"Now what?" Ella asked after she saw her mother to her room for the night.
"You'll sleep in my room, of course." Leon opened the door to his bedroom. "I have always assumed it'd eventually be your room, too."
"This soon?" She awkwardly held onto her arm, her nerves on end.
"Wait... Are you nervous?" Leon patted her arms and stared into her eyes. "There's nothing to be nervous about. We've already slept together more than once, and we don't have to do anything. We can just go to sleep, you know?"
"You're not going to try anything?" Her heart panged. Why do I feel disappointed about that?
"I'm not going to try anything if you don't want me to. But don't get me wrong, I always want to try something." He wiggled his eyebrows, and she couldn't help but laugh. "But I'm not the type to force myself on someone."
"And I'm happy about that; some men are too much."
"I can't blame some for pushing a little, but yes, there are many who go way overboard."
She sighed. I'm not sure why I was worried; I know he's a decent man.
"I know you've had a drink or two already, but if you're feeling nervous because of me, we can have a bit of wine before bed. Just enough to calm you."
She averted her gaze, thinking back on their time together. "I'm not sure drinking goes well with us... We tend to..." She covered her burning face with her hand.
"Ah, I see... Well, it's up to you. I'm going to take a shower before bed, unless you need it."
"No, I'm good."
"Alright. Feel free to go to bed before me." He kissed her on the forehead and entered his room.
She took a deep breath. This is okay, right? We're going to be married... we're fiancés... and we've slept together before. So why am I feeling nervous? Ella went to the kitchen and grabbed a cold glass of milk. Just don't think about it and go to sleep before he's done in the shower. It's not like I have anything to worry about, right? She chugged the glass down and entered his room.
Oh, right, my pyjamas are in my room, and I don't want to disturb my mom. I don't think he'll mind... She grabbed one of his t-shirts from the dresser. Damn, it's almost long enough to be a nightgown. I should still find pants, though...
The bathroom door opened behind her. Leon came out with a towel around his waist and water still dripping down his bare chest. He had another towel over his head that he was using to dry his hair. Leon stopped when he saw her in one of his t-shirts. "Damn..."
"Hmm?" Ella turned around and froze. I guess he doesn't take long showers... Her eyes trailed along his tight physique until their eyes met. Her face turned bright red, and she turned away from him. "S-sorry..."
"What are you apologizing for? It's nothing you haven't seen before." He chuckled.
"But it feels rude... and I didn't ask if I could use your clothes first." She could feel him right behind her.
"What's mine is yours; you don't have to worry about something like that." He placed a hand on her waist from behind and kissed the top of her head.
"Oh." She stood still, afraid to make the wrong move.
His other hand came around, and he went into his dresser for some clothes. "Sorry; I forgot to bring any with me," he whispered into her ear. "I don't usually have to worry about company in here. By the way, you look mighty sexy in my t-shirt." He walked away with his clothes back to the bathroom, smirking, though she couldn't see it. He thought about reminding her of the closet full of clothes he got for her already, but didn't want to ruin his fun.
Ella let out a deep breath she didn't realize she was holding. Damn! She waved herself, her whole body overheating. I've had a few boyfriends over the years, but he's making me act like a swooning teenager again! I better go to sleep before I'm tempted to do something, despite my mom being in the room next door!
She shook out her nerves and crawled into bed. Cursing her racing heart, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. Sleep, sleep, sleep... An image of Leon in only a towel crossed her mind, and she gripped the blanket tightly. Damn it.
The bathroom door opened again, and Leon stared at Ella for a moment. He sighed and crawled into bed beside her.
Laying on his side and leaning on his elbow, he gazed at her, wondering if she was asleep already. He brushed a strand of hair back and kissed her on the cheek.
Oh my gosh, what is he doing? She tried her best not to react, but her pulse kicked up a few notches with the light touches.
Leon wrapped an arm around her waist and cuddled up to her from behind. His warmth encompassed her, and her own body temperature skyrocketed again.
"I'm so glad you came back into my life," he whispered. "I have to ask, are you awake?" He chuckled.
She couldn't stop herself from shuddering, but she kept her eyes closed.
