Leo

I saw the defeat in her face and felt guilty. If I hadn't agreed to sleep here she wouldn't be in trouble now. I should have gone home. Or maybe sleep on that bench since I was too tired to drive.

"That's-uh-a friend of mine" She said.

Ouch.

"But Tessa he's a boy" The older one pf the two as they both stared at me blinking with curiosity.

"Who said you can't have boy friends?" Tessa asked awkwardly.

"Daddy" They both said at the same time.

"I'll tell you what" She said kneeling down to their height, "You go to your room and act like none of this happen and I'll give you all the candy you want for one month" She said.

They both excitedly looked at each other and then back at Tessa and nodded.

"Go to your room now, little ladies. Go go" She said with a smile and shooed them away.

They both ran to their room and Tessa stood up and looked at me, "You look horrified" She pointed out.

"I-I was just a little caught off guard. I'm sorry for getting you in trouble, Tessa" I said taking a few steps closer to her.

"It's no trouble. Now go before my aunt finds you here" She said taking my hand and walking me to the front door.

"I'll miss you" I said turning to her.

"Text me when you get home" She said and pecked my cheek. I smiled at her and left quickly. I didn't want to get her into any more trouble.

I drove to my apartment to get ready for work. I felt more rested than I ever did, but I wished I could stay there and sleep more with her in my arms.

But I had to catch the guy who was behind this and get rid of him, but Ares had some problems too and I had to help him since he was technically my boss, so I had to get to our "base".

It didn't sit right with me that I had to leave Tessa's situation aside for a bit, but Ares was my best friend and boss and I had to put him first.

Should I feel bad that all I want is to help Tessa right now?

And I did. I felt so guilty. All the things I had to do were turning my brain into a complicated mess, so I forgot about everything and got to the base.

I walked straight to my office or "room", basically ignoring anyone who I passed by in the process. I had no time for greetings.

I had to do this as fast as I could.

________

"Leo" I heard someone whisper. I raised an eyebrow and looked at the direction it was coming from.

Of course it was Nate.

"You will not believe this" He said with a smirk.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm not telling you"

I glared at him, "Then why did you tell me I won't believe it?"

He crossed his arms, "You have to come with me if you want to know"

"I don't have time for this" I sighed and turned back to my computer.

"Leo!" Nate whined, "You've been working non stop for hours. Time for a break" He said and took my hand pulling me up from my chair.

I rolled my eyes and followed him.

"There he is" Nate whispered when we saw Ares.

Isn't he supposed to leave later?

"Why is he leaving this early?" I asked.

"I saw him with Serenity. This idiot has done something and I have to know what"

Maybe a couple months back, I would care, but now I was a little worried. Nate reacted like that because Ares was keeping Serenity a secret from him, but we already knew Serenity. Would he hate me if he ever found out about Tessa?

He is bound to find out at some point. How will he feel knowing I considered him too dangerous and didn't trust him enough?

"Got you bitch" Nate said startling Ares." You thought you could hide forever? Well not anymore" Nate smirked, "And look who's here" He said pushing my in front of Ares.

"Why am I here?" I asked. Nate still wouldn't tell me why.

"To interrogate him" Nate whispered to me still holding my shoulders.

I rolled my eyes, this was probably about Serenity, "Nate, just let it go"

I could relate to Ares completely. He just wanted to keep her safe.

"I was counting on you, Leo. You're useless" He said and let me go.

He said it as a joke, but I was in a sensitive state and I took it a little personally. I really felt useless already. I couldn't help Tessa, I couldn't be honest with her or my friends. What could I really do? Nothing.

"I know" I said forcing a chuckle and left the room.

The hurt and annoyance I saw when I took a glimpse at Nate's face before leaving didn't do me any good either. Both his best friends were being secretive. He probably felt neglected.

I have to at least tell Nate about her.

_________

I decided to let the situation cool down a bit and then talk to him. We were both upset at that moment and it would probably turn into a fight.

So when Nate was about to leave to go to his apartment I put my hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"What?" He asked glaring at me.

"I need to talk to you"

"Now you want to talk to me?"He asked.

"I'll explain everything. You just need to promise me you won't tell anyone anything. Not even Ares" I whispered.

He raised an eyebrow, "Normally I would ask if you killed someone, but that is everyday things now" He said.

I rolled my eyes, "Will you come with me or not?"

"I have to go with you somewhere? You're being so suspicious" He said squinting his eyes to analyze me.

"Just come" I said and took his hand leading him to my car.

"Leo-what the fuck" He was startled when I pushed him inside my car, "Am I being kidnapped?"

