One Life Stand – Chapter 30

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

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

“No, never.”

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

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

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

“Thank you.” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Go, mom!

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

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

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

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

“I hope not,” Ella grumbled.

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

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

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

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

“T-thank you…”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Leon raised an eyebrow.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“A phrase that would make most men shudder.”

“I’m not most men.” He winked at her.

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

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

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

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

“What are you always working on?”

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

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

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

“And didn’t this place just open?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What? No…” Where’d my mom go?

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

“Maybe I should just play slots with her.”

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

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

“I’ll teach you any game you want.”

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

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

---

Continued in chapter 31.

One Life Stand – Chapter 29

“This place is even bigger than I imagined. What hotel has stores in it?” Lucy asked as she walked together with Ella and Leon through their mall.

“More than you’d think,” Leon said. “But generally, they’re big hotels that have the extra space for it. Now, how about you two do more than window shopping?” He pulled out his credit card. “All of it is on me; you can buy as much as you want.”

“I’m not much of a spender…”

“I insist! I will be hurt and heartbroken if you leave here without spending money, because then it seems like I’ll need to make some changes to my shops. I want people to want what we’re selling, and if we can’t sell them even when it’s all-expenses-paid, then we’ve definitely failed.”

Her eyes widened, and she stopped walking. “But j-just because I don’t want to buy anything, doesn’t mean other people don’t.”

“It’s not a good sign, to say the least.” He waved the card around.

“He’s not going to give up until we’ve spent a large sum of money, you know?” Ella said.

“You should at least get a wedding dress.”

“Wait, what?”

“Why is that surprising? We’re engaged! And while you could shop with the girls and find one, I figured you’d prefer to be with your mother for this.”

“Won’t your mom complain?”

“She’s going to have control over the wedding itself with whatever planner she hires, but this, this is one hundred percent you. Of course, it’s not all I’m hoping you’ll buy, but it is a start.”

“Should you be here if we’re dress shopping, though?”

“Don’t worry; I’ll wait outside the shop.”

“I don’t want to leave you alone,” Ella said.

“That’s sweet, but I’ll be fine.” He leaned in close to Ella. “I also got permission from the other girls for this first.”

He even thinks about them? How sweet can he be?

“They said to have fun with your mother.”

“Come on, mom; I’d love to shop for a wedding dress with you.” Ella linked arms with her.

“You didn’t seem to want to previously… so I thought it might be better for you to look with your friends.” She tried to pull away, but Ella wouldn’t let her.

“Things are different this time. I’m more mature, and more… certain.” There’s not much of a chance to run, anyway.

“I will admit you two seem a mix of nerves and happy.” Her mom looked at them.

Leon held his card up to Ella. “Let’s go, mom.” She took the credit card and thanked him.

“Anything for you, my love.” Leon winked at her.

“You’re going to have to be careful if he’s always such a flirt,” her mom whispered.

Leon held his hand over his heart. “I promise to keep the real flirting for Ella, and otherwise, it’s only harmless flirting to ease a situation and nothing more.”

“I suppose it’s the best we can ask for.”

Ella dragged her mom away to the wedding dress store nearby as Leon waited outside texting Zeke.

“These all look so gorgeous; how do we decide?” Lucy held her hands on her cheeks as she looked at the slew of dresses to choose from in every style she could imagine. They even had ones that weren’t white.

“Well… I don’t care for strapless ones, so that should trim it down a bit,” Ella said, not wanting to chance slipping out at all.

“And you want to keep to white, right?”

“Yup.”

They took their time picking a few dresses out before Ella tried any of them on. While all the dresses were beautiful, she wasn’t satisfied with a bunch of them, and got to find out more about her preferences.

“Nothing ‘super’ poofy or with a long train. How about this little bit of lace at the top here?” Ella pointed to the top of the chest part. “I think it looks pretty and elegant.”

“Agreed. How much are these, anyway?”

“Mom, don’t ask. I mean it.”

“That much?”

“It means I don’t want to know, because it’ll ruin it. Leon will pay for it, and he’s not taking out a loan or ripping apart his savings to do it, so that’s good enough, right?” It’s the only way I can get over it, too…

She sighed. “I suppose so… Rich people do things differently, don’t they?”

“Some definitely do.”

“Who doesn’t look at prices?”

“Mom… He might pay attention to that kind of thing otherwise, but it seems anything I want, he’ll just get it for me, regardless. Especially in this case; it’s our wedding.”

“I guess that makes sense, but I’d still prefer if you didn’t go crazy on it.”

“I’m not planning anything other than this, and I would assume who my bridesmaids are, so it’s not on me.” She shrugged.

“Did planning previous ones ruin it for you?”

Ouch… Ella glared at her. “More like his mother wants control of it all.”

“You’re going to have to be careful about them; they might want complete control of your life.”

“That won’t happen.” I know Leon wants to change how things work in his family. “Anyway, I’ll try on the next one.”

After trying on a dozen dresses, she found one that made her struggle to stop admiring it. It was a layered dress with straps and a sweetheart neckline.

“I guess you found the right one,” Lucy said, watching her as she stared into the mirror.

“Hmm?” Ella turned to her in a bit of a daze.

“When you look at it like that, it’s definitely the one.”

She thought for a moment and nodded. “I think you’re right.”

“Of course, I am; I’d know that look anywhere.” She smiled at her daughter and then held onto her shoulders. “That fantastical look means you love the dress, honey. Were you imagining wearing it as you said your vows to Leon?”

“Ha ha, no; I’m not sure I had any thoughts when I looked at it. I was just stunned, I guess.”

“It doesn’t look like it needs any altering, or at least not much, so let’s buy it and meet back up with Leon. He’s been out there a while, so I feel a bit sorry for him,” her mom said.

Ella and her mom came out of the shop to find Leon sitting on a bench with a red bag from a nearby store.

“How’d it go?” He stood, smiling, as he picked the bag up.

“It was a success,” Ella said.

“She looked gorgeous in it,” her mom said.

“Of course she does; she’s always gorgeous.” He winked at Ella.

“Ahem… Anyway…” Ella blushed as she averted her gaze. “Looks like you did some shopping, too.”

“Yes, I did.” He pulled out a small velvet box from the bag. “I didn’t know if people these days still did the whole something new, blue, and borrowed, so I got these just in case.” He opened it to reveal sapphire drop earrings.

“Wow…” Both the ladies leaned in close to look at them.

“Those are so pretty, and both new and blue.” Ella reached out. “Can I touch it?”

“Of course you can; it’s yours. Oh, and in case you two wanted to match something on the big day, I got you a pair, too.” Leon held another velvet box out to Ella’s mother.