Leon sighed and hugged her tighter. "While I love holding you in my arms, I wish to do much more with you." He kissed her ear and nibbled on her lobe.
"Ha... Leon, you said you wouldn't do anything."
"So you were awake? And I said I wouldn't do anything if you didn't want me to, but you seem a bit undecided." He caressed her waist and kissed her neck.
"Oh!" She couldn't stop herself from reacting. She put her hand on his, stopping him. "My mom's in the next room..."
"And I made sure this hotel is mostly soundproof; she won't hear a thing unless she's at the door."
"Still..."
"Feels like we're teenagers on the brink of getting in trouble for being naughty." He chuckled.
She twitched under his warm breath. "Leon..."
"Okay, okay; I won't push anymore tonight. Just know I want you right now." He nibbled on her earlobe again.
"Ah... Hey, you said you wouldn't push for it!"
"I'm not; I'm just teasing you now." Leon slipped a hand under her t-shirt and he lightly trailed his hand around until she twitched away.
"Leon!"
"Found it." He chimed.
"Found what?"
"A ticklish spot." He snickered.
"Don't you dare!" She grabbed one of the extra pillows and hit him with it as she squirmed around, trying not to laugh.
"Ah, you got me." He fell back onto the bed with his hand over his heart.
"Must really hurt to get hit by a pillow." Ella rolled her eyes as she held back a smile.
"Yup, hurt right here." He tapped his chest over his heart.
"It hurts so much you're smiling!" She hit him with the pillow again.
This time, he hugged the pillow before she could pull it away. "Mine now."
"What? No, it isn't." She tugged on it harder than he expected, and pulled it out of his grasp too hard, sending herself off the side of the bed.
"Ella!" Leon reacted quickly. He grabbed her arm, yanked her onto the bed, and fell face-first onto the floor instead. "Ow..." He rolled onto his side and held his nose.
"Leon! Are you okay?" She knelt down beside him and pulled his hand away from his face. "Your nose is bleeding..."
"But you're okay, right?"
"Yes; of course, I'm okay..." She helped him sit up on the bed and rushed out to grab a first aid kit from the bathroom. "I can't believe you did that," she muttered as she gave him a cloth for the blood.
"Of course, I'd save you..."
"Pinch the bridge of your nose until the bleeding stops... I'll go get an ice pack." She headed to the kitchen.
"Ella? Is something wrong?" her mom asked, having gone to the kitchen for a glass of water.
She held up the ice pack. "Leon... fell over and hurt his nose."
"Oh no, I hope he's okay. Should I call a doctor?"
"No; it doesn't look broken, so all we need to do is get the swelling down."
"How did he fall over?"
Ella held up the ice pack and rushed back to his room without answering.
Leon was sitting on the bed staring at the bloody cloth as he pinched the bridge of his nose and cursed himself. "How lame can I get?"
"Lame? Nothing about you is lame." She sat beside him and held up the ice pack.
"I hurt myself in front of you; that's lame..."
"You hurt yourself saving me."
"And totally ruined the fun we were having," he huffed. "Damn..." He held the ice to his nose.
She rested her hand on his on the bed. "It's okay. We have plenty of time to have more... fun when my mom isn't in the room next door."
Leon pouted. "Think this'll look bad tomorrow?"
"You're still handsome." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. More so than I'd like to admit. "Thank you for prioritizing me and thank you for today. I don't remember the last time I got to have so much fun with my mom."
"I'm glad it worked out. Now... I have something to tell you..."
"Why does it feel like you're going to say something bad?" She gripped his hand and braced herself.
"Half the time it was my mom calling today to ask about things for the wedding. It seems they've already set a date for it... without asking. I mean, I kinda expected it, but..." He cringed. "It's sooner than I was expecting."
"Um..." She swallowed hard. "How soon?"
"Next month."
Her jaw dropped. "So soon?"
"I'm sorry, Ella; I thought I could convince her to hold off until we'd been together for a while, but she said it was a done deal and left no room for arguments."
"Next month..." She went to pull her hand away, and he grabbed her hand.
"I'm sorry," he repeated himself. "She already has a venue for the day and made all sorts of reservations..."
