Chapter 43: Ranch
Leo was looking at Josh with a disapproved look on his face. Josh started laughing, "I knew this would work".
There were tears in my eyes. They were happy tears of course. "Leo you are awake!" I cried out kissing him on his lips. He smiled at me and right then, my heart melted.
We immediately called the doctor. He performed a check up on him. "Everything seems fine. He will be able to go home in a week or so".
I was happy to hear this. I called up my mom, Hailey, George and Derek to tell them about the good news.
They all came over as soon as they heard about it. I know the doctor told us to not to overcrowd in the ward but we were all too happy to notice anything. Even Leo was happy to have us.
Surprisingly, Sebastian even came to visit us with George. "Are you guys back together or something?" Hailey asked quirking an eyebrow at them.
"Mhm. I can't stay away from the love of my life too long", his eyes were full of love and adoration for George.
"And also he can't stay away from this di-", George got interrupted by Hailey.
"Please don't. TMI", she cried out.
Josh got a bowl out of his bag. I didn't even bother asking him where he got that since he managed to sneak in sodas and chips. We were having a mini party. Derek suggested that we should turn on some music. But I told him not to since that can disturb the other patients.
Hailey and George got into an argument again. "You know it's quite obvious that I am a better friend of Emma's since I was with her the whole time. You didn't even visit her!"
"I did visit her. I was sick and I didn't want my girl to get infected. I swear on Sebastian's abs I would have stayed if I wasn't that sick".
"That still makes you the bad friend", she said shaking her head in disapproval.
"It doesn't".
"It does".
"It doesn't".
"It does".
"Guys that's enough!" Sebastian cried out. "And babe you gotta stop bringing up my abs in every conversation".
"Sorry", George and Hailey said in unison.
"Hey don't say that. I can relate to George. I mean if my boyfriend had six packs I would have brought it up in every conversation too", Hailey defended George.
"What did you just say babe?" Derek was talking to Leo but he immediately butted in.
"I-Uh. You do have abs but not like Sebastian- so I can't".
"Okay. I get it", Derek was frowning now.
"Oh no-no. It doesn't matter babe. You are extremely smart and not to mention very good in b-", Derek placed his hands on Hailey's mouth to stop her from finishing her sentence.
"That's enough Hailey", he was blushing now. We were all laughing.
After some time we couldn't find Hailey and Derek anywhere. "Where did they go?" I asked as I was serving everyone their sodas and I was looking for them to give them theirs. A brief time later we heard a thumping sound from the bathroom.
"I think Derek is giving Hailey a demo of what he's good at", Josh said with a straight face.
"I think it's a good idea to play some music", Leo suggested.
"Yes!" I played music on my phone which wasn't loud enough to be heard from outside but it was enough to muffle the sound of Hailey and Derek boinking.
"I still can't believe your jealous ass made you wake up from dead", Josh guffawed with laughter.
"I did not! I woke up then I heard you talking to her like that. I can't believe you go around doing that to her behind my back".
"I was just kidding, okay? But it worked. I don't care what happened but I told everyone about the fact that you woke up after hearing me profess my underlying love to Emma", Josh winked at me.
I laughed, " I think Josh is saying the truth".
"Babe you too?" Leo was pouting now. He looked adorable.
"See even Emma agrees", Josh quipped.
There was a brief knock on the door and everyone went silent. Even the thumping on the bathroom door stopped. I turned down the music, Josh hid the crisps while George hid the sodas underneath the bed.
After seeing everything in place, we opened the door to see the nurse standing. She looked dubious as she entered the room, "Why are there so many people at this hour?"
"We were just here to see our friend".
"Don't you kids have school? Go home", she was still looking around, right then I noticed a red cup lying on the coffee table, "And Emma- You need to rest? You can't be on this wheelchair for a long time".
Shit, she might just notice that. "Yes Mrs. Quiah. I will be going right now". Right then I saw her eyeing the cup.It obviously still had soda in it. Before she could go fetch it, Josh stopped her.
"Hello Patricia", he said giving her his best flirty smile. "You look extra beautiful today. Those blue earrings look really good on you".
"Listen kid, I am as old as your mother so this won't work on me", the look on Josh's face was priceless. He looked disappointed. I think this is the first time, his charms didn't work on someone and he was upset.
"I see you guys had a little party here", Patricia said after much inspection, finally finding out about the soda and chips. "I don't know how you guys were able to sneak in food and drinks from outside but I want you to get rid of this. This time I am letting you guys go but next time I'll report this to the authorities".
We cleaned up and Josh finally took me to my room. I was upset that I couldn't spend much time with Leo anymore.
I checked my phone to see whether I got any messages from my mother as she is worried about me all time. Tonight George will be staying with me since my mom has back pain from sleeping on the uncomfortable sofa here and George was adamant to stay as he was feeling guilty about what Hailey said.
I was replying to my mom and Boris' messages, right then I got a text from someone.
