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.”

---

Continued in chapter 17.

One Life Stand – Chapter 15

So warm… Ella slowly roused in the morning, encompassed in a warm embrace. Her eyes shot open, and she looked down at the arms around her from behind.

I did it again, didn’t I? She moved a bit and the arms around her tightened.

“Good morning,” Leon mumbled and kissed the back of her head.

“M-morning…” She swallowed hard. Ha… naked in bed with a… Well, he is my fiancé, so this is okay, isn’t it?

“Please don’t tell me you were drunker than you seemed last night, and you’ve forgotten our night together again, or that you regret it…”

Ella felt him tremble slightly. “No, that’s not it… More like…” I do remember our first time now… “I’m embarrassed, I guess.”

“Embarrassed? Why? I know this isn’t your first time… nor am I the only one you’ve slept with, and that’s okay…” Though he wouldn’t have minded if he had been the only one. “If anything, I’m the one who should be like that.” He chuckled, hoping to disperse some of the tension.

“I’m embarrassed because I got drunk in front of you again… and I definitely told you too much last night… Ugh…” I can’t imagine he has a good opinion of me now. 

“Honestly, I hope I’m the only one you get drunk in front of anymore.”

She glanced back at him, wide-eyed.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not endorsing drinking too much or anything; I just don’t want any other guys seeing you drunk… or being around you while you are. You’re too cute and vulnerable; I’d worry about someone trying to take advantage of you.”

“Oh…” That make sense. I wonder if he’s been worried about my drinking and whatnot since the first day. Wait… Did he… “Did you say I’m cute when I’m drunk?”

“I did, but I think you’re always cute, especially when you’re blushing up to your ears like you are right now.” He chuckled.

She covered her face with her hands and could feel the heat. “Oh my gosh, you like teasing me, don’t you?”

“I think most guys like teasing the girl they like.”

She sighed and shook her head. “S-so, when are we getting out of bed?”

He smiled at her and loosened his grip. “You can get out of bed whenever you feel like it.”

“But…” Then you’d see all of me.

“You realize I saw all of you last night, right? And vice versa, of course.” Not that it was the first time.

Mind-reader. “That was at night and with some liquid courage; I’m not ready for that now, though.”

After a moment, Leon sighed and rolled onto his other side, looking away. “Fine; I won’t look at you this time.”

She tried to take the blanket with her, and Leon tugged on it. “What are you doing?”

“You don’t need to rob me of the blanket to get changed. I’m facing the other way.”

“And you won’t turn around until I say you can?”

“Promise.”

She took a deep breath and rushed to the bathroom, grabbing her clothes off the floor on the way over.

Leon smirked, looking at her reflection in the window. “Worth the peek…” he mumbled and got up to put some clothes on himself.

Ella stared at herself in the mirror and noticed a bunch of hickeys on her chest. Oh my gosh… I can’t believe he left those. Although, none of them are in a spot that others will see. By chance or on purpose? Doesn’t matter… She shook her head and pulled her clothes on, surprised to find another one on the back of her shoulder. I don’t even remember that one.

“You okay in there?” Leon asked, knocking on the bathroom door.

“Yup…” She opened the door and came face-to-face with him. “You look ready to go already.”

“Of course; I don’t take long getting ready because I’m so used to always doing it last minute.”

“Isn’t that a bad thing?”

Leon shrugged. “I always got up late when I was in school, but still managed to make it in time for class. It can come in handy to be able to change fast. Anyway, let’s go home.” He held his hand out to her and smiled, careful not to let his hand shake.

“Okay.” She took his hand, and he laced his fingers through hers.

“Definitely going to remember this hotel,” he said as he closed the door behind them.

Ella blushed and looked away from him. What do I tell the girls? I bet they’re still worried…

After a quiet ride back to his hotel, Leon and Ella headed to the top to their penthouse suite.

“Alice?” Ella’s eyes widened as she spotted her outside their home, talking to Zeke. She tried to release Leon’s hand, but he gripped onto her tighter.

“Zeke… Is something wrong?” Leon asked.

“You’re finally back,” Zeke huffed, having been waiting for hours. He had tried to contact Leon, but never got a response.

“You have a key to the place, so why are you waiting out here?”

“I was inside, but eventually this little cretin kept pounding on the door asking to see Ella. I came out here to talk to her like a civilized person—”

“Who are you calling a cretin?” Alice fumed, glaring at him as she stomped a foot towards him.

“What do you suggest I call you then, with how you’ve been acting?”

“Alice, like a normal human.”

Leon and Ella exchanged a glance. “Zeke, let’s go inside.” Leon waved his hand towards the entrance.

“Yes, sir,” he grumbled and let them all in.

“Alice.” Ella hesitated for a moment and hooked her arm through Alice’s. “Let’s talk.” She dragged her away to her bedroom to let Zeke and Leon talk alone.

“You’re talking to me again?” Alice’s eyes shook, her head tilted down as she peered up at Ella.

Trying to pull a cute look on me? To be fair, it works most of the time.

“We’ve been friends a long time and I’ve cooled my head a bit, so I think it’s time we talk…” I don’t even remember exactly what she said anymore. “I don’t want to lose you over this.”

“I don’t want to lose you either. I can’t go a day without wanting to call you.” Alice’s grip on her arm tightened.

“You did call; I didn’t answer. You texted, too.”

“I’m sorry if I seem like a stalker or something, but I need you and want you in my life.”

“Honestly… I’m not even sure what I bring to your life other than drama.”

“I enjoy a little drama, but you seem to forget all the times I’ve had to lean on you. All the break-ups you helped me through. All the ice cream we’ve eaten together as we watched rom-coms after my break-ups.”

Ella’s face scrunched up as she thought about it. “Why do you break-up with so many of them if you know you’re going to be hurt?”

“Pretty sure I should ask you the same thing, but you know me; I don’t want long-term, and once we hit a certain point, I have to break it or they’ll get attached. Anyway… the point is, I love you and need you in my life. I’m sorry I said such mean things. I’m not in your situation; I haven’t lived your life, and I shouldn’t have said—”

“I’m sorry, too. I overreacted; you’re right about me. I’ve been leading guys on for years without noticing and then running away once they wanted more.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think about what reason you might’ve had to act that way. I can’t believe he was your first boyfriend. He seemed like such a prick and—”

“He was sweeter when I met him.”

“Again… sorry for my big mouth, and apparently thoughtless comments.”

“You talked to Kyra, didn’t you?” Ella sighed. She’s the only one who knew a bit about him.

“Yes… Don’t be mad at her, though.”

“I’m not mad at her.”

“Oh, well, good then. Question… Why didn’t you tell me about him? Between all of us, I thought we were the closest.”

“We are, but Kyra is different from us; she’s mature and accepting and—”

“Motherly? I agree.” Alice chuckled. “I can’t really blame you for telling her.”

“It’s not like I told her all about him, but I explained a bit when she found a picture in my room while she was cleaning.”

Alice nodded. “I sometimes think she likes cleaning our rooms so she can try to find our secrets.”

“Probably,” Ella laughed. “She wants to know our secrets, but at the same time, she’ll keep’em.”

“Unlike Charlie, who blabs on about other people’s secrets so easily.” Alice sighed. “Never trusting her like that again,” she muttered, shaking her head. “So, I have to ask… do you forgive me?”

Ella nodded. “I can’t stay mad at you about it.” Especially since she was right about me.

Unable to contain herself, Alice lunged at her for a hug. “I’ve missed you, and I was so worried about you yesterday. I can’t believe you were with a scary person like him, and all I want to do now is protect you from him.”

“You did, didn’t you? All of you did… while I ran away.”

“In this case, I think it was okay that you ran away. Fight or flight and all that; it’s about self-preservation.”

“I was probably safe once all of you were there, but the anxiety was so overwhelming that I couldn’t stay anymore. I needed somewhere quiet away from everyone.”

“I know I don’t suffer from anxiety like you do, but I understand needing to step away from a situation to have a moment to yourself.” Alice wrapped her arm around Ella’s and laid her head on her shoulder. “I’m glad you’re back, and I have something to ask you.”

“What’s that?”

“Did you sleep with Leon again?”

Ella froze, her jaw hanging open.

“I knew it,” Alice laughed.

“How?”

Alice pointed at Ella’s face. “You’ve got an extra glow to you right now. Must’ve been good.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

“I was also drunk again.”

Alice’s face dropped. “Does this mean you don’t remember it?”

Her face turned red as she bit her lip. “No… I remember this time…” I remember the first time now, too.

“Which means you can give me all the juicy details, right?” She rubbed her hands together.

“Since when do I ever talk about that?”

“Don’t we always?” Alice frowned, staring off to the side as she tried to remember.

“You talk about it while I listen.”

“How in the world did I never notice that?” Alice laid back on the bed, her mouth agape, and arms spread out.

“Charlie has talked to you about it, though? On that note, why do you two fight so much when it seems like you two should get along the best?”

“Hmm… Maybe we’re too similar then… Ugh, way to ruin things.” Alice rolled onto her side.

“By the way, is Charlie okay? She was with you when you were trying to deal with… him.”

“She’s fine; Charlie’s a tough girl, and we all know it. I hope you thanked Leon for dealing with the situation; I wouldn’t be surprised if he got a restraining order put on him after that.”

“That’d probably be a good thing. So… are they mad at me?”

“Who? Charlie and Kyra? No, of course not; they understand it was a bad situation. They’re just glad you’re okay.”

---

Continued in chapter 16.

One Life Stand – Chapter 14

Leon got them a room at the hotel at the amusement park and used the elevator to get upstairs to their room.

“You really didn’t need to get the most expensive room here, you know?” Ella sighed as she looked around their luxury suite. It would probably leave most people in awe, but she was used to working in the penthouse suite already.”We’re only staying for tonight.”

“I like using these… and besides, it’s good to check out how other hotels are.”

“That still doesn’t mean using the luxury suite.”

“How about you don’t worry about it and enjoy the drinks?” He opened up the bar fridge. “We can also order something.” He pointed at the wine menu sitting near the phone.

Ella thought for a moment. “Sure.”

Leon picked up the phone, and she took it from him along with the menu. “I thought…” he trailed off when she smiled.

“Let me; this is one of the things I trained in.”

“You’re a wine connoisseur?”

“I’m not sure I’d call myself an expert, but I know a thing or two.”

“Order anything you want.” He stepped away, giving her a bit of space as he checked out the suite. “Good view of the amusement park from here.”

“We’ll have our wine in a moment.” She hung up the phone and moved over to the mini-fridge.

“What are you doing? I thought we were having wine?”

“We are, but I’m starting before that.” She pulled out a small bottle and downed it in one go. “Ah…” It burned the whole way down. I’ll need a lot more than he needs to make it through this conversation. He snatched the second bottle she pulled out. “What are you doing?”

