go to them of your own free will.”

“Why? We talked earlier, and I’m already too exhausted…”

“Get over here.” Zeke grabbed him by the back of his neck and ushered him towards the door.

“You can stay here,” Leon managed to say before the door was closed behind them.

Knock, knock. Almost instantly after they left, someone knocked on the door.

“Yes?” Ella closed the album, and the door opened.

“It really is you, Ella.” A man with brown hair stared at her in awe from the doorway.

“Bruce?” What is this? Ghosts of boyfriends past? “What… are you doing here?”

“I saw you downstairs at the party and couldn’t believe my eyes. It’s been too long.” He sighed and entered Leon’s room, closing the door behind him.

Please let him not be crazy like Sebastian…

“Yeah, it has been a long time.” She smiled awkwardly.

“So, is it true? Are you going to marry Leon Hunt? A little young for you, isn’t he?”

“Not according to him… And yes, Leon is my fiancé. What are you doing here?”

“I’ve moved up in the world since you last saw me; I’m in with the rich crowd now, doing business high up in an advertising company.” He puffed his chest out and held onto his lapels.

“Congrats. I’m happy for you.” Surprised you could do it, but it’s good, nonetheless.

“Man…” he sighed. “I finally make it somewhere, and you’ve moved onto someone beyond me. I’m never going to be good enough for you, am I?”

“Excuse me?” Her brows furrowed as she eyed him. “What are you talking about?”

“Isn’t that why you left me? I proposed to you years ago, in case you forgot.”

“No, of course, I didn’t forget that—”

“You said yes in front of those people, and then once we were away from them, you freaked out and ran away. Wasn’t that because you thought about what life would be like with me? That I wasn’t good enough for you?”

“No… I ran away because I freaked out and didn’t feel like you were the one… or whatever.” Besides, asking in front of others puts on too much pressure!

“Do you feel that for Leon, or are you going to run away from him, too? There’s not much higher on the food chain you can go for, anyway.”

“You make me sound like a gold-digger or something…”

“Do you have any idea what I spent on you while we were going out? A ton! I racked up debt because I couldn’t afford you.”

She stared at him, baffled for a moment. “I never asked you to spend money on me. I didn’t expect you to, especially past your means. You chose to do all that even when I told you not to, and now you blame me for it?”

“I could tell you expected it. And after you ran away, what else was I going to think? Obviously, I didn’t have enough for you, and you went after someone with more.”

“I’m not with Leon because of his money.” Though I am because of a drunken night together… Although now, it feels like I might’ve eventually met up with him again anyway, since he was looking for me. We really should’ve dated normally. Wait, when did I start feeling this way? Despite wishing for a normal beginning, she knew she might run away as she always seemed to. This way, she was bound to him, so she had to give him a real chance.

“Ha… Like I believe you…” Bruce pouted.

“He’s the one that came to me…” Ella sighed. Well, this time. I went to him in the past when I saw him as a kid.

“Then why?” His lip quivered. “Why did you leave me? How could you be so cold? I thought we were in love…”

“I did love you.” Or at least I thought I did, but I could say the same for previous ones… My heart is not reliable!

“And if you weren’t ready, then say that you aren’t, don’t rip my heart out.” He was practically on the brink of tears.

“I did, but you weren’t listening.” He’s just reminding me of Nathan… I hope he’s okay.

“So it’s my fault you ran away?!”

Ugh… this is too much. Get me out of here. Her hands gripping the album shook. “I was too afraid, and you were too… overbearing and didn’t listen. We both had a hand in that failed relationship.”

“Overbearing?!”

She flinched back from his booming voice. Great, I’m stoking the flame.

“If you’d just listened to me, we could’ve been happily married with toddlers of our own running around. I probably would’ve gotten the promotion earlier too, since they always asked personal questions about our lives.”

“That’s probably illegal…”

“Things could’ve been different. My family wouldn’t shame me for being behind in life, telling me that by my age, they were married with kids in school and had a detached house of their own in the suburbs.”

“I think you’re taking things out on me that have nothing to do with me—”

“Nothing to do with you?!” Bruce yelled again, and Ella hugged the album tightly to her chest. “If we had stayed together and gotten married like I planned, my family wouldn’t be ashamed of me!”

“They shouldn’t be ashamed of you for that. Everyone’s lives go at different paces in different directions. Besides, it’s been years since we were together; you’ve had plenty of time to move on.”

“How was I supposed to just move on after you destroyed me?!” He stomped towards her, his fists clenched. “Don’t you even feel bad about hurting me like that?” He let out a low growl as he loomed over her.

Ella shuddered, her heart racing as she cringed away from him. I really do destroy people’s lives… don’t I? She couldn’t help but remember her fight with Alice. What will I eventually do to Leon? Will I leave him and turn him into someone like Bruce? “Of course, I feel bad.” She teared up, her lip quivering. “All I seem to do is mess up other people’s lives.”

He saw her tears and froze.

“I’m so irreparably damaged that I can’t seem to take the plunge.” Her breathing went ragged as the tears poured out. “Why…?” She sniffled.

All of Bruce’s anger dissipated as he dropped to his knees in front of her. “I’m sorry, Ella… I didn’t mean to yell at you.” He hesitated to reach out to her. “Please stop crying. Gah… what do I do?”

“I should leave Leon before I mess up him, too.” But I can’t… or he won’t get the company, and they’ll disburse it, causing hundreds or maybe even thousands to lose their jobs.

“What? Um… I didn’t mean that… I was just taking out my anger on you. I’m not looking to ruin other people’s relationships.”

“But you’re right… Alice was right, too… I always hurt people. I thought I could get past it this time, but I don’t know. What if it happens again?”

“Alice? That friend of yours that’s almost attached to your hip? I’m surprised she’d say something like that.” He sat down on the floor in front of her. “I screwed up too, and I keep screwing up. It’s not that I haven’t dated since you, but none have even lasted as long as ours did. And they weren’t half as good either. So I’ve worked hard to move up, but nothing’s changed. I’m sorry I took it out on you. It’s just… we didn’t exactly end on a good note, and I have a lot of leftover rage and pain sitting there from our relationship.”

“I’m sorry…” Ella wiped away her tears, but they kept falling. “I’m sorry…” she kept repeating herself.

“Come on; don’t keep crying. If you do…” he thought for a moment. “I’ll start crying!”

“What?” Since when do you ever cry?

“What? Men cry too, you know?”

“But… I’ve never seen you cry.” She sniffled.

“I have, and way more than I’d ever want to admit. I cried pretty hard after you left me, and since then, I’ll seriously cry at home after work… regularly…”

“Sorry…”

“I didn’t tell you that to make you apologize again. I was just explaining that I could start crying because you’re crying.”

