Burning Out

54- doctor

I haven't seen Leonardo in a while since we got back, his sole attention has been focused on spending time with Mia before she goes back to England.

"What did you do when you were there?" he asks sincerely.

I can't help but let a sliver of paranoia deep into my brain at his question. But I have to remind myself that I would ask him if the roles were reversed, this is nothing like him trying to dig for information, he's just simply asking a genuine question.

"Spent the days strolling around the beautiful streets and went out for a few meals, it was gorgeous, honestly. Definitely a place I will revisit and I recommend you to visit it as well," I spill, my passionate words gushing from my mouth.

"I'll definitely add it to my bucket list," he nods, laughing slightly at my enthusiasm.

I can't help but chuckle back at the situation, turning my head to the side to regain my calmness, staring out the window and to the streets of New York. Just as I do, with a smile still planted on my face, my eyes connect with a certain grey pair.

My eyebrows furrow and I straighten up more at the sight as the eye-contact remains connected when Leonardo stumbles to a stop, staring at me through the glass barrier. He tears his eyes away from mine to glance at who I'm sat with and when he sees Otis, his confused look flattens. His face transforms into a chilling calmness, no hint of emotion drifting through to give me any insight of what's to follow.

I'm frozen in my seat as I watch Leonardo start to walk towards the entrance of the café with purpose. I can hear Otis speaking to me, his words not registering in my brain because I'm too consumed with trying to predict the next thirty-seconds.

Leonardo comes barging through the door, striding straight to our table, the same monotonous look resting on his face.

"Farrah," he greets me with no further words following which actually sends alarm ringing through my body.

My eyebrows dip down in confusion as I stare right back at him before answering with the same short sentence, "Leonardo."

"It's been a while," he continues, turning and pulling a chair to the side of the table.

I glance to Otis with a frown on my face to show that I'm just as confused as he is. He actually looks more afraid than confused, though. He's alertedly sat upright in his chair, elbows removed from the table and his eyes darting between the two of us.

"It has..." I agree with a nod.

"Didn't you guys go to Paris together?" Otis pipes up, asking a harmless question but gets Leonardo firing his head in the poor man's direction.

"You told him about Paris?" Leonardo swings back to me. I stare at him in silence for a second, taking in his changed expression. I can see inklings of panic now written along his features, where just seconds before they were blank.

Does he really believe that I would give out that level of information when it's meant to be held in secrecy?

I can't help but just stare. No words leaving my mouth as I stare at him. I haven't seen this side of Leonardo in quite a long time. For a while it was replaced with a much softer side of him and I was beginning to think it was a permanent change, but I guess I was wrong.

How little must he trust me if he thinks I would tell Otis about all of this?

"Yeah, I told him we went to Paris," I say, being vague so I'm not directly lying to him but also not wanting to give the complete truth about how I didn't say anything about what he's implying and thinking, purely out of spite.