She teared up instantly. “Matching with Ella?” She covered her face with her hands. “That’s so sweet. I’d love to do something like that.”

“Aw, mom.” Ella hugged her.

“I knew you two were close, but getting to see you two together like this… it’s like you’re best friends.” Leon smiled as he watched them.

Her mom stroked her hair. “It’s because it’s always been the two of us, so we are friends and family. I always had to rely on her way too much, and I know she missed out on being a child sometimes…”

“Mom.” Ella snuggled up closer to her. “I didn’t miss out. I only tried to help and carry the extra load you couldn’t.”

“But I was the adult; I shouldn’t have put so much weight on your shoulders.”

“Just because you’re an adult doesn’t mean you don’t need help.”

“But being a kid means you shouldn’t have the burden.”

“Did I end up opening something up I shouldn’t have?” Leon asked, not sure how to process how their conversation was continuing.

“Oh, no, no.” Her mom reached up and patted his head. “You’ve been so sweet, and we just get trapped thinking about the past sometimes. So many things I wish I did differently.”

“I was happy, mom.” Ella pouted, wishing she would listen to her. “And I’m happy now.” She glanced at Leon.

Leon held his hand over his heart. “And I’ll do my best to keep you happy. Now, how about we keep shopping? And I insist you two spend some money here; I’ll be sad if there’s nothing else here that catches your eye.”

“Onetime opportunity?” Ella nudged her mom’s elbow.

“I wouldn’t say one time… I won’t mind if you go on shopping sprees as long as it makes you happy,” Leon thought out loud, and then noticed Ella’s glare. “Sorry, I’m not big on lying or hiding things; had to say it.”

“I’m liking him more and more,” her mother whispered.

Me too…

Eventually, Leon ended up carrying a slew of bags filled with clothes, accessories, and trinkets.

“You don’t have to carry all the bags, you know?” Ella tried to take one from him, and he held it away from her.

“Yes, I do. It is my duty to carry these for you, and I am determined to do so.”

“He’s so stubborn…”

Lucy chuckled. “He’ll have to be to deal with you.”

“Mom! What are you insinuating?”

She laughed more. “Well, you need someone persistent to a point of being stubborn, alongside being kind and understanding. Leon seems to be all those things. And while looks aren’t what we’re supposed to base things on, he’s definitely a catch there…”

“Thank you.” Leon smiled and held his chin up high. “I’m glad I’ve made a good impression.”

“I don’t think you should praise him anymore; you’ll give him a big head,” Ella warned her.

“Okay, okay. How about we finish with shopping for the day? Leon’s holding quite a bit, and I can’t imagine it’s light.”

“I’m fine,” Leon said. “Keep going if you want.”

“My feet are tired, and I could use some rest. Let’s go back.”

“Wait, that sounds like a perfect time for a massage! Time to test out other things,” Leon suggested.

---

Continued in chapter 30.

One Life Stand – Chapter 28

“I thought you and your mom were close?” Leon asked as he watched Ella pace around their kitchen.

“We are…” she mumbled, nibbling on her nails. “But you and all of this is a far stretch from anyone in the past.”

“You seem more nervous than when you met my parents.”

“She might look at the building and want to turn around.”

“Why? What’s wrong with my hotel?”

“It’s a luxury hotel.”

“She knows I’m rich, right? None of this is pushing it—”

Ella sighed. “That doesn’t matter; she hates to waste money.”

“And the hotel is a waste?”

“To some people it is.”

“I see…” Leon scratched the back of his head. “I guess we’ll just have to make sure she has too much fun and is too busy, or too relaxed, to even think about how much this place would cost. I mean, we kept a top suite for her… Although, maybe she would’ve been more comfortable on a lower floor…”

“But I thought you’d want her to see the view,” Ella said.

“You’re right; I did said that, and it’s a magnificent view. I think you’re worrying too much. Unlike my parents, your mom will probably be more interested in making sure I’m right for you and a decent human being.”

“Are you sure they didn’t worry about that?”

“All they care about is that I’m getting married as per the conditions, before I can even think about taking over my father’s company. They didn’t care who I choose, but I definitely do.” Leon watched her pace around for a while longer. “Are you sure we shouldn’t have just gone to get her personally? I know we sent a driver, but—”

Ring, ring, ring. Ella’s phone went off. “Hey, mom, is everything okay?” she answered in a rush.

“No, honey, nothing’s wrong. I wanted to let you know I’m here, just outside the hotel. It’s… a bit daunting.”

“Just come in, mom. If you don’t, Leon will personally escort you up to your room.”

Leon caught enough of her conversation to guess what was going on. He nodded in approval.

“I don’t think he would do that…” Her mom sighed.

“You don’t know Leon. He’s already heading for the front door.”

Leon held his finger up, flicking it forward, as he headed to the door.

“Oh no; he doesn’t need to come down here.”

“Too late; he’s out the door.” Does he know what she looks like? “Do you want me to come, too? He can be a bit overwhelming for some people.”

“I’m a grown adult, honey; I’ll be fine. If he’s coming, I should hang up… I’ll see you soon.”

“Um, he’s tall with blue eyes and dark hair—”

“I know; I looked him up.”

Click.

“Since when does my mom use the internet much? And she hung up first?” Ella stared at the phone for a moment before slipping it into her pocket. “Gosh, I should’ve gone with him.” She continued her pacing around the kitchen. “Wait, wait, wait… I didn’t set out any cookies!” Ella grabbed a plate, popped open a container of the ones she made yesterday, and filled up a plate to sit on the island. “Cookies always help…” She picked one up and nibbled on it.

“Miss Luise,” Leon called out to a woman in the lobby who matched the picture Zeke had shown him. “I’m Leon Hunt.” He approached her and took her hand, kissing the back of it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She looked even more like an older version of Ella than she did in the picture.

“I-it’s nice to meet you too,” she said and pulled her hand away, a faint blush on her cheeks. “And call me Lucy.”

“I see where Ella got her good looks from.”

“Oh, you… You flatter me.”

“I’m serious about it. Now.” He took her luggage and held his arm out to her. “How about we go see your daughter and then I’ll take your bag to your room on the floor right below mine?”

“W-wouldn’t that be a super expensive room? I can’t afford that.”

“Afford? I’m not charging you; you’re my guest. All services are included, by the way, so I hope you’ll check a few of them out during your stay.”

“Ah… Well… We’ll see, I suppose.” She took his arm, and he led her to the elevator, passing by Alice on the way.

Alice’s jaw hung open when she saw Ella’s mother. She turned to Sebastian and forced him to face the other way.

