Aria

"You're sure your mom isn't upset about us breaking the tire swing on the weekend?" I ask Leo as we close up shop on Monday evening. 

"Totally," Leo replies. "Kit was supposed to change the rope a long time ago. Think of it as us speeding up the job for him." He wiggles the handle of the door to make sure it's locked before looping his arm through mine. "Anyways, do you want to stop at your place before we head over to the restaurant?"

I nudge him in the ribs. "Are you implying that I need to go home and freshen up?"

"Nah," he smiles. "I'm just trying to be polite. To be honest, I'm exhausted and I don't feel like walking all the way up to Hainsey and Emyln's place just so you can change. I'll pull through and do it if you want to. If you really want my opinion, I think you look perfectly fine and don't need to freshen up or anything like that. You deserve options as much as everyone else does, though." 

As usual, Leo's words make my heart turn to mush. Our fight on the weekend was difficult at the time, but I'm glad we've managed to solve it. As much as he was in the wrong, I didn't like being upset with him. I didn't like the conflict between us. It's rare that you find someone you can easily relate to and get along with, and Leo and I have exactly that. We have an undeniable chemistry that just seems to flow. Besides, I don't ever want to let him go. Having a man that's alarmingly attractive and respectful and excellent at sex is an extremely rare gift. 

"You're a real charmer, aren't you?" I smile, guiding Leo down the side trail to one of the main trails that leads to the Village. The sun is beginning to set, casting an orangish glow across the underbellies of the puffy clouds and making the mountains look bluish and more prominent. 

"Nah," he replies, unlooping his arm from mine and slinging it around my shoulders instead. "I'm just respectful. Like the rest of the male population should be."

I like that, this time, I'm not surprised by his comment. I've become accustomed to hearing them and appreciating them more than ever. Leo is like a breath of fresh air. I wish every guy could be like him. That every girl could be as lucky as me to have someone like him. Sure, a lot of the credit goes to Eliza for raising him the way she did, but we all have minds of our own. Eventually, we begin to question some of the things our parents teach us or we critique them, moulding them into something that suits our own personal needs. That's why I can't express how proud I am of Leo for keeping this mindset and sticking to it like it's some unwritten code of conduct. 

Shifting to my tiptoes, I press a quick kiss to his cheek, marvelling at how a faint blush spreads across his slightly freckled skin. I don't usually pay attention to his freckles because they're so light I can hardly see them. But when I'm this close, I can see the faint patterning across the bridge of his nose and cheekbones. 

"So," I say, resting my head against his shoulder. "Where did you meet Kolby again?"

Leo rubs the stubble on his jaw. Ever since I made that comment about me liking it and it making him look older, he's kept it. The stubble is scruffy but neatly trimmed at the same time. "It was when I was looking for that rock I was telling you about, the one my parents always used to hang out at when they were young and before everything happened. Kolby's dog managed to get free and I offered to help him look for him." He pauses. "I don't know if I'd necessarily call him my friend. He's pretty elusive and is always off on some hiking or camping trip. That being said, though, we do talk when we can. That reminds me...Don't tell Scarlett but Kolby has a thing for her."

My eyebrows rise in surprise and I playfully punch Leo in the arm. "Look at that, my little man is growing up. He's playing matchmaker." 

He rolls his eyes. "I'm not playing matchmaker, Aria. I'm helping out a friend. The dude can barely manage three words around Scarlett. I have this theory that being around a group of friends will increase his confidence."

I cock one of my perfectly sculpted eyebrows. "How is that going to increase his confidence when Scarlett, me, Isabella, and Lauren are there? He's going to be overwhelmed."

The corner of Leo's mouth turns upward. "Okay. Maybe I'm helping differently than I originally said. I might just be helping him figure out that he has a slim chance with Scarlett. In case you haven't noticed, which I highly doubt, she's just as intimidating as you are. And, from the few times I've met her, she seems to have high expectations when it comes to finding a significant other. Not that that's wrong or anything."

I snort softly. Saying Scar has high expectations is an understatement. Despite the two of us being similar in some aspects, I definitely don't expect high-end dates and red roses and silk sheets. I'm perfectly fine with things being completely un-romantic so long as we're together. Scarlett, on the other hand, would want champagne and roses and chocolates. Any cliché romance concept you can think of, she would want it. That being said, once you get past all that, she's a sweetheart and I love her like a sister. 

"That," I reply, "is potentially true, but she's a sweetheart underneath it all. Besides, there's no shame in a woman knowing what she wants. Just look at what I was able to teach you."

Leo clears his throat, glancing at the midnight-blue waters of Fitzsimmons Creek to avoid further embarrassment. "How many of your teammates know we're dating?" he asks, rapidly changing the subject.

