Chapter seven
1878 Words
"Yes I agree but I can. Stop teasing me Mr. Adriano, I have no time for such silly games, I kept myself reserved earlier because Mr. Johnson appeared. I would have given you an earful," She retorted crossing her elbow.
He loved how fiery she can be.
"What if he caught us if such compromising position? What would people say? And given that you are famous or popular. So I have heard, to what degree I am not aware of. I would not want to be entangled in your complicated life with my name tainted with tabloids gossips" Her voice came out very worried.
She had all to lose but he had nothing.
He came closer despite all her ranting, "Don't worry about proximity Alison. I won't cross my boundary until I make you mine completely." he thought staring at her in an indecipherable way.
She moved her body backward until it was at the end of the bank close to water. Mr. Johnson stood from afar making a phone call, What is he doing? She thought
He would complicate their work relationship.
Her shoes were sinking into the damp sand, one more move from him and she is going into the water.
He came closer and smirked at the way she moved away from him.
Her green eyes glaring in annoyance and her cheeks a bit rosy.
She warned him with her eyes looking over to where Mr. Johnson, worried he might get a sniff of his actions.
She worries too much, his mind concluded.
Forgetting she is millimeters away from the way she felt her legs going in but in one swift movement she landed hard in his chest.
Breathing hard, he made her feel things she finds strange, her hearts thruumed so fast she was sure it was going
hundred miles per hour.
One thing was sure, Leonardo confused her in every way.
A part of her told her to relish this moment, it wasn't every day you lay on a very famous man's chest while standing.
Her head was laid on his chest and she clutched hard to his shirt to avoid falling into the water.
He wasn't holding her, so she had to do all the work by herself.
One slip from her hold on his shirt and she lands in the water all mudded up and drenched.
He smirked at her and whispered, "As much as I enjoy this compulsory touch from you. We need to go now it is getting late." with that note he drew her like she weighed nothing into drier land.
"You disgust me." She muttered.
"I'd love to hear that a few moments ago" he laughed mildly.
Picking up her notepad and jotter from the log, she made her way to Mr.Johnson who finished from his important call.
He smiled briefly at her presence but suddenly changed his demeanor following his gaze, she found who was responsible.
Leonardo stood behind her like some bodyguard.
"John we would be heading out now it is getting late and I have a ride to catch."
"Oh... See you tomorrow then"
"No, that would be see you next week. I have to go back home. Next week I would be coming back here to provide the plan and start work immediately."
He nodded, shaking hands with her.
She followed Leonardo to his car and heard the loud rumble of her stomach and turned red.
"Someone is hungry" Leonardo whispered, she could not retort because he was right and she was tired.
She remembered she did not have lunch and her stomach felt empty.
Wrapping the seat belt around her waist she laid back into her plush leather seat as he ignited the car and zoomed off.
*
He stopped at a restaurant parking space alerted Alison glanced around nervously.
"Why are we here?" she asked cautiously scanning the restaurant.
"To eat" Well he was considerate, she planned in eating when back at her hotel.
She removed her seatbelt and stepped out of the car welcoming the cool evening breeze.
The surroundings looked lively and vibrant enough to chase out hunger from her system.
Different colored light blinked the restaurant's name, it was an average dinner place with open space and a double door.
The windows were also huge, she felt something warm and large slide into her palm and stared down to see Leonardo's hand intertwined with hers.
Struggling to remove her hands from his despite the needy look she gave him pleading to let her go, he held on tight and walked into the restaurant.
With the door opening heads turned eagerly.
All eyes on them she gulped nervously.
Alison felt like a puppy being forced to come with him, her legs rubbed against the floor refusing to move. With Leonardo's hand intertwined with hers, she was not thinking straight now.
Reason one, it was a bit distracting, and secondly, she can't help but wonder what people's reactions might be seeing their hands intertwined. During the period she and Richard were still together she would never allow this kind of public display.
The reason being, she was too shy to do daring things such as this, especially in the public.
Leonardo was different from her, she hated the spotlight, attention, or anything that reveals herself to the public but he hugged it. He grew up in this life of fame and knows how to deal with it.
Unlike Leonardo, Richard played along with her wishes until that night he revealed how he despised her. He accused her of being the fault for their failed relationship. He found his true love and she was not the one.