"Shut up" I said and got in the driver's seat and started driving immediately.

"Why am I in your car?" I am not going to die with you if you're planning to kill yourself" He said

"Exactly, you won't be able to leave when I tell you"

"You're insane-"

"I have a girlfriend" I blurted out.

He paused and looked straight ahead before he started laughing, "Your computer?" He asked.

"No! I'm serious!"

He stopped laughing and threw me a glare, "You've had a girlfriend this whole time and you didn't say anything?" He asked.

"Yes, but-"

"I am so proud of you!" He said with a bright smile putting his hands on his mouth in shock, "What's her name? Do I know her?-"

Definitely not how I was expecting it to go.

"Wait, why shouldn't I tell Ares? He'll be so happy for you"

"There are some complications" I said.

"Like?"

"Promise me you won't tell him" I said.

"Pinky promise"

I rolled my eyes. Since I knew he was cool with what I'd told him, I found a quiet place and pulled over.

"You remember those guys that we were supposed to interrogate and I did it and got rid of them and-"

"Yes"

"Well their boss killed her mom and she saw it so now he's after her and her family"

"You're in deep shi-"

"And he changed location after he realized we took his men and now I'm trying to find him again for both Tessa and Ares" I said.

"I still don't get why Ares shouldn't know. He can help so much especially with protection"

"Tessa doesn't know what I do, Nate" I said.

"What!? You have to be honest with her. How are you supposed to be in a relationship with her like this!?"

"I know" I said pulling at my hair slightly, "-but she's going to hate me. People like us took her mother away from her right in front of her. She was a child, Nate"

"If you know this could alter her feelings for you then you should tell her. It's not like she'll never find out. The faster the better and hey, if she wants to let you go after that, then she's not for you or for this life-"

"I don't want her to let me go!"

"Hey, calm down" He said putting a hand on my shoulder, "We don't kill mothers in front of their children for laughs and giggles, Leo. We only kill when necessary and it's not even good innocent people"

"Don't try to justify murder now"

"You really think we're just like the ones who did this to her? You're trying to help her. She will probably be grateful"

"But if she finds out she might want to- I don't even want to think about it"

"So what the plan? Forcing her to stay trapped in your lies?"

He was being really bold, but I probably needed to hear it.

"And I still don't get why Ares can't know"

"Think about it Nate, if he finds out he will want to talk to her so that he catches the guy. He doesn't know her, he doesn't care about her like I do, he would just use her for information"

Nate looked at me with a look of disbelief, "All this time you didn't tell us because y-you thought we were too dangerous to trust us?" He asked.

"I-no-"

Yes.

"Ares might not know her, but he knows you and he cares about you, stupid! He would never hurt you like that!"

"He has other stuff to deal with right now, like Serenity. Oh and I forgot to mention one tiny little detail" I said nervously, "She's is Serenity's best friend"

His jaw dropped and he widened his eyes, "How much more complicated does this get!? What's next? That she's a mermaid?"

"Stop joking around"

"You realize there's no reason not to tell Ares, right? First of all if something happened to her Serenity would hate him and that's probably the last thing he wants. Also, you would hate him too which is also something he wouldn't want. Give us a little bit of trust, Leo. I'm glad you told me, but it hurts to know you don't trust us at all"

I looked down thinking, "Fine, I'll think about it"

He smiled and patted my back, "So what's her name"

"Tessa" I said her name instantly bringing a smile to my face.

I miss her.

That's when I realized I was supposed to text her when I was back home and it's been hours since then.

Fuck.

"What's with that face?" Nate asked.

I immediately reached for my phone, "I forgot to text her this morning. I was supposed to tell her I got home"

"She sounds like my mom"

"She is"

"Very funny, Leo. Ha, ha".

I realized I hadn't checked my phone all day at all and wanted to punch myself. Tessa had texted me so many times asking if I am okay and she seemed really worried. I even had some missed calls, but the one text that got my attention was the last one.

Tessa

I'm going to your apartment right now.

I tried calling her but her phone was apparently turned off.

She sent that a little less than an hour ago. It's really late, what if something happened to her!?

I turned the engine on and started driving as fast as I could without killing both Nate and I.

"What are you doing!?" Nate asked, "You're going to get us killed.

"She went to my apartment"

"Okay? And?"

"I don't know if she's safe there!" I said.

"What about me? Are you taking me with you?"

"I have no time to take you back and you know about her now. You can take my car and leave when we get there" I said.

"Ugh fine"

After driving for about fifteen minutes we got to my apartment building and I got out immediately after I parked and started looking for her outside.