“I figured you needed a little liquid courage, but if you down these things so quickly, you’ll pass out drunk before we even start talking.”

“But these are so tiny, and I didn’t feel any buzz from the first one.”

Leon sighed and took a sip of her second bottle. He coughed a bit and looked at the label. “Are you trying to go for the strongest ones in there?”

“I didn’t actually read the label…”

“Can we just relax and start talking while we wait for the wine?”

Ella thought for a moment. “Nope.” She pulled out a new bottle and downed it. “Whoa, that went down easy.” She laughed, a slight tint of pink on her cheeks.

“Please don’t tell me you’re drunk already.”

“Nope.”

“Do you normally drink this much? You drank quite a bit that night, too.”

“Ha ha… No… I was struggling with the situation then, that’s why I drank so much. But you probably already know that much with how much I blabbed that night.” She sighed.

“You mean with… Nathan, was it? The most recent ex?”

“Yes, that’s who I had broken up with…” It still hasn’t been that long. “One more drink.” She reached for the mini-fridge again and he took her hand.

“These don’t have a low alcohol content, so quit chugging them down.”

“I’ll sip this one…” she pouted.

He froze, finding her expression to be cute. “F-fine…” he huffed and looked away. “But that’s the last one for right now.”

“Thank you.” She kissed him on the cheek and rushed to sit on the couch as she gripped the little bottle.

Leon touched his cheek and smiled. “Worth the drink,” he said to himself before sitting on the couch beside her, leaving a little bit of room as he worried about making her more nervous. The moment he was about to speak, someone knocked on the door. “I’ll get it.” He answered the door, got their wine in an ice bucket along with glasses, and tipped the attendant before taking it. “Thank you.”

“Thank you.” Their eyes widened at the bill he gave them. “Let me know if you need anything else.” They smiled and walked away.

“Geez, what’d you give him? His eyes were sparkling as he left…”

“Don’t worry about it.” He set up their wine glasses and handed her one.

“Thank you.”

Both sitting on the couch sipping on their drinks, Ella finally spoke. “I met Sebastian in high school. He claimed he fell for me at first sight and asked me out right away. We dated, and he was sweet, caring, and attentive… at first. Even before we left high school, he seemed to get upset whenever he saw me talking with someone.”

“A jealous boyfriend?”

“Part of it was that, but even if they were my girl friends, he didn’t want me talking to them for too long. He was always asking me on dates and tried to stay by my side as much as possible. He even changed his schedule to match mine.”

“Attached at the hip…” he mumbled.

“He’d get so angry sometimes and we’d argue… but then later on he’d apologize and say how much he loved me, and beg me not to leave him.”

“I have to ask because of how this guy sounds… did he hit you?”

She bit her lip and took a sip of wine to steady herself. “He did once, but… again, he apologized repeatedly until I forgave him. He had a habit of grabbing me, though.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like grabbing me by the wrist and pulling me around… or things like trapping me in a spot so I can’t move.” She shuddered. “We went to the same college too, and after a few college parties we both went to, he ended up proposing to me… while I was working at that amusement park.” Never mind the other one…

“The one we went to? We could’ve gone to a different one if you wanted to—”

She held her hand up. “I thought I was over everything; it was so long ago now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“I should’ve researched more and found a better place to go.”

“Researched more?” She tilted her head to the side. “How in the world would you manage to find out about my link to that place?”

“You said you worked there; that alone could’ve been enough to make me steer clear of it. If you had social media pictures—”

“I don’t even bother to list that job anymore, and I’ve since deleted photos from back then. I barely even use social media now. I’m not Alice…”

“There are ways to find things that were deleted from social media.”

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Please don’t do anything illegal; I don’t want any link to that kind of thing.”

“Noted…” He couldn’t help but still think he’d do it if it were an emergency.

“Where was I?” She took a big swig of her wine and poured more into her glass.

“He proposed to you.”

“Ah, right… He proposed to me, and for some reason, I agreed, thinking he’d be his sweeter self again because that’s how I knew him to be. And if he didn’t seem attached enough…” She let out an exhausted laugh. “He started controlling even more of my life. What I ate… any activities… And he used the excuse that we were engaged, and I’d be his wife someday, so I should do as he says without complaining.” I can’t believe how much of a pushover I used to be.

Without her noticing, Leon had inched closer to her on the couch and gripped her hand in her lap. “I understand how things were with him, so you don’t have to continue.”

“Thanks, but I’m okay to keep going. There’s only one main thing left to mention about him, anyway. One day, while working at the amusement park, I saw him boarding the Ferris wheel with another girl. They were holding hands, and he was acting sweet with her…”

“I’m going to assume there’s no chance she was a family member or something, right?”

“Ha… No… I could see them making out on the Ferris wheel. He controlled my every move by that point, but it still wasn’t enough; he cheated on me.” She downed another glass. “I couldn’t help but wonder why I wasn’t good enough, and I ran away after that. I… moved out while he wasn’t there, quit college, and went back to live with my mom. He contacted me quite a bit, or rather tried to. He called and called. He left both sweet and terrifying messages for me. I ended up changing my phone number, since blocking his number wasn’t enough. And I got lucky he didn’t know where my mom lived.” Ella shuddered.

“Wow… I’m so sorry you had to deal with a toxic prick like him…”

Thinking about him now, I’m surprised I even had it in me to get into relationships after that. Then again, I’ve run away from each of them, even though I don’t think the others deserved to be treated like that.

“I know I probably shouldn’t ask this, but did he ever give a reason? Not that there’d be any valid excuse.”

Ella cringed. “Because… I didn’t give him enough.” She looked away, gripping the skirt of her dress.

“Give him enough? Sounds like you gave him your whole life.”

She sighed and took another drink. “Because I wouldn’t have sex with him as often as he’d like, and something about being a bit… vanilla.”

His eyes widened and he nearly spat out his wine. “Are you… serious?”

“You think I’d lie about something like that?”

“No, no, no, that’s not what I meant. I’m just… flabbergasted… What a moron.”

“Trust me, I have a few choice words for him, and moron doesn’t even cover the tip of it.” She sighed and leant back on the couch, staring at the ceiling. Probably better off not telling him Sebastian was my first boyfriend… and the first man I slept with… “I think that about covers it for him. Now… if you want to talk about my father, there isn’t much to say.”

“I think you’ve said enough for today.”

“This’ll be quick. He left my mom and me on my fifth birthday. He just left during my birthday party and never came back. I don’t remember much about him, but anyone who can abandon their family like that should never have made a family in the first place.”

Leon hesitated, still processing the new information and worried about saying the wrong thing.

“For years, whenever someone was at the door, my mom would rush to it expecting her husband to be there, finally coming back to us. She’s the one who suffered because of him… She waited and waited, but he never came. Wherever we went, I could tell she was looking for him with that slight glimmer of hope in her eyes…” Ella sighed, almost in tears, thinking about her mother. “After five years, we moved to a new house. More like we couldn’t afford the old one anymore, and didn’t want to be in that area where everyone knew that we were abandoned. And I’d say it took another… decade, I guess, for her to stop looking for him everywhere.”

“If I could find him, would you want to meet him?”

She looked into his eyes. “Why would I ever want to meet that prick again? There’s no good reason to abandon us short of his death, so no; meeting him wouldn’t help any.” Feeling the tears wanting to release, she covered her eyes with her hand and swallowed hard.

“Okay; I won’t bring him up again.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a hug. “You can cry if you want to… but know this, I’m not going anywhere. I won’t cheat on you, and I won’t walk away.”

Ugh, I hate crying, especially in front of other people. She tried to keep it in, but the tears forced their way out. Yet… how much have I cried lately? Geez… I’m such a wimp.

“You’re okay now.” He kissed the top of her head.

She rubbed her face against his chest a bit, wetting his shirt, but he didn’t care one bit. “How can you be so sure you won’t do those things?”

“Because I’m different from those men, which I hope you can see by now.” His grip on her tightened.

Maybe… just maybe… he really isn’t like the others.

“What about the fact that I’m such a hot mess and a flight risk?” Ella asked.

“You’re not a mess; you’re just working through a lot of trauma. And I can deal with the flight risk part by always coming to find you.”

She pulled back and wiped her tears away, his hand still resting on her shoulder. She took another drink and could feel heat flushing through her, but it wasn’t because of the alcohol. Ella looked up at him. “How can you say I’m not a mess?” She smirked, pointing at her face.

“Because you’re simply beautiful to me.” He kissed her forehead.

How is this man real? She stared into his pale blue eyes for a moment before kissing him on the lips.

His eyes widened, caught by surprise, before he put a hand behind her head and pulled her in for a deeper kiss.

She pulled back a bit and glanced over at the bedrooms.

“Are you sure?” he asked, cursing himself.

“You don’t want to?” Am I mistaken about this? Does he only want to be together on paper? No… he’s already proven otherwise.

“It’s not that. Trust me, it’s not that. But… do you only want this because you’re drunk and sad right now?”

“I’m not that drunk; I know what I’m asking. And if part of it is because I’m sad, would you turn me away?” Her hands on him trembled.

“No; I’m just wondering where I stand with you right now. There’s no way I’d—”

Ella cut him off with another kiss. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and got up from the couch. She wrapped her legs around him and they made their way over to the bedroom, kissing. He kicked the door open and dropped her on the bed before nearly ripping his shirt off.

He hesitated again, looking at how flushed her cheeks were. She grabbed onto his belt and pulled him forward onto the bed with her.

The last of his resistance left him as they kissed and rid each other of their clothes. He ran his hands around her body, remembering every sensitive spot he found during their first night together.

“Mmm…” She dug her fingers into his back and curled her toes.

“You’re so hot right now.” He whispered into her ear and kissed her neck. The heat radiating from her only served to turn him on more. “And I’ll always want you…”

Always… Ella couldn’t think much, too mesmerized by his hands on her.

They gave in to their desires and had their way with one another until they were exhausted. Ella passed out, her head resting on his arm.

“Gosh… I love you,” Leon mumbled as he kissed the top of her head. He knew he’d scare her if he said it directly to her, so telling her while she was asleep had to suffice for now.

He stayed awake, enjoying her presence for as long as he could, fearing things would be back to normal come the morning.

---

Continued in chapter 15.

One Life Stand – Chapter 13

“Can you just leave me alone, Sebastian?” Ella asked, hoping it’d be easy.

“That’s not a nice way to talk to me.” Sebastian grabbed her forearm.

“What do you think you’re doing? Let go of me.” She tried to pull away from him and then shrunk back at the dark look in his eyes. Please, someone… help me… She quivered and scrunched her eyes closed.

“Get your hands off her.” A woman in dark clothing and sunglasses came charging at them and chopped at his hand.

