A Dangerous Enigma

31. Struggles

The ruffling of the bedsheets startled me and abruptly I sat up. Rubbing my eyes, I looked down at Leo's place to see that he wasn't next to me. I scanned the room and saw him walking out of the bedroom holding a box and a lighter...

Without thinking, I slipped out of bed and stood up quietly. Leo would probably lecture me for following him but I couldn't go to sleep, knowing we weren't on good terms.

I grabbed my dressing gown and put it on, tying it around my protruding stomach, before heading downstairs and into the kitchen.

I stayed in the kitchen, staring out of the direct window that you could see the whole garden from. I noticed how dark the sky was, there wasn't a single star in sight and it made me realise that even when good things aren't in sight they are still around, just perhaps further away. That was like life, although happiness was so close yet so far, Leo and I could still have small ounces of happiness; we just needed to move on and not let the past bother us.

With that thought in mind, I stepped outside, letting the cold air hit me. My feet weren't used to the roughness of the ground but I couldn't be bothered to go back inside to get a pair of shoes or even slippers.

Breathing in deeply, I walked down the path, knowing that Leo usually smoked at the bottom of the garden. I passed Ash's kennel and thanked the God of dogs that he was fast asleep because if he saw me out at night, let's just say he would try and make me go back into the house, by biting onto the hem of my dressing gown and attempt to tow me back to the house.

I carried on walking until I stopped at the sight of Leo's silhouette. He was leaning against the fence, staring up at the sky, whilst smoking. He hadn't noticed that I was only ten feet away from him.

I watched as Leo inhaled the cigarette and the exhaled the smoke, blowing it far from him. He was only wearing the sweatpants that he had put before and he was shirtless. Wasn't he cold? Because I was definitely freezing and the chilly air was making me want to go back inside.

"So go back inside then," Leo's voice muttered deeply.

My eyes widened and I stared at Leo's dark figure in shock.

"What?" I whispered, walking to stand in front of him.

"Go back to bed Leanne," He said again, in the same tone.

"No, I mean how did you know what I was thinking-"

"Because you said so," Leo sighed looking deeply at me, as he took another drag and blew the smoke away from me.

I never realised that I spoke my thoughts aloud, or maybe I did but I never realised, but that wasn't the point. That wasn't why I had come outside to talk to Leo but yet I just couldn't seem to get the words out.

"What do you want Leah?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow.

I swallowed hard and played with the belt of my gown.

"We need to talk," I said bravely.

For some reason, I felt as if I was back to the times where Leo and I hated each other. Was it the way we were talking to each other or the way that Leo was being so cold with me?

"Talk then," Leo shrugged, taking another drag. He no longer stared at me but back up at the sky.

"Look, I'm sorry for being hard on you for what happened, but still I think that you shouldn't have let Dante go, who knows what else he has planned for us," I started to say, taking another step towards Leo, so that I could entwine his free hand with one of mine. He didn't pull away nor did he hold my hand tight, he held it limply.