“Hey, what are you doing? Crazy lady,” he grumbled as Alice shoved him towards a different section of the hotel. “If you just say which way, I can go on my own.”

The door to the elevator closed.

“What’s taking so long?” Ella munched on another cookie as she stared at the door.

The front door opened, and she nearly dropped her cookie. Leon and her mom walked in.

“Mom!” Ella shoved the rest of the cookie in her mouth and approached them. She leaned in for a hug and her mom leaned back, pointing at her face as she held back a laugh. “What?”

Leon chuckled. “You’ve got a crumb.” He pointed at his own face, trying to show her.

Ella wiped at the opposite side and missed it.

“Not there, here.” Leon got in close and kissed her cheek, stealing the crumb.

“D-did you just…” Ella’s jaw hung open. “In front of my mom?” she hissed. Her cheeks turned red.

Her mom laughed, and she shook her head. Leon had talked about Ella during the elevator ride up and couldn’t help but faun over her and call her cute. “Colour me surprised; you really did get her to blush quite quickly,” Lucy said.

“Wait, what? You planned this?”

“There’s no way I could plan for the cookie crumb on your face; that’s all you.”

“But…” Ella pointed between them. “Ugh, whatever.”

“Come here.” Her mom gave her a hug, stroking her hair. “It’s so good to see you again; I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too, mom.”

“How sweet!” Leon held his hand over his heart wondering, when the last time he got a hug from his mother was; too long ago to remember. He thought about asking for a hug but figured it was better off he didn’t.

Ella glanced over at him and couldn’t help but notice the sad glint in his eyes. Before she had a chance to think it over, she wrapped her arms around him for a big hug.

“Oh!” He immediately returned the favour.

He’s been through a lot with those parents.

Lucy giggled. “You two look sweet together.”

Oh, right! My mom! Ella pulled away, blushing. “Um…”

“What are you embarrassed about? I’ve seen you give a boy more than a hug before.”

“Mom!”

“What? He knows you’ve had boyfriends before; fiancés before.”

“Oh my gosh; how much did you two talk on the way here?” No wonder it took a while.

Lucy’s eyes landed on her hand. “Oh my, that’s huge and… unique.” She looked at Ella’s engagement ring.

“It’s a family heirloom,” Leon explained. “It’s definitely unique.”

Because I can’t remove it.

“But I have something better for her actual wedding ring to replace it.”

“Wait, you don’t expect her to wear the engagement ring with it?” her mother asked.

“No; I think that ring would be a bit of a hindrance, and she can put it away… or wear it if she really wants.” Leon scratched his head, thinking about how Ella couldn’t take the ring off on her own. “Either way, I have a ring I specifically picked out for her.”

When did he do that? She glanced up at him.

“I see. So…” Lucy looked around the place. “If you two live here in this big place, why did you get me a separate suite? I’m sure there’s a second bedroom here, or I can use the couch.”

“There’s no way I’m letting you use the couch, and there’re two bedrooms, but…” Leon looked to Ella for help.

“We’re in separate bedrooms…”

“Odd for an engaged couple, don’t you think?”

“He has wonky hours sometimes with overseas calls, so I thought it’d be best if I had a separate room I could use,” Ella explained.

“Okay then.” She nodded. “But I’m only here for a short time, and I think it would be a waste and lonely to have my own suite, so… can I use your room?” Lucy asked her. “It shouldn’t be a problem for you two to share a room while I’m here, right?”

She’s probing for issues, isn’t she? “Yes, of course,” Ella agreed.

Leon did his best not to react to it as he gripped Ella’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I didn’t think of that,” Leon said. “I suppose it would be better for you to be with us here, so you can spend more time with us.”

“Yes.” Her mother nodded.

“I’ll move this into her room, then.” Leon picked up her luggage he left at the door and pointed at Ella’s room.

When Leon was a bit away, her mother leaned in. “So, what’s wrong, Ella?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Ella pouted and gave her another hug. “I just missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too, but this… Leon seems great and all, but you two seem awkward.”

“Meeting his to-be mother-in-law must be nerve-wracking.”

“And yet he was charming and didn’t seem the least bit nervous all the way up here.”

She’s too sharp sometimes.

“Are you rushing into this marriage for some reason?” she asked. “Are you pregnant?”

“What? No, I’m not pregnant. Geez…”

“What? It’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for everything.”

Maybe I should tell her about the past. “I actually met him a long time ago…”

Leon came back over just as she started. “She saved me when I was a kid.” Leon kissed her on the cheek.

“I don’t know if you remember me mentioning him—”

“Oh my gosh… That boy! What are the chances?” She covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. “I thought you looked young for my Ella, but to think the gap is that big…”

Ella’s expression fell. “Don’t tell me you’re going to make me feel too old for him, too.”

“No, no; it’s reasonable still, but surprising for you.”

“Is it?”

“As far as I know, every boyfriend you’ve had was at least your age or older.”

Never paid attention to it.

“Guess I’m the first younger man.” Leon smiled as he bumped into Ella playfully.

“And I hope I’m not opening a can of worms, but he knows about all your previous engagements, right?”

“Yes, mom,” Ella sighed. “He knows all about it.” And then some.

“How long have you two been dating? Ella didn’t mention you before.”

Leon took a deep breath. “Um… Not all that long, but I promise I love her and always will.”

“I suppose it isn’t always about the length of time, but there is this thing they call the ‘honeymoon phase’ which can last for even over a year…”

“I don’t think it’s a phase when I’ve loved her since the day we first met.” Leon looked away, a slight hint of pink on his cheeks.

“Oh! Well, ice cream boy, I suppose I’ll have to trust you on that. Ella, on the other hand, I’m still worried about.”

Me too. 

“Ahem,” Ella cleared her throat. “How about we move on from this conversation and go check out the hotel and all its facilities like we planned to?”

“Okay, where to?”

---

Continued in chapter 29.

One Life Stand – Chapter 27

“I’m not even looking for a long-term relationship right now, and even I’m jealous,” Alice said as she dragged Ella around the hotel to help customers. “He’s like a literal knight in shining armour, galloping in to save the day.”

“Galloping in? He didn’t have a horse.” Ella rolled her eyes.

“No, but you said he ran in, and I actually saw him run by in the lobby. He looked so terrified and determined. I want someone to come to save me like that.” She sighed with her hand over her heart.

“Save you from what?”

“Loneliness?”

“Don’t you have a date with Zeke coming up again?”

“Maybe.”

“Wait… Are you serious about him?”

“Nope.”

“You said that a bit too fast.” Ella eyed her.