Sexiest delivery boy alive: Missing me?
I was smiling to myself. He must have changed his contact name when I gave him my phone as mom wanted to talk to him.
Emma: You have no idea. P.S why did you change your name in my contacts? I liked ARSE-N better.
Sexiest delivery boy alive: Nope. This is much better. Your name is saved as Pizza Girl by the way.
Emma: I actually like that. Go to sleep ARSE-n. You must be tired.
Sexiest delivery boy alive: Very. But I can't sleep. I keep thinking about the incident. I could have lost you but you saved yourself. I can't believe I just left you. I should have stayed and fight for us or else this would have never happened.
Emma: No. It was all my fault. I didn't let you explain anything to me. And I am sorry. Due to my past you have to suffer like this. My past is the reason why you were shot in the first place.
Tears were streaming down my face. I couldn't get over the image of Leo unconscious on his hospital bed. It was too much for me.
Sexiest delivery boy alive: No babe. Don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault that Andrew was such a jerk. Turns out that jerk is my stepbrother. I need to explain everything to you.
Emma: You don't need to. Jules already did and I am sorry for doubting you.
Sexiest delivery boy alive: I am sorry for keeping you in the dark all this time. I just realized we have a lot of apologizing to do. Go to sleep baby. We will talk later. I promise you everything will get better.
Emma: Yes we do. Everything will be alright. I know it.
Sexiest delivery boy alive: By the way, I remember what you said during our fight. Is it true? Were you serious then. Are you sure?
I knew what he was talking about.
Emma: Yes I was. I love you Leo. A lot. I fell in love with you a long time ago but I didn't have the courage to say it.
Sexiest delivery boy alive: Dammit! I wish I was there to hear you utter those words.
Emma: You gotta wait babe. I bet Mrs. Quiah will keep an eye on my door the whole night. Now go to sleep.
Sexiest delivery boy alive: Good night and I love you too!
For the first time in years, I was able to sleep with no worries lurking in my mind.
............
"You seriously expect me to go to prom like this?" I asked Hailey who was dressed in a beautiful blue strapless dress. She looked stunning even I couldn't take my eyes off her.
"It has been a month and a half since you got discharged from the hospital. I bet it doesn't even hurt. In fact, I saw you and Leo playing tag. You are just pretending since you are too lazy to go to the prom". Hailey was absolutely right. I was, in fact, perfectly well but I didn't want to go to the prom. Today was Josh, Derek and Leo's senior prom. This year they will be graduating. Hailey was sad that Derek will be leaving for Columbia this year. So she wanted this prom to be memorable.
"Come on! I know Leo even got you a dress", she said rummaging through my closet. That day I come home to see a beautiful box, on top of it was a box of pizza. I opened the pizza box to see there was a message attached to it along with pepperoni pizza from my favorite place. It said-
Will you go to prom with me?
I opened the box to reveal a beautiful off shoulder silver dress. It was the cutest he has done. Unfortunately I had to turn him down.
"No that dress is pretty ugly", I lied. Actually, it might be the most beautiful thing I own.
"Don't lie. You sent me 200 pictures of the dress after you got it from Leo".
"But-".
"I won't hear anything. Go and get ready. In the mean time let me prepare the makeup for you".
After sometime, I was standing in front of the mirror with a disapproved look on my face.
"You look gorgeous", Hailey said.
"No I don't. What about this?" I turned around to show her my scars. The reason I wasn't going to prom was because I still had scars all over my body from the incident and wearing this dress shows everything. I couldn't wear something else since Leo gave this to me so lovingly. So I pretended to be sick just to avoid going to the prom.
"Awwh. Em- that's why you were avoiding going to the prom?"
I nodded my head, frustratingly trying to reach for the zipper on my back to open it but I couldn't. Maybe I need to cut down on my pizza consumption.
"It doesn't matter, okay? And everyone knows what happened to you".
"But- but they are ugly".
"No they are not. They are your battle scars. Embrace it".
..............
"I did an amazing job", Hailey said in awe as she put the finishing touches of her makeup. "You look gorgeous. And before you complain, I let your hair down to hide your scars".
"Okay fine", but I was still insecure about it.
We were a bit late as Derek continuously kept calling Hailey but I was to blame since convincing me took forever. Derek picked us up from outside. He couldn't take his eyes off Hailey. "I am so glad you are here Emma. I can't wait to see Leo's expression after he sees you, he has been sulking the whole time".
I entered the gym, the theme this year was Winter Wonderland. I was impressed how Leo picked up a dress for me which match the theme so well. I adjusted my hair to make sure to hide the scars but I was still feeling insecure. "You came?" a familiar voice behind me said.
I looked around to see Leo looking like a kid who just got his favorite present from Santa. He was smiling, I immediately went up to him. He kissed me, with urgency, his lips perfectly in sync with mine. "I can't believe you are here".