Ella turned away from him. “Can you… just go?”

“And leave you here alone like this? Look, I know I’m still mad at you, but I’m not so much of a jerk to leave a girl crying on her own.”

“I hate crying… especially in front of others.”

“And I knew that, but still… Who knows who else could walk in here and take advantage of your emotional state? Damn it…” Bruce let out a deep sigh. “And I wonder why it’s so hard for me to get promoted…” he grumbled about being useless. Bruce pulled a handkerchief out from his pocket and held it out to her. “Here.”

“Don’t you need that for your tears?” Despite the fact that she was still crying, she laughed.

“Your tears are more important.”

The door behind them opened. “I’m sorry about leaving you alone for so long…” Leon trailed off when he saw Ella crying and Bruce in front of her. “What’s going on?”

Bruce flinched back, pocketing his handkerchief, and turned. “Leon…”

“Do I know you?” Leon asked. While he looked familiar, having seen him around on more than one occasion, he didn’t remember who he was.

“I’m Bruce—”

“And why are you here? And are you the reason my fiancée is crying?” Leon inched closer, his anger evident on his face.

Bruce stood and faced him. “Yes, I’m the reason she’s crying. We have some unresolved issues between us.”

Leon’s frown deepened, and he clenched his fists tightly. “Who are you to her?”

“Ex-boyfriend… ex-fiancé, too.”

Leon raised an eyebrow and glanced at Ella. “So many people want you or have wanted you, it seems… Anyway, how about you leave before I snap?”

“But I—”

“Go!” Leon growled.

“Sorry.” Bruce hung his head low as he left, closing the door behind him.

“Ella.” He knelt down in front of her. “What happened?”

Her lips sealed, she turned her head away and wiped more tears away.

“Quit rubbing so hard; you might hurt yourself.” He took her hands in his. “Talk to me, please.”

“Can we just go?” she asked, her throat hoarse and hurting because of how much she was trying to hold it back.

Leon sighed, his grip on her hands tightening. “My parents actually wanted to start planning the wedding now.” He felt her tense up. “But it’s clear we need to get you home. You’ll talk to me after you calm down, right?”

She stayed silent, unable to bring herself to look at him in that state.

“Ella.” He cupped her cheeks, turning her face towards him, and kissed her tears away. “Whatever it is, I’m here for you. Okay, let’s get you out of here.” Leon took his jacket off and draped it over her shoulders. “We’ll take the roundabout way to leave, so we shouldn’t run into anyone.” Leon took out his phone and texted Zeke. “He’ll be waiting with the car.”

Leon held onto her hand and led her silently down the hall to a different staircase behind a locked door.

What’s with this place?

“I’d call it an emergency exit, but it’s only that for those who live here, and have a key,” Leon explained as he led her downstairs. The stairs went down to an extra floor. “We have an underground parking lot linked to here, too.” He didn’t want her to get the wrong idea. “Helps with the whole escape plan thing.”

Isn’t it bad to need to have an extra escape route?

He opened the door at the bottom, and like he had said, there was a parking lot with a bunch of cars parked there.

Zeke was waiting for them, leaning on the car with his arms crossed. He was about to complain until he saw Ella’s state. He opened the back door for them and waited for them to be inside before closing it and sitting in the driver’s seat. He drove off, heading for their home.

Ella leaned away from Leon, gazing out the window with tired, glossy eyes. “Oh!”

Leon wrapped his hand around her shoulder and pulled her over to him, resting her head on his shoulder as he stroked her head. “You’re safe now, Ella,” he whispered.

---

Continued in chapter 21.

One Life Stand – Chapter 19

Fifteen-year-old Ella was spending time on the beach nearby during summer vacation. She had gone there with a couple of her friends and one of their parents. Her mom practically had to force her to go, telling her not to worry about anything. Wanting to spend some time alone, she walked off to a secluded part of the beach. She climbed up the rocks to the top of the hill, hoping for a better view.

There, she spotted him. A young boy stood at the edge of the cliff, staring out at the ocean as the wind blew his hair back. Ella couldn’t help but notice his feet were slightly off the edge.

That’s dangerous… She looked around, but there was no one else in sight. Isn’t he a little young to be on his own here? “Hey… Kid! Don’t get so close to the edge; it’s dangerous!” Ella called out to him, worried he’d either fall or jump in. Crap, I probably shouldn’t have yelled.

He tilted his head as he glanced back at her. She halted at his saddened expression, heart-wrenching at merely the sight of him.

What do I do? I can’t leave him here alone.

When she didn’t say anything more, he went back to looking off into the distance, as far as he could see the water.

Ella inched closer to him, ready to lunge should he choose to jump off. “What’s your name?” she asked softly, afraid she’d startle him.

“Hmm?” He glanced at her again.

“I’m Ella.” She stood beside him and looked down. Too far down… With shaking hands, she sat down and took a deep breath. “What’s your name?” she asked again.

“Why do you want to know? Are you just out for money and things, too?” he grumbled and eyed her suspiciously.

“No… Why in the world would someone talk to a kid for money?” Ella frowned. “I saw a familiar look of loneliness on you… and I got worried.”

A light seemed to flicker in his eyes. “You were worried about me?”

“Yes. Can you sit down? It’s making me nervous, you standing on the edge like that.”

He thought for a moment and nodded before sitting down beside her.

“Can you tell me why you’re here on your own? Where are your parents?” He’s so young… maybe around eight or nine.

“Ha… My parents? They’re around somewhere enjoying themselves…”

“Do they know you’re here on your own?”

“As long as I study and get things done, they don’t care. No one cares…” He sighed and hung his head. “Not even the one tasked with taking care of me.”

Rich boy with a nanny or something? “I know some people aren’t good at showing they care, but your parents probably care about you a lot.”

“No, they don’t! Tch, you’re just like the rest of them, aren’t you? You think I should quit whining and be quiet? I’m just delusional! I should shut up because I have it better than other people—” Leon went silent when she hugged him.

“I’m sorry. I spoke without knowing enough about the situation. And I should look at things from your point of view, which is obviously one of neglect.”

His eyes widened slightly as he looked at her, and he awkwardly wrapped his arms around her in return. He couldn’t remember the last time someone gave him a real hug. Tears formed in his eyes as he gripped her shirt and rubbed his face into her shoulder.

“It’s never okay to neglect your child. My mom’s a single mother, and she makes sure to hug me every day.”

“What… what about your dad?”

She stiffened up. “He’s… out of the picture, so I can’t really tell you anything about him.”

“Oh… Sorry…” He swallowed hard, worried she’d back away because he asked the wrong question.

