𝕽𝖚𝖓𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍 𝕳𝖊𝖑𝖑

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖘𝖎𝖝

Kehlani parked her car next to Leo's,"That was fun." she uttered. Leo got out of his car, "Yeah, for you." he snapped back, jokingly. Mr. Calzada walked out, "Leo, a word please." he said. Kehlani looked at her dad, "I'll be upstairs if you need me. Good night." she said. She walked past her dad and Leo closing the door behind her. 

"Yes, sir?" Leo asked. Mr.Calzada pulled out an envelope from his suit pocket. "This is what was going on tonight." Leo opened the contract and the header was, 'Accordo di matrimonio per Amadeos' (Marriage deal for Amadeos). His eyes looked over the contract and landed on a certain part, 'Party B will have no contact with their past acquaintances, no matter the circumstances.' Leo looked at Mr. Calzada, his eyes a hard brown. "That includes you, Leo. I made the contract and I feel she will do much better without her little friends running around. If you have a problem with it, too bad." he said. Mr. Calzada walked back inside and stopped. He looked at Leo, "If you care about her, you'll do what I want." He mumbled. 

___________

Kehlani laid back on her bed, drying her hair. 

"You wanna repeat that?

"La tua proprietà qui a Napoli è pronta per lo sviluppo, ma hai una forte concorrenza." (Your property in Naples is ready for development, but you have some fierce competition.)

"I don't care about the fucking competition, just move forward with the construction. If they get in our way, just put my signature on the building. They'll know not to touch it. Understood?"

"So ho capito signora." (Yes, I understand ma'am.)

"Bene, buona notte." (Good, good night.)

"Anche tu." (You too.)

Kehlani hung up the phone and continued drying her hair. Leo knocked on her door, "Hey can we talk right quick?" he asked. She nodded and patted on her bed for him to sit. "Your dad is scary. Like scarier than the wisps my grandma used to tell me about." he said. Kehlani laughed, "What did he say this time?" she asked. Leo laid back, "You'll find out tomorrow most likely, but uh, just know I care about you. I really do." he answered. Kehlani looked at him confused, "Where's all this coming from?" she pried. Leo hopped up and started turning off the bugs her dad planted. 

All 15 of them. 

"I'm not supposed to be telling you this, but the deal that was set tonight? It was a marriage deal. I don't know the full thing, but a tiny sliver of it is that you can't meet with anyone from here." Leo looked at her, "That includes me." he mumbled. Kehlani looked at him, "You're joking right? Tell your joking. Please." she said, waiting for Leo to burst into laughter. There was no laughing, just the silent stares and the occasional deep breath. 

Everything Kehlani had known for the past 3 years was about to taken away from her. It was the same cycle that happened when her mom and little sister died. 

Kehlani held the teddy bear that lived on her bed, "Ladybug, we gotta get some sleep. You gotta go dress shopping later today." he uttered. She looked up from her teddy bear, "Leo, I don't wanna loose you." she whispered. Leo started walking towards the door, "You won't, I promise that." he responded, flashing a soft smile that hid his true pain.  

__________

Kehlani woke up late in the day, to a knock on her door. "Kehlani, come on. We don't wanna be late for the consultation." Leo said. She rolled over and groaned, "Fine, give me one hour." she grumbled. Kehlani sat up in bed and ran her fingers through her curly hair. She walked to her closet and browsed through her clothes. Kehlani settled with a grey hoodie, dark green flannel, and ripped black jeans. 

Leo was downstairs cooking breakfast, "Good morning." he said, pouring the last of the waffle batter. Kehlani put her crease protectors in her shoes, "Morning." she muttered. Leo set her plate of food in front of her, "You excited?" Leo asked, trying to start a conversation. Kehlani ate a piece of bacon, "If you're referring to last night, no. If you're referring to tomorrow, then yeah." she replied. Leo ate his food quickly, "I'm referring to both." he said, with his mouth stuffed with waffle. 

They finished eating and walked to the car. Leo turned out of the driveway and on to the LA freeway. They pulled up to a formal dress shop, "Hi, welcome to Claudia's. I'm Annalise, your consultant today." the manager said. Annalise led Kehlani to a private area of the store, "So, what are we looking for today?" Kehlani pulled out her phone, "The theme of the party is night in Italy, so something springtime or glittery." she replied. 

The manager nodded and pulled about five different dresses. Kehlani went into the dressing room and tried on the first dress. "Let's see it, Lani." said Leo. Kehlani walked out in a cotton candy pink dress with a tulle skirt. Leo stifled a laugh, "You look like a cake topper for a six year old's birthday." He commented. Kehlani stuck her tongue out and walked back into the dressing room. She picked the lilac dress with hints of glitter all over it. Leo looked up from his phone and his eyes grew. 

Kehlani looked at herself in the mirror, smiling as she ran her hands over the skirt, "This is our favorite dress here at Claudia's. I'm very happy to see someone like you try it on." Annalise commented. Kehlani smiled and turned towards Leo, "I love it." she commented. Leo smiled, "We'll take this one, Annalise, and that rose gold tiara over there." he said, pointing towards a mannequin head. Annalise nodded and went to the cash register, "Anything else?" she asked. Kehlani changed and brought the dress to the register, "No, but I was wondering if you guys do layaway." 

Annalise put the dress and tiara in a their separate bags, "Yes, we do it for 6 months, then we put it back on the rack." she responded. Kehlani nodded and grabbed the bags, "Good to know, thank you again Annalise." she said. Leo held the door for her and put the bags in the trunk. Annalsie looked at the counter and saw two hundred dollar bills laying there. She ran outside, "Hey, you forgot your money!" she yelled. Kehlani smiled, "No I didn't! That's your tip!" she yelled back. 

1087 words

-s.g.