“Alice?” Ella recognized her voice.

“Ouch.” Sebastian let go and rubbed his hand. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He raised his hand, ready to slap Alice.

“I’d rethink that if I were you.” Charlie appeared from the other side and grabbed his raised arm. He shoved her off, and she stumbled back. “Dammit,” she cursed under her breath as she hit the ground.

“Charlie!” Ella reached out to her and Sebastian blocked her path. “Stop it, Sebastian. I know how much you hate making a scene, and this is turning into one.”

“It’s only turning into one because you’re reacting like this.”

“Still never willing to admit when something’s your fault?” How can a decade go by, but he still stayed this way?

“How is this any of my fault? Come on, let’s go talk in private.” He reached out to grab her, but someone else grabbed him again. This time, he yelped in pain as he was brought to his knees.

“What’s going on here?” Leon was fuming. He had rushed over once he saw Sebastian push Charlie.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Ella’s fiancé. Who are you?”

Sebastian’s expression darkened. “Her ex-fiancé.”

Leon’s eyes widened. He never expected to meet any of them. “Well… That doesn’t matter; you’re in the past and I’m her future.”

“We’ll see about that. I think it’s fate we reunited here, of all places.”

Ella took a few steps back, her stomach in her throat.

“Why would it matter where you are?” Leon moved to step between them, blocking his view of her.

“Heh, you don’t know much about her past, do you?”

Don’t tell him.

“This is the place we got engaged.”

And the place you broke my heart… Ella backed away from all of them, her breathing ragged.

“She must’ve had me in mind to bring you here.” He laughed. “Doesn’t bode well for you, bub. Why don’t you just move along and forget about her?”

“How can you talk all big while you’re on your knees?” Leon put pressure on Sebastian’s arm and he yelped.

“Don’t worry, security is coming for him,” Alice said, her phone to her head. “They’ll deal with you. Ella…?” Alice looked over behind Leon and didn’t see her. “Where’d she go?”

Charlie turned around and searched the crowd before pulling her phone out to call her. “She’s not answering.”

“She… ran away?” Alice bit her lip.

“This place is huge; how are we supposed to find her?”

“Call Kyra… Oh, there’s security now.” Alice waved them over.

After a lot of arguing and outsiders explaining what they saw, security dragged Sebastian out of the amusement park and put a ban on him. Kyra showed up in time to see Sebastian leaving.

“I guess I know why he looked familiar now,” Charlie said, remembering an old photo she saw of Ella with him.

“None of you know him?” Leon asked. He looked between them all; when he checked up on Ella, he was told about her close friendship with all of them.

“He’s… pre-our time,” Alice said. “Like… he was the high school sweetheart, and I knew he asked her to marry him, but she never said anything about agreeing to it… to me, at least. On that note, she never said much about him, but we all got the feeling things didn’t end on a good note.”

“She talked to me about him once,” Kyra said. “She said he was sweet in the beginning, until they started college, and then he changed. He became possessive and controlling… to the point of not wanting to let her out on her own. She was so afraid of him…” Kyra sighed. “I wish she never had to run into him ever again.”

“What’s done is done.” He held his phone out. “Give me your numbers, and we can split up to look for her.”

“Okay.” Kyra took it and put all their numbers in. “We’ll let you know.” Kyra headed off first, hustling like a mother looking for her baby.

“I still doubt she wants to talk to me…” Alice trailed off, realizing Ella had more than one reason to want to run than she thought. “But I’ll let you know…”

“Come on.” Charlie wrapped her arm around Alice’s.  “We’ll check on the other side of the amusement park. Good luck.” Charlie dragged her away.

“Ella… Where would you go?” Leon looked at his surroundings, trying to remember any place in the amusement park that stood out. Where would she hide? Where would she run to? Is there somewhere she’d feel safe away from everyone? He looked up in the distance and saw the Ferris wheel. “Maybe…” he mumbled and took off towards it.

Why? Why did he have to be here the same day as me? Ella sat on a bench surrounded by foliage on an elevated area, blocked off from people’s views. Most people didn’t know about it, but she had found it while working there, and used it as her place to relax while still in the amusement park. I haven’t been here in so long. She gazed up at the Ferris wheel in clear view. I used to love looking at it, but now… it makes me remember him…

Ella played with the ring on her finger, trying to remind herself that things were different now. Sebastian had been out of her life for so long, but seeing him again brought back a lot of memories; both good and heartbreakingly bad.

“Have I really not changed?” Ella rested her head in her hands. I’m still just running away from everything, even though my friends were there. They were trying to protect me, and I ran. I’m so pathetic… Tears threatened to fall.

Leon stood in front of the Ferris wheel, the sky darkening. There was a line-up for the Ferris wheel, and Ella wasn’t there. He approached the attendant and pulled up a picture of her on his phone. “Have you seen this woman?”

They looked closely at the picture. “It’s hard to say; so many people go through here… but I don’t think so. I’m sorry.”

“Okay…” he sighed and stepped away. “If she’s not here, then where?” He gripped the metal railing and gazed up at the Ferris wheel. “If she’s not on it, then maybe she’s somewhere she can view it.” He scanned through the nearby crowds. “Or I’m wrong and she’s not here at all.” He sighed and stretched his stiff neck. A cliff above with a railing caught his eye. He could see trees and bushes, but since it had a railing, it must’ve still been a part of the amusement park. “How would I even get up there?”

No matter how many tears she wiped away, they kept coming back. “Ugh, why won’t it stop?”

“Because you keep avoiding your past pain instead of dealing with it.” The bushes behind her rustled and Leon came out, a bit out of breath. “Do you know how hard it is to find this spot?” he huffed and sat down next to her.

She tensed, clutching her phone in her hands as she expected the worst.

He leaned back, gazed up at the sky, and let out an exhausted sigh. “Ah… I thought I was in better shape than this…” He steadied his breathing before turning to look at her. A tear-stained face and red eyes. She turned away from him.

Strong arms wrapped around her from behind and hugged her tightly. “It’s not the past, Ella; he has nothing to do with you anymore,” Leon whispered into her ear. “He’s been tossed out of the amusement park and can’t hurt you anymore.” She trembled in his arms. “If you can manage to trust me, I can keep you safe.”

“You’re not… mad?”

“Maybe a little, but I was more afraid and worried than anything. I’m so glad I found you, and that you’re safe.” He sighed and hugged her tighter.

Much to her own surprise, her tears stopped, and she leaned back into him. “I’m… sorry about him.”

“What are you apologizing for? You didn’t ask him to come here.”

“But…”

“None of what happened is your fault.” He pulled her over onto his lap, his arms still around her waist.

“W-what are you doing?” She tried to get off of him, but his grip tightened.

“Hopefully making you more safe and comfortable, and trying to get a look at your face since you’re trying to hide it from me.” And make sure she didn’t run, but he didn’t want to say it out loud.

More nervous, not more comfortable. “Don’t look at my face right now; it’s a mess.”

“I’m going to be your husband; I plan to see every face you can make, and hopefully be the only one for some of them.”

Her lip quivered.

“Your friends are worried about you, especially Alice, so once you’re feeling better, you should talk to them. For now, I’ll let them know you’re safe.” He pulled out his phone and texted the others.

“You have their numbers?”

“Yes, for exactly this purpose. Look, they’re happy you’re alright.” He showed her the texts from them on his phone.

Of course, they’d go looking; my friends are awesome, and I’m not sure I even deserve them with the trouble I always cause.

“And they went looking for you because they care about you, you know? They value you more than you know. And regardless of what you think, you’re an amazing person to them… and to me…”

She cringed. He doesn’t know me well enough for that.

“I know you better than you think…”

“And apparently you’re a mind reader.” She glanced at him.

“I’ve just noticed how hard you are on yourself sometimes, and how much you seem to run away from things.”

“Ha… pathetic, isn’t it? I can’t see anything through, can I? It’s no wonder my relationships explode.”

“I don’t think it’s pathetic. A bit worrying because I don’t want you to run from me, but no, not pathetic. If anything, I think you have a trauma that keeps nagging you more than it does most people, but that doesn’t mean things won’t change. And how long have you four been friends?”

“I’m not even sure anymore… almost ten years, I think. Kyra remembers dates better…”

“See, you have a long-term relationship that’s still going, several, actually. And as long as you make up with Alice like I know you both want to, I think it’ll last a lifetime. I’m also hoping a certain other relationship lasts a lifetime.” He sighed and kissed her shoulder.

“You know… with this whole fiancée thing, I kinda expected you to use me for a few years, then discard me, but you’re serious about a lifetime, aren’t you?”

His eyes widened slightly. “I told you it was a lifetime commitment before…”

“Yeah, but… Look at how we went about things. I keep thinking you were desperate to find someone normal who wasn’t after your money, and you figured you could stand being around me, so you went with me as quickly as you could after we met that night.”

He took a deep breath. “I know this might seem like a contract marriage or something like that, but it’s not really. I mean, I need you to inherit the company, but I’m not going to leave you after a few years or anything like that. I’m the one bound by all sorts of things; you’re really the one thing… person I got to choose for my life. Hell, if you don’t want to bear kids in the future, I’m totally okay with adopting a kid.”

“I… I guess even with all you’ve said, I still didn’t believe you were serious.”

“Do you now?” His eyes pleaded with her. “Because I have been serious this whole time.”

It still doesn’t make sense to me… Why me? “You’re one-hundred percent certain you want me?”

“Yes.”

She sighed and looked up at the darkened sky. “I guess that means you deserved to know about… Sebastian…”

“I will admit I’m curious, but you don’t have to talk about him if you don’t want to.” He could only imagine all the bad memories that might come back by talking about him.

“You should know about him… and about my dad I guess…” Or the other ones that proposed? That might be a bit much all at once.

“Well, I want to know more about you, but you don’t have to stress yourself out about it, or do it all at once. That said, I’d love to talk. So, shall we head home?”

“That’s a bit of a drive… and I don’t want to lose my nerve.” I definitely want something to drink.

“There’s a great hotel right here at the amusement park, if you’d prefer that.”

“Wouldn’t it be bad to stay in one that isn’t your own or something?”

He chuckled. “One, I’m allowed to stay wherever I want and no one will care since it’s a hotel, and two, my dad owns the one attached to this place, anyway…”

“Does it have alcohol?” Although I stopped drinking after that night… for a while…

“Of course.”

“Then let’s go.” She went to stand and finally remembered she’d been sitting on his lap the entire time, his arm still around her waist. “Um…”

“Want me to carry you there?”

“I’ll pass…” That’d be super embarrassing.

Leon sighed. “I guess I have to let go now.” He slowly released her because he wasn’t sure she wouldn’t run away.