I chuckle to myself, resisting the urge to reach up and ruffle his hair. I love these moments where I can subtly embarrass him. "They all know. I told them the night I went out with everyone and ran into Benn and Colson." I side-glance him. "You're okay with them knowing, right? I can promise you they're not going to mention anything to the media."

"You know," Leo sighs. "I'm actually not too worried about that. I was thinking about it the other night. If my career in golf manages to take off, people are going to know who I am. Hypothetically, I should get used to it, right?"

My smile broadens. Leave it to Leo to try and make something positive. "Are you sure?" I press, rubbing his bicep. "Because you're an introvert and I know you don't like the spotlight being directly on you." 

Leo squeezes my hand. "I hate it," he replies. "But so does my mom. And she was able to cancel an entire wedding the night before. I can't imagine the attention that brought down upon her. If she can get through that, then I can handle a little media." He sends me a reassuring smile.

I can tell he's still a little uncomfortable with the topic, so I don't bring up the fact that once you're famous, the attention never goes away. We can save that topic for another night. I don't doubt that Leo won't be able to adapt, though. He's resilient. Even if it does bother him at first, I know he'll find a way to adapt. 

"I love this," I murmur, gazing up at the dimming sky. A few stars have begun to poke out from the dark bluish-purple hue and, in the distance, I can see the outline of the restaurant we're meeting everyone at. What makes this moment so perfect, though, is having Leo next to me, and the temperature being just warm enough for shorts and a sweater. Specifically, his sweater that smells like the outdoors with a hint of cologne. It all brings on the reassurance of comfort. "We should walk around the Village at night more often."

"That would be fun," Leo nods in agreement. "We'll have to do it before the wedding stuff gets too crazy, though. Are you sure you want to come to it?"

"Um..." I say. "Obviously, Leo. Are you kidding me? I love your family. Besides, I want to meet the guy who would have potentially arrested me for trespassing."

Leo rolls his eyes and groans. "Don't even talk to me about James, Aria. I can't handle the way he gazes at my mom like some lost, drowning puppy. It's so goddamn annoying. Mom's already told him they can be friends but nothing more. Like, dude, wake up and look at the bigger picture here. Utterly pathetic."

I stifle a giggle. It's amusing to see Leo become a little flustered when he's always so calm, cool, and collected. I don't want to laugh at him, however, because I know how much it affected him when the possibility of a relationship between his mom and his mom's ex-fiancé was present. I hug him tightly. "Don't let it bother you, Leo. Your mom made it clear she wasn't interested in him."

He mumbles something incoherent, a small frown upon his face, and this time, I do have to chuckle aloud. It earns me an elbow to the ribs, but the frown on his face is gone entirely, replaced by the ghost of a smile. "And I suppose I have to listen to you, right?" he jokes. 

"Of course," I smile back, taking the steps up to the restaurant by two and dragging Leo behind me. I turn to him when we're in front of the building. "Because I'm always right."

Leo looks down at me, the smile on his face broader. "Always." 

The corner of my mouth quirks up. "Is that sarcasm I'm detecting?"

"Perhaps," he winks. "But you'll never get me to admit it."

Playfully, I trace my nail along his chest, up to his neck. I then flick his chin. "I have plenty of ways I could get you to admit your sarcasm, sweetie. Haven't you learned your lesson about challenging me yet?" I run my finger along his bottom lip, which, catching me completely off-guard, he gently snags between his teeth. My eyes widen in surprise and something awakens in the pit of my stomach. 

When Leo flicks his tongue against the pad of my finger, I nearly succumb to boycotting this dinner and dragging him to the nearest hotel room. He releases my finger and steps back, reaching for the door handle. "Have you not realized that maybe I enjoy the results of challenging you?"

He says it so carefree that I'm almost positive I've heard him wrong. Surely, Leo doesn't mean what I think he means; that he does this on purpose. Until my gaze meets his, that is. He's staring at me with the same intensity in his eyes that he had the other night in the trailer. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth, wishing we could scuttle away to that hotel room I had been thinking about earlier. I'm sure, somewhere in this tourist attraction of a city, there's a vacant hotel room somewhere. Hell, it doesn't even have to be a hotel. It could be a motel or a B&B for all I care. 

When the corner of Leo's mouth quirks up, signifying that he knows he's gotten to me, I smarten up and straighten my poster. Leo and I may be infatuated with each other, but we can't make our lives just about each other. We need to spend time with friends, too. 

I square my shoulders as I plant myself in front of him. "I'll keep that in mind," I say, making my voice sound extra sultry and sweet. Seductive, if you will. "You know, for later."

Leo's lips part in surprise. His eyes widen slightly. 

And, before he can say anything, I push into the restaurant and leave him stirring.