“Quit yapping and help me fix this room. Grab that end.” She pointed at the other end of the sheet.

“You seem to work in these rooms a lot; are they not getting you to personally help with guests?”

“I’ll have you know, I’ve helped plenty of guests since we started here, but when I end up switching someone’s room for a specific view or whatever, Jenny asks me to fix the previous room up. In fact, this morning I had to give someone a full overview of the town and make arrangements for them for the next two weeks!”

“Working hard, then?”

“Of course! This is my floor, and it’s always full of people looking for help.”

“You know, if we need more staff, I can get Leon to hire more people. He actually offered to hire Charlie and Kyra.”

“The four of us can be together again? But this isn’t as close to their houses… I don’t know if they’d come.”

“It does pay better.”

“True.”

Ring, ring. Alice answered her phone. “We’ll be right there.” She hung up. “And you thought I didn’t work as an actual concierge. Let’s go.” Alice hooked her arm through Ella’s and dragged her away.

“You weren’t kidding about them being demanding in this place…” Ella sighed. She had watched Alice deal with a customer for the last hour. They even roped her into helping them exercise at their gym.

“It’s nothing we haven’t done before.” Alice nudged her elbow. “We’re experienced at this; that’s why they brought us in. Although, this place has way more amenities than our old hotel did. More work, but also more interesting. You haven’t had to do much concierge work since coming here, have you?” Alice wiggled her eyebrows.

“Nope; I’m more like a housekeeper.”

“More like a housewife.” Alice laughed.

Ella gave her a light shove as they walked down the hall. Alice stumbled into someone. “Sorry!” They both apologized.

He turned around and smirked. “Oh look, twice in one day,” Sebastian said.

“You…” Alice growled at him.

Ella gripped Alice’s shoulder. “Calm down…”

“Actually, I was looking for someone to help me, so this is perfect.”

“You want me to check you out early and get you a taxi out?” Alice asked. Her head tilted to the side as she smiled, tight-lipped.

“Aren’t you a bundle of fun? No, of course, I don’t want to check out. I just got here today, and I’ll be here all week. That said, I’d like a personal concierge.” He looked over her shoulder at Ella.

Ella shivered and looked away from him, her grip on Alice tightening.

“She’s already taken, but I can help you out,” Alice said.

“But I’d prefer—”

“She is a full-time personal concierge of someone, so she can’t be someone else’s personal concierge.”

“Tch… Fine; you’ll have to do.”

“Alice… Don’t,” Ella whispered. “He’s dangerous.”

Alice glanced back at her with a dark glint in her eyes. “Well, so am I.”

“Don’t do anything stupid.”

“What fun is that?” Alice rolled her eyes. “Now, what do you need?” she asked, turning back to Sebastian.

“Quite a few things,” he replied. He glanced back at Ella before letting Alice lead him away, chatting his ear off.

“Ha… I need to get out of here.” Figuring nobody would bother to complain to her, she headed out of the building for a walk.

I haven’t spent much time in this area yet… It’d be best for a concierge to know all the best places around, but I don’t feel like dealing with people right now. She sighed, looking at all the shops lining both sides of the street.

Ella kept walking until she happened upon a small, empty park. Parks had always felt like a safe place for her to sit and think while enjoying the nearby nature. She sat on one of the swings and looked up at the trees above her.

A cool breeze blew past, and she closed her eyes as she took in a deep breath.

A lot had happened recently, including many changes, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“Ella? It’s really you?”

A familiar voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

She slowly lowered her head until he came into view. “Nathan…” She swallowed and gripped the metal chains of the swing tighter.

“I can’t believe it’s you. It both feels like it’s been a while and not long at the same time.” He approached her and pointed at the swing next to hers. “Do you mind?”

“N-no…”

“Thanks.” He sat down and looked up at the sky. “So, how have you been?”

Ella held her hands in her lap, covering the ring on her finger. “Fine, I guess.”

“You don’t sound fine.”

“Just a lot of blasts from the past recently… I’m sorry about everything, by the way.”

“I guess I am part of your past already.” Nathan sighed. “You don’t have to apologize again, but I have to know: have you found what you’re looking for, yet?”

“What?” She finally looked at him.

“Someone who gives you the feeling you’re looking for.”

“I’m not sure.”

“I see…” He nodded and glanced at her hands. “I know I probably don’t have a shot after the talk we had, but I miss you so much. I always feel like you’ll come walking back through my door one day, and get disappointed when you don’t.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Stop apologizing. I’m not trying to make you feel bad, just letting you know the extent of my feelings… and honestly, wondering if you’ve missed me at all.”

“Of course, I have. With so much going on these days, I can’t help but remember how comfortable things were with you. So yes, I’ve missed you, but I’m not looking to get back together or anything.”

“Ha… Trust me, I know. You made it quite clear we didn’t have a future together, though I can’t help but wonder how it would’ve looked.”

Ella thought about it for a moment. “Probably like a normal married couple, if I didn’t have the habit of running away. I’ve been trying to work on that, but running into Sebastian has made it hard.”

Nathan’s eyes widened. They hadn’t talked about him extensively, but he knew enough to know Sebastian being around meant trouble. “A-are you okay? He didn’t hurt you or anything, did he?”

“Thankfully, he didn’t have a chance to, since I have some awesome friends and…” Leon.

“I was afraid to hear of it, but you have a new man in your life, don’t you?”

“Yes…”

“So let me ask again, does he give you that feeling we were missing?”

I’d rather he not know about it, but… it’s too late, I guess. “I think so… It hasn’t been that long, so it’s hard to tell.”

Nathan nodded. “The early spark you’re hoping will last?”

“Somewhat, but it’s a bit different. I don’t know how to describe it.”

“Well, I hope things work out with him, if he can give you that kind of expression.”

“What expression?” She touched her face and pouted.

“One I don’t know you’ve ever made when you thought of me…” He sighed and rubbed his forehead. As much as he loved her, and didn’t want to admit it, he always felt the gap in her feelings for him. “If he can make you so content, and yet have this look of longing in your eyes, he must be special. It’s probably worth it to stick this one out.”

“What about you? How have you been? Have you…” she trailed off, not sure she even had the right to ask.

“No, I’m not seeing anyone yet, if that’s what you were going to ask. And I’m still… recovering from my loss.” He stole another glance at her. “But eventually, I’ll be okay. I don’t know how long it’ll take, but someday I’ll wake up and life won’t hurt so much anymore.”

It’s probably useless to apologize again… She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you for being a great boyfriend, and I wish you the best in the future. I know you’ll make some woman super happy.”

He touched his cheek where her kiss lingered, and swallowed hard. “Thank you.”