“Thanks.” She hopped off of him, her ears red, and her back turned to him as she held her hand out. “Let’s go.”

---

Continued in chapter 14.

One Life Stand – Chapter 12

Ella avoided Alice for the rest of the week, even after getting an earful from Kyra. Charlie kept showing up, wanting to hang out, but Ella turned her away. The weekend rolled around and it was time for her date with Leon at the amusement park.

“What should I wear?” Ella asked Charlie, who was busy on her phone, as Ella stared at her wardrobe. “You know, if you’re not going to help, then please go.”

“No, no, no… I’m here to help. That one.” She blindly pointed at a dress.

“That’s it; time for you to leave.” Ella tugged on Charlie’s arm and pushed her out of her room. “Go home if you want to chat with your husband.” She closed the door.

Knock, knock.

“Charlie, go home.”

Knock, knock.

“What now, Charlie?” Ella opened the door to find Leon. “Oh, I’m sorry… I thought it was—”

“Charlie, I know. No, she’s over on the couch still texting.” He pulled a gift box out from behind him. “I got you something to wear on our date.”

“Really? Thank you, but you didn’t need to do that.”

“I wanted to.” He urged her to take it.

“Thank you.”

“I look forward to seeing you in it.” A slight blush touched his cheeks, and he headed off.

Ella set the box on the bed and took a deep breath, preparing for the worst. He’s a young guy and wants to see me in it; that can’t be good, right? She flicked the lid off and looked inside. It was a light pink flowy summer dress with flowers on it. This is not what I was expecting. She held it up to herself and looked in the mirror. It’s more of a reserved yet playful type of dress. This will work for a date at the amusement park. Well, maybe I should wear something under it just in case.

She changed into her new dress, did up her hair and light makeup, and left her room to find Leon waiting in the living room casually dressed in a t-shirt with an open shirt over it and jeans. Simple, but it suits him.

“You look… so cute…” He cleared his throat and composed himself. “Shall we?” He offered her his arm.

“Thank you.” She took his arm. “By the way, where’s Charlie?”

“She said she had something important to do and ran off.”

“Oh, okay.” Totally thought she was going to try to join me…

Outside, a grey Porsche pulled up in front of them. Zeke got out and handed Leon the keys. “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you there?” he asked.

“This is a date to an amusement park, Zeke, so no, I’d rather drive us”

“Okay… Call if you need anything.” He stepped off to the side.

Leon opened the door for her and made sure she was buckled in before rushing to his side. His hands on the wheel, he smiled at her and then took off.

Leon safely pulled into the packed parking lot, got out, and immediately opened the door for her.

I’m surprised he didn’t speed or anything. Is he normally like this, or is it all for show?

He took her hand, and they headed into the amusement park together.

“So, what do you want to do first? If there are any rides you want to go on, I suggest going to those before the food stalls,” Leon said right after they passed through the entrance gate.

“Okay, how about that first?” She pointed up at a monstrous rollercoaster with multiple loops.

Leon nodded awkwardly. “Sure, let’s go.” Hand-in-hand, they lined up for the rollercoaster. When they got to the front of the line, Leon tensed up.

“Are you okay? We don’t have to go on this if you don’t want to,” Ella whispered to him.

“No, I’m fine,” his voice hitched slightly.

He’s afraid to go on the ride? Kinda cute, but why an amusement park then?

They sat down on the rollercoaster, safely locked in. Leon took a few deep breaths.

“We’ll be okay,” Ella assured him.

“I know… Still terrifying,” he mumbled to himself.

After the rollercoaster took off and gained some speed. Ella screamed and raised her arms in the air as it went down on a steep slant. Leon gripped the safety harness tightly the whole time, not a peep from him.

“Wow, how’d you not scream?” she asked, laughing and wiping away a tear as they came to the end of the ride.

“Ha…” Leon wobbled as he got out of the rollercoaster, his legs feeling like jelly. 

Ella took his hand and pulled him off to the side to sit on a bench. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why would you think otherwise?” He forced a smile.

“I have to ask, are you afraid of heights?”

“Nope; I’m fine on planes. Heck, I’ve been on too many flights for my liking, so it’s not that. You feel the speed so much more on these, especially when you’re plummeting towards the ground…”

“You didn’t have to ride the rollercoaster.”

“But I could tell you wanted to, so I ended up wanting to as well. It’s just as bad as I remembered,” he sighed.

“We don’t have to go on those rides, you know?”

“But it’s an amusement park.”

“There are other kinds.” She pointed at the bumper cars. “How about those? Or over there.” She pointed at the go-karts.

“I don’t think I want to ram you with a bumper car, but you want to race me?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Why not? Think you’ll lose?”

“You’re asking for it now.” He smirked. “Let’s go for it.”

They headed towards the go-kart track. Ella looked up past it and slowed down, her eyes on the Ferris wheel. The last time she had ridden one, she was with her first boyfriend.

“Ella? Is something wrong?”

“What? No…” She shook her head.

He looked over at the Ferris wheel in wonder. Why was her expression sad? Was it that she wanted to ride it, or something else? “We’re next. Time for you to lose.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“Care to make this extra interesting?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Loser has to… do something for the winner.”

She frowned at him.

“Within reason, of course, but the loser will owe the winner a favour that can be requested sometime down the line.” He held his hand out to her. “What do you say?”

She hesitated.

“Afraid to lose?”

Her eye twitched. “You have a deal.” She shook his hand. Both of them ready with their helmets, they got into their go-karts.

She took a deep breath, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

3…

2…

1…

They both sped off, gaining a quick lead on the two other people racing with them. They rounded the second corner neck-in-neck and went full throttle on the straightaway. By the third round, the other two were already too far behind to win the race. Ella practically drifted around the last corner and just barely pulled ahead to pass the finish line first.

“Yes!” she cheered after coming to a stop. She pulled her helmet off and stood. “You owe me a favour.”

“Do a victory pose.” Leon pulled his phone out and aimed it at her.

She made a V with her fingers and smiled, her helmet held under one arm.

“Awesome… You won that fair and square.” He set his helmet down and approached her. “I can’t believe I lost.” He laughed and pulled her in for a hug.

“Whoa.” She jumped slightly. “Should you be this happy I won?”

“I’m happy you didn’t take it easy on me, and I think it’s awesome how you went around that last corner, although a bit dangerous. Please don’t do that while driving otherwise… or ever again.”

“I promise I don’t normally do that…” I can’t believe I pulled a move like Sebastian. Ugh… That prick… She cringed at the bitter taste in her mouth.

“Okay, good.” Sensing her distress over it, he kissed her forehead.

“Oh…” A light blush tinted her cheeks.

“How about we move on to some of these booth games?”

“Okay.”

“They seem to be getting along well,” Charlie said as she watched Ella and Leon alongside Alice and Kyra.

“Way better than when I last saw them.” Alice pushed up her sunglasses and slurped on her slushie.

“You two… You’re more suspicious because you’re dressed like that, you know that, right?” Kyra asked as the other two hid behind a sign with binoculars in their hands and their hoods pulled up.

“But you can spy on people in regular clothes,” Alice argued.

“Why are we even spying on them still? As Charlie said, they’re getting along well; we don’t need to stalk them.”

“But what if something happens and we’re not nearby?”

“She’s not a child; she’ll be fine. How about we actually enjoy the place? I haven’t been here without my kids in so long…” Kyra sighed. “I want to enjoy it my way this time.”

“We came here for Ella!”

“And she’s fine, so let’s go find some good food to munch on. I’m starving.” Kyra walked away, tired of their antics. She knew if they needed her, they’d call, and they knew she’d come running.

“Can you believe she beat him in a race?” Charlie asked. “Maybe I should race her…”

“Please don’t,” Alice begged her. “Something is bound to go wrong if you do that.”

“But it’d be so much fun! And I know you love to have fun.”

“I don’t like to put my life on the line.”

“You’re not one of the drivers; you’d be fine.”

“The sidelines aren’t that fun… They’re moving. Let’s go.” Alice grabbed Charlie’s arm to drag her along.

“As much fun as it is to stalk our friend in secret, I think Kyra is right about enjoying the amusement park while we’re here.”

“You want to abandon the mission, too?” Alice peeked over her sunglasses at her.

“No… but can we at least stop at a few booths while they’re lingering right there, too?” Charlie pointed at a booth nearby with a shooting range. “I’ll even win you a stuffed animal.”

Alice glanced over at the booth and her eyes landed on a cute polar bear cub. “Aww, I want him.” She pointed at the polar bear.

“Then you shall have him!”

After eating at various booths and winning a bunch of prizes, Ella’s hands were full of bags.

“Let me carry them for you,” Leon offered again.

“How about we put them in the car?”

“How about I put them in the car, and you sit over here on the bench and rest your feet for a bit? I imagine any kind of heels, no matter if they’re shorter, make your feet extra tired.”

Did he notice my sluggishness, or was he just assuming? “Okay, I think I’ll take you up on the offer.” She handed him the bags and sat down on a nearby bench, stretching her neck out. This place is so busy… I wonder if the girls came to keep an eye on me. She scanned the crowd for her friends, but didn’t see any of them.

“Ella, is that you?”

She froze at the familiar, silvery voice, and her heart rate skyrocketed. No way… It’s not possible… She stared down at her hands, pretending not to hear him and hoping he would think it was someone else. A pair of black loafers came into her view.

“Ella?”

She couldn’t help but look up at him, gripping her hands in her lap. He looked the same as he did all those years ago. His black hair was perfectly styled and dark eyes that seemed to pierce into her. “Sebastian?” She swallowed hard, barely able to squeak out his name.

“It really is you.” His eyes widened. “I can’t believe we’d run into each other here, of all places.”

“Yeah… Funny how things work out.” She gritted her teeth and plastered on a fake smile.

He sat down beside her on the bench and leaned in close. “If must’ve been fate; I’ve been thinking about you lately, and poof, here you are.” His eyes trailed along her. “You’re looking good, as always.”

“Thanks…” I guess… Leon… Please come back soon. She leaned away from him.

“So, what brings you here?”

“I’m on a date.”

“Really? And he left you here alone where other men can prey on you?” 

“Prey on me? You make it sound like I’m some defenceless lamb or something.” That’s the way he’d prefer me to be, isn’t it?

“Aren’t you?” He wrapped a lock of her hair around his finger.

“No, I’m not.” She pushed his hand away, her own trembling.

“I’d never leave you alone like this.” He sighed and brushed a hand through his hair.

Because you’re a controlling prick!

“How about you ditch the new boy-toy and come back to me?”

That’s it! “Boy-toy?” She held up her left hand to show off her ring. “We’re in a serious relationship, not fooling around.”

His expression dropped. “We were engaged once; things change. It also means things can change again.”