“Don’t worry about that; it’s in the past.” Probably before this kid was even born.

When Leon finally let go, she backed away, and he rubbed the tears from his eyes. “Thank you…”

“Can we move away from this ledge?”

“I like it here.”

“Um… What exactly were you planning to do? Or were you just watching the water alone?”

“I…” he trailed off and looked away, gripping his hands tightly in his lap.

“It’s okay to tell me, you know? I won’t get angry… well, okay, I might get a little angry, but I won’t tell anyone.”

“You’ll keep it a secret?”

Ella nodded.

“I… I thought about jumping… but then I got scared of drowning. I know how to swim, but it’s really far down. I know it wouldn’t end well for me.”

Jumping in? Ella shuddered. Someone so young, and he wants to end it? She felt tears in her eyes and looked up at the sky, hoping he wouldn’t see them. “Are you…” She swallowed hard. “So upset and depressed that you’re thinking about killing yourself?”

His shoulders curled in a bit. “Yes…”

“Please don’t.”

“Why not? It’s not like anyone cares. I’m just around to take over when my dad’s old and doesn’t want to work anymore. They don’t actually want me…”

“Why do you think that?”

“Think? I know it! I heard them talking before! I know they only had me to have a successor.”

“Makes me think of kings in olden times and whatnot… They always had to make sure they had a son to pass their crown to. To them, you’re kinda like their little prince, then.”

“If I’m so precious, why don’t they treat me that way?”

“Do they… hit you or something?”

“No; they just ignore me. They can’t be bothered to deal with me at all. Even dinners together are forced, and they’ll talk to each other, but not to me. I’m…” His lip quivered.

“Lonely?”

“Yeah.”

“Loneliness can be overwhelming. I know we may not see each other after today, because I don’t know where you’re from and whatnot, but how about we be friends?” She held her hand out to him.

He looked at her hand. “You want to be my friend?”

“Yes, and I’m your friend who cares about you.”

He took her hand, shaking it, a slight tint of red on his cheeks. He couldn’t help but notice how much bigger her hands were. She definitely had at least a few years on him, but he knew he’d catch up someday.

“Even if we don’t meet—”

“We will meet again.”

“What? I can’t promise you that…” It would be irresponsible.

“I’m promising you that,” he said with a serious glint in his eyes.

“Oh?”

“I… may not have power now, because I’m just a kid, but when I’m older, I’ll be able to do more; I’ll be able to find you.”

“By then, you’ll probably have forgotten about little old me.” She giggled.

“No, that won’t happen. I’ll never forget you. I’ll make sure I find you and make you my wife.”

She froze. “Did you just say, wife?” This is a kid, right?

“Yes!” He stood, his chest puffed out, and he held his fist over his heart. “I promise we’ll meet again, and when we do, I’ll make you my woman!”

Since when do children talk like this? She stared at him, stunned for a while longer, struggling to figure out what to say. “Um… How about we work on being friends right now? My friends aren’t too far from here, if you want—”

“No; I only want you.” He grabbed her hand. “Even if only for a day right now, I wish to enjoy my time with my future wife.” He kissed the back of her hand.

“You can’t keep calling me that…”

“Why not?”

“People don’t just get married. They date and grow close… and grow to be intimate and whatnot before getting married.”

“A date…?” He thought for a moment, remembering what he read in books and saw on TV. He nodded. “A date it is, then. How about a walk along the beach? There’s an ice cream stand down the way. I’ll buy us some ice cream.”

“Um…” The hopeful sparkle in his eyes crushed her. It can’t hurt, can it? “O-okay… I could go for some ice cream.”

“Let’s go.” He took her hand again.

They strolled on the beach together. He kept stealing glances at her and smiling.

He seems… totally smitten. Too bad he’s way too young for me.

They stood in line together to get ice cream as Beautiful Soul, by Jessie McCartney, played over their speaker. “What flavour do you want?” He pointed to the menu on the side, wanting to decide before they got to the front.

“I like strawberry ice cream the most.”

He nodded. “Good to know,” he mumbled to himself.

At the front, he ordered strawberry ice cream for her and cookies and cream ice cream for himself.

I can’t let a kid pay for me… “Here, I’ll pay this time.” Ella took her wallet out of her pocket.

“No, no.” He pushed her hand with the wallet down. “A man pays on dates.” He handed the money over for the ice cream.

Ha… I guess if I go with whoever invites the other, pays, it won’t bother me… much. “Thank you,” she accepted the ice cream from him.

He automatically took her free hand and started walking along the beach as he ate. “Hmm… How’s your taste?”

“Good, yours?”

“Really good. Want to try it?” He held his cone out to her.

“Um… No, I’m good.”

“Oh… Okay…”

Damn, is he a puppy or something? “Uh, fine… Sure.” It’s so hard to say no to him. He’ll be dangerous when he’s older.

His face lit up, and he held his ice cream up to her face. She took a small bite and nodded. “It is good, thank you.” He glanced at hers and she knew right away what he wanted. “Want to try mine?” She held hers out to him, and he took a big bite.

“Yummy.” He smiled and continued eating his own. “I’ve never had anyone to share food with like this. It’s so cool. It’s hard to choose one flavour sometimes, but if you have someone to trade with, you get to try two!”

“It is nice to share, especially desserts,” Ella agreed.

After finishing their ice cream, they spent a while building sandcastles, skipping rocks, and talking about their lives. They sat down outside a little cafe on the edge of the beach drinking fruit smoothies.

Such a heavy life for small shoulders…

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun.” Leon happily drank his pineapple mango smoothie.

“Never?”

“Nope.” He smiled at her. “I’m definitely in love with you, and I’ll marry you someday.”

Ha… my first proposal, and it’s from a young boy…

“How about we stick to friends for now?” Ella asked.

Leon frowned a bit, but nodded. “I know… Friends now, more than friends later.” He winked at her.

“Ha…” He’ll definitely turn into a lady-killer.

“Master Leon, where have you been?” An older man dressed in a butler suit approached them, his brows furrowed and veins bulging.

“Tch… What do you care?” Leon glared at him. “The day’s not over yet; don’t ruin my date.”

“Date?” He turned to her. “Aren’t you a little old to be dating an eight-year-old? Are you a gold digger? They start young these days, it seems,” he scoffed.

“That’s not…”

“You’d do well to stay away from the young master. You won’t be getting any money from him.”

“I’m not after his money…” Ella tried to fight off the tears forming. “We’re friends…”

“Friends? I’ve been with this boy every day, and we’ve never met you. Besides, how old are you?”

“People can only be friends with other people the same age?”