“By the way, how did you notice me here?”

He pointed at the cafe across the street. “I was going to grab a coffee when I spotted you heading into the park.”

“You could tell it was me from that far away?”

“I think I could spot you in any crowd. I wasn’t going to come over, but it felt like something might be wrong if you’re in a park in the middle of the day.”

“I just wanted some time to think and to stay away from Sebastian.”

“You should get a restraining order.”

“As if those are helpful…” she sighed. “Only if he’s caught doing something bad will they do anything about it.”

“I suppose you’re right. But can I at least suggest you avoid being alone if you’re that afraid of him? By the way, I don’t know if you’ve deleted my number or anything, but call me if you need to. I’ll come running if you need my help… as your friend. We can be friends, right?”

“Are you sure you want to be? I wouldn’t even blame you if you hated me, considering how I dealt with things.”

“Hate you? Never… I love you, Ella, and you can’t truly hate someone you love. You can get angry and annoyed, and may think you hate them, but if you love them, you can’t hate them.”

Ella’s heart wrenched, and she felt tears welling up. “T-thank you…”

His hand plopped down on her head, and he stroked her hair. “It’s okay, Ella. We may not end up being close friends, but we are still friends. Anyway…” He looked at his watch. “I have to go. Don’t stay here too long. I’ll see you around sometime.”

“Bye…” Ella watched him walk away.

How many women would’ve killed to have someone great like him? I must really seem insane.

Ring, ring, ring. Ella’s phone went off. “Hello?” she answered without looking.

“Hey, where are you?” Leon asked.

“Nearby park, why? Do you need me to do something?”

“Alice told me about the run-in, and I came home early, but you weren’t here, so I got worried. Should I come to pick you up?”

“I’m only a few minutes away by foot, so no. I’m fine, Leon, just thinking.”

“I’ll be right there.”

Click.

“Be right there?” Ella frowned as she stared at her phone for a moment. “Why would he come here? Ah, whatever.” She sighed and stared up at the sky again.

A few minutes later, Leon came jogging into the park.

“What’s the rush?” Ella asked.

“A… well…” He scratched the back of his head and sat down on the swing beside her. “I finished work, so I wanted to spend time with you.”

“How’d you finish early? I thought all hot-shots like you had to work extra long hours all the time.”

“No, not all the time, but we do get interrupted with work when we’re supposed to be off.” He looked around the park and up at the rusted metal of the creaking swing. “No one’s here, but there’s a school not too far. The feel of nature here is nice, but it looks like it needs some restoration. More of a Zeke job, but can I ask you to look into having this place fixed up?”

“Um, sure.”

“You look skeptical, but I try to have things like this restored when I find out they haven’t been taken care of.” Especially if she planned on visiting the park, he’d prefer it be in good shape.

“Is this a form of charity?”

“It’s my own money going into it for the betterment of society, so I guess it is.” Leon shrugged. “So, how about we head home?” He stood in front of her and offered his hand.

She nodded and took his hand. He laced his fingers through hers as they walked back home.

---

Continued in chapter 28.

One Life Stand – Chapter 26

Ella received the information from Leon while he was out and set up a driver for her mother before calling her again.

“Most often you’ve called me in years.” Her mother chuckled.

“Yes, well… I wanted to make sure you knew about the driver coming to pick you up. I don’t want them showing up, and you’ve left already or whatever.” Ella sighed as she looked at the information for the driver. Knowing her mother was weary of people, she made sure to tell her his name and send a picture of him, so she knew what he looked like. “Mom, what would you think about moving more into the city, closer to me?”

“You know I’d love to be closer to you, but it’s always so crowded in the city. Besides, it costs way too much for me. My life is in this little suburban town; my job is here.”

“Even if you get a free house?”

“Free house? What in the world are you talking about?”

“Leon said we could get you a place closer to here—”

“I can’t accept something so grand.”

“You should, though; you deserve it. You always turn down gifts and whatnot, making it sound like you don’t deserve them, but you do. You’ve worked so hard your whole life; you deserve to rest and do what you want.”

“There are a lot of people who are in similar situations to me…”

“Does that make you any less deserving? Just because someone else has it worse or whatever, doesn’t mean you have to feel bad about accepting things being given to you.”

She was silent for a while. “I’ll think about it.”

“Okay, well, I should be getting back to work. I’ll see you soon. Love you.”

“I love you too, honey.”

They both hung up. Ella sighed and leaned back in her chair.

I really wish she wasn’t so down on herself. I was happy growing up, and that’s something many people can’t say, but I can because of her.

Her phone rang. It was Jenny.

“Hello,” Ella answered.

“Um, if you’re not too busy right now, can I get your help? One of the guests went a bit psychotic, and one of our staff members had a total breakdown. I know you’re busy helping Mr. Hunt, but if there was ever an emergency to call on one of our experienced staff members, it’s now.”

“I understand. I’ll head down right away.”

“Thank you.”

Ella took the elevator down to the first floor and headed into the employee area. There, Jenny was talking to a few people, still trying to diffuse the situation, while a fellow employee was crying in the back.

“Hey.” Ella sat down beside them on the floor in the employee room. “Whatever happened, it’ll pass.”

“No, it won’t! They’re going to fire me! I need this job.” She sobbed. “I… can’t believe… he blamed me for everything. He even… threw wine at me! My uniform is ruined…”

“We have extras; don’t worry about that. But, whatever you did, they were out of line. You didn’t deserve this kind of treatment.”

“But… I did mess up… I can’t believe how angry he got…”

“Do you mind if I ask what happened?”

“A domino of things! I got blamed for their room not being ready when they weren’t supposed to be there for another five hours. And then after that argument, they went to their room and complained it was facing the wrong direction. Then it was the food. I didn’t cook it, but I apparently did something wrong with it. And then I knocked over a vase in the room by accident, and they cut their foot when they stomped towards me in anger—”

“Ella, help, please,” Jenny popped her head into the room and begged her. “I think he’s going to start a fight.”

“Then call security to take him away. Our staff is more important than the customers, especially when the customer is the one acting like a brat.”

“Ella!”

“Go… I’ll be okay.” The other staff member wiped her tears away. “But be careful; I don’t trust this man.”

“Okay.” Ella stood and adjusted her clothes. “I’ll try to smooth things over.” She exited to where Jenny was, and when she saw who the man was, she froze.

He spotted her, and his eyes widened. “Ella? So this is where you work?” Sebastian eyed her uniform.

“Um…”

“You know him?” Jenny whispered to her.

“Sorta…”

“Sorta? Come on, Ella—”

“I need to use one of the private rooms,” Ella cut Sebastian off as she turned to Jenny.