"I don't need you or that child of yours, I loathe every moment I spend with you, I fake it all...I cheated on you, it felt like freedom. Freedom from you and your cursed life. Have you ever wondered why you only have one remaining relative, you cause everyone to leave you. You push everyone away, this time around it was me." Alison's tears poured willingly out of her eyes her mind was everywhere and she could not think straight with all this reveals. One thing she is sure of was how many fragments her heart was shattered into. Its fragments were grounded to dust and became one with the air.
Her heart became non-existent from that moment.
She shivered as she recalled that awful memory, she glanced down and saw her hand still intertwined with Leo's own. She tried to decipher the reason why he teased her so much by being physical.
You push everyone away...
One thing she doesn't know is why Leonardo was so eager to drag her into it.
Into his life, as his 'friend' she was not even capable of holding on to friendships nor relationships. She was always by herself, her first real friend was Paige, but something tells her Leonardo was more than a friend. Within the past couple of days, he has become more than a friend, something she wasn't sure she could accommodate.
If she told any person that she barely knows this man she was sure they wouldn't believe her.
He is making the assumption of the perfect couple in this average dinner, she wanted to scream out loud and deny the thoughts growing in their heads but she could not, the only thing she could do was to tag along with him as he passed through that door.
He noticed her reluctance in walking, "Alison," he whispered to her ear and almost laughed out loud as he noticed her face turning slowly to grimace.
"What?" Her patience was running that was the only thing her tone signified. He kept on dragging her along and continued whispering in her ears.
All she could hear was how cute they were and how beautiful they looked like a couple, it churned her stomach further.
"You know, if your legs are really tired I could carry you, bridal style let's give the public what they want," he said, that teasing grin never leaving his face. She wasn't sure the glare she gave him had any effect on him, she sighed frustrated deciding to flow with him.
She brought this upon herself she allowed her stupid stomach to announce that it was starving and being such a gentleman he brought her here.
She came here to eat she might as well do that to get out quickly of this situation, "My legs work just fine you are the problem. Quitting the cheesy hand-holding and I might walk faster."
"No way, your hands are soft by the way. Which moisturizer do you use I wish to..."
"Hey! there is a free table here," she interrupted, sighting a table in the moderate lighting though it is getting dark she needs to make it back to the hotel in time to start packing.
Leo followed her this time around as she dragged him. Smiling at how she faked her enthusiasm he has come to admit that Alison is by far the toughest woman he has pleased.
She had a way of allowing her discomfort to reveal itself through her body language and he found that cute in her. Settling in the cozy chair he drew it to be more closer to her this time around she didn't mind.
He missed something though, her soft, moist hands in his.
After they both settled in they took time to take in their surroundings. The insides were a lot larger than how they perceived it initially, with the tables scattered about in a Zigzag fashion the counter stood a little further from them.
The restaurant itself had this woodsy feel and spiciness, the lighting enhanced to the brown shade of the interior.
Alison wasn't too sure the chandelier in the middle was necessary, it ruined the rugged look of the restaurant.
Medieval paintings replica clung to the walls of the restaurant and the floor was wooden, the furniture gave it a more casual look.
They were so engrossed with the surroundings they did not notice the waiter standing at their table.
"The waiter is here," Alison called Leonardo's attention.
"What is your order ma'am?"
Alison looked at her Leonardo to give suggestions, he leaned further to show her the menu. She decided to go with a steak Burger, "That's what you are going with," Leonardo said.
"And what's wrong with that?"
"Nothing, I... never mind." He gave his order to the waiter who jotted it down and left.
"I wanted to say that was a poor choice for dinner."
"It is not," Alison fired back annoyed by his statement.
"There is a lot of food on the menu. I am sure you could pick one exotic food instead of a burger," he said grasping at what he said Alison frowned further.
"Well, I don't know most of the cuisine on the menu, so I settled for what is very common and delicious."
"No way, most of the cuisine here is very common. Except..." he paused pondering.
She narrowed her eyes in slits wondering what he might tease her with again.
"Tell me, Aly, do you know how to cook?" He asked expecting her response.
"Erm...yes, of course, I know how to cook." She lied
- Writer