The man grabbed Leon’s arm. “We’re leaving this instant!”

“No, let go of me!” Leon pulled back, but was too weak to fight against him.

“What are you doing? He doesn’t want to go with you.” Ella blocked his way, trembling under his gaze.

“It doesn’t matter what he wants. His parents ordered me to return him to the hotel hours ago, and I’m in trouble because this brat chose to run away. Now, get out of my way.” When Ella didn’t move, he shoved her out of the way.

“Ah,” she yelped as she hit the ground hard.

“Ella!” Leon called out to her, still trying to free himself. “How dare you hurt her?! Let me go, Richard! I need to check on her.”

“No, you’re coming back with me.” He tugged hard on Leon’s arm, yanking him forward and nearly pulling his arm out of its socket.

“Ah!”

“Leon.” Ella struggled to get to her feet, her elbows bleeding from hitting the paved patio area. She watched Richard take Leon away as he reached out to her. She stood there in a daze, tears in her eyes. He’s too strong; I can’t do anything for him… “Leon…”

---

Continued in chapter 20.

One Life Stand – Chapter 18

Leon called Zeke for a ride to his parents’ mansion, worried they might end up drinking at the dinner party. He cursed at Leon because he was already at his parents’ home, and wished Leon would’ve mentioned it beforehand.

“Next time I’m busy, just call for a taxi.” Zeke sped off to park the car after they got out.

“You’re a bit mean to him, aren’t you?” Ella asked.

“He’s worse, trust me… And it goes both ways, anyway. That’s what it’s like when you spend so many years together, almost like brothers, but he’s technically my assistant.”

“In some cases, that happens between older and younger siblings.”

“True. So, are you ready?” Leon held his arm up to her.

“Not really.” She wrapped her arm around his, her hands shaking.

They walked together to the entrance. “Young master.” The elderly attendant waiting outside the door narrowed his eyes as he stared at him. His eyes flicked over to Ella and trailed down her. “Miss.” He gave her a small bow. “I hope this evening turns out well. And young master, try not to make a mess of things.”

“You realize I’m an adult now, right? You can’t keep treating me like some bratty kid you’d rather not deal with, Richard.”

He opened the door and pointed inside. “Enter; your parents are expecting you, unless you plan on running again?”

“Geez, are you this rude to everyone?” Ella couldn’t help but ask. “Or do you hold some enmity towards Leon?”

“Ahem.” Richard adjusted himself. “I’m sorry for my rudeness. Please enjoy the party.” He gritted his teeth, holding back from saying more.

They entered the mansion, and Leon couldn’t help but smile at her.

“What?” she asked.

“Thanks for that; I struggle to deal with him, even now.”

“And… I probably stepped over some line, didn’t I?”

“Nope; he had it coming. Ha, finally… Now, if only I could say something like that to him myself.”

“Why does he treat you like that?” Ella whispered as they passed through the ginormous entranceway. Damn, I knew he was loaded, but this is a bit much. She eyed the golden accents everywhere and wondered if it was real gold.

“Lavish, isn’t it?” Leon asked, noticing her wandering eyes. He didn’t care for it much; it was too much even for his tastes.

“Yes… But seriously, what happened between you two?”

“I may have… run away while on his watch when I was little… more than once.”

“I see…”

“I think he got fed up when I vanished while we were on vacation; he got into a lot of trouble.”

“Why did you run away?”

“A variety of reasons, but mainly loneliness, I think. My parents didn’t have a lot of time for me, so they pawned me off on him way too much.”

“I see… Loneliness can be a big burden.” Ella couldn’t help but think about her own childhood. While she was close with her mother – unlike Leon with his parents – her mother was generally busy trying to make sure they had everything they needed to get by in a harsh society.

“Well, at least I don’t have to worry about that anymore.” He looked at her with a sparkle in his eyes and wiggled her arm.

“True…” Maybe…

They entered the gala room, and Ella halted, stunned by the sheer size of it. I thought it looked big from the outside, but this… What the hell?! Do they really need this in their house?

Tables were set up all around the room for people to sit and chat while either drinking or eating. A long table lined with food had a few servers behind it. Two people in their forties were in the middle of a crowd near the back of the room.

“They’re busy as always,” Leon mumbled. “Why’d they even bother inviting us when they’re so busy?”

“I… don’t know. I’m used to dealing with a slew of customers, but this… there’re too many people here for my liking.” Ella kept close to Leon as she looked around, pressing up against him when she tried to avoid bumping into people.

“If you feel an anxiety attack coming on, or even just want a breather, let me know and we can go get some fresh air.” He gestured towards a set of double doors on the other wall that led to the backyard.

“I’m guessing it’s too early to go get fresh air now, right?”

Leon chuckled, finally easing some of the tension in his expression. “I wouldn’t mind some fresh air, but as soon as they know I’m here, they’ll expect me to go to them. They’re self-important like that.”

“Might be considered good manners.”

Leon shrugged. “Was it good manners to try to force me to come here?”

“Good point.”

“Leon!” a deep voice called out to him. The crowd around his parents split, and they walked up to Leon and Ella. “So you finally showed up?”

“You make it sound like we’re late.” Leon sighed.

“If you’re not early, you’re late.”

“No, if you’re not early, but not late, you’re on time. If you’re late, then you’re late.” Leon rolled his eyes.

“Quit with the sass, boy. Now, come here with your lovely bride-to-be.” He forcefully gave them both a hug.

The crowd around them gasped and whispered amongst themselves.

“That’s right,” his father said. “This lovely lady here is my dear Leon’s fiancée.”

Ella’s heart raced as she felt all the eyes turning to her. Does he make a spectacle of everything?

“He finally found his wife and things will all fall nicely into place. Come, sit with me and your mother.” He led them over to where his mother was sitting at a table. He excused himself from the crowd, wanting a moment to talk to them. “Say, have we met before? You look familiar?” he asked Ella.

“Um…” He looks a bit like an older version of Leon, so it’s hard to say.

“Are you hitting on her?” Mrs. Hunt asked, frowning at her husband.

“No, of course not. I mean it, she looks familiar. Don’t you think so?”

Ella squirmed under his gaze, an urge to run filling her.

Mrs. Hunt rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry about my husband.” She held her hand out to Ella. “Nice to meet you, Ella. I’m Molly Hunt, Leon’s mother.”

“Nice to meet you, too.”

“Robert Hunt,” his father said. “So, you’re finally taking your inheritance seriously.”

“When was I not serious about it?” Leon asked.

“You were always so flippant and never tried seriously dating a woman. Sure, you tried to sneak around, but that ended quickly after we sent more people to keep an eye on you.”

Leon stared at him flatly. “Don’t you even hear how crazy that was?”

