Amelia's POV.
"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way..." I continue singing around in the hotel room, preparing some coffee for myself and for Leonardo. It's 7:15 am in the morning, and I don't usually wake up early but it is Christmas! Also, the first Christmas I'll spend separated from Jonah. I really wanted to be with him today and spend this beautiful day with him like we always do, but unfortunately I can't.
I called him last night and told him I couldn't come because of the bad weather. He got a little upset but said he understands. Also, Leonardo's little cousins have come to the mansion for holidays, and they are about the same age as Jonah. He said he is having a great time with them and is having fun. I talked to Ellen and Mrs. Darwin also, and they said they miss us. Also congratulated Leo for the deal between him and Mr. Jerry.
As we always did this week, me and Leonardo slept in the same bed but I can say it was a little less awkward than the first time. I would sleep some centimetres away from him but in the morning I would wake up in his arms. Seriously, thank God he didn't wake up each time I was sleeping in his arms, or else he would have thought something else. But I'm not denying it, sleeping beside him is so peaceful, and I feel secure. That's this thing about his smell... It is better than any perfume in the world.
"What a sweet aroma!" I hear a voice behind me and I shiver. The body is just an inch away from mine, and the hair in the back of my neck raise up. I slowly turn around to face him, and when I do his eyes meet mine. I realise that he's shirtless and his hard muscles are showing off. I swallow hard and focus my gaze on his eyes. He smirks and walks past me to grab his coffee.
"Um, morning." I finally say, finding my voice. I shake my head to clear my head from what just happened.
"Is everything okay? You look a little red." Leonardo comes towards me, putting his hand over my forehead. "You seem a little hot."
I shake my head. "No, I'm alright." Actually, I was boiling hot but not because I was sick.
"Well, if you say so..." He takes a sip of his coffee.
"Um, Marry Christmas." I say awkwardly. I see Leonardo looking at me for some seconds, before replying.
"Yeah, Marry Christmas to you too."
"I know you don't celebrate it, but I had to say this to someone since it has become a tradition, haha." I laugh awkwardly.
"It's okay." Leonardo smiles, finishing his coffee. Sometimes I forget that he is a coffee addict. He puts the mug on the coffee table, and before I knew it, he puts my mug of coffee away and grabs my hand, dragging me behind him to the wardrobe.
"What are you doing?" I ask surprisingly.
"Get dressed quickly." He orders.
I furrow my eyebrows. "Why?"
He sighs. "Just do as I say, I'll be in the bathroom dressing up too." He grabs his clothes and disappears into the bathroom. I look at its door, my lips curved upside down. Then, I grab a pair of jeans, a black sweater and a pair of black boots. I let my hair down and comb it, and put on some mascara and some lip gloss. After I finish my makeup, Leonardo comes out of the bathroom and grabs my hand. We get out of the hotel and he gestures me to get inside his car. I start asking him where we're going, but he just stops me from asking any further and just tells me to keep quiet.
After some minutes, we pull into the parking lot of a shopping mall. Leo steps out of the car and gestures me to do so. I step out of the car too and stay beside him. "Um, what are we doing here?"
He throws me a look. "Christmas shopping, what else?"
I get confused. "I thought you didn't celebrate these holidays?"
"If it wasn't for me, you would have been with your brother having a good time together by now. Since we couldn't get back, I'm making you feel like you're at home together with Jonah celebrating together and stuff. Just that it's not Jonah, but me." He laughs lightly.
My eyes sparkle. Never did I think that he would do such thing for me, even if it was just a small gesture. I can't help but throw myself into his arms. "Thank you!" I whisper in his ear.
"Nothing." He hugs me back. "Well? Are we going shopping or what?"
***
The day went by pretty fast and we had a good time. We bought some presents for Leonardo's family and my brother to give them when we get back. Also, we prepared a cake together, as I always did with Jonah. Knowing Leonardo's skills in cooking, he offered to help me and we prepared it together. We had so much fun together and may I say it was one of the best Christmases I ever had. I video called Jonah and showed him the cake. He was very happy and surprised, and said he prepared a cake too with Mrs. Darwin and Ellen. I told him I will get back tonight and he nodded.