She couldn't be inside since they wouldn't let her in. Security was tight thanks to Ares.

I saw her sitting on a bench near the building and ran towards her.

"Tessa!?" I asked. It was really cold outside and she wasn't well dressed. She was hugging herself. I took off my jacket and wrapped it around her keeping my arms on her, "What are you doing here at this hour, you stupid girl?" I asked.

"You're calling me stupid now!? All I asked for was a text that you're okay and you didn't just not do that, but you ignored me all day too! I was worried sick, Leo!" She yelled at me.

"I'm sorry, I got to work immediately and forgot-"

"Forgot!? God! I hate you" She looked so frustrated and the worst part is she was absolutely right and I couldn't do much to fix it.

"I'm sorry, I promise you I won't ever do that again"

"Whatever, I'm leaving since I know you're perfectly fine and just forgot about me" she said taking my jacket off and standing up.

"No" I said holding her wrist before she could leave, "You are not going back at this hour with this weather. Don't even think about it"

"You can't force me to stay here"

"I will"

I only wanted her to be safe.

"Let me go" She said firmly and tried to yank her hand out of mine.

"No"

"I don't want to see you right now" She said.

"You don't have to. I'll just stay in the guest room the whole time and you can have the rest of the apartment all yours"

I was desperate to get her to stay. I felt like if she left now she would never come back and I wanted to secure her safety. Maybe I had my selfish reasons too. Maybe I just wanted to make sure she wouldn't leave me.

"I'm not going to lock you in a room in your own apartment" She said.

So considerate even when she's angry.

"Please"

"Why should I say yes? I asked you for a simple text and you couldn't even do that"

"You can get back at me any other way you want, but when it comes to your safety please just listen to me"

"I want to go home"

If I had my car I would drive her. That would allow me to spend some time with her.

"Is that your car that someone is taking?" She asked.

"No" I said but it sounded more like a question.

"It is. Lying to me too now? Who is that?" She asked.

"That's-" I sighed, "That's my best friend, Nate. I saw your text and wanted to come here immediately and he was in the car so I didn't have time to drop him off. I told him to take my car"

"Does he know about us?" She asked a little hesitant.

"Yes"

Why isn't he leaving? This little bastard is probably eavesdropping.

"Can he drive me?"

"What!? No!"

"Why? He's your best friend. You trust him"

"You don't even know him!"

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous. I knew Nate wouldn't try anything and I trusted Tessa, but for some reason the thought of another guy taking her home annoyed me even if he was my best friend.

"Taxi it is then" She said.

I held her hand even tighter and pulled her to me, "Don't even think about it. I'll sleep in the hall outside of the apartment if you want, but you are not going anywhere"

I wasn't even thinking what I was saying. I simply wanted her to stay and I would do anything for that to happen.

"Oh I am"

"Really?" I asked and lifted her up throwing her over my shoulder. I walked towards the apartment building.

"Put me down right now" She said firmly, "This is so embarrassing" She murmured.

"No one is around at this hour, sweetheart. You're the only idiot who decided to stay outside while her life is in danger"

"Put me down I'll walk"

"I kind of like this position" I said smirking.

Honestly, it was taking everything out of me not to touch places I shouldn't touch.

"Let me go" She said slowly.

I let her down before we got inside the apartment, but held her hand to make sure she wouldn't make a run for it.

I looked at her as we got inside and saw how angry she looked.

I had somehow managed to make her even angrier with me. Great.

But all I cared about was her safety and if she had to hate me for her to be safe then I would take the risk.

We got inside the apartment and she lied down on the couch, "Goodnight" She said.

"Not so fast. You have to take a hot shower first. It was so cold outside, you might-"

"Leave me alone and go to your room"

"Why don't we try to talk it out? You can't be mad at me forever" I said desperately wanting her to talk to me.

"No, but I can be mad at you long enough to let you know that what you did bothered me and I don't want you to do it again"

"I got it, I promise I won't do it again" I said kneeling down next to the couch to face her.

"Get out of my face" She said rolling her eyes and turned her back on me.

"Let's talk about it" I said once again.

"That would be a great idea if I wasn't mad at you. Please, give me some space and we'll talk when I'm in my right mind" She said her voice muffled by the couch pillow.

"Okay" I said and stood up, "Do you want to take my bed?"

"No"

"The guest room-"

She turned to face me again, "Please, just go"

I nodded and went to my room. It didn't sit right with me that she was sleeping on the couch, but I didn't want to make her get mad at me even more.

I could be sleeping next to her now if I hadn't fucked up this bad.