Falling for the enemy

Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Two weeks passed.

Two weeks of mornings at The Grind House. Two weeks of late night phone calls that stretched into the early hours. Two weeks of learning each other, of peeling back layers, of discovering that the person they had dismissed as a stranger was someone they couldn't imagine living without.

Leo found himself looking forward to waking up. He found himself smiling at his phone when her name appeared on the screen. He found himself writing again, pages and pages of words that poured out of him like water from a broken dam.

It was terrifying.

And it was wonderful.

"Tell me something I don't know about you," Ava said one morning, her chin resting on her palm as she watched him from across the booth.

"That's a broad request."

"Then make it specific. Tell me something you've never told anyone else."

Leo considered the question. There were so many things he had never told anyone. So many secrets he had buried deep inside himself. But looking at her, with her honey-colored eyes and her messy bun and her genuine smile, he wanted to share them all.

"I used to dream about running away," he said. "When I was a kid. I would lie in bed at night and imagine packing a bag and sneaking out the window and never looking back."

"Where would you go?"

"Anywhere. Nowhere. It didn't matter. I just wanted to be free."

Ava reached across the table and took his hand. "You're free now."

"Am I?"

"You are." She squeezed his fingers. "You're here, in this café, with me. No one is controlling you. No one is telling you what to do. You're free."

Leo looked down at their joined hands. Her fingers were warm against his, her nails painted a soft pink that matched the blush on her cheeks.

"Sometimes I don't feel free," he admitted. "Sometimes I feel like I'm still that scared little boy, trapped in a house full of people who hated him."

"That little boy is still inside you. But he's not alone anymore."

"How do you know?"

"Because I'm here." She smiled. "And I'm not going anywhere."

---

Their relationship grew slowly, carefully, like a plant reaching toward the sun.

They went on walks through Central Park, holding hands and talking about nothing. They visited museums and galleries, arguing over which paintings were the best. They cooked dinner together in Leo's tiny apartment, making a mess of the kitchen and laughing at their failures.

It was simple. It was normal. It was everything Leo had never allowed himself to have.

And it was complicated.

Because Ava was still a Laurent. Because Victoria Laurent was still a presence in her life, a shadow that loomed over everything. Because no matter how far they ran, they couldn't escape the past.

"She called me last night," Ava said one evening, curled up on Leo's couch. "My mother. She wants me to come to the family dinner next week."

"Are you going?"

"I don't know." She picked at a loose thread on her sweater. "Part of me wants to go. To see Jordan, to try to reconnect with the family. But another part of me knows that if I go, she'll try to control everything. She'll try to tell me who to date, what to wear, how to act."

"She doesn't control you anymore."

"I know. But it's hard to remember that when she's yelling at me."

Leo sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms. She leaned against him, her head resting on his chest, and he felt her relax.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do," he said. "You don't have to see her. You don't have to go to dinner. You don't have to be part of her world."

"But I want to be part of your world."

"You are. You're the most important part of my world."

Ava looked up at him, her eyes shining. "Leo."

"I mean it." He brushed a strand of hair from her face. "You're the first person who's ever made me feel like I belong. Like I'm worthy of love."

"You are worthy. You've always been worthy."

"I didn't know that until I met you."

She kissed him, soft and slow and full of promise. It was the kind of kiss that said everything words couldn't express.

"I'll go to the dinner," she said when they pulled apart. "But I'll be strong. I'll stand up to her. I'll show her that I'm not the same little girl she used to control."

"I'll come with you."

"You will?"

"Of course." He smiled. "I'm not letting you face her alone."

---

The Laurent family dinner was held at the family's penthouse, a sprawling apartment that took up the entire nineteenth floor of their building. Leo had been there once before, years ago, when he was still a scared little boy trying to fit in.

He had never wanted to go back.

But for Ava, he would do anything.

"You look nervous," Ava said as they stood in the elevator, waiting for the doors to open.

"I'm not nervous."