She clutched her shirt over her heart with her free hand. "I-it was going to happen, eventually." I thought they'd give me a year or something, though. "It's just... this month is... half over, so..."
"Yeah, it's a really short engagement period. I'm sorry. I can try to talk to her again—"
"No, it's okay. I believe you when you say you've already tried to talk to her about it." She let out a deep sigh.
"She wants to know how many people you want to invite. She's kept fifty spots open at the moment."
"Fifty? That's too many for me." Even if I invited my mom's entire family alongside the girls, I wouldn't fill it. "Honestly, as long as the girls and my mom are there, then I'm good."
"No cousins or friends you haven't talked to in a while?"
"Well, I have a couple of cousins, but we're not close. And the girls would bring their own dates... I'm not sure about Alice, but it'd be best to give her a plus one. I'm not sure if Kyra would want to bring her kids, too."
"She's welcome to, but weddings aren't the most exciting for them."
"They'd be excited about cake and any sweets there."
Leon nodded. "We could always have food they could enjoy other than sweets."
"Are you sure? They're the type to love pizza and chicken nuggets."
"Funny, so am I," Leon chuckled. "Don't worry; we can have that, too."
"I figured it wouldn't be... high-end enough for your parents or something."
"While my mother does prefer the finer things, even she loves pizza and fast food, though it'd be hard to get her to admit it."
Ella's eyes widened.
"You thought she was a snob?"
"Well... Uh..." She scratched her cheek.
"She can be, but her diet isn't as clean as she'd like others to believe. Don't worry; I'll make sure there's food for them if they want to come."
"Okay, thank you."
"You don't have to thank me for everything..."
"Better than being ungrateful," Ella said. She knew way too many people that probably couldn't remember the last time they thanked someone.
They both grew silent, and Leon kept his eyes on her.
"Okay, I have to ask... were you actually expecting something to happen tonight?" Ella asked, fiddling with her thumbs.
Leon chuckled. "Of course, I hoped something would happen, but I'll also be happy just to have you sleeping in my arms." Like a real couple. He held off from saying it. "How should I put this? I'll always want you, but I'll never force you."
Her cheeks reddened. "T-thank you; I appreciate it."
He tossed the bloodied cloth aside and kissed her on the cheek, his hand snaking around her waist. "So, resting in each other's arms, or having some adult fun?" he asked in a breathy whisper by her ear.
"Ah-ha... As tempting as it is..." she trailed off as she looked into his lidded eyes. "Oh... Umm..." She bit her lip, fighting with herself as her whole body tingled. "I..."
His hand reached up to her face, and he gently caressed her cheek. "What is it? What do you want?" he asked as he leaned in closer.
She automatically closed her eyes when he got close enough, so he kissed her. His arm around her waist tightened, and he used his other hand to pull her onto his lap as they continued to kiss.
"Mmm..." She combed a hand through his hair, gripping it slightly as they deepened their kiss.
His hand trailed up her thigh as he caressed her.
Smash. Despite their mostly soundproof room, they heard something break.
They both pulled back.
"You know what? I don't think it's meant to happen today." Leon sighed. "I'll go check it out."
"We both will."
Leon ushered her behind him as they exited the bedroom.
"Sorry, sorry. I went to put the glass back, and it slipped." Ella's mother pressed her hand against her temple. "I'll clean it up... Where's the dustpan?"
"I'll clean it—"
"Both of you get to bed; I'll clean it up," Leon said, pointing at the bedrooms.
"Are you sure? Do you even know where it is?" Ella asked.
"Yes, I know where it is." He didn't want to chance either of them hurting themselves and figured he could use the time to calm himself down.
"I'm sorry," her mother apologized again.
"Don't worry about it. As long as you're fine, it's okay. Now scoot." He made sure they both headed to their rooms before hunting down the dustpan. "Ha... Maybe I should've asked..." He went through a bunch of cupboards before he found it. "How'd I not know it was near the garbage?"
He shook his head and sighed as he cleaned up the shattered glass. "She was probably right... Don't go for it when her mom is right there..."
After cleaning up, he headed back to his bedroom and laid down beside Ella. "Another time then," he whispered and hugged her close from behind. "Goodnight, Ella."