“You… You haven’t changed at all, have you?” she huffed.

“Why change when I’m already awesome?”

I wish I could deck him right now, but… She shuddered. I know he’s stronger than me… “It’s been a long time, Sebastian; most people change with time.”

“Are you sure you have? Because you seem like the same woman I wanted to marry back then… Well, your looks have matured a bit; you don’t have chubby cheeks anymore. And you’re much sexier.”

Ew… Please… Where is Leon?

“Charlie, Charlie, Charlie.” Alice tugged on her arm as she watched Ella. “Who is that? Doesn’t Ella look uncomfortable?”

“Hmm? Where’d Leon go?” Charlie asked as she glanced over.

“I think he went to the car because he took all the bags with him. But never mind that. Shouldn’t we go help her?” Alice pointed at Sebastian. “I don’t like the look he’s giving her. And look how close he is to her.”

“Doesn’t he look vaguely familiar?”

“Maybe, but I don’t remember meeting him.”

“No, I mean from a picture or something.” “Really? I don’t know.” Alice used her binoculars to get an up-close look at his face. “I don’t like the look he’s giving her… maybe we should intervene.”

---

Continued in chapter 12.

One Life Stand – Chapter 11

“Ella? Is something wrong? You’ve been cleaning the same spot for a while now.” Alice nudged her.

“Hmm? Oh… Oops…” Ella shook off her daze. She was helping Alice again for the day, since Leon didn’t need her help, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss from the other day. No matter how much she tried to distract herself, her mind always went back to Leon’s kiss. Why can’t I stop thinking about it? I must’ve gone insane or something.

“Ella, you’re doing it again.” Alice stole Ella’s towel from her hand. “I think the nightstand is so clean it’ll start shining soon. So, fess up. What happened? You know you want to tell me.”

I’m not sure I do since I’m still having a hard time with it myself. Her vision blacked out by the towel Alice dropped on her head. “Hey, what was that for?” Ella tugged the towel off.

“Stop zoning out?” 

“I can’t help it,” she pouted.

“Oh, do tell.” Alice stood toe-to-toe with her. “Or I’ll get Kyra to come and pry it out of you.”

Ella narrowed her eyes. “You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, but I would.” Alice pulled out her phone and went into her contact list, where Kyra was listed in favourites. She held her finger over the call button. “So, what will it be?”

“Okay, stop! Put that away.” Ella closed the door to the room they were fixing up. “I was cooking dinner with Leon…”

“Oh, nice; can he cook?”

“Not too much, as far as I can tell. Anyway, he brought up our night together, saying it was passionate and whatnot, unlike what he thinks my previous relationships were like. I didn’t believe him, so he wanted to prove it with a kiss.”

Alice’s eyes lit up, and she leaned in eagerly. “And what happened? Did he kiss you? Did he knock your socks off? Oh, oh, oh, I know, that’s why you’re in a daze! You’ve been thinking about kissing him all day.”

“Not quite… But I have been thinking about the kiss…”

“Must’ve been good if you’re still thinking about it now.”

“Well…” Ella blushed.

“Yes!” Alice cheered, clapping. “I’ve never seen you so flustered over a kiss; it was definitely mind-blowing!”

“But…”

“Isn’t this exactly what you’ve been waiting for all these years? Isn’t it the reason you’ve turned down so many proposals? Didn’t you want the chemistry? The passion?”

“Can you really call it passion?”

“Isn’t it?”

“Isn’t passion more when you want someone… completely?”

“You sure that isn’t lust and possessiveness? Besides, what makes you so sure he doesn’t want you? I mean, come on, he wanted you enough to promise marriage and bed you the first time you two had a real meeting. What else would you call that?”

“Harsh circumstances making him need someone, and I was good enough for it?” Although, I don’t know why.

“Love at first sight, maybe.”

“Do you really believe in that? How long does that even last? You can love them until you find out more about them, and suddenly, they aren’t so appealing.”

“I think that’s conditional love, though. And sometimes it works out in the long run.”

Ella sighed. “And how many times does it not?”

“How long have you been this cynical?”

“I’m not cynical…”

“Have you listened to yourself lately? A mind-blowing kiss from the man you’re going to marry… and yet… you want to run away? You want more? I really don’t know what you’re looking for anymore.”

“What about you? What are you looking for? Or do you like jumping from one man to the next without having a long-term relationship?”

Alice sighed. “That is what I want right now. Maybe even for forever, who knows?”

“We’ve already hit the point that it’ll be harder to find someone to marry later.”

“I’m only looking to keep having fun; you’re the one who sticks with the same one for years and then turns down their proposals… sometimes in cruel ways, if I might say.”

“I’m not trying to be cruel.”

“But you are. Think about it from their perspective. You’re with the person you love, envisioning this long future together and thinking you’re doing the same, so they ask for your hand, and bam, their heart is ripped to shreds by your rejection, and you run away from them. That’s much worse than anyone I’ve broken up with; none of them have been disillusioned into thinking I wanted a future with them. Face it, Ella; you’ve left a line of destruction in your wake.”

Ella went completely silent during Alice’s rant. Am I really so horrible? She could feel tears stinging her eyes.

“Ella?”

Ella looked at her watch. “I have to go; time to start dinner…” She turned and left, clutching onto her shirt over her heart.

“Ella, wait… Dammit…” Alice realized her mistake. She couldn’t even believe herself, that she was so hard on her. “Ugh… This is such a mess…”

After cooking dinner and putting an apple pie in the oven, Ella sat around in the kitchen, waiting in a daze.

Something tickled her nose.

What is that? Oh my gosh! It was the smell of her pie burning. “No, no, no!” She rushed to turn off the oven and take the pie out. “Ouch!” She yelped, having touched it without an oven mitt, and burned her hand. “Dammit.” She grabbed the mitts, pulled the pie out, and rinsed her hand in the sink with cool water. What else is going to go wrong today? Tears formed in her eyes again as she looked at the burnt pie.

Too busy trying to cool the burn on her hand and not break down in tears, she didn’t hear the front door open. Leon, smelling the burnt pie, dropped his briefcase and rushed into the kitchen to make sure there wasn’t a fire. He saw the pie on the counter and Ella running water over her hand and put things together.

“Ella…” He got the first aid kit out from the bathroom cabinet and set it on the table, searching through for ointment and bandages. “I think you’ve held it under the water long enough.” When she didn’t respond, he lightly touched her shoulder.

“Oh!” She jumped and looked at him for a second before turning away. “I’m sorry… I didn’t hear you come in.”

Leon turned off the water and lightly patted her hand down with a towel.

“I can do that…” She tried to take the towel from him, but he refused to let go.

“Let me help you. Come, sit down.” He led her over to the table, where the first aid kit was sitting open, its contents spilled about.

He noticed I was injured right away? She stared at her reddened hand with furrowed brows as he carefully put ointment on it and bandaged her hand. “Thanks…” she mumbled and went to pull her hand away.

“One last thing.” He kept hold of her hand and leant down to gently kiss it. “To help it heal.” He glanced up at her, and his expression fell at the tears in her eyes. “Is it hurting that bad? Do I need to call a doctor or something? Zeke is actually good with this.”

“It’s not about the burn,” she huffed and tried to make a getaway.

“Ella…” He tugged on her good hand. “What’s going on? Tell me what happened.”

She looked over at the pie. “So much wasted food and effort.”

“It won’t go to waste; I’ll eat it all.”

“What?! You can’t! It’s obviously burnt and deserves to go in the trash.”

“No, it doesn’t. Sure, it’s a little dark, but I can tell how much work you put into it, and I refuse to waste your effort.”

“I’m normally good at this…” she mumbled.

“Everyone has an off day now and then.” He patted her shoulder.

Is he really twenty-three? I mean… he looks it, but he’s definitely more mature than the men I knew when I was his age.

“Now, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what happened to leave you so… distraught?” He couldn’t help but think it was about something more than just a pie.

Ella frowned, not wanting to tell him.

He pushed a strand of hair out of her face and trailed his finger down her cheek. “You might feel better if you tell someone.” He rested a hand on top of hers in her lap and caressed hers with his thumb. “I promise I’m a good listener, so will you talk to me? Please.” He gave her a gentle smile.

He’s not going to give up, is he? “I had a fight with Alice…”

“About what? I’m sure friends fight all the time.”

She sighed and could feel the tears building again at the thought of her conversation with Alice. “Well, all she did it point out the truth.” She laughed weakly. “I leave a path of broken hearts and destruction in my path… I shouldn’t be with anyone… All I’ll do is bring pain.” She covered her eyes with her hands, but it didn’t stop the tears from dripping down her cheeks. “How many people have I broken just because of how I am?”

He took her hands away from her face and kissed the tears on her cheeks. “Did she actually say all of that?”

“I don’t remember the exact words, but basically…” She turned away, not wanting him to see her face.

“I see… Maybe it was in the heat of the moment, and she didn’t really believe that.”

“It came from somewhere, and she’s right… You’d be better off running the other way.”

His cheek twitched. “You do remember what happens if I don’t marry you, right? I lose the company, people lose their jobs…”

“Oh, right…” He’s stuck with me I guess…

“But I also believe we can make things work. You already have a guarantee of a… relationship together and won’t have to worry about money or about me straying or anything like that. And I know you denied it, but we’ve proven we have amazing chemistry. If anything, you needed to get rid of those previous boyfriends so you could have space for me.” He smiled at her. “I’d rather they all be in the past, while I get to be your present and future.”

“You’re not afraid? Afraid I’ll run away—”

“I’ll find you if you go missing.”

“What if I don’t want to be found?”

“I’ll wait until you do.”

“And if that never happens?”

“I’m not that patient. I’ll work to make sure you do want to come back to me.”

“Ha…” Ella sighed. How can someone be so set on another person? “What if you tire of me?”

“That’ll never happen.”

“You can’t promise that.”

“I just did. I’m in this for life, Ella, and I hope you are, too. Your past with them won’t matter anymore, and there will be no more worrying about an unknown future or leaving others heartbroken.”

He’s so… intense… She couldn’t tear her eyes away from his.

“After we have dinner, and you catch what I hope to be a good night’s rest, then talk to Alice again. I’m sure she’s itching to talk to you if you’ll turn on your phone.”

“How’d you know I turned it off?”

He chuckled. “You didn’t answer my call. I was actually worried and called the hotel to check if you were here…”

“You were worried because my phone was off?”

“Yes; seeing as I never turn mine off, and if I remembered correctly, most of my peers in college and high school didn’t either.”

“Well, young man, it’s not that way for my group of friends. We shut off when we want alone time.”

“Young man?” His eye twitched. “Look, I know there’s a bit of an age gap, but it’s really not that big in the grand scheme of things.”