I check the time and it is almost 5 pm. Leonardo told me he called Robert and he said there wasn't any storm coming, and we decided to leave at 6 pm. We get the bags ready and drive towards the airport. Robert is waiting for us.
"Well, are you ready to say goodbye to this place?" Leonardo pokes me in my arm.
"I guess I am. I had so much fun in here!" I smile.
After some minutes we find ourselves flying on the big sky, and just a blink later we were landing. I didn't even realise we came to New York. We get out of the jet, and I see Jonah, Ellen, and Mrs. Darwin waiting for us. As soon as Jonah sees me he runs toward me.
"Amelia! You're back!" He opens his small arms and throws them around my neck. I hug him back and start kissing him all over his face.
"My sweetheart, I missed you so much!"
Ellen and Mrs. Darwin come towards us too. "Welcome back." They say. Suddenly, I spot Parker behind them.
"Oh, hey Parker." I greet him.
"Hey." He hugs me, and Leonardo's fists clench. Parker just nods at him, and Leo doesn't do anything at all. There is clearly a tension.
We meet and hug with each other, and leave from the airport to the mansion. Ellen insisted that she wanted all of us there, mentioning the fact that this was the first Christmas after three years that her son celebrated. She said she was going to save it in the calendar as a glorious day.
As soon as we arrive there, one of the maids opens the big front door and we all get inside. We step in the living room and we find Leonardo's dad, Mr. Patrick seated in a chair. We also see Jason, Jennifer, and some other relatives who I met before in the previous dinner. I also see Jonah running towards two little kids who I guess must be Leonardo's little cousins.
We all greet and wish each other Marry Christmas. Except that Leonardo doesn't greet Jennifer, he just greets Jason. I see the harsh looks Leonardo keeps throwing at Parker, and I still don't get it why they aren't in good terms. However, Mr. Patrick orders everyone to sit in their seats, and raises a toast.
"We are here to celebrate Christmas, and to gather together to have a good time as a family. But I would like to raise a toast for my son also, who signed a big contract with Mr. Jordan's company. I'm proud of you son!"
Everyone starts clapping, and I see Leo from the corner of my eye smiling a little. I guess he must feel good about his dad being proud of him. Everyone starts congratulating Leonardo meanwhile chatting about small things. I can say everything is going alright. After some moments, me and Leonardo hand the presents we bought back to Los Angeles to all of the relatives. They start thanking us and some of them hand us presents too. Two hours later, Leonardo's uncles and aunts, and some cousins excuse themselves to leave. In the living room is just me, Leonardo, Ellen, Mr. Patrick, Parker, Jason and Jennifer. Mrs. Darwin left because she was sleepy.
An awkward silence overwhelms the air. Ellen and Mr. Patrick excuse themselves and say that they have work to finish. On his way to leave, Mr. Patrick pats Leonardo's shoulder, and Leo smiles genuinely at him. It's good to see that the bond between him and his father is getting better.
"Um, I'm going to the bathroom." Parker says and gets up. No one replies to him except for me who let out a small 'okay'.
"So, how did the trip go?" Jason asks Leonardo.
"Pretty good." He replies. "I'm glad this is over though, I couldn't stand Mr. Jordan for much longer.
Jason laughs. "So, he was that bad?"
Leonardo opens his mouth to reply to Jason, but Jennifer's voice is heard, interrupting the conversation. "Leonardo, can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Yeah, sure." He simply says.
Jennifer takes a look at me and Jason. "Alone please?"
Jason gets up from the couch. "You can talk privately, I was about to leave anyway. See you dude!"
"Okay bye!" Leonardo's gaze is focused on Jennifer now. "So? What is it? You can talk in front of Amelia if you want."
Jennifer throws me a harsh look, but quickly covers it with the innocent and fragile look. In a few words, the fake one.