"Now what?" Ella asked after she saw her mother to her room for the night.
"You'll sleep in my room, of course." Leon opened the door to his bedroom. "I have always assumed it'd eventually be your room, too."
"This soon?" She awkwardly held onto her arm, her nerves on end.
"Wait... Are you nervous?" Leon patted her arms and stared into her eyes. "There's nothing to be nervous about. We've already slept together more than once, and we don't have to do anything. We can just go to sleep, you know?"
"You're not going to try anything?" Her heart panged. Why do I feel disappointed about that?
"I'm not going to try anything if you don't want me to. But don't get me wrong, I always want to try something." He wiggled his eyebrows, and she couldn't help but laugh. "But I'm not the type to force myself on someone."
"And I'm happy about that; some men are too much."
"I can't blame some for pushing a little, but yes, there are many who go way overboard."
She sighed. I'm not sure why I was worried; I know he's a decent man.
"I know you've had a drink or two already, but if you're feeling nervous because of me, we can have a bit of wine before bed. Just enough to calm you."
She averted her gaze, thinking back on their time together. "I'm not sure drinking goes well with us... We tend to..." She covered her burning face with her hand.
"Ah, I see... Well, it's up to you. I'm going to take a shower before bed, unless you need it."
"No, I'm good."
"Alright. Feel free to go to bed before me." He kissed her on the forehead and entered his room.
She took a deep breath. This is okay, right? We're going to be married... we're fiancés... and we've slept together before. So why am I feeling nervous? Ella went to the kitchen and grabbed a cold glass of milk. Just don't think about it and go to sleep before he's done in the shower. It's not like I have anything to worry about, right? She chugged the glass down and entered his room.
Oh, right, my pyjamas are in my room, and I don't want to disturb my mom. I don't think he'll mind... She grabbed one of his t-shirts from the dresser. Damn, it's almost long enough to be a nightgown. I should still find pants, though...
The bathroom door opened behind her. Leon came out with a towel around his waist and water still dripping down his bare chest. He had another towel over his head that he was using to dry his hair. Leon stopped when he saw her in one of his t-shirts. "Damn..."
"Hmm?" Ella turned around and froze. I guess he doesn't take long showers... Her eyes trailed along his tight physique until their eyes met. Her face turned bright red, and she turned away from him. "S-sorry..."
"What are you apologizing for? It's nothing you haven't seen before." He chuckled.
"But it feels rude... and I didn't ask if I could use your clothes first." She could feel him right behind her.
"What's mine is yours; you don't have to worry about something like that." He placed a hand on her waist from behind and kissed the top of her head.
"Oh." She stood still, afraid to make the wrong move.
His other hand came around, and he went into his dresser for some clothes. "Sorry; I forgot to bring any with me," he whispered into her ear. "I don't usually have to worry about company in here. By the way, you look mighty sexy in my t-shirt." He walked away with his clothes back to the bathroom, smirking, though she couldn't see it. He thought about reminding her of the closet full of clothes he got for her already, but didn't want to ruin his fun.
Ella let out a deep breath she didn't realize she was holding. Damn! She waved herself, her whole body overheating. I've had a few boyfriends over the years, but he's making me act like a swooning teenager again! I better go to sleep before I'm tempted to do something, despite my mom being in the room next door!
She shook out her nerves and crawled into bed. Cursing her racing heart, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. Sleep, sleep, sleep... An image of Leon in only a towel crossed her mind, and she gripped the blanket tightly. Damn it.
The bathroom door opened again, and Leon stared at Ella for a moment. He sighed and crawled into bed beside her.
Laying on his side and leaning on his elbow, he gazed at her, wondering if she was asleep already. He brushed a strand of hair back and kissed her on the cheek.
Oh my gosh, what is he doing? She tried her best not to react, but her pulse kicked up a few notches with the light touches.
Leon wrapped an arm around her waist and cuddled up to her from behind. His warmth encompassed her, and her own body temperature skyrocketed again.
"I'm so glad you came back into my life," he whispered. "I have to ask, are you awake?" He chuckled.
She couldn't stop herself from shuddering, but she kept her eyes closed.