“You’re in your early twenties, and I’m already thirty… so yes, I can feel the age gap.”

“It’s not even a decade difference; don’t worry about it. And yes, I’m aware some people find it odd when the woman is older, but I don’t care, and that’s what matters. I hope you won’t let it bother you.” He scratched his neck, losing confidence.

“Hard to say, but I suppose I’ll have to learn to deal with it either way.” She averted her gaze.

“And please, don’t ever call me ‘young man’ like that again.” He shuddered.

“What’s wrong with that? You are young, after all.”

“Because it makes you sound way older than me… and like I’m in trouble at school or something.”

Ella couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, I’ll try to refrain from calling you that.”

Leon smiled, glad she laughed. “Now, let’s eat.”

After eating the main meal, Leon picked up the pie, grabbed a fork, and sat down at the kitchen table with it.

“What are you doing?” Ella reached for the burnt pie and he pulled it away.

“I’m doing exactly what I said I was going to do,” Leon said.

“But it’s burnt… At least pick off the dough from the top; the inside itself might be edible.”

“Nope; I’m eating it all.” He dug in and didn’t even flinch from the burnt dough as he ate.

“It’s also a full pie, and you’re going to eat the whole thing?”

“I haven’t done it since my early college days, but I think I could still eat a full pie.”

He can eat that after a meal? Where does he put it all? An image of his fit, bare body from their night together flashed through her mind. Definitely can’t tell he can eat like this… And why did I have to remember that now? Her cheeks flushed.

“Are you okay?” he asked in between while his mouth was empty. “Your face is red.”

“Dehydration.” She rushed to grab a bottle of water from the fridge and chugged a bit down.

“You know what, I know there’s a little bit burnt, but it was still a good pie.” He cleaned up every crumb in the pan. “Whew.” He patted his stomach. “Been a while,” he laughed.

“You are so… sweet…” she mumbled. “Doing that for me…”

“I will eat all the food you make for me.”

“But what if it’s not cooked properly?”

“I’ll eat it and get sick… and you can nurse me back to health.” He wiggled his eyebrows and smirked.

“I’ll try to do better…” Especially since it doesn’t even seem like he’s going to use my skills as a concierge.

“Quit worrying about it so much. Things went wrong while you were having a bad day; it happens. Now, what do you say to relaxing on the couch with me and watching TV? You can even choose what we watch.”

“Uh… sure…”

“Maybe we should change into loungewear, though, since a suit isn’t that comfortable, and you’re still in your uniform.” He loosened his tie.

Despite herself, Ella’s eyes were drawn to his neck as he did it. Ha… I don’t know why I find it sexy when a man loosens his tie… but it sure is. She bit her lip.

“Ella?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re zoning out again.” When he noticed she was biting her lip, he smirked and sauntered up to her, his eyes narrowed. “We could do something else if you’d prefer. Have some adult fun in the kitchen, or living room, or how about we shower together?”

“N-no thank you.” She backed up into a wall, her heart racing. “Watching TV suits me fine.”

He leaned close to her and kissed her on the cheek. “Okay then.” He backed away and headed for his room.

All the tension she had released, and she slid to the floor. How can he be so… brazen? Intense? Ah, this is when I normally contact the girls. But if I talk to one of them, they’ll bring up Alice… Not wanting to be caught sitting on the floor, she forced herself to stand and rushed into her room to get changed.

PJs should be fine, right? She gave Penny a hug and came out in her nightgown to find Leon on the couch scrolling through their streaming service.

“I don’t know what you like to watch yet, but there’s a massive variety…” he trailed off as he looked at her. “That’s dangerous,” he muttered to himself.

“Is something wrong?” She hid a bit at her doorway, worried because of his reaction.

“No, I suppose not… Come on over.” He patted the spot beside him on the couch.

She sat down on the opposite corner of the couch, leaving plenty of space between them. He immediately closed the distance, his arm wrapping around her shoulders as he handed her the remote.

“Choose anything.” He smiled at her.

She took the remote and scrolled through while overly aware of Leon playing with her hair.

“A martial arts movie?”

“Yes, is that a problem?”

“No, I’m just surprised. I didn’t know you liked them.”

“I’ve watched them since I was little.”

“Cool.” He nodded and went quiet as it started.

Throughout the movie, he couldn’t help but glance at her and smile as she was completely focused on it, immersed in the action. He was expecting her to want to watch a rom-com or something along those lines, but he actually preferred it this way. At least he could tell she was being honest with her preference with how intensely she watched.

“Ha, that was a great movie; lots of epic choreography for the fights.” She sat back and looked over at him. A great way to relax. “But I’m sleepy now, so I should head to bed.” She let out a giant yawn.

“Okay.” Leon stood. “Goodnight then.” He tugged her close, kissed her forehead, and headed to his room.

She touched her forehead and sighed. Maybe this won’t be so bad.

---

Continued in chapter 12.

One Life Stand – Chapter 10

Early in the morning, Ella prepared them both breakfast and sat down to eat.

“Oh, wow.” Leon looked at the pile of French toast with fruit and cream waiting for him. “I usually only grab a coffee before work, but this looks too amazing to pass up. Thank you.” He kissed her temple and sat down to eat. “Mmm… This is good. Aren’t you going to eat, too?”

“Of course.” She dug in and couldn’t help but look at Leon as he enjoyed the food. I guess food is the way to Leon’s heart, as Zeke suggested.

He polished his food off quickly and set his plate in the sink. “There isn’t much to do up here right now, so feel free to either stay here or go help Jenny with anything she needs. I won’t be here for lunch today, so I’ll see you tonight.” He grabbed his jacket and headed for the front door.

“Okay, have a good day at work.”

He paused and quickly made his way back over to her. He kissed the top of her head. “You have a good day, too.” He smiled and headed off.

Ella touched the top of her head and her temple, the remnant of his kisses still lingering. He’s so natural at this…

She cleaned up what little needed to be cleaned and headed downstairs to meet up with Jenny. She made it in time for the morning meeting – which was no longer mandatory for her to attend – and stood beside Alice.

As soon as they noticed her, the whispers started.

“Isn’t she the one working personally for the boss?”

“What’s she doing here?”

“Did she get the boot already?”

“I heard she got cozy with him, so she’d get the easy job.”

“You mean she slept her way to the easy life?” one of them snickered.

I can’t fully deny that, can I?

“Quiet.” Jenny slammed her hand on the table and they all went silent. “What are you? A bunch of high schoolers with nothing better to do but gossip? If you can’t be professional, then I will find someone who can be. Now, let’s get this real meeting started.”

Ella stayed back after the meeting was over to speak to Jenny. “Thank you for that.” She bowed her head slightly.

“You don’t have to thank me for it; it’s my job to keep everyone in line,” Jenny said. “Besides, I can’t stand it when people act like that. I was hoping when I came here that we wouldn’t have to deal with this kind of crap, but I guess it’s everywhere.”

“Too true.”

“Anyway.” Jenny patted her shoulder. “I won’t fault you for sticking with Alice; it’s good to have friends close when most others around seem like enemies.”

“Not quite enemies, but still, I get your point. Thanks again.” Ella headed out of the room to find Alice waiting for her.

“I can’t believe them. Ugh…” Alice rolled her eyes. “At least we have a cool boss.”

“Agreed.”

After a long, hard day of helping out with customers around the hotel, Ella headed home with tired, achy feet.

Seems like we have a bit of a way to go before everyone and everything works together in tandem like it should. She stood outside the door to the penthouse suite, staring at it. I wonder if he’s home yet…

The door suddenly opened. “Ella, are you okay? You’ve been standing out here for a while.” Leon looked at her, worried.

“How… did you know I was out here?”

“I thought I heard someone coming, and then you didn’t come in, nor did anyone knock, so I came to check. Why are you standing out here like this?”

“Just… thinking.”

He sighed. “Look, I know you’re still getting used to this; I am too, but I truly think we can be good for each other.”

“I’m not sure I have much to offer you.”

“I’m sure you do; you just don’t see it yet. Now, are you coming in?” He stepped to the side.

Ella nodded and entered.

“Welcome home.” He kissed her on the cheek.

“T-thank you…” She blushed a little. Actually, it feels nice to be welcomed home like this. “I’m surprised you’re already here; I figured you’d be working late.”

“I would’ve been, but my last meeting for the day got rescheduled, so here I am.”

She looked over at the coffee table in the living room and saw papers scattered about around his laptop. “Looks like you’re still working to me.”

“Sorry; despite what my parents think, I work all the time, even at home after hours. I’ll clean this up…”

“Trying to steal my job again?” She chuckled. Despite what his parents think?

“Pretty sure you just got off work.”

“And technically, I’m your personal concierge, and I am in control of your suite.”

“Our suite.”

“Our…” Ella swallowed. Right, I live here, too.

“And since it’s ours, when no one’s on the clock, anyone can do the chores here. We can even call someone in if you really want, but I’d prefer not to.”

“Why does it sound like you want to do chores?”

“It’s not that I want to, but I think it’s fair.” He took hold of her hand. “That we share responsibilities.” He kissed the back of her hand. “Don’t you agree?”

“I… guess…” If we really do end up together, he’ll definitely have the bigger pay cheque, so I figured I’d do most of it… but he wants to share it? “Thanks.”

“No thanks needed.” He smiled at her.

“How about I make dinner?”

“You need to quit worrying so much.” He winked at her. “You just got home, so relax a little, and I’ll make dinner.”

“But… How about we make it together?”

His face lit up at her suggestion. “Good, because I mostly only make mac and cheese from a box.”

“Not one for cooking?”

“It’s not one of my strengths… But based on what I’ve tried of your food, you’re a great cook, so you can help balance it out. Now, I am in your hands; just tell me what to do.”

Ella couldn’t help but smile. “Okay, let’s get this started.”

Working together, she started him with something easier, peeling potatoes.

“These potatoes have so many eyes…” he mumbled.

“It happens; I’ve seen them grow more than a foot tall and leave the potato all wrinkly.”

“A foot-long eye? That must look a bit…”

“Creepy, yes, but it happens.” She made quick work of chopping up vegetables as he focused on the potatoes.

“Okay, the potatoes are done… Wow, am I slow at this or what?” He looked at the pile of vegetables in the pot already.

“I’m used to this, so, of course, I’ll be faster than you. Now, wash those up and dice’em.”

“Right, boss.” He followed her instructions, but when he went to cut it up, her eyes widen.

“Hold up.” She stopped him. “If you cut it like that, you might cut your fingers. Do it like this.” She showed him how to hold it. He tried on his own, but she wasn’t satisfied. She took his hand and curled his fingers a specific way before placing them on the potato to hold it. “This way, please; I don’t want you hurting yourself.” She went to back away and finally noticed how close she was to him. He brought his other arm up to pick up the knife again while she was still there. “Um…” She glanced up at him and found herself staring at his lips.

