Strange Attractions

Chapter 31

As soon as his arms wrapped around me, I recoiled at the all-too-familiar sensation of his lips desperately seeking mine. Pushing him away, I scowled in disgust. "Get off me!"

Just then, Leo burst through the door with a thunderous expression on his face. "What the hell are you doing here, Beau?" he growled, his voice laced with anger.

Beau straightened up with a cocky grin. "Just dropping by to say hello to an old friend", he replied, his eyes darting between me and Leo.

Leo clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. "Well, it looks like you've said enough. Get out".

An unspoken hostility hung in the air, thick and almost tangible, as Leo and Beau exchanged icy glances.

"She doesn't want me to go, isn't that right Bella?" Beau taunted.

With a slight sway, I pointed my finger and declared, "no it is not, you heard him, get out!"

A heated argument ensued between the two men, with a stubborn and intoxicated Beau refusing to leave. In the end, Leo had enough and grabbed him by the collar before forcefully shoving him out the door and slamming it shut behind him.

My head spun in a daze as I looked at Leo with wide eyes, feeling guilty and embarrassed about what had just transpired.

"It wasn't what it looked like, I'm sorry", I mumbled as I stumbled over my words, my exhaustion evident in my slurred speech and heavy eyelids.

He said nothing and instead took my hand, leading me to my bedroom where he gently tucked me into bed. Without resistance, I snuggled under the warm duvet.

"Please stay, I didn't mean for any of this to happen" I whispered.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before speaking in a frustrated tone. "We'll talk about it in the morning. I'll sleep on the couch tonight".

Nodding, I watched as he left the room, feeling even more guilty as he closed the door behind him. I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling and wondering how I could have messed things up yet again.

The next morning, I woke up to an empty bed. Confused, I sat up and scanned the room for any sign of Leo, but he was nowhere to be found. Then it hit me - he had slept on the couch last night. Pushing aside the covers, I made my way to the living room, hoping to find him there as he had promised. But the couch was empty and cold, with no trace of his presence.

The only thing that lingered was a faint scent of woody citrus.

I poured myself a big glass of water and downed it in the same fashion as the wine the night before. My head throbbed a little, but I wasn't as hungover as I expected. I slouched down and unlocked my phone. Grace had messaged and she'd spoken to Leo.

I wondered if he'd mentioned last night, but there was no hint of knowing in her messages. She wanted to meet tomorrow with the three of us and Meera's uncle Hasan. I confirmed I'd be there then checked if Leo had messaged at all.

Nope, nothing, nada.

But then I saw it - an outgoing call from last night that lasted 20 minutes. He must have heard me and Beau and come over to check on me. And then he must have seen him kissing me. I needed him to know that it was all Beau's doing, even if we were keeping things strictly professional between us.

I took the time to prepare myself, admiring how put-together and professional I looked. A mixture of nerves and excitement coursed through me as I headed towards the meeting. I was determined to conduct myself with elegance and composure, something that didn't come naturally to me.

Arriving at the trendy café on Castle Street, I couldn't help but feel a bit overdressed for the informal business meeting. But as soon as I saw Grace's warm smile and Hasan's charismatic presence, my nerves began to melt away.

"This place is really nice", I commented as I looked around.

"It's one of my new ventures" said Hasan proudly "Meera's idea to get with the times".

He led us to the back room, which was bright and inviting – a stark contrast to the formal Albion House. We followed obediently until a voice called out to us.

"Apologies for my tardiness", Leo rushed over to join us. He acknowledged Hasan and Grace but barely gave me a passing glance.

"Don't worry, Leo. We haven't started yet. Please follow me", Hasan said warmly.

Grace and I sat politely while Leo and Hasan crunched numbers and discussed the proposal to save our struggling shop from being overtaken by Vincent.

We listened intently, nodding in agreement and adding our own questions and suggestions. As I caught Leo's gaze, my stomach twisted at the coldness in his eyes – a sharp contrast to the warmth and affection he had shown me just the night before.

As the meeting concluded and congratulations were exchanged all around, I took a deep breath and pulled Leo aside.