"Liar."

"I'm not."

"Your hands are shaking."

Leo looked down at his hands. They were shaking. He clenched them into fists and tried to steady his breathing.

"I can handle this," he said. "I've handled worse."

"I know." Ava took his hand and squeezed it. "But you don't have to handle it alone. I'm right here."

The elevator doors opened, and they stepped into the penthouse.

It was exactly as Leo remembered. Marble floors, crystal chandeliers, designer furniture that looked like it had never been touched. The walls were covered in expensive art, the windows offered a panoramic view of the city, and the air smelled like expensive perfume and old money.

And there, standing in the middle of it all, was Victoria Laurent.

She looked exactly the same as she had all those years ago. Tall and elegant, with sharp features and cold eyes that seemed to see right through him. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun, and she wore a black dress that screamed designer.

"Mother," Ava said, her voice steady. "This is Leo. My boyfriend."

Victoria's eyes flicked to Leo, and for a moment, he saw something flicker in them. Recognition. Disgust. And something else, something that looked like fear.

"So you're the orphan boy," she said. "I wondered when you'd finally show your face."

"Mother." Ava stepped forward, putting herself between them. "Be nice."

"Nice?" Victoria laughed, a cold, brittle sound. "I've spent my entire life being nice. Being polite. Being gracious. And what has it gotten me? A daughter who brings home a charity case."

"Leo is not a charity case."

"He's not a Laurent either."

"I don't want to be a Laurent," Leo said, his voice calm. "I never did. I just want to be with your daughter."

"How touching." Victoria's eyes narrowed. "You think you can just waltz in here and take my daughter away from me? You think you can steal her from her family?"

"I'm not stealing anyone. Ava is her own person. She can make her own choices."

"Choices?" Victoria laughed again. "She's twenty-two years old. She doesn't know what she wants."

"I know exactly what I want," Ava said. "And I want Leo. I want to be with him. I want to build a life with him. And nothing you say or do is going to change that."

Victoria's face went pale. For a moment, she looked almost vulnerable, almost human. Then the mask fell back into place, cold and hard and unyielding.

"Get out," she said. "Both of you. Get out of my house."

"Gladly." Ava grabbed Leo's hand and pulled him toward the door. "We don't want to be here anyway."

---

They walked in silence through the lobby of the building, past the doorman, out into the cold night air. Ava's hand was still gripping Leo's, her fingers trembling slightly.

"I'm sorry," she said finally. "I didn't think she'd be that awful."

"It's okay. I've dealt with worse."

"No, it's not okay." She stopped walking and turned to face him. "She had no right to talk to you like that. You're not a charity case. You're not an orphan boy. You're the most incredible person I've ever met, and she doesn't get to treat you like you're nothing."

"Ava."

"I mean it." Tears were streaming down her face now. "I love you, Leo. I love you, and I don't care what my mother thinks. I don't care about the family legacy or the money or any of it. I just want to be with you."

Leo pulled her into his arms, holding her tight against his chest. She was shaking, and he could feel her heart pounding against his.

"I love you too," he said. "I love you so much it scares me."

"It scares me too."

"Then we'll be scared together."

She laughed through her tears, a watery, broken sound. "That's the most romantic thing you've ever said."

"Don't get used to it."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

They stood there on the sidewalk, holding each other, while the city hummed around them. Passersby glanced at them, but no one stopped. No one interrupted.

And for the first time in his life, Leo felt like he belonged.

---

"You know what I really want?" Ava said later, curled up on his couch.

"What's that?"

"I want to go somewhere. Somewhere away from here. Away from my mother and the building and all of it."

"Where would you go?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "Somewhere quiet. Somewhere we can just be ourselves."

Leo thought about it. "There's a winery. In the Hudson Valley. It's run by the Bennett family."

"The Bennetts?"

"My adoptive family." He paused. "Jordan's family. He's there now, managing the place."

Ava sat up, her eyes widening. "You want to go see Jordan?"

