If I Stay✔️

96: part 2| ELEO

"Shut up," I snorted. "You know that's not what I'm saying." I said, trying to clarify. I shook my head with a low laugh and slid my hand down his arm, capturing his hand in mine as I made the first move to tangle our fingers together.

"Come on," I slid away from him, giving his hand a gentle tug as I proceeded to drag him in what I hoped would be the right direction. I wasn't quite sure of the way, I'd never came to our place without him. "Let's get a move on before it's dark out."

"Nuhu," Emilio tightened his hand around mine, forcefully pulling me back so he could walk ahead and take the lead. "Stop trying to hijack my date." He warned with a tut, throwing a pointed look from over his shoulder.

I smiled to myself and allowed him to pull me along like his very own little red wagon.

"And here I thought this was my date." I muttered under my breath, tone filled with amusement.

"No." Emilio protested, hand tightening in mine. "It's my date for you."

"But—"

"Shut up, Leo."

"Your date etiquette is really something else, Emmy." I teased, attempting to pull my hand away from his. He didn't let me. "I mean... first you show up with flowers for another man—"

"Don't." Emilio warned and stopped in his steps as he turned to face me, joint hands twisting in a painful way.

He narrowed his eyes playfully and opened his mouth, to no doubt protest, before closing it just as quick. I gave him a puzzled look at his silence, watching as he frowned down at our joined hands with a troubled expression.

Gently, he relaxed his grip and shifted the angle of his wrist before reclaiming my fingers with his, brushing his thumb across my knuckles, so tenderly that it made my heart swell.

I lifted my eyes to his, watching in complete awe as he stared down at our interlocked hands with one of the softest smiles I'd ever seen.

I squeezed his hand, drawing his attention back to my face. The smile he'd been sporting quickly shifted to a look of forced irritation when he remembered our previous discussion.

"Where was I?" He asked rhetorically, clearing his throat. "The flowers were for BDZ. Okay? I was trying to make a good impression. You can't fault me for that surely."

He was right, I couldn't.

But would I give his ego the satisfaction of knowing that? Na.

"I can and I will. I've already deducted several points." I decided, before asking the question I should've left unanswered. "Do I even want to know what BDZ stands for?"

"You don't, no." Emilio grinned whilst I sighed. He was going to tell me anyway. "Big Daddy Z." His smile widened at the sight of my disgust.

"Make that another point lost." I muttered with a grimace.

He tilted his head in a way that I would've described as adorably... if he hadn't came up with the most bizarre nicknames for my dad.

"Excuse me?"

"You promised and I quote: the best date of my life and so far you're at a seven point five out of ten." I lied, which he, of course, knew.