"Leonardo, I wanted to say sorry for what happened between us lately. I know I messed things up, but I couldn't keep my feelings to myself for any longer. And I'm glad I did and I don't regret doing this because at least now you know how I feel about you. But, I know you don't feel the same so I'm just asking for a second chance to be your friend, your best friend. But if you want to have something more with me in the future, I'll be right here waiting for you. And even if you don't, that's fine by me. I just want to have you by my side because I can't lose my childhood buddy." A tear escapes from her eye and I can't decipher if it is real or fake. She's good at acting and with this speech I got touched too.
Leonardo exhales before speaking. "Jennifer, no matter what, I'm never going to leave you. You're my best friend and I distanced myself from you because confessing your feelings to me was like a tantrum thrown at me. I was mad because I didn't notice your feelings before and felt like a fool. But I'm telling you that I'll always be your brother, and you will find someone who deserves you."
Suddenly Jennifer gets up and comes toward Leo. She throws herself into his arms and squeezes him that much that I thought she knocked the breath out of him. Leonardo hugs her back and kisses her head lightly.
A spark of jealousy goes through my body.
She doesn't deserve anyone, let alone Leonardo. Poor boy doesn't know she's the devil. She smirks at me and I just roll my eyes. Then, she pulls away from the hug and speaks. "Well, I guess I'm going to leave now. Talk to you tomorrow?"
Leonardo nods and smiles. "Yeah, sure thing. See you!"
Jennifer leaves from the mansion and in the living room is just me and Leo left.
"It is almost midnight, I better get going." I say.
"Oh please, stay here tonight. We have plenty of rooms here." Leonardo laughs and I nod.
"Okay, then. I'm going to sleep in one of the rooms because I'm tired. Let me go get Jonah."
"Meanwhile let me show you to your room." Leonardo offers and I nod.
We make our way to one of the rooms and walk past Mr. Patrick's office. We hear some muffled voices in there, and the door is slightly opened. Leonardo stops in his tracks and listens carefully to the voices. "Is that Parker's voice? What is he doing in my dad's office? What are they talking about?"
I look at Leo whose face is confused, and he leans closer to the door.
"Wait!" I stop him, grabbing him by the arm. "Are you going to eavesdrop?"
"What can I say, I've learned from the best." He refers indirectly to me. I roll my eyes. We both get closer to the door, listening closely to what Mr. Patrick and Parker are talking about. I'm not that curious though about this conversation, but Leonardo seems like he is.
"What do you mean it will take more time? It was supposed to be done by now!" We hear Mr. Patrick whisper-shouting.
"It's not that easy Mr. McConnell! She's not that easy to catch." Parker gesticulates.
"I don't want any excuse! I thought you were going to make her fall in love with you by the end of the month, not bring her closer to my son!"
"I'm trying Mr. McConnell! I want her to be with me too, not with Leonardo!"
In that moment, Leonardo pushes the door open, and goes into the office with me right behind him. What were they talking about? What do they mean by: make her fall in love with you by the end of the month?
On the other hand, Leonardo's nostrils are flaring with anger, and I guess he understood what the conversation was about while I still am a little confused.
Mr. Patrick and Parker both look surprisingly and caught off guard at Leonardo, and no one says anything for the next seconds.
"Le-Leonardo? What are you doing in here?" Mr. Patrick asks, and for the first time I might say he looks tensioned. "How long have you been there?"
"Long enough to hear everything!" Leonardo says through gritting teeth. "Now explain to me what the hell was that conversation?!" He yells this time and I flinch.
Parker swallows. "Dude, it's not what it looks like..." But he doesn't get the chance to finish the sentence because a hard punch is thrown on his face by Leonardo, which causes him to be knocked down.
I scream, and put my hands over my mouth. Leonardo slowly shakes his hand up and down to ease the pain. Parker groans in pain and struggles to get up, his nose bleeding.
"Leonardo, are you crazy?" His dad yells, but Leonardo doesn't even flinch.
"If I don't get the answers I want, I'm going to go crazy and burn this place down!"
I touch Leonardo's shoulder lightly. "Please, calm down..." But Leonardo shakes it off.
"Calm down? How can I calm down? Didn't you hear what they were saying?!"
I blink several times. "I- I don't understand anything at all."