“I had it the same way; it’s not a big deal. Although I was quite a bit younger than you when I got married.” He smiled at his wife.

“You just don’t give a damn if it doesn’t affect you.” Leon grabbed a glass of wine and leaned back on the couch.

Oh no… Ella reached over and rested her hand on his hand in his lap.

He gave her a small smile and let out a sigh before lacing his fingers through hers. “It doesn’t matter, now, but that said, no future generation will have some silly stipulation like that forced on their life.”

“On that note, how long until your wedding?”

“How long until we have grandbabies?” Molly asked.

“I don’t know.” Leon gripped her hand tighter. “But if or when that happens, is when it happens. Right now is not the time to think about that.”

Surprised they’d want grandkids with how little attention it seems they gave Leon.

Robert looked at Ella again, his eyes narrowed. “Might not want to wait too long, though. If I remember correctly, you’re already thirty, so your timer is ticking on the baby front being easier.”

Ella gritted her teeth. It wasn’t the first time she heard it, and she was tired of all the flack everyone gave her. Why should she rush to have kids? Did she even want them? So what if she was thirty? People much older than her still had kids.

“That’s the thing with older women—”

“Can you not criticize her? Seriously…” Leon huffed. “I love her and we’re committed to being with each other; can’t you at least be happy about that instead of pushing?”

“Love?” Robert frowned. “At first sight or something? Whatever.” He sighed. “I’m just glad you’re finally tying the knot, and I can give you a proper position to ready you for a takeover.”

“Aren’t you too young to be giving up the spot? And besides, I have my own flourishing business to deal with right now.”

“And I’ll absorb it into mine, eventually.”

Leon sighed and took a drink of wine.

“You do want to inherit the family business, don’t you?” Robert asked, finally paying attention to how Leon was acting.

“If I don’t, I know what’ll happen to it, so yes…”

“Then what’s all the fuss about?”

“What if I want to keep the businesses separate?”

“You want to compete with me, which will eventually be you…? That’s preposterous!”

“Dear, he just wants his own business for now.” Molly rested her hand on her husband’s shoulder. “He can at least keep his business name.”

“I helped him start it, anyway; it’s not like he started from nothing.”

“Neither did you.”

“I…” he trailed off, knowing she was right.

“He’s already agreed to be married like we required of him, so why not give him a few years before really pulling him in? How about we focus on the wedding for now? He can focus on his business while we do that.”

“Don’t I get a say in this?” Leon asked.

“No,” both his parents replied.

“In my twenties, and still nothing has changed.”

“So, Ella, we invited you here to talk to you, not our son.” Molly turned her attention to Ella.

Ella tensed up, wishing she could vanish rather than be subject to their scrutiny.

“You don’t have to be so nervous, dear; we don’t bite.”

“I beg to differ,” Leon couldn’t help but speak up. “You two have the sharpest fangs of anyone I know.”

Molly frowned. “You shouldn’t talk like that, especially here.” She glanced around the room. The others had moved so they could talk, but they were still within earshot, and plenty of them were listening in.

“If you’re worried about that, maybe we should’ve met up in private, not at a party with all your friends.”

“And they’re your friends too, or at least they will be soon,” his father said. “And you can probably expect most of them at your wedding, so how about you go chat with them and make nice while we get to know Ella better?”

“I’m not leaving Ella’s side.”

“Do you think we’d harm her or something?”

“Not exactly…”

“Of course, we won’t; she’s to be our daughter-in-law.”

“I always wanted a daughter.” Molly sighed.

“I didn’t think you wanted more than one kid.” Robert turned to her. “We do like our private time, after all.”

“It’s a good thing you didn’t have more than one kid,” Leon said, but it fell on deaf ears, as they were in their own little world talking to each other. “Although, I guess I would’ve had someone to play with.” He sighed, thinking about what it would’ve been like to have a little sister.

“I think I need some air,” Ella mumbled, leaning her head on Leon’s shoulder.

“Me too. Ahem,” Leon cleared his throat. “Well, you got to meet her, and we need to excuse ourselves for a moment.” He stood, Ella’s hand in his. His parents were still not paying attention, so they left.

Leon led them upstairs.

“I thought we were getting some air?”

“There’s a balcony in my room too, and no one else will be there.”

“Oh, I see.” Could definitely use a bit of quiet time.

Leon took a deep breath as he approached a door and grabbed the handle. “This… is my old room. I still use it if I stay here.” He opened the door and let her in first. He watched her carefully as she looked around his room.

“All these paintings… are they yours, too?” She pointed at the ones on his walls.

“Some of them are, and some are from the person who taught me to paint when I was younger… though their time with me was quite limited.”

She stopped in front of a painting of a woman walking away on a beach, glancing over her shoulder as she held onto her hat.

“This looks like the same woman from the other painting. Who did you say she was again?”

Leon thought for a moment, but he couldn’t remember what he said. “A woman I met once when I was younger.”

“By the way, do you have a photo album or something? I want to see what you looked like growing up.”

“I do, but there’s not much in it outside of forced pictures with their business partners and family.”

“Still…”

“I will take your interest in my pictures as a good thing, then.” He opened up the cabinet near his desk and scanned the binders. “Here.” He pulled one out and smiled at it for a moment before handing it over to her.

“You seem too happy now, considering you were reluctant a few seconds ago.” She took the album and sat down on his bed.

“Because I remember some precious memories in there. Have a look.” He took a deep breath and sat down beside her.

She opened it and couldn’t help but smile. “You were a cute baby.”

“Are you saying I’m not cute now?”

Ella’s jaw hung open for a moment. “Well… You’re handsome now; I don’t know about cute…” I’m sure he can be, but that’s better off left unsaid.

“Handsome?” Leon nodded. “I like the sound of that.”

“They always throw big birthday parties?” There were pictures from all his birthdays, and there was always a crowd of business people around.

“Ah, yes, it’s always business with them. A pile of presents to go with a crowd of strangers, none of which actually care. Trust me, all these parties suck.”

“By the way, where’s Zeke? I thought he’d end up joining us after parking the car?”

“Probably being put to work by my parents instead of letting him enjoy the food or something. Then again, Zeke is good at talking up the business people, so he’s probably doing that.”

Ella turned the page and froze, her heart skipping a beat. “This…” She lightly touched one of the pictures. “This looks like me…” What in the world is going on? “Wait a second…” She looked at a picture of a teenage girl knelt down beside a young Leon, a look of surprise on her face as he kissed her on the cheek. “I… I remember this… I must’ve been around fifteen at the time? I… I’ve met you before? That kid was you?”

---

Continued in chapter 19.

