Leon, Leon (BoyxNB romance)

Chapter 20

"Hey," I said, quietly, once I realised he was awake. "How are you feeling?"
"Better than before," he said. "But not good."
"No, I wouldn't expect that," I replied, sitting cross legged on the carpet next to him. "But at least you have plenty of friends, right?"

"Oh, haha, yes," he smiled as he noticed the puppies; one on his legs and the other had managed to burrow itself under his elbow. "I am very happy to have very good friends."

I looked down, for a second, and took a deep breath in. "Look," I began. "I understand this is probably tough, but... I want to know what went on. I'm already aware of some parts, and... it's fine if some details are too painful, but I just want to help." He nodded, slowly, his extra-fluffy hair jiggling from the movement. It looked like chocolate candyfloss, no lie. "And... so does my sister, and she knows a lot too, okay, she's studying psychology, and we tell each other everything, and she wants to help as well. Is that ok, with you?"

He looked at me, for a minute, and reached out just off the sofa. I held my hand over his fingertips, making sure this is what he wanted me to do, and closed around them gently as he smiled wider. I could feel my cheeks going pink. "Will you stay?" He asked, quietly. "Please, Callum?"

"Of course, Leon. We're doing this together, yeah?" He nodded. "Alright. I'm just going to get my sister. I'll be back in a second."

I closed the kitchen door behind me, gently, and smiled, a little, at my sister. "He's awake," I said. "And aware. And he's willing to talk, with you, as long as I'm there as well."

"How is he... emotionally ?"

"I'm... not sure. I think he buries a lot of stuff."

"He'd have to, if he gets fucked up like that regularly. It's amazing he trusts you. No offence, or anything."

"No, uh, none taken. I'm glad that I can be there for him, at least. I think he's been... alone, a lot."

"And so have you, Cal," she said. "I think you understand each other, in lots of different ways."

"Yeah... yeah, I think so too."

She took the last swig of her drink, and then stood up, tucking her chair behind the table. "We better hear it from the man himself, now, though, right?"

"Yeah," I said, smiling. "Right."

I paused, going over where it was the right thing to say what I was about to. "And, we've like, truced now, yeah?"

"As long as you admit you did wrong," she said. "Because I'm admitting that too. I'm sorry for saying all that shit about him. I'm glad you've found someone I really am, but it's just... you've had a lot of things go wrong. We both have, right? And I think I condition myself to think the worst of people so I don't get let down."

"And, then... I'm sorry for arguing back. I just wanted to try for you to understand why I was doing what I was doing for him, but I guess I have... rushed in. But..." I looked down, feeling my face go warm up to the tips of my ears. "He's really nice, Mills. And funny, and sweet, and he's so smart at science and maths and like everything else. But he doesn't... brag about it, or anything like that. He always tries to help other people, and a lot of them say no and look at him weirdly because they think he's being patronising or making fun of them, but he isn't, he never has, it's just in his nature to be kinder than people expect." I coughed, scratching the back of my head. "But anyway, sorry, I'm rambling again. I just want to prove to people how great he is, and since you said all those bad things I just... wanted to make you as angry as I could. I didn't even think about what I said, until I was alone. But you know you're pretty and all that shit, right, Mills? Don't even think about that asshole anymore."

"I don't, Cal," she said. "Finally, I think I'm starting to get over it. And also," she looked over at me, smiling, but with a weird look in her eyes. "Don't... worry, about rambling. You can talk to me about Leon just as much as you want, okay? Even if you think it's weird, the things you think. Because it's all just our feelings, at the end of the day, right?"

"Yeah, right. Should we, uh... go?"

"Good idea. I'm interested to talk to this boy like nobody else I've met, to be honest."