Leon sighed and hugged her tighter. "While I love holding you in my arms, I wish to do much more with you." He kissed her ear and nibbled on her lobe.
"Ha... Leon, you said you wouldn't do anything."
"So you were awake? And I said I wouldn't do anything if you didn't want me to, but you seem a bit undecided." He caressed her waist and kissed her neck.
"Oh!" She couldn't stop herself from reacting. She put her hand on his, stopping him. "My mom's in the next room..."
"And I made sure this hotel is mostly soundproof; she won't hear a thing unless she's at the door."
"Still..."
"Feels like we're teenagers on the brink of getting in trouble for being naughty." He chuckled.
She twitched under his warm breath. "Leon..."
"Okay, okay; I won't push anymore tonight. Just know I want you right now." He nibbled on her earlobe again.
"Ah... Hey, you said you wouldn't push for it!"
"I'm not; I'm just teasing you now." Leon slipped a hand under her t-shirt and he lightly trailed his hand around until she twitched away.
"Leon!"
"Found it." He chimed.
"Found what?"
"A ticklish spot." He snickered.
"Don't you dare!" She grabbed one of the extra pillows and hit him with it as she squirmed around, trying not to laugh.
"Ah, you got me." He fell back onto the bed with his hand over his heart.
"Must really hurt to get hit by a pillow." Ella rolled her eyes as she held back a smile.
"Yup, hurt right here." He tapped his chest over his heart.
"It hurts so much you're smiling!" She hit him with the pillow again.
This time, he hugged the pillow before she could pull it away. "Mine now."
"What? No, it isn't." She tugged on it harder than he expected, and pulled it out of his grasp too hard, sending herself off the side of the bed.
"Ella!" Leon reacted quickly. He grabbed her arm, yanked her onto the bed, and fell face-first onto the floor instead. "Ow..." He rolled onto his side and held his nose.
"Leon! Are you okay?" She knelt down beside him and pulled his hand away from his face. "Your nose is bleeding..."
"But you're okay, right?"
"Yes; of course, I'm okay..." She helped him sit up on the bed and rushed out to grab a first aid kit from the bathroom. "I can't believe you did that," she muttered as she gave him a cloth for the blood.
"Of course, I'd save you..."
"Pinch the bridge of your nose until the bleeding stops... I'll go get an ice pack." She headed to the kitchen.
"Ella? Is something wrong?" her mom asked, having gone to the kitchen for a glass of water.
She held up the ice pack. "Leon... fell over and hurt his nose."
"Oh no, I hope he's okay. Should I call a doctor?"
"No; it doesn't look broken, so all we need to do is get the swelling down."
"How did he fall over?"
Ella held up the ice pack and rushed back to his room without answering.
Leon was sitting on the bed staring at the bloody cloth as he pinched the bridge of his nose and cursed himself. "How lame can I get?"
"Lame? Nothing about you is lame." She sat beside him and held up the ice pack.
"I hurt myself in front of you; that's lame..."
"You hurt yourself saving me."
"And totally ruined the fun we were having," he huffed. "Damn..." He held the ice to his nose.
She rested her hand on his on the bed. "It's okay. We have plenty of time to have more... fun when my mom isn't in the room next door."
Leon pouted. "Think this'll look bad tomorrow?"
"You're still handsome." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. More so than I'd like to admit. "Thank you for prioritizing me and thank you for today. I don't remember the last time I got to have so much fun with my mom."
"I'm glad it worked out. Now... I have something to tell you..."
"Why does it feel like you're going to say something bad?" She gripped his hand and braced herself.
"Half the time it was my mom calling today to ask about things for the wedding. It seems they've already set a date for it... without asking. I mean, I kinda expected it, but..." He cringed. "It's sooner than I was expecting."
"Um..." She swallowed hard. "How soon?"
"Next month."
Her jaw dropped. "So soon?"
"I'm sorry, Ella; I thought I could convince her to hold off until we'd been together for a while, but she said it was a done deal and left no room for arguments."
"Next month..." She went to pull her hand away, and he grabbed her hand.
"I'm sorry," he repeated himself. "She already has a venue for the day and made all sorts of reservations..."