“Like this, right?”

“Hmm?”

“For cutting it.”

“What? Oh!” She turned back around, her face red. “Yup…”

He noticed the red crawling up her ears and smirked as he leaned in closer. “Make sure you keep an eye on me; I wouldn’t want to mess anything up.”

“Um…” She would’ve run away, but with a knife in his hand, she was afraid of causing an accident. “I-I think I should get back to cooking if you’ll let me go.” She pointed at the other pots.

“What if I don’t want to let you go?” he whispered into her ear.

She shuttered and bit her lip.”Then nothing will get done.”

“A shame, but I suppose you’re right.” He set the knife down and pulled his arms away.

“Thank you…” She inched away from him.

He sighed. “It was nice to hold you in my arms again.” He diced up the potatoes.

“It’s probably not because it was me, but just because a woman was in your arms…” she mumbled as she put a pot on the stove. Chances are, he’ll eventually fall into the arms of another.

“What was that?” He frowned.

“Nothing…”

“Ella.” He grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. “What did you say?”

“Nothing that matters.”

“If it’s really nothing, then it won’t matter if you repeat it.”

She swallowed hard and tightened her lips into a thin line.

“Do I have to pry your lips open?” He trailed his thumb across her bottom lip and leaned in close.

She quivered under his touch, and her lips parted slightly. He pressed on her lip and she bit him.

“Ouch, hey! You bit me!”

“Don’t put your hand near my mouth, then.”

He looked at the red mark on his thumb and burst out laughing. “You never react how I expect you to.”

He’s… laughing? Shouldn’t he be mad right now?

“You know what?” He licked his thumb. “Maybe it’s not so bad being bitten by you.”

“Did you just…” she trailed off, staring at him with wide eyes. He’s not the only one surprised by the other’s behaviour.

“Yes, I did, why? What’s wrong with that? Anyway, if you’re against answering enough to bite me, I think I’ll leave it be. But know this, you’re the only woman I want in my arms.” He turned his attention back to the potatoes.

Wait… Doesn’t that mean he heard me?

Ella stayed on edge the rest of the time they were cooking, flinching whenever he got near.

Eventually, Leon got fed up with it. “You’re the one that bit me; why are you acting like I’m going to do something to you?”

I’m not sure you won’t. Am I actually worried about that? He’s been well-behaved most of the time, hasn’t he? “Maybe I am worried you will…” She stirred the pot and turned it off, satisfied with the food.

“I’m not going to force myself on you or anything, but I do want to get closer to you. I don’t want a marriage where there’re no feelings or intimacy…”

“Ha… Maybe I’m just… still not over my ex. We were together for years, after all.”

 “Didn’t you break up with him?”

“Well… yes… It still hurts, though.”

He approached her again, trapping her against the counter. “If I remember correctly, you wanted to feel more from the relationship, right?”

She swallowed hard and wished there was somewhere she could run away to. “Right…”

“You want someone who cares for you, and who is stable, but at the same time, lights a fire in you.” He caressed her cheek. “You want passion and electrifying chemistry. So tell me, what did you feel that night?”

“I don’t remember that night.” Only little bits, anyway.

“Does that mean you need a repeat of our night together to give me a real chance?”

“W-what makes you so certain that would help?”

He leaned in close, staring into her eyes. “Because I remember the night quite well; it was too important for me not to remember.”

He looks… sad… Her heart wrenched.

“I remember your soft skin.” He trailed his hand down her arm and she quivered. “I remember your sensitive spots.” He lightly touched her spine through her clothes, and she twitched. “I remember the mole you have here.” He touched her right shoulder blade.

He can remember that from one night? How? Her heart raced more the longer he went.

“I remember the heat from your body… your moans… the way you called out my name… I remember how sad you were when we were in the bar, and I know you wanted to use me to ease your pain… and I’m okay with that, so long as you felt better.”

“You don’t normally marry your rebounds after a one-night stand.”

“Says who?” He shrugged. “There’s nothing wrong with ending up with the person you rebounded with. And for us, it’s not a one-night stand, it’s a one life stand.”

One life stand? Interesting way to put it.

“All that one night did is start the rest of our lives…” He let out a deep breath. “If you still don’t believe in our passionate night, might I at least have a kiss to prove myself?”  

“A-a kiss?” I can’t let him do that, can I?

“Yes… Considering what we’ve done, I don’t think that should make you so nervous. Besides, with your past, shouldn’t you be used to kissing by now? Or is it because it’s me you’re nervous? Are you worried we won’t have chemistry, or that we will?”

“I…” she trailed off, her brows furrowed. Which is it?

“If you’re nervous, you can close your eyes, and I’ll take the initiative.” He leaned in a hair’s breadth away. “I promise it’ll be good.”

Ha… A tingling sensation flew through her. “You can’t promise that…”

He smirked. “As the one who remembers that night, I can. In three… two…”

Her eyes widened for a moment and then she scrunched them closed.

“One…” He smirked before leaning in to kiss her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in up against him, his other hand at the back of her head as he kissed her.

“Mmm…” Oh gosh… She could feel her body flushing with heat. He was… right? Her legs went weak, and he tightened his hold on her.

When he finally pulled back, her breathing was ragged. “Well?” He smiled knowingly.

“Um…” She averted her gaze and bit her lip.

“Even if you don’t say it out loud, I can tell from your body’s reaction to me.”

“That’s…”

“Should we try again so you can decide?”

“No… My body might react, but… what about my heart?” Other than it’s racing faster than ever right now…

“I only wanted to prove our chemistry; I’ll take my time winning your heart, as long as you’ll actually let me.”

“Actually?”

“You’re pretty resistant to the idea of being with me, but I can’t help but feel like that doesn’t have anything to do with me right now.” He released her and took a few steps back. “I think I’ve made my point…” He sighed, figuring he wasn’t going to make any more progress at the moment. “So, how about we eat dinner?”

I don’t have much of an appetite now… “Sure.”

---

Continued in chapter 11.

One Life Stand – Chapter 8

Ella and Leon walked to a nearby restaurant, Leon holding her hand the entire way, despite the number of times she tried to pull away. They sat down at a table with their order of chicken soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.

“Did you really have to hold my hand as we walked through the lobby?” Ella asked as she dipped her sandwich in the soup.

“Of course; it’s one of the easiest ways to spread news of our relationship.” Leon followed her method, though he’d never dipped his sandwich in soup before.

“Announce it to the world, why don’t you?”

“I’m planning to.”

“I was being sarcastic!”

“I know, but I answered anyway. Besides, I really am going to announce our engagement soon, but I was hoping we’d be at least on amicable terms by then.”

Makes sense. “I see…”

“May I ask, what is it you’re so unsatisfied with? Do you dislike my looks?” Not that he’d ever had any complaints from anyone.

She glanced at him. “It’s not that.” He is quite handsome… but also young… Gosh, it’s surprising how someone seven years younger than you can make you feel old…

“I’m glad you approve.” He chuckled. “In case you were wondering, I think you’re gorgeous.”

 A light blush crept up on her cheeks as she ate. “Thanks, I guess.”

“The night at the bar, I found you to be mesmerizing in both looks and personality. Do you dislike my personality?”

“I don’t know you well enough to give an answer to that.”

“At least you’re honest about it, and I admire honesty.” Not many people were honest with him growing up; they were out to get on his good side, so he learned not to keep many people around him. Zeke was one of the exceptions; he’d been with him since his high school years as his friend, and when they were out of school, he offered him a job as his assistant.

“So… How do we proceed with this thing? With the way you talk, it sounds like we should’ve been married before we even had sex.”

“That’s why you had to sign first.”

“But don’t people renege on things all the time?”

“Yes, and you still could, but that would destroy a lot of lives; most people don’t want to be the cause of others’ misery.”

“But what about those who get married and then divorced after a year or something? Would they take the company away even though you already went through the process they wanted?”

“Are you trying to suggest we have a temporary marriage?” He stopped eating and sat up straight to listen to her.

I actually hadn’t thought of that. “Is… that something you’d be open to doing?”

“From what my father’s told me, they won’t accept a divorce unless it’s for an extremely good reason and it’s tried to be worked through – with professionals if need be – before there’d be any leeway.”

“How can people be so controlling?”

Leon shrugged. “My father and his father have been that way for as long as I’ve known them.”

“That sucks…”

“You’re telling me…”

“I still don’t see how you can be okay with me…” Considering the number of times I’ve run away from getting married to men I loved, this feels so surreal.

His brows furrowed. “Tell me this, why do you keep making it sound like you’re not good enough for me? And please don’t say money; I couldn’t care less about that. I have enough for multiple lifetimes, as long as I don’t squander it, and I keep this marriage…”

She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped.

“From what I’ve seen and what other people have told me about you, you’re an amazing woman… outside of maybe a fear of commitment. You care about your friends and people in general. You’re smart, pretty, and conscientious, so I can’t understand why you act like I’m too good for you.”

Biting her lip, she looked away. I don’t know…

“I suppose we should work on your self-confidence a bit.”

Ugh, all this does is make me want to run away more, but I can’t. Literally stuck between a rock and a hard place. Do this for the people employed by him, Ella! This might be the only way I’d manage to get married, anyway…

Leon glanced at his watch. “Time to head back.” He paid the check and held his hand out to her.

“Are you going to do this every time?”

“Yes, so you might as well walk with your head held high. Besides, you have no reason to be ashamed.”

“Dating the boss?”

He shrugged. “People fall in love at work all the time. And so long as it’s not an affair, I don’t see why it’s a bad thing.”

“Preferential treatment… and all the questions.” Although, if I’m up in the penthouse all the time, they won’t have much of a chance to complain to me.

“Just say I’m private and said I don’t want you to talk about it; that should be enough.”

Wishful thinking… She sighed and took his hand. At least holding his hand doesn’t give me that creepy ‘I want to run away’ feeling. She didn’t have that with any of her long-term boyfriends, but she had a few dates where something about being close to them made her perturbed. 

They walked hand-in-hand back to the hotel and even through the lobby to the elevator. A few people recognized her and automatically gossiped about her.

I knew this would happen.

“Quit worrying so much; your direct boss knows about us now – and was actually excited about it – so you don’t have to worry about mistreatment.” He leaned in close. “And if anyone does try anything, tell me right away, and they will be swiftly dealt with, okay?”

She leaned away a bit and nodded as a chill ran down her spine.

“Good, because I intend to protect my fiancée.” Since they were the only two on the elevator, he tugged her closer and kissed her on the forehead. “You’re safe with me.”