"All thanks to me!" Hailey said tagging along with Derek. They looked beautiful together. We made small talks and took pictures. The boys were looking fine as hell but I couldn't get over how handsome Leo looked. I can't believe he's mine. Every time I see him I still get butterflies in my stomach.
Later we went to the dance floor with our respective prom dates. Josh didn't have a prom date but he had a queue of girls waiting in line to dance with him and it seemed like they were enjoying themselves.
I noticed Jules was here too. Surprised, I approached her. We exchanged hugs and kisses. Over the last few weeks Jules and I have gotten pretty close. We meet up for lunch whenever we can.
"Are you here with someone?" I asked.
"Nope. I am on the organizing committee. I hope you liked the decorations, they were all my idea", Jules said proudly.
"Yes its beautiful", I said candidly. This prom was definitely the best we had till now. Other prom seemed like they were organized on a tight budget with bad lighting and overused props but this time it looked classy, elegant.
"I got the school to make a bigger budget for prom. Let's just say I was really convincing and stubborn", we laughed.
"Why don't you come dance with us?" I asked as she has been standing in the corner the whole time.
"No its alright. I don't want to third wheel. In this case, fifth wheel", she said looking at Derek and Hailey dance. "I wish Serena and Amber were here", she was sulking now. After much convincing I let her be since she didn't want to come.
I was about to go to Leo who was patiently waiting for with our drinks. Right then something caught my eye, Josh was now standing in the corner too. I think his queue of girls went back to dancing with their respective dates after they were done dancing with him.
"Hey Josh", I greeted him.
"Hey Em. You look beautiful today. If I were Leo I would have placed a "Property of Leonardo Arsen" poster on you".
"Hahaha! That's enough hitting on your best friend's girlfriend for one day".
"I was just telling the truth", he reasoned.
"Josh-", I drawled,"I need you to do me a favor".
"Ask away. Anything for you beautiful".
I rolled my eyes,"Jules is here and she doesn't have a date. I want you to go up to her and ask her for a dance".
"Sorry babe. That- I can't do".
"Why not?!"
"Well I don't know how you have forgotten what she has done to you but I didn't, okay? I still don't like her".
"Trust me. She has changed".
"No she's still an evil little bitch to me. On top of that she's Leo's stepsister. Now she's my best friend's evil stepsister".
"Josh- you are being unreasonable. I promise you she's not like that anymore. Please... At least do this for me", I made my best puppy dog face.
"Okay fine-", he gave in. "P.S you gotta work on your puppy dog face- that's the worse I have seen", before I could say anything he left.
I went back to Leo who saw the whole ordeal with Josh. "What are you up to?" he said quirking his eyebrow at me.
"Uh nothing, actually", I took the glass from him and drank the fruit punch in one go. I didn't realize I was thirsty. "Why is Josh dancing with Jules?" Leo asked looking behind me. I turned around to see Josh and Jules dancing together. I was happy that my plan was successful. "Babe, what are you up to?"
I explained everything to Leo. "I see- that was a good idea, actually", Jules and Leo were on good terms too. He would often join us on our weekly lunch.
We got back to dancing. At the back of mind I was still paranoid about my scars showing, so I was always trying to check if my hair was in place. "Is there anything wrong?"
"No. Its nothing-".
"Do you wanna go outside for some fresh air? Besides the dance floor is getting crowded. We should give other people the chance to dance too", the problem with our school gym is that it was too small for a prom. So people were taking turns to dance as they didn't wanna overcrowd the dance floor.
We found our way to the bleachers. Only a few people were here so we decided to take a seat. "I need to show you something", he said excitedly producing a little box.
I opened the box to reveal a beautiful necklace. "Its my mom's and I want you to have it. My mom gave it to me a few years ago before getting admitted to the hospital. She wasn't sure then if she will be able to meet me or not after getting admitted. So she gave me this necklace and asked me to give it to the love of my life- and so I am giving it to you", he said smiling at me.
"Oh Leo- I don't know what to say", I was on the verge of crying.
"Just promise me you will stay by my side and love me forever", he said.
"I promise. You are the best thing that happened to me. I can't afford to lose you", he kissed me. He paused to whisper- I love you- in my ears which sent a chill down my spine.
We stopped kissing only to catch our breaths. "Let me help you put this on", he said, I turned around only to realize what I was doing.
I couldn't let him do that. Or else he would see my scars. "What happened Em? You okay?"
"I am okay. It's just-", I couldn't say no to him.
Hesitantly, I turned around. He placed my hair to the side. I secretly wished he didn't notice the scars under the faded lights. He placed it on and kissed my shoulder, "Don't be ashamed of your scars. You are still the most beautiful girl to me and you never fail to take my breathe away". Right then I knew everything will be alright.
......
I will be posting an epilogue in few weeks.
Sorry I forgot to give a pizza gif in the last chapter as I got distracted by Jungkook's fine abs. I have given one now. Thanks to LittleTikiscorner for the pizza gif! <3