"Let me simplify this to you. My dear dad, Mr. Patrick in here, has made a deal with my dearest friend Parker, to make you fall in love with him." He says ironically, and my mouth hangs open.
What?
It... It doesn't make sense. Why would Leonardo's dad do this to his son? And why would Parker do this to his best friend? And why does it seem like I'm the problem in this story? No, it can't be true. He probably misheard it, or got in the wrong way. Parker would never do that to me...
"Dad say something!" Leonardo yells. "Tell me I got it in the wrong way. Tell me you would never do such thing behind your son's back, along with the so-called best friend of mine. Say something for fucks sake!"
Meanwhile on the other hand, Mr. Patrick is just staring at his son, opening and closing his mouth. Parker gets up from the ground, holding his right side of the face because of the punch that Leonardo threw at him. "It is true, all of it."
Our heads snaps in Parker's direction.
"What did you say?" Leonardo asks angrily.
"I said that all of what you heard is true. I made a deal with your dad to make Amelia fall in love with me." He continues.
"And why did you have to do such thing?" Leonardo asks, his voice low.
"To get her away from you." Mr. Patrick says.
"And why the hell do you want to get her away from me?" Leonardo yells. His mom, Ellen comes into the office, looking worried.
"Oh my god, what is happening here?" She says concerned.
No one replies to her because everyone is busy yelling and arguing. My eyes are full of tears and my jaw is trembling.
"What do you mean by 'why do you want to get her away from me'? Do you think I'm letting this... girl to be with you? She's poor and an orphan. She hasn't been well educated by her family, God knows what she is able to do. Maybe you fell in her trap, but I'm not that stupid. I'm not letting her marry you and take our money just to..."
"Excuse me?!" I interrupt Leonardo's dad. He stops mid-sentence and focuses his gaze at me. "You think my intention is marrying your son and take your money?"
Ellen comes toward me. "Darling, what are you talking about? We love you, we would never think..."
"Maybe you don't think so, but your husband clearly does." I reply, ready to cry. "But let me clarify something, sir. I came here just because of Mrs. Darwin. I had no intention to come here and get rich. I'm working my ass off, to collect the money for college and take care of my brother. If I wanted the easy way, I would have been working as a prostitute by now." I say calmly, not even being aware of the words I was choosing to express my anger towards him.
"And don't you dare say something about the education my parents gave me. They were my role models and taught me to be fair and kind. So, don't worry. Your son is safe. I'm not interested in him, and he surely is not interested in me. So you can calmly and happily think about his marriage with Jennifer, because in your eyes she is the perfect fiancee for your son. And good luck in convincing your son to marry her, just like you did convince him to work in the company." I say firmly, and now turn to Parker.
"And Parker, you're a dick!"
With that I leave from the office and walk past Ellen who tries to stop me. "Amelia dear, wait..."
But too late, I'm already running out of the mansion crying my eyes out. I just can't believe I got played like that. Mr. Patrick hates me just because I'm not in their 'level', just because I'm not rich. And Parker? Oh hell, Leonardo was right about him, I should have never trusted him. How did I make such a fool out of myself?
Wiping away the tears, I hear some footsteps behind me. "Amelia wait..." He quickly catches up on me and grabs my arm. I turn around to face him.
"Leonardo, please let me go... I can't stay here any longer. Please take care of my brother and I'm coming to take him in the morning."
"Where are you going alone on foot, in the middle of the damn night?" He gestures to the place around who is pitch black.
I calm down for some seconds and hear him out. "Look, I'm as angry and disappointed as you in this moment. I never thought my dad would do this thing to me. Sure, he did some other things before but this was the cherry on top of the cake. And about Parker, I don't like saying 'I told you so'. So please let me drive you to the apartment."
I think for a moment and slowly nod, the energy leaving from my body. I feel exhausted and I don't feel like arguing anymore. I get inside the car and Leonardo drives us to the apartment. We enter the building and soon we find ourselves inside the apartment. I sit on the couch and put my head between my hands. Some minutes afer I see Leonardo in front of me, handing me a Tylenol. "I think you need it."
"Yeah thanks." I gently take it from him and drink it. After some time I feel my head clearing up. "I can't believe what just happened."