“Um, sure thing.” Jenny pointed down the hall. “Use meeting room two; it’s empty right now. Should I send someone else to go with you?”

“No…” Ella leaned close to Jenny. “But please call Leon and tell him I need him; ex-number-one is here.”

“O-okay…” Jenny had his number for business purposes, but practically never used it. She gripped her phone, waiting for Ella to walk away before doing anything. “Stay near the door,” she whispered to the male concierge nearby. “I don’t trust him.”

Ella walked down the hall, gripping her hands in front of her to stop them from shaking. Sebastian followed behind her. His eyes trailed down her and he smirked.

“So, you really work here?” he asked.

“Of course; do you think this uniform is for show?” She opened the door to the room and motioned with her hand for him to enter.

“Fancy place. Do they pay nice?” he asked as he passed by her.

“Not sure what that matters to you.”

“Well, I’m wondering if you’re living a decent life or not.”

“Stop pretending to care. Why were you making such a fuss earlier? You know the staff are people with feelings, right? And it’s not like anything they did was on purpose.”

Sebastian smirked and leaned on the table behind him. “You think I should forgive her when she can’t even do her job properly?”

“You showed up early; don’t forget to take some blame.”

“They should be ready way before the customer gets here when they have a reservation.”

“Wouldn’t that depend on how long before? And who cares what direction your room is facing?”

“I asked specifically—”

“I swear, you’re just out to be a jerk. Come on, the food? She didn’t cook it; don’t take your anger out on her.”

Sebastian’s eyebrow twitched. “You’ve changed a bit, and it hasn’t even been long since I saw you.”

Because I know I have to be strong in front of you. “People change.”

“I like the fire.” He smirked. “I mean, I already liked you before, but this Ella…” He licked his lips. “She seems even more fun.”

“That may be so, but I’m also taken. I’m off limits, so don’t even think about it.”

“Too late; already thinking about it.”

Ella held back the urge to roll her eyes. “Look, we’re sorry about any inconveniences you may have encountered, and we can offer you one night, free of charge, so long as you don’t make a big deal about this.”

“You’re right, a bad review of this place could get that woman fired, couldn’t it? So, how about you go on a date with me, and I’ll forget any of this happened?”

“No deal. As I’ve said, I’m not on the market.” Ella crossed her arms and hardened her expression.

“That look may work on others, but I know you better than that, Ella; you’re soft on the inside.” He sauntered up to her and backed her into the wall. “Come on, we both know you only took me to a private room because you wanted time alone with me.”

“No; I just didn’t want our past being spread around.” She glared up at him. “We’ve been done for a long time, Sebastian,” she spat his name out. “With no chance of it happening again.”

His cheek twitched. “Do you think you’re too good for me now?” he growled.

Don’t provoke him, Ella!

“I have been for a long time. I didn’t deserve to be treated like a possession and betrayed because I didn’t give you what you wanted.”

He leaned in close to her. “I’m a guy; get over it. And of course, I treated you that way; you were mine. You’ll be mine again soon.”

“In your dreams.” She glared at him and dug her nails into her arms as she refused to back down.

Leon, please show up soon.

He smirked and gripped her chin. “You’ve been in my dreams this whole time, Ella. It’s been telling me it’s you. You may have run away before, but I won’t let you get away this time.”

She shuddered and swatted his hand away. “Don’t touch me.”

The door wriggled open, and Leon came in huffing. “You.” He pointed at Sebastian. “What are you even doing here?” he growled.

“I needed a hotel close by for some business I have in town. Sure, I could have commuted, but it’s so much more convenient this way,” Sebastian answered him. “Ended up with a good surprise after the mess, though.” He turned back to Ella. “I’m glad our run-in wasn’t a onetime deal. I look forward to seeing you again during my stay.” He turned back to Leon. “I am still allowed to be here, right? Pretty sure I could make it look bad if you threw me out.”

“If you do anything to my Ella, then I’m not going to care about reputation, and I’ll be coming after you.”

“Ha,” he chuckled. “I’ll see you later.” He winked at Ella and left, giving Leon a shove as he went.

“Are you okay?” Leon ignored him and went up to Ella to check her over. He patted her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “Ella? Did he…?”

She leapt at him, into his chest, as her whole body shook. “H-he didn’t get a chance to do anything. I’m so glad you showed up…”

He wrapped his arms around her. “Of course, I came. I can’t believe you brought him here to talk alone, though.”

“Who knows what kind of scene he might’ve tried to make if I didn’t?”

“But it’s dangerous to be alone with him.”

“I can’t keep running every time I’m afraid.” She gripped his shirt.

“This isn’t about running away from a problem; this is about putting yourself in danger.”

“That’s why I told her to contact you.”

“But what if I couldn’t get here in time? We don’t know what he might’ve tried to do, even with someone not far outside…” Leon sighed and hugged her tighter. “I am glad you called for me. I’m even happier and relieved you’re alright.”

It was in his touch every time. She hadn’t given it much thought before, but he cared for her. Truly, deeply, cared for her. She couldn’t deny that his feelings were true, or that he made her feel safe. She could rely on him.

This feeling… it’s what I’ve always been searching for. She hugged him tighter, relaxing into his embrace.

“Ella?”

“Oh, sorry.” She tried to pull away, but he kept her close.

“There’s nothing to apologize for, but I wanted to make sure it’s okay to have him here. I can have him banished from my hotel, and all hotels linked with my family, if you want.”

“No.” She shook her head. “Thank you, but I don’t think we need to go that far. He’ll likely want to cause trouble and get me to serve him somehow, but I don’t want to have to resort to anything that could hurt the company.”

“I don’t think he could manage to do that, but okay.” He let out a deep sigh. “I think you need the rest of the day off… and so do I.”

“On that note…” They finally pulled away from each other, but he kept a hand on her waist. “Did I pull you out of a meeting?” she asked.

“Uh…”

“I hope I didn’t cause too much trouble.”

“It’ll be fine; don’t worry about it. Zeke was left to handle things.”

As if on cue, Leon’s phone went off.

Ring, ring, ring.

“Aren’t you going to answer it?” Ella asked.

Leon groaned and looked at his phone. “Yes, Zeke,” he answered it. His face contorted.

“If you have to go, you can go. I’m okay now,” Ella assured him.

He held the phone away from his head. “You may be, but I’m not,” he whispered to her. “I’m worried he’ll come back and try something.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Alice… We should bring her here and make sure you don’t stray from her side, at least for today.”

“If we’re having someone guard me and work, I’d say Charlie would be the best option… Not that I’m complaining about Alice.”