"I want to go see my brother." He smiled. "And I want you to meet him."

"Leo." Her voice was soft, full of awe. "You really want me to be part of your life."

"I really do."

She kissed him, soft and sweet and full of promise. "Okay," she said. "Let's go to the winery."

---

The drive to the winery took two hours.

Leo had borrowed Ethan's car, a sleek black sedan that was far too expensive for someone who spent most of his time in a coffee shop. Ava sat in the passenger seat, her bare feet on the dashboard, singing along to the radio.

"You're a terrible singer," Leo said.

"I know." She grinned. "That's what makes it fun."

"Some people would call that torture."

"Some people don't have good taste."

"Clearly."

She laughed, that infectious laugh that made his heart skip a beat. He had never met anyone like her. He had never felt this way about anyone before.

The winery was beautiful.

It sat on a hill overlooking the Hudson River, rows of grapevines stretching out in every direction. The main building was a large stone house with a wrap-around porch, and there was a sign out front that read "Bennett Family Winery" in elegant gold lettering.

"Wow," Ava breathed. "It's gorgeous."

"Wait until you see the inside."

They walked up the path to the main building, and Leo felt a knot form in his stomach. He hadn't seen Jordan in years. Not since he had left the Laurents, not since he had cut ties with everyone connected to that world.

What if Jordan didn't want to see him? What if he had chosen the family over Leo?

"You okay?" Ava asked, slipping her hand into his.

"I'm fine."

"Liar."

"I'm nervous."

"That's okay." She squeezed his hand. "I'm here. I'm right here."

They walked through the front door, and the knot in Leo's stomach tightened.

The building was beautiful inside. Wooden beams, exposed brick, a large fireplace at one end. There were barrels of wine stacked against the walls, and the smell of oak and grapes hung in the air.

And there, standing behind the bar, was Jordan.

He looked different from the last time Leo had seen him. Older. More tired. There were lines around his eyes and a weariness in his posture that hadn't been there before.

But when he saw Leo, his face broke into a smile.

"Leo." He came around the bar, arms outstretched. "You came."

"I came." Leo let himself be pulled into a hug, the first real hug he had received in years. "I brought someone."

Jordan pulled back and looked at Ava. For a moment, his expression was unreadable. Then it softened.

"You must be Ava," he said. "I've heard so much about you."

"Good things, I hope."

"The best things." Jordan smiled. "Welcome to the family."

---

They spent the rest of the day at the winery.

Jordan gave them a tour, showing them the vineyards, the cellars, the tasting room. He told stories about their childhood, about the good times and the bad, about the moments that had shaped them into the people they were today.

"She hated you," Jordan said, his voice low as they walked through the vineyards. "Victoria. She hated you from the moment you walked into our house."

"I know."

"She told everyone you were a thief. That you were damaged. That you would never amount to anything."

"I know."

"But she was wrong." Jordan stopped and turned to face him. "You were never damaged. You were just a kid who needed a family. And we failed you. I failed you."

"Jordan."

"I'm sorry." His voice cracked. "I'm so sorry I didn't do more. I'm sorry I let her treat you like that. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to protect you."

Leo pulled his brother into a hug. "It's okay."

"It's not okay."

"It is now." Leo pulled back and looked at him. "We can't change the past. But we can build a future. A better one. Together."

Jordan nodded, wiping his eyes. "Together."

---

That night, after Jordan had gone to bed, Leo and Ava sat on the porch of the winery, looking out at the stars.

"It's beautiful out here," Ava said. "So quiet. So peaceful."

"I could stay here forever."

"Me too."

Leo turned to look at her. The moonlight was shining on her face, making her look like something out of a dream.

"I love you," he said. "I don't know how it happened. I don't know why it happened. But it happened, and I don't want to fight it anymore."

Ava smiled, that real smile that made his heart skip a beat. "I love you too, Leo Matthews. And I'm not going anywhere."