One Life Stand – Chapter 17

“You can come here without making a reservation?” Ella asked Leon, as they entered a fancy restaurant. The attendant at the front instantly recognized him and greeted him.

“I’m a semi-regular here, so yes, and it’s not that upscale. It’s even considered a family restaurant.” He nudged his head towards a young family of four eating together. “So long as they’re well-behaved, anyway. I’ve seen them throw a family out before because of an unruly kid.”

“I can’t blame them.”

They both sat down and made their orders. Ella kept looking around, fascinated with all the artwork on the walls.

“Which one is your favourite?” Leon asked.

“The painting of the young woman with roses.”

Leon smiled widely.

“What is it?”

“That’s my favourite too in this place. Do you want it?”

“I don’t think you’re supposed to go around buying the decor.” I know he’s filthy rich, but that still feels like an odd thing to do.

“The original, I mean. I always make two copies of my paintings and keep one for myself.”

“Wait… What?” Ella’s eyes widened. “Are you the one who painted it?”

“Yes.” He held his chin up proudly. “Though I don’t have time for it these days, I did quite a bit of painting while I was in college.”

“Who’s the lady in the painting? She looks familiar.” She tilted her head as she examined it further.

“Uh… Just a muse; a young lady I met when I was little, actually.”

“You know, if it’s someone you dated, you can tell me, right? I mean, you’ve already met one of my exes…”

“I never had the chance to be with her back then. We had only met for a day, and then she vanished…”

“Sounds like the starting of a romance novel.”

Leon nodded. “I suppose it does…”

Their food arrived, and Ella dug in right away. “Gosh, this is good. I’m not even sure what all of this is.” She poked at the sauce on her chicken. “But it tastes so good I don’t care.”

He couldn’t help but smile as he watched her eat. It made him glad he brought her there, to his special restaurant, filled with his paintings. Other than Zeke, he never told anyone else about his paintings. His father didn’t approve of him becoming a painter, so he wanted to at least keep it as a hobby. That didn’t work out either, as his father found out that he was painting and threatened to burn what he had already created if he kept painting.

“Ella, is that you?”

She recognized the deep, male voice right away. With a glance at Leon first, she turned to look at him. The same dirty blonde hair and striking blue eyes she remembered. “Justin?”

“Oh my gosh.” He approached her, smiling, and put his arms out for a hug. “It’s been such a long time.” He hugged her without a second thought, and she patted his back awkwardly. “I can’t believe I ran into you. You look gorgeous.”

“Thanks…”

“Ahem,” Leon cleared his throat.

“Oh, sorry, are you here on a date?” 

“Yes, we are,” Leon said.

Justin looked at him. “I’m so sorry. I just haven’t seen Ella since…” he trailed off, not sure he should mention it.

“Let me guess, she left you sometime after getting engaged or rejecting the proposal?”

His eyes widened. “Has she mentioned me?”

“Not specifically, but I know a bit about her past.”

“I see.” He nodded. “Well, I just moved into the area, and if you give me your number, maybe we can catch up over coffee sometime.” Justin rustled around in his coat pocket and pulled out his phone. He held it out to her, his eyes practically sparkling.

Crap… Ella glanced over at Leon, who shrugged, telling her to do whatever she wanted. Bah, it’s too awkward to say no! “Okay, sure.” She put her number in his phone.

Leon huffed a bit but held back from saying anything.

“It’s really been so great to see you again.” Justin sighed and held his hand over his heart. “I’m happy to see you’re doing well.”

“Same…”

“I’ll call you soon, but for now, I should get back to my family.”

“Your family?”

Justin pointed at a table a little further in. “I was here with my wife and kids. I had gone to the bathroom and spotted you on the way back. Anyway, enjoy your meal.” He gave her a little wave and rushed off to be with his two daughters and his wife.

He’s married? With kids? I probably shouldn’t be surprised, but I am… Ella watched him walk back to his table with his family waiting. This feels surreal.

“You okay?” Leon asked, his eyes not leaving her.

“Y-yeah; I’m fine.”

He finally looked over at Justin. “You know, I was jealous when you chose to give him your number, but – and I’m surprised to say this myself – but I don’t think he actually had any ill intent.”

“I know a lot of guys think guys and girls can’t be friends, but they can be.”

“Even if you used to date? Worse, you were engaged, right?”

“Um… No… He did propose, but we weren’t engaged…”

“You said no?”

“Yeah… I had a panic attack, said no, and ran away. I apologized to him after and he took it as a hint that I wasn’t for him. He was actually pretty understanding about it after I told him about Sebastian…”

“And yet you two obviously didn’t work things out.”

“Our relationship died at college.” She chuckled, circling the top of her glass with her finger as she reminisced. She met him after transferring to a different college nearby to get away from Sebastian.

“Do you regret it? That could’ve been you.” He nudged his head over towards Justin and his family.

“No; I don’t think it would’ve worked out. I wasn’t ready for all of that back then. I’m not sure I’m ready for it now… Sorry…”

“I’m the one who should be sorry. I’m the one forcing you into marriage when it seems you’re terrified of it. I’m not going to say I understand fully, but I know things are hard for you, and I plan on helping you deal with it all… somehow.”

“Thanks.”

“And I want to apologize beforehand for anything my parents might say, and for the fact that I know they’re going to want to fast track us through being engaged to being married.”

“By the way, can I read that contract? I’m not sure if we’re engaged or married.”

“We’re engaged, and promised to be married, or else I lose a lot.”

“What’s the timeline for us being married again?” My head’s starting to hurt.

“Well, I’m twenty-three and I have until my twenty-fifth birthday, so less than two years.”

“Ha… I keep forgetting you’re so young.”

Leon’s brows furrowed, and he pouted. “Are you saying I look old for my age or act older than my age?”

“Act older.”

“Oh, okay…” he let out a deep sigh. “Yes, I suppose I’m more mature than many people my age, but please stop worrying about the difference; it doesn’t bother me any, and it’s really not that big of a gap.”

“I was just wondering what your parents will think of it.”

“They won’t care; they just want me hitched.” He couldn’t help but think they never cared much about anything when it came to him. They wanted him to follow their rules, learn their ways, and live the way they wanted him to, but they always seemed to leave him on his own.

“Shouldn’t they at least care if you’re marrying a gold-digger or something?”

“As long as the marriage lasts, I can’t say they’d care.”

Are they really that bad? Or is his view of them skewed?

“You seem skeptical, but you should’ve seen the women they tried to set me up with before.” he shuddered. “I firmly turned them all down, of course.”

I really don’t know what to expect at this dinner party…

Dessert showed up, and despite the nerves that were gnawing at her stomach, she dug into her slice of brownie cheesecake. “Mm, this is good.”

