I dialed Alicia's number in a panic.
She didn't answer the first time but she eventually did…
"Where are you?" I immediately blurted out.
"I'm at the bar, why?"
"I'm on my way."
"What—"
I hung up before she could speak.
I got back into the car and told Marvin to take me to the bar.
I texted Leon saying that I was going to be out for a while.
All I could feel the entire ride was rage. Why did he have to hurt the people I love just to get to someone else?
It annoyed me more that Leon was too distracted with gripping my legs to handle it.
A few minutes later, I got to the bar.
I squeezed past people to get to Alicia. As soon as I got to her, I held her shoulders firmly, startling her.
"Oh my God you scared me."
"I told you I was on my way."
I gave her a minute to catch her breath.
"You have to start talking," I continued.
"About what?"
My face shifted from eagerness to confusion quickly.
"You asked me who Max was. Did he come here?"
"Oh yeah he did."
"Tell me what he said." I squeezed her shoulders tighter.
"Woah, relax. Why is it so important?"
I took her hand and dragged her to the back of the bar. It was more quiet.
"Tell me what he said."
She hesitated.
"He asked me if I was a friend of yours and I said yes."
"And?"
"…And he said he was a good friend of yours."
I calmed down a bit.
"Honestly he was kinda cute. That's why I wanted to know who he was."
"Elaborate next time."
"I'm not even going to ask."
She went back to work.
I walked slowly to where the car was parked, my heart still pounding.
Something about Alicia made me think. She didn't ask questions. She didn't make it hard for me to lie or to keep things from her. She still showed that she cared enough to know but never went beyond asking a few times.
Maybe that was what Leon wanted from me.
But it was so hard. I wanted to know the whole story. But he was already trying his best, and he already seemed frightened enough. Forcing the truth out of him might only make it worse.
I decided I was going to lay low. I was still going to try, but if he wasn't willing to tell me, I was letting it go.
"Are you okay?" Leon asked as soon as I opened the door.
"Yeah. Are you?"
"Yeah. Long day."
"I'm sorry about all of this. It was never my intent to put you in this situation."
"I know. It wasn't mine either."
He looked like he wanted to say more but he refrained from it.
"I'm gonna head upstairs and take a nap."
He nodded with disappointment written all over his face.
I got to my room and fell on my bed. I didn't even bother to take my clothes off.
I tried to sleep but I couldn't. I felt too uncomfortable.
After minutes of twisting and turning on my bed, I finally got up to take a shower.
I changed my clothes and went back outside.
I met Leon drinking straight out of the bottle.
He was shirtless with long suit pants on. He rarely wore his glasses but a tear ran down my thigh each time he did. He looked over the estate at the edge of the balcony.
I could only see his back but I knew exactly what he looked like from the front with them on. His biceps looked rock hard. They weren't big enough to notice through a shirt, but they were big enough for me to stare for hours.
He took another sip of his drink and then turned around.
"Creepy."
My eyes were glued to his slightly visible V-line.
I heard him mumble my name and I quickly looked up at him.
"Ugh, yes, of course."
He looked at me like he was talking to a mad woman.
"Yes what?" he said, followed by a laugh.
I nervously laughed too. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"
"I was just saying how creepy it is to stare."
"I wasn't staring."
I looked away but I could still see him grinning from the corner of my eyes.
"I thought you wanted to take a nap."
"I couldn't. I figured you might need one."
"I might."
He was flirting. I didn't hate it but it still made me feel like his priorities were misplaced. Although I wasn't very much different with all the feelings I'd been trying to suppress.
"If you're serious I can…"
A call on Leon's phone interrupted me. He picked it up immediately.
He sounded eager to hear what the person had to say.
I was going to turn around and walk back to my room but I heard a familiar name.
Alvin.
I pretended to walk away but secretly hid behind my room door. I could hear him clearly, although he didn't speak much. It looked like Alvin had a lot to say.
He hung up after saying he was expecting him.
I closed my room door.
I was going to let him sort it out without butting in and that was final.
I laid back down and tried to sleep again.
It didn't come easy but after imagining a few fake scenarios with Leon holding me with his strong arms, I started to feel sleepy.
I concluded that I was taking what I felt for him too far, and I was only deceiving myself by thinking it wasn't a big deal.
That was tomorrow's problem. I already had enough today.