Page 47 of Starting Back
“Hello,” Peyton said, chuckling. “Your poor brother looks like he just sucked on a lemon. How much did she see?”
“Enough to have to figure out an explanation before I get home.”
“Oh, I cannot wait. Text me the flight number.”
“I will when I get to the airport. Talk to you later.”
“Oh, you absolutely will.” I shook my head at Peyton as I ended the call and glowered at Leo as he cracked up, his head resting on his knees.
“This is not funny.” I shoved his shoulder. “Thank God it was Emma. I would have scarred her older sister.”
“Well, you still need a better explanation thannot reallybefore you land.”
“No kidding.” I pressed my palms against my eyelids. “So much for keeping this to myself.”
I laughed until I spotted Leo’s smile fade.
“What I meant was—”
“Stop. I know what you meant.” He grabbed my hand in both of his, bringing it to his lips. “When I picked out your drink, I never expected all of this after. But I am not mad at any of it.” He smiled with a sadness in his eyes I felt in my bones and shook his head. “Not even a little.”
“Big same.” I squeezed his hand. “What if we…maybe texted once in a while?” I shrugged. “Just a friend checking in on another friend.”
“Friends?” Leo huffed out a laugh. “Is that what we are?”
“I don’t know what we’d call us, or this. A vacation fling doesn’t seem right. But I don’t want to get out of your truck at the airport and not speak to you ever again. If that’s not what you want, that’s okay too—”
“I don’t want to not speak to you ever again either, but I don’t want to disappoint you. I’m flaky and in my head a lot. My cousin tracks me down when he doesn’t hear from me, likes to brag he’s in charge of keeping me on the grid.”
“You’re not flaky.” I moved closer to him on the bed. “I think you may be a little lost, which after what you went through is very understandable. Maybe I can help keep you on the grid too sometimes. Silly meme back and forth just to check in?”
I lifted my shoulder in an exaggerated shrug.
“I think I can swing that.” He cupped my cheek, kissing the corner of my mouth before running his lips down my neck.
“This is still a bitch.” He groaned against my shoulder. “If we could talk without any expectations on either side, then yes, I’d love to keep in touch with you.”
“I need to pack.” I pulled the sheet with me, a cramp in my neck from holding it in place and not turning to a naked Leo behind me.
Sex now, after Leo drew a proverbial line in the sand as to what we could be to each other, which was nothing, seemed wrong.
As uninhibited as I’d been with Leo up until this point, it didn’t come as easily now. Our impending goodbye punctured a big hole in the bubble we’d enjoyed living in the past couple of days.
We dressed in silence. I felt Leo’s eyes on me as I packed, while words unspoken hovered over us. We said all we needed to say, yet it still seemed as if we were holding back.
He carried my bags out to his truck and loaded them in the back, hurrying over to the passenger side to open my door.
He shrugged, his wry but sad smile getting me right in the chest.
It shouldn’t have been this hard to say goodbye or feel as if I was leaving him behind as he drove out of the parking lot.
“Looks like my flight is on time,” I said, taking in Leo’s perfect profile as he kept his eyes on the road. I stared at him for a few long beats, tempted to snap a picture without him noticing. I had our selfie and his license to remember him by, and that would have to be enough.
“Good, I’m sure your family is anxious for you to get home.”
He didn’t turn his head as his truck rolled to a stop outside the terminal. I climbed out of the cab as Leo shot out of the driver’s seat to grab my suitcase.
“Thank you. For the ride and the help and…everything.”