“Charlie doesn’t work here though… You know, if your other friends want to work here as well, I’m sure we have some positions open for them.”

“Isn’t that an abuse of power?” Then again, he probably did that to get me here, too…

“At least it’s for something good.”

“True, but I don’t think our old company would want to lose two more of their experienced staff in such a short time.”

“Does seem a bit mean, but you can leave the offer open for them.”

“I’m getting favourable treatment at work…” Ella mumbled. Kinda both like it and feel bad at the same time.

“Of course you are; you’re the boss’s wife-to-be. Heck, after we’re married, and I’m forced to take over my father’s company, which owns mine anyway, you can run this one if you want.”

“I’m not sure I’m cut out for that.”

“There’s time to learn and change your mind.” He shrugged. “That’s still way in the future, anyway.”

“Really? I thought they’d be trying to push it onto you as soon as we’re married.”

“Na, they’ll give me a few years to prove it’s working, and then push it onto me.” He smirked and lightly brushed her bangs aside. “I should go before Zeke starts spamming me with calls.” He kissed her forehead. “Stick with Alice and call me if anything else happens. I’ll see you later.”

“Bye.” Ella touched her forehead and smiled, his warmth still lingering.

---

Continued in chapter 27.

One Life Stand – Chapter 25

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You were worried?”

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

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

“That’s what texts are for…”

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

“Should’ve answered my text.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Nope, it’s nothing…”

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

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

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

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

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

“Dripping sweetness…” she mumbled.

“Do you forgive me?”

“You make it hard not to.”

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

She sat down with a huff and started to eat.

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

“Shouldn’t I ask you that?”

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

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

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

“Yes.”

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

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

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

“I’ll set it up…”

“Is something wrong?”

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

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

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

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

“We?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I guess…”

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

“Oh, okay.”

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

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

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

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

---

Continued in chapter 26.

One Life Stand – Chapter 24

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I’ve been thinking as well.”

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

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

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

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

“Right… my mom…”

“What’s wrong?”

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

“Why? Did you two fight or something?”

“You could say that.”

“About what?”

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

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

“I guess you’re right.”

“Time to reconcile?”

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

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

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

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

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

“What do you mean?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Hangover?”

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

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

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

“That’s part of my job?”

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

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

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

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

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

“Well…”

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

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

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

“I guess she might.”

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

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

“I’ll stick with this.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Hello,” her mom answered. “Ella?”

“Um…”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“That’s great!”

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

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

“Y-yup.”

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

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

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

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

“He works at your hotel?”

“He owns the hotel.”

“Oh…”

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

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

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

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

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

“You’re not wasting money, are you?”

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

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

“Alright then; I’ll see you soon.”

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

“I’m fine, mom. How about you?”

“I’m fine; the same as always.”

I wish I knew how to talk to her…

“That’s good…” Ella sighed.

“I miss you.”

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

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

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

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

---

Continued in chapter 25.

One Life Stand – Chapter 21

Back at home, Leon dismissed Zeke for the day and rode the elevator to the top floor with Ella. He walked her into their suite, sat her down on the couch, and made some passionflower tea for her.

“I don’t know if it’s any good, but tea is supposed to help.” Leon set the cup in front of her on the coffee table and sat down beside her.

“Thanks…”

“Are you ready to talk about it?”

“…”

“Do I need to call the girls over for you to talk to them instead? I mean, I’d rather you rely on me more, but I can understand wanting to talk to them.”

“I… just want to go to bed,” Ella mumbled. “I’m tired…”

Leon scratched the back of his head as he tried to figure out what he could do. “Okay.” He nodded. “Finish your tea first, please. And if you happen to change your mind at any point, even in the middle of the night, come and talk to me. I don’t care if I’m asleep or whatever, just talk to me if you want to…”

Ella nodded and picked up the cup of tea. “Thanks…” Slowly sipping on her tea, it took her a while to finish.

Leon stayed beside her the entire time, but he made sure not to stare at her and make her uncomfortable. Instead, he focused on remembering the features of the man who was there, hoping to research him later.

When Ella stood, Leon snapped out of his thoughts.

“Goodnight…” she mumbled and handed him his jacket back before heading to her room.

“How long until you actually open up to me?” Leon sighed. He remembered his parents always had a list of the attendees along with pictures of them, so he called his father. “Dad… I need a favour. Yes, yes, I know I left the party early. Don’t worry; we’ll work on that later. Ugh, fine, you give me the information, and I’ll let you invite whoever.”

It didn’t take long for him to receive an email with all the information he requested. “He’s so going to turn this into a big spectacle now… I doubt she’ll want a wedding this big, but I’m sorry.” Leon sat down in his room with his laptop and looked through the profiles of their guests. “This is him… Bruce Bently… What a douche,” he grumbled as he read through the profile. Then it clicked; he remembered it from when he checked into Ella’s background before. “No way… it really is another one of them? Why’d we run into him?”

In disbelief, he called Alice.

“Hello?” Alice answered, worried something happened again.

“What can you tell me about Bruce Bently?”

“Bruce…? Oh! Him… Why are you asking about him? Ella hasn’t talked to that lug nut in years. Good riddance, if you ask me, but I can’t say Ella didn’t have her hand in how it ended.”

“He was at my parent’s party today, and I found him alone with her, and she… wasn’t in a good state.”

Alice gasped. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying? Did he—”

“No, I’m not saying he attacked her physically or anything, but she was quite upset about something, and she’s refusing to talk to me.”

“I see…”

“Any ideas?”

“Bruce had a mouth on him last I knew, so it could be anything.”

“Who are you talking to?”

Leon heard a familiar voice in the background. “Was that… Zeke?”

“Maybe…” Alice cursed under her breath.

“What’s he doing there?”

“Um…” She held the phone away from her head. “I think we’ve been had.”

“I can still hear you, you know?”

“Oops… Um… Does it matter if he’s here? It’s his personal time, right?”

“I suppose so… Anyway, can you and the girls talk to her? I’ll keep trying, of course, but based on tonight, my prospects aren’t good.”

“Yeah, it’s hard to get her to talk sometimes… Maybe I’ll invite her to a girls-night-out.”

“Uh… Sure, but try not to drink too much.”

“I guarantee we will.”

Leon rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Maybe you should drink here then; I can order anything you want.”

“While that sounds great, I think it’s best if she’s out of the house. Hey, what are you doing? Give back my phone.”

“Do you mind not calling her so late at night? I’m the jealous type and don’t have much spare time for fun,” Zeke said, having stolen Alice’s phone.

“Be careful, Zeke.”

“I’m not going to hurt her.”