She clutched her shirt over her heart with her free hand. "I-it was going to happen, eventually." I thought they'd give me a year or something, though. "It's just... this month is... half over, so..."
"Yeah, it's a really short engagement period. I'm sorry. I can try to talk to her again—"
"No, it's okay. I believe you when you say you've already tried to talk to her about it." She let out a deep sigh.
"She wants to know how many people you want to invite. She's kept fifty spots open at the moment."
"Fifty? That's too many for me." Even if I invited my mom's entire family alongside the girls, I wouldn't fill it. "Honestly, as long as the girls and my mom are there, then I'm good."
"No cousins or friends you haven't talked to in a while?"
"Well, I have a couple of cousins, but we're not close. And the girls would bring their own dates... I'm not sure about Alice, but it'd be best to give her a plus one. I'm not sure if Kyra would want to bring her kids, too."
"She's welcome to, but weddings aren't the most exciting for them."
"They'd be excited about cake and any sweets there."
Leon nodded. "We could always have food they could enjoy other than sweets."
"Are you sure? They're the type to love pizza and chicken nuggets."
"Funny, so am I," Leon chuckled. "Don't worry; we can have that, too."
"I figured it wouldn't be... high-end enough for your parents or something."
"While my mother does prefer the finer things, even she loves pizza and fast food, though it'd be hard to get her to admit it."
Ella's eyes widened.
"You thought she was a snob?"
"Well... Uh..." She scratched her cheek.
"She can be, but her diet isn't as clean as she'd like others to believe. Don't worry; I'll make sure there's food for them if they want to come."
"Okay, thank you."
"You don't have to thank me for everything..."
"Better than being ungrateful," Ella said. She knew way too many people that probably couldn't remember the last time they thanked someone.
They both grew silent, and Leon kept his eyes on her.
"Okay, I have to ask... were you actually expecting something to happen tonight?" Ella asked, fiddling with her thumbs.
Leon chuckled. "Of course, I hoped something would happen, but I'll also be happy just to have you sleeping in my arms." Like a real couple. He held off from saying it. "How should I put this? I'll always want you, but I'll never force you."
Her cheeks reddened. "T-thank you; I appreciate it."
He tossed the bloodied cloth aside and kissed her on the cheek, his hand snaking around her waist. "So, resting in each other's arms, or having some adult fun?" he asked in a breathy whisper by her ear.
"Ah-ha... As tempting as it is..." she trailed off as she looked into his lidded eyes. "Oh... Umm..." She bit her lip, fighting with herself as her whole body tingled. "I..."
His hand reached up to her face, and he gently caressed her cheek. "What is it? What do you want?" he asked as he leaned in closer.
She automatically closed her eyes when he got close enough, so he kissed her. His arm around her waist tightened, and he used his other hand to pull her onto his lap as they continued to kiss.
"Mmm..." She combed a hand through his hair, gripping it slightly as they deepened their kiss.
His hand trailed up her thigh as he caressed her.
Smash. Despite their mostly soundproof room, they heard something break.
They both pulled back.
"You know what? I don't think it's meant to happen today." Leon sighed. "I'll go check it out."
"We both will."
Leon ushered her behind him as they exited the bedroom.
"Sorry, sorry. I went to put the glass back, and it slipped." Ella's mother pressed her hand against her temple. "I'll clean it up... Where's the dustpan?"
"I'll clean it—"
"Both of you get to bed; I'll clean it up," Leon said, pointing at the bedrooms.
"Are you sure? Do you even know where it is?" Ella asked.
"Yes, I know where it is." He didn't want to chance either of them hurting themselves and figured he could use the time to calm himself down.
"I'm sorry," her mother apologized again.
"Don't worry about it. As long as you're fine, it's okay. Now scoot." He made sure they both headed to their rooms before hunting down the dustpan. "Ha... Maybe I should've asked..." He went through a bunch of cupboards before he found it. "How'd I not know it was near the garbage?"
He shook his head and sighed as he cleaned up the shattered glass. "She was probably right... Don't go for it when her mom is right there..."
After cleaning up, he headed back to his bedroom and laid down beside Ella. "Another time then," he whispered and hugged her close from behind. "Goodnight, Ella."