“You like sweets?” He took note of how she seemed to enjoy it even more than the meal. He doubted she knew, but her expressions spoke wonders.

“Yup; I love all sorts of desserts.”

Leon cut a piece off of his apple cinnamon cheesecake with his fork and held it up to her. “How about trying this one?”

“Um…” It looks good… Not even sure why I didn’t choose apple when I love’em so much. “I-it’s okay. You enjoy your food.”

“Why? It’s obvious you want some.” He smiled at her and held the fork closer.

“You don’t have to feed me.”

“I don’t have to, but I want to. I suppose I can’t force you to eat it though.” He ate the bit on his fork and she gasped. “What? I thought you didn’t want it.”

Ella’s face flushed. “Quit teasing me.”

He cut another piece and held it up again. “Maybe I just like the idea of feeding you. If you want some, then take a bite, or else I’ll polish this off myself.”

Man, I’m weak to dessert. Before he could pull it away again, she bit down on the piece he offered. So good… “Mmm…” She leaned back, slowly enjoying the bite.

“Ahem… I know I started this, but you might want to rein in the um… noises.”

“Hmm?” She looked at him with a raised eyebrow for a moment before sitting straight up. If he’s implying what I think he’s implying, I should refrain from eating delicious food around people…

“Oh! I didn’t mean to make you feel self-conscious or anything. I love the fact that you enjoy your food. It’s just…” He glanced around the restaurant, glad no one was looking.

“I get it,” she mumbled.

He sighed, figuring he ruined things. “I’m sorry.” He bowed his head, staring at the half-eaten plate of cheesecake on the table, waiting for her to say something more.

“I’m… surprised you can apologize so easily. I find many people struggle with that.” Ella couldn’t help but think about Sebastian, who always blamed everyone else.

“I prefer to man up when I make a mistake. Not apologizing and trying to sweep it under the rug can make things worse down the line. I want to have an honest relationship with you that stands the test of time; it won’t do any good to ruin things by not apologizing.”

So mature… How is he twenty-three? “Thank you, but I’ll still keep it in mind not to make such… noises while I eat.”

“I only mentioned it because of others nearby. I enjoy listening to you.”

Her face flushed up to her ears. I can’t believe he said that…

Leon scratched the back of his head. “What I’m trying to say is… I don’t know, really, but maybe I should change the location to suit you, not the other way around.”

“How would you do that?”

“Find restaurants with private booths, or rooms so it won’t matter.”

“You make it sound like it’s okay to make those noises…” Ella looked away from him.

“In front of me? Yes, of course it is. I also imagine your friends don’t care, since this seems like news to you.”

“Well, to be fair, they’re worse than me…”

Leon laughed. “I guess if it’s that common, then this is more of a ‘me’ problem than anything.”

“I’ll at least… try not to be so loud.” She poked at the fork sitting on her plate. “How about some payback?” She held up a piece to him and he ate it without hesitation. I guess that’s not payback for him. “You…”

“Mmm.” He smiled at her. “You’re right, this is good.”

“Ha…” She quietly ate the rest of her dessert, avoiding looking up. When she finally did peek, her eyes locked with Leon’s. He was resting his chin on his hands, his elbows on the table as he stared at her.

“I guess we should go.” He sighed. “I’d rather stay here for another round of dessert…”

“And as much as I’d like that, I don’t want to be overfull while at the dinner party and risk losing it.”

“Oh… Try not to be too nervous; they’re mostly harmless now.” Leon looked away for a moment and sighed. “I know it’s useless to say something like that, but I’m sorry; I don’t know how to help nerves.”

“Don’t leave me alone there if you can avoid it.”

“I hate to say it, but there’s a good chance someone there will want to drag me away, but I’ll do my best to stick by your side.”

“All I can ask for, I suppose. Alright, let’s go.”

---

Continued in chapter 18.

One Life Stand – Chapter 16

Slap.

The girls heard a faint noise from outside the room. They exchanged a glance and went to investigate, slowly opening the door. In the living room, they saw Leon, his cheek red as he kept his head tilted down, Zeke standing in front of him.

“That was from your father, not me,” Zeke said.

“As if you didn’t enjoy that.” Leon rolled his eyes and flopped back on the couch.

“Did you just slap him?” Ella asked, pushing her door fully open while Alice hid behind her, peeking over her shoulder.

Zeke raised an eyebrow as he turned to her. “Technically, yes, but it wasn’t from me, it was from his father.”

“For what?”

“For choosing his wife to the point of no return for him without letting his parents meet you first.”

“I thought they’d be happy since he chose someone…”

“It’s also because he still hasn’t had you meet them, despite knowing they wanted to. I should also inform you, you are required to come to dinner with them tonight.”

“Isn’t that a bit short notice?”

“I would’ve informed you earlier, but Leon didn’t answer any calls or texts from me once you left on your date, like the little brat he is.”

“I’m not sure that makes him a brat… but o-okay…” Ella swallowed hard. I’m going to meet his parents…

“On that note, I’d like to meet your mom sometime,” Leon spoke up. “Have you told her about me yet?” his eyes sparkled as he asked.

“No…”

“I told her,” Alice said.

“You what?” Ella turned to her.

“I was freaking out when we had that fight, and I wanted to make it up to you, and we ended up talking… Sorry… it slipped out.”

Surprised she hasn’t contacted me about it yet. Although, maybe it’s not that much of a surprise; she likes to let me come to her about things first.

“Don’t worry about it.” Ella sighed.

“You’re not hiding me from her, are you?” Leon asked, popping up behind her.

She jumped a bit, surprised by his voice beside her ear. “No, but to be fair, I didn’t talk to her about Nathan either.” She only knew of his existence in my life…

“Weren’t you together for years?”

“Yes…”

“Okay then…” Leon backed away. “I won’t take it personally, but seeing as she does know about me, I should meet her soon.”

Ella shrugged. “Eventually.”

“You know your parents won’t want to wait long before having the wedding, right?” Zeke asked.

“Of course, they won’t want to wait…” Leon rolled his eyes and stretched out his neck. “They’ve been pushing me to get married since I was twenty. Heck, they mentioned it right after I turned eighteen, so I knew this would happen.”

“Could’ve warned me,” Ella mumbled.

“I didn’t say I’d let them force it to happen quickly. I kinda wanted to get closer to you first.”

“You’ve gotten plenty close more than once.” Alice laughed, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “Oops…” She backed away into Ella’s room.

“And while I love that closeness, it wasn’t what I was talking about.”

“Right…” Alice grumbled, pouting as she stayed hidden.