"Me either." Leonardo sits beside me. "I knew that my dad was a heartless person, but not this much. And about Parker..."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't tell me 'I told you so' and tell me again the reasons why I should have never been hanging out with him. I get it, he's a player and a lier!" I raise my voice.
"Actually I was going to say that I didn't expect this from him because I considered him as my best friend." Leonardo shakes his head.
"Oh... I'm sorry, I made this all about myself. I forgot that he hurt you too by doing this. God, I'm such a fool..."
"No, it's okay, really. We both are hurt."
Me and Leonardo just stay in silence, each of us thinking different things inside our heads. For example, I'm thinking what did I do to deserve this painful life? Why can't I be happy for more than five minutes? Back in Georgevill I was happy though, all the drama happened after I came here in New York...
"... I mean if you want to." I catch some of the words Leonardo was saying to me, and I wasn't hearing at all.
"Um, sorry, I was lost. What were you saying?" I turn my body fully to him.
"I was saying that, do you want me to sing to you?"
Sing to me? For real?
"Um..."
"I knew it, it wasn't a good idea. I don't know why it popped up in my mind anyways. I totally understand. Why would you want to hear me singing? It's not that..." Leonardo blabers, and I put my hand over his mouth.
"Jesus Christ, shut up will you?" I look him in the eyes. "I'd really like to hear you singing."
His eyes light up with amusement. "Lfftt mf gg geot mgfj guftsrr"
I furrow my eyebrows. "What?" Then I realise I didn't remove my hand from his mouth and free his mouth. "Sorry, what were you saying?"
"I said let me go get my guitar."
My eyes widen. "You have a guitar?"
"I told you I used to play but I neglected it. So you're the honoured one to listen to me playing the guitar after almost three years." He winks and leaves to get it. Some minutes later he comes back into the living room with a guitar on his hands.
"Ah, I always wanted to play the guitar, but never had the chance to learn." I say amazed by the instrument in front of me.
"Well, I can teach you sometimes." Leonardo offers and I excitedly nod. He kneels in front of me and looks at me.
"Well, what's your favourite song?" He asks.
I tap my chin with my finger, thinking. "Well, I have many but 'Into You' by Ariana Grande will always have a special place in my heart."
"Okay then, I know the song. Get ready to be amazed, but not too amazed." Leo chuckles and I do the same. He really knows how to bring me in a good mood.
He softly puts his hand over the wires, and starts singing.
"I'm so into you,
I can barely breathe,
And all I wanna do,
Is to fall in deep..."
He continues to sing with his eyes closed, and I just admire the view in front of me and his pure voice.
"But close ain't close enough,
Till we cross the line,
So name a game to play,
And I'll roll the dice..."
My heart skips a beat when he opens his eyes and looks straight into mines.
"Oh baby look what you started,
The temperature's raising in here,
Is this gonna happen?
Been waiting and waiting for you to make a move,
Before I make a move..."
I sit down beside him, and start singing with him.
"So baby come light me up,
And maybe I'll let you on it,
A little bit dangerous,
But baby that's how I want it,
A little less conversation and,
A little more touch my body,
'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you."
Our faces are just an inch apart, and I can feel his hot breath on my face. My heart beat starts speeding up.
"Got everybody watching us,
But baby let's keep it secret,
A little bit scandalous,
But baby don't let them see it,
A little less conversation and,
A little more touch my body,
'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you..."
And the guitar lets out the last melody before the song finishes. Me and Leo haven't moved an inch, and our faces are still close. I start breathing heavily, and Leonardo smirks. We don't say anything, but just look into each other's eyes.
And then before I knew it, the space between us is closed by Leonardo's lips crashing on mine.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Where are my Ariana Grande fans at?!?!
However, maybe updates will be slowed down after this chapter because I need to catch up in a few things, but for sure it won't be long before the next chapter is published!!
And this chapter is dedicated to this beautiful angel krystabel1344 for always supporting my book. I love you!
Also I love everyone who gives my story a chance ♡ Okay this A/N got too long already and it is 01:04 am in my country. See ya!!