The door to the elevator opened for people to enter, and she tried to pull away. Leon had another idea in mind; he switched so his hand was on her shoulder and pulled her closer as they pushed to the back of the elevator. He made sure no one else was close enough to touch her, using his own body as a blockade.

This place sure got busy fast. I guess even a hotel’s grand opening has people curious.

A few people glanced their way, but no one said anything. They made it to the top floor with an empty elevator again.

“Maybe you should’ve made your own special elevator.” Ella laughed as they entered the penthouse suite.

“I thought about doing it, but it seemed like a waste, since only a select few need to go up to this floor.” He finally released her hand when they walked through his front door. “I have work to do this afternoon. You’re welcome to familiarize yourself with… this whole place. Not much to clean yet, though.”

So I have nothing to do today? This place can’t be that big or filled, so it shouldn’t be hard to memorize where everything is. “Okay…”

He glanced back at her. “You seem unsatisfied. You can go help the others downstairs for now if you wish… or you can come with me. Although I doubt a business meeting will be of any interest to you.”

Definitely don’t want to go, but I am curious about what kind of meetings he has. “Do you have a lot of meetings?”

“Sometimes I have way too many meetings, other times, I’m mostly working in my office over there.” He aimed his thumb over his shoulder.

“By the way, I thought you had guards, but I didn’t see any outside this time.”

“Since my parents know about us and the engagement with the papers signed, they no longer have to be around me all day. I take them with me sometimes when I go out on business.”

“You… Your parents know about us already?! But… I still can’t even say I’ve come to terms with it, but you’ve already told them?!” She started to hyperventilate. “Oh my gosh… This is insane… ah…”

“Ella? Are you okay?”

She shook her head and fanned herself with her hand, hoping it’d help her breath better.

“Ah, crap…” Leon grumbled. “Come sit on the couch, and I’ll find a paper bag for you to breathe into.”

She bent down as he got near, avoiding his hand as her rapid breathing got worse. Crap, crap, crap, why won’t it stop? She felt the tears building up and tried to fight them back.

He rested his hands on her shoulders. “Ella, look at me.”

She shook her head.

Leon tilted her head up, his finger under her chin. “Everything’s going to be okay. You’re okay right now.” His hand still on her chin, he leaned in close.

“W-what are you doing?” She pulled away and fell back onto her butt.

“I was going to kiss you as a distraction for your brain with multiple senses… but it seems you don’t want me near you. You realize we did a lot more than kiss already, right?”

“Well… I know… but… I don’t remember it.”

“None?” He winced. He knew she was drunk that night, he was a bit too, but he figured even if she didn’t remember right away, she would’ve remembered, eventually. It stung a bit that she didn’t remember their first time together at all.

“Sorry…”

“No worries; it can’t be helped. If you can’t remember the first time, I’ll make sure you remember the next time… whenever that might actually be.” He sighed.

“Next time?”

“Naturally; though I’ll try to win your heart first.” He smiled.

“Oh…” Wow… This smile… is so gorgeous. He always lights up so much.

“And in case you haven’t noticed, you’ve calmed down and are no longer having an attack.”

“…You’re right. Um, thank you for distracting me.”   

“Of course; anything for my future wife.” He pushed a strand of hair out of her face and kissed her forehead.

He’s acting so loving right now; you’d think we were together for a long time. “Let me out of the contract.”

“Not going to happen, but nice try. Besides, you know the consequences of breaking up after we’ve done the deed.”

“Why do I feel like I fell into the biggest trap in my life… ever?”

He sighed, his brows knit together. “Please, stop making it seem like I’m some big villain who conned you into getting married. We talked, you read the contract, you agreed, and we settled the deal. Stop making this out to be something bad; I’m actually looking forward to spending my life with you.” He kissed the back of her hand.

“You’re too suave to have not been with someone.”

“I never said I didn’t have a girlfriend before; we just never had sex, that’s all.”

“Right…” I’m not sure I trust that’s true, but does that even matter to me? It definitely wasn’t my first time that night… Suddenly, Leon picked her up, cradling her in his arms. “Hey! What’re you doing?” She kicked, but it had no effect.

“Taking you over to your room to rest, since you can’t even seem to stand right now. Besides, with an anxiety attack, I can’t help but wonder if you need a mental health day or something.”

“I just started working; I can’t take the rest of the day off already.”

“Did you forget who your fiancé is? And if you want, I can claim you’re working and leave you here to rest with them none the wiser.”

“Are you used to skipping out on work or something?”

“Are you such a goodie that you never bend the rules even a little bit?”

“Well, no…” She had skipped class a few times in high school, but generally tried to be good. “But this is work, which I take seriously…”

“You just had a panic attack… or anxiety attack; I’m not sure which, so I think you’d do well to take the day off.” He looked at the time and walked into her bedroom, where he set her down on her new bed. “Look, I have to go to a meeting, but call me if you need me.” He handed her a business card. On the back, his personal number was listed.

“Thanks…”

“And please, just give me a chance to win your heart.” He winked at her and left.

This is all… insane.

---

Continued in chapter 9.

One Life Stand – Chapter 7

Alice packed Ella’s things as she sat on the couch in a daze. “Are you okay?” Alice asked as she set up Ella’s bags near the door.

Ella glanced at her, her expression blank.

“Stupid question, I know…” Alice sighed. “Well, since you can’t get out of this, why don’t you try to make it work? Who knows, maybe you’ll even fall in love with him.”

Isn’t that what he said?

Alice sat beside her and took her hand. “Look, I know this isn’t ideal, but this is the hand you’ve been dealt, so you’re going to have to roll with it. I’ll be there for you as best as I can; the others will as well, and you know it. Any chance I can move up there, too? I’m sure there’s enough room.”

“I highly doubt it.” He was clear about others being up there… for now, at least. Although, he already invited Alice in for my sake…

Alice sighed. “I was afraid of that. At least this place is great. Hopefully, they won’t try to give me a new roommate; it’s you or no one!”

“Thanks, Alice…” I guess…

“I’ll visit you often.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea; might jeopardize your job.”

“Psh! He wants to keep you happy, meaning he probably won’t get rid of me unless I seriously mess up and he has no other option.” 

“Are you using me for job security?”

Alice shrugged. “It’s just a perk. Now, come on before he sends someone to get you.” Alice picked up two of her bags and tried to motion for her to pick up some as well, before opening the door.

Zeke and one of his helpers were waiting on the other side. They took the bags from them and headed off.

“Okay, not so bad having them help us bring your bags up, right?” Alice took Ella’s hand and dragged her out into the hall. “I’m sorry I can’t be of more help, Ella, but I think it’ll all work out in the end.” She held her hand and walked with her to the elevator, then she let go of her hand.

“What are you doing?” Ella asked.

“My break is probably over.”

“He called you up there; you aren’t on break.”

Alice thought for a moment and smiled. “I suppose you’re right, but he’ll probably send me away soon.” Ella grabbed her hand this time as they stepped into the elevator.

I can survive this with her around… But don’t I want to do more than survive? This is a for-life type of thing! Her grip on Alice tightened.

“Stop freaking yourself out,” Alice whispered, hoping the elevator music was loud enough that Zeke and his assistant couldn’t hear her. Ella always did it, though; she had a pattern of overthinking, which always led her down a bad, destructive path.

“What do you expect?” she whispered back. “My whole world has been turned upside down.”

“Wasn’t it already with the whole Nathan thing? So maybe this will turn it back in the right direction.”

That’s… an odd way of looking at it. Ella pursed her bottom lip as she looked at Alice, who smiled back at her. She huffed and laid her head on Alice’s shoulder.

The elevator arrived, and they brought her things into the penthouse suite, into her new bedroom.

“At least he let you have your own room.” Alice started unpacking right away.

“But for how long?”

“Until you two fall in love?”

“And if we don’t?”

“Then until you’re married? I can’t imagine him being okay with separate beds for that long unless you end up hating each other.”

“And even then, I have to stay with him…”

“At least you’ll be rich.” Alice shrugged, not sure what else to say.

“Alice!” That’s not the most important thing, but if we don’t work out, it’ll probably be the only thing I get to enjoy about the relationship.

“What? You know I’m not wrong. Besides, how about you stop being such a defeatist and give him a chance?”

“Me? A defeatist?”

“Duh, what else would you call it? You’re planning for a relationship to fail before you’ve even tried to make it a success.”

Ella went silent.

“Besides, if what he said is true about his first time being with you, I’m going to say he sees something in you that he didn’t see in others. I mean, you saw him.” Alice fanned herself.

“He saw a drunk, distressed woman who was easy to manipulate? Oof!” Alice hit her in the face with a pillow. “What was that for?”

“I saw the video; you weren’t that drunk.”

“Too drunk to be making a life decision.”

“Ugh, stop going back like this. What’s done is done, and now you have to live with your choices. Don’t keep putting all the blame on him. You wouldn’t have left the bar with him at all if you didn’t like him, and yes, that’s including if you’re drunk, because I know you. It’s not like you were unconscious and taken away, or too drunk to walk. There, the important things are put away. I leave any decorating to you, though you rarely decorate…”  Alice always thought it was odd how little Ella decorated. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to be a minimalist or to be ready to leave quickly. “Need anything else before I get back to work?”

“You’re leaving me?” Ella pouted.

“It’s our first official day, and as much as I like hanging out with you instead of doing real work, they’re bound to want me to do what I was supposed to. I’m sorry, El.” Alice hugged her. “We’ll talk soon. Do you… want me to explain everything to the girls?”

“Uh…” It’s not like I can hide this. “Yes, please; I’m not sure I’d be able to explain properly.”

“Alright, call me if you need me again.” Alice headed out.

“Have you calmed down yet?” Leon appeared, leaning against her doorway.

She glanced up at him. “Now what do we do?”

He glanced at his watch. “Seeing as the morning’s pretty much over, I’d say we have lunch, and then I have work to do.”

“What about me? This place is clean at the moment, and you have Zeke to handle most of your affairs, so there isn’t much for me to do, is there?”

Leon thought for a moment. “You will be free to work with other guests, but should I call for you, I expect you to come as soon as possible. Now, do you feel up to making lunch or should we order something? Or we could even go out to a restaurant nearby. I think it’s in our best interests to get to know each other better.”

“I’m… not hungry.”

He sighed and knelt down in front of her, pressing his hand to her forehead to check on her. “It’s best not to skip meals; it’ll eat away at your strength.”

“I guess you’re right…”

“Come on.” He took hold of both of her hands. “Let’s go out to eat at a restaurant nearby. We can have something hearty, like soup, and maybe you’ll feel better after eating.” The look he gave her was like a puppy pleading for attention.

Alice is right; I have to give him a chance. “Okay.”

“Great.” He smiled and stood, still holding onto one of her hands. “Let’s go.”

His smile actually is quite charming…

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Continue in chapter 8.