“So, I’ll come to pick you two up and drive you to their house for dinner, okay?” Zeke asked, his hand gripping Leon’s shoulder.

Leon looked at Ella, who nodded. “Seems so.”

“Seems like she’s the boss, not you.” Zeke smirked. “Good, he could use direction, and he actually listens to you. I’ll see you later.”

“Where are you going?” Leon asked.

“Unlike you, slacker, my work never ends.” Zeke took off, his phone in his hand as he left the suite.

“Your assistant is a bit pushy,” Alice said, inching around Ella. “Handsome, though…”

“I don’t suggest dating him unless you like someone controlling who’s always busy.” Leon ruffled her hair. Something about her made her feel like a little sister, even though she was older than him.

“Hey.” She pushed his hand away. “I never said I wanted to date him. In case you forgot, I’ve already gotten into a fight with him. I can tell how he is, and I’ll leave it as a fling isn’t out of the question. Ella, I’ll let the girls know I’ve confirmed you’re okay. Enjoy your dinner tonight and tell me about it at work. Leon… good luck with tonight.” Alice waved with both hands and skipped off.

“She’s an interesting little woman, isn’t she?” Leon watched her for a moment before turning back to Ella.

“Interesting is one way to put it.” Alice is a lot of things and is hard to pin down…

“I’m glad you two seem to have made up.” Leon pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

“So am I… So, we’re going to their house for dinner? Where is it, anyway?”

“About a half-hour drive from here, and with them, this isn’t just a dinner between the four of us; it’ll be a dinner party of some sort with who knows how many people. Maybe not even really a dinner…”

“That doesn’t sound good for getting to know someone on a personal level.”

“It isn’t. They do it for connections, business connections.”

“I don’t think I should be going to a business party…” Definitely wouldn’t fit in there.

“Are you abandoning me tonight?” He pouted. “I’ll get a lot of flak from them if I don’t bring you with me… and my father is a hard man to deal with even when he’s in a good mood, never mind when—”

“Fine, fine… What am I supposed to wear to something like this?” Maybe if I only answer questions simply and try not to talk too much, I can get through this.

“Ah… I guess it’s time to reveal it…”

“Reveal what?”

“Come with me.” He led her to his room.

“Why are you bringing me in here?” She tensed up.

“Really? I thought after last night…” He sighed. “Never mind.” He let go of her hand, went to the other side of his bedroom, and opened a pair of double doors leading to a walk-in closet. He stepped out of the way and pointed to the right side where there were a slew of dresses, blouses, skirts, and jewellery. “I may have gone a bit overboard after our first night together…”

“You bought all of this for me?” Damn… Sounds like he bought more clothes for me in one day than what I already own. This thing is packed to the brim. Ella lightly touched the clothes as she walked by in awe, the fabric so soft she had to resist the urge to cuddle up against it. “I… don’t know what to say, or where to start.”

“I was going to wait and let you fill it at first, but that quickly changed, and I couldn’t seem to help myself as I imagined you in all of this. I don’t know your tastes yet, but hopefully, there’re at least a few things in there to your liking.” He had thought about giving her an unlimited credit card and encouraging her to use it, but was afraid she’d freak out over it.

“Are you kidding? These look amazing. Too good even…”

“Too good? They’re just clothes; I can’t imagine they’d care who wears them so long as they’re worn with enjoyment. Besides, nothing is too good for you.” He gave her a gentle smile.

I think Alice left too early; she’d love to see this. She’d love to wear all this. Damn, she’s going to be constantly borrowing clothes when she finds out, even if they’d be a little baggy on her. Wait… he knew my size after one night together? No… He must’ve just guessed…

“I don’t know what to choose… What would your parents like?” Ella asked.

“Don’t worry about them. What do you like?”

“I don’t know… All of it?”

“Ella… Look again and choose what stands out to you. You can go in sneakers and joggers if you really want, so long as it’s something you want to wear.”

“It’s a fancy business party; I want to at least match that…”

Leon waved his hand towards the closet. “It’s your choice, Ella, chose whatever you want; they’re all yours, anyway.” He moved to his side of the closet and pulled out a sleek black suit. “I’ll be wearing this, in case you want to match me. I’ll change in the living room; you can use this room.” He walked away before she could say anything.

“Ha… So much clothes… Seriously, how’d he end up buying this much? Not like I can reject them either, since he bought it all already,” she mumbled to herself as she browsed through the dresses again.

She stopped by an elegant, long black dress and thought of Leon’s suit. Can I pull this off? She held it up to herself in front of a mirror. I like it, but is it me? Ella changed into the dress and stood in front of the mirror once again. Damn, it really does hug ‘every’ curve. She cringed, poking at the bit of extra on the side.

Knock, knock. “Did you pick something?” Leon asked through the door.

“Kinda… Sorta… I don’t know. Maybe I should find something else to wear.” Ella sighed, her shoulders slouching as she stared at herself in the mirror.

“I take it you’ve changed then?” He peeked inside before opening the door fully and sauntering up to her. “Why would you change out of that? You look gorgeous!” He rested a hand on her bare shoulder as he stood beside her with the top buttons of his shirt undone and tie hanging loose.

Ella hugged herself, trying to hide her body. “I don’t think it suits me.”

“Nonsense; you look so sexy I’m finding it hard to keep my eyes off of you.” At her mere visage, he felt himself heating up.

She glanced up, and sure enough, he was smiling at her in the mirror, his eyes lidded. I know that look from him already… “How about something a little less…” she trailed off, not wanting to admit to her insecurities. “Um…”

He leaned in close, his grip on her shoulder tightening. “Wear it with confidence, Ella; it suits you. I’d love to be able to take it off you later, too.” His warm breath blew past her ear and she quivered.

“W-what?” She pushed him away.

Leon sighed. “I thought we were at that point, but I guess I was wrong?”

“Uh…” He’s not wrong; I did sleep with him again. One drunken mistake is one thing, but I don’t think you can call a second time a mistake, too…

“I understand. I won’t push it, but know I’m here either way, pining after my fiancée.”

She could see him pouting in the mirror and covered her eyes.

“Should we head out now?” Leon asked.

“Isn’t it a bit early? Unless the ride there will take that long…”

“No, but it’s unlikely we’ll get to eat much at this dinner, so I figured we’d stop by a restaurant before heading there. Besides, my parents have a way of… decreasing my appetite substantially.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

Leon sighed and laced his fingers through hers. “It isn’t good, but for once, I’ll have someone there with me, right?”

Her grip on his hand tightened, and he smiled. “Yes.” Sounds like he needs me. Someone actually needs me…  

“Let’s go grab a bite first.”

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Continued in chapter 17.