“She’s not the one I’m worried about. Zeke, she’s… how should I put this?”

“Tread carefully…”

“She’s not exactly a one-guy kinda woman. Or more like, she doesn’t like to get attached.”

“I know that already; your worries are unfounded.”

“But I know how you get. You tend to go all in, and despite your roughness, you wear your heart on your sleeve in relationships.”

“Butt out; I can handle this.” Zeke hung up on him.

“I hope you can.” He sighed. “I should’ve called Kyra; she’s the reliable one.” He looked at the time and thought better of it. He didn’t want to disturb her this late, especially when she’s generally wiped out at the end of the day from dealing with work and her kids.

“Whatever,” he grumbled, loosening his tie. “We’ll deal with it tomorrow.” He flopped back on his bed, not bothering to get changed.

Leon sluggishly got ready for work the next morning. He approached Ella’s door, wanting to check on her.

Knock, knock. “Ella? How are you feeling today? You can take the day off from work if you want.” When she didn’t answer, he knocked again and then opened the door. She wasn’t there.

In the kitchen, he found his breakfast sitting there and a note.

Went to work. Have a good day.

“That… tells me nothing.” He sat down to eat his breakfast of an omelette and bread all on his own. He stared at Ella’s spot at the table, his heart wrenching as he remembered how she looked when he went back to his room the previous night. “I never should’ve left her alone there…”

Ella asked Jenny to have a day working alone away from everyone, and while she was concerned, she agreed and let Ella work on some empty rooms and a few other tasks for her. Even during lunch, she made sure she was away from everyone and not answering her phone.

Maybe I should just vanish into oblivion… At least then, I won’t be able to hurt anyone else. The girls will be alright without me. Leon… Crap… He needs me now unless his parents change their wonky stipulations, and he can move on to marry someone else. They wouldn’t really implode their company over that, right?

…

There’s no way to know how crazy they are… Ha… Even if I left, there’s a chance I’d harm a ton of people. There’s no winning, is there?

Ella set up her last room for the day while her mind wandered down a dark path.

“Well, you look like crap.”

Ella recognized the voice instantly. “Charlie, what are you doing here?”

“I heard about the trouble, and had some spare time, so I thought I’d pop in. But damn, did you sleep at all? No wonder you’re not dealing with customers today; you’d probably scare them away.”

Ella touched her face, pouting.

“Anyway, your workday is over, so it’s time to kidnap you.” Charlie linked her arm through Ella’s.

“I’m not really in the mood for a night out with the girls now… or shopping… or anything like that…”

“Since when did ‘kidnap’ mean you’re being given a choice? You’re coming with me whether you want to or not.”

“Ah!” Ella lurched forward as Charlie dragged her away.

Dammit; I always forget how strong she is.

Charlie walked her out of the building and forced her into her car. Ella clung to the seatbelt, knowing full well it wasn’t going to be a pleasant ride.

Ella yelped as soon as Charlie took off. “W-where are you taking me?”

“Don’t worry; it’s not a bar like last time… or that host club I took you to that one time either.”

“Yeah… that place was a bit seedy.”

“What? No, it wasn’t! You just weren’t comfortable with a few attractive men giving you attention.”

“They’re strangers…”

“That’s part of what you should be able to enjoy! Anyway, it doesn’t matter; we’re not going there after you freaked out last time.”

“Should you even go there? You’re married.”

“So? My husband is away a lot, and I want attention, but at least they don’t cross the line. They’re mostly there to flirt with you and make you spend more money.”

“Wow, wow, wow. Slow down!” Ella cringed and closed her eyes as they skidded to a stop at the light.

“What are you worried about? I stopped in time.”

“If you have to hit the brake that hard, you were going too fast!” Maybe I won’t have to worry about harming anyone else because I won’t make it past this trip!

“Na, it wasn’t that bad.”

“Does your husband know you drive this bad?”

Charlie was silent for a moment. “He always does the driving when we go out.”

“I’m guessing he knows then. I seriously don’t know how you’ve managed to not get a single traffic ticket so far.”

“Obviously, it’s because I’m a good driver.”

“If you think that, you’re delusional.”

“Oh, be quiet, like a good little captive.”

Ella looked out the window to the side, afraid to keep her eyes forward or to close them. Her eyes widened. “No way…” she mumbled. Nathan was on the sidewalk next to them. Ella ducked down.

“What are you doing?”

“Go, go, go!”

“I thought you didn’t like my speeding?”

“The light changed!” she yelped.

Nathan looked over, hearing her voice, right as Charlie sped off.

“Ella?” She could almost hear his voice.

“Oh yeah!” Charlie cheered. “No more holding back.”

“What? No, no, no. Ah!” Ella screamed, shaking as she clutched her head. “Hold back, hold back!”

The car came to a stop, and Charlie turned off the engine. “We’re here.”

---

Continued in chapter 22.

One Life Stand – Chapter 18

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What?” she asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I see…”

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

“Why did you run away?”

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

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

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

“True…” Maybe…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Might be considered good manners.”

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

“Good point.”

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

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

“If you’re not early, you’re late.”

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

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

The crowd around them gasped and whispered amongst themselves.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Nice to meet you, too.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“That’s the thing with older women—”

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

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

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

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

Leon sighed and took a drink of wine.

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

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

“Then what’s all the fuss about?”

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

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

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

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

“Neither did you.”

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

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

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

“No,” both his parents replied.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I’m not leaving Ella’s side.”

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

“Not exactly…”

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

“I always wanted a daughter.” Molly sighed.

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

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

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

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

Leon led them upstairs.

“I thought we were getting some air?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Still…”

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

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

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

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

“Are you saying I’m not cute now?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Continued in chapter 19.

One Life Stand – Chapter 17

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

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

“I can’t blame them.”

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

“Which one is your favourite?” Leon asked.

“The painting of the young woman with roses.”

Leon smiled widely.

“What is it?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Sounds like the starting of a romance novel.”

Leon nodded. “I suppose it does…”

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

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

“Ella, is that you?”

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

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

“Thanks…”

“Ahem,” Leon cleared his throat.

“Oh, sorry, are you here on a date?” 

“Yes, we are,” Leon said.

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

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

His eyes widened. “Has she mentioned me?”

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

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

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

Leon huffed a bit but held back from saying anything.

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

“Same…”

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

“Your family?”

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

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

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

“Y-yeah; I’m fine.”

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

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

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

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

“You said no?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Thanks.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Act older.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yup; I love all sorts of desserts.”

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

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

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

“You don’t have to feed me.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I get it,” she mumbled.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“How would you do that?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Continued in chapter 18.