Not Without You

twenty-four

Aria

Work the next day is fast-paced and busy; Leo, Benn, and I can barely keep up, let alone clean the bikes that have just been returned from a weekend trip, by none other than the dad and his two little girls that I signed pictures for on Friday. Just like last time, their eyes are wide with wonder when they see me, but this time I notice something else: they're shy and bashful around Leo as they hand their helmets back to him.

I nudge Benn in the ribs and gesture to the scene before us. "Leo's got some admirers."

Benn glances up from the receipts he's organizing, rolling his eyes. "Please. You're going to make me sick. Stop drooling over your boyfriend when I'm around."

I cross my arms, glaring at my cousin. "You're just jealous that he works better with kids than you can. Which is sad considering how many times you've visited Children's Hospital with the team."

"I'm allergic to kids," Benn drawls, tossing a crumpled-up receipt at my head. It hits my temple, falling to the cement flooring.

I frown at him and then stoop down to pick up the paper. "That's not immature at all."

"Which part?" he asks. "The part where I said I'm allergic to kids or the part where I threw the paper at you?"

I toss the faded receipt into the trash can beneath the front desk, biting back a smile. I don't know how many times my mom and I have talked about Benn and how much he's like Aunty Emyln. He may have inherited the majority of Uncle Hainsey's looks, save for the muddy green eyes, but he's one-hundred per cent Aunty Emyln's son; he has the same spitfire attitude and an even higher level of sarcasm. Sometimes I want to throttle him, but the majority of the time, I enjoy his presence. He's the comic relief in some situations.

"God forbid you ever have any kids," I mutter, punching him lightly in the arm. "Hell would be released upon the world. You and your wife wouldn't be able to "

Benn, who usually has some type of smartass come back for anything I throw at him, stays silent, making himself look busy with the receipts. For a brief moment, I worry that I've said something to offend him. Over the past few months, whenever the subject of marriage, let alone having a girlfriend has been joked about in the family, he's become overly moody, basically becoming the moody teenage boy he was during high school. I like to think he simply doesn't know how to laugh at himself, but there's a sliver of me that doubts that. Benn is one of the biggest jokesters in the family. Whatever bothered him then, is bothering him again. And I'm just about to ask when Leo returns, a small smile on his face.

While I'm still worried about Benn, I decide that the conversation I had been planning on starting is something that needs to be discussed just between Benn and I; I push the thought to the side and turn my attention to Leo. I lean forward, resting my elbows on the cool desktop. "I'm surprised he was able to get his kids out of here with the way they were looking at you," I tease, tugging at my braid. "They were all over you."

"It's not a big deal," Leo shrugs. "They're cute and a couple of little sweethearts. Besides, they had no interest in me. They kept on asking questions about you."

"I doubt that," I laugh.

Benn, whom I hate to admit I momentarily forgot about, shoves the papers aside, several falling to the floor. "I'm going to clean the bikes," he grumbles, storming off.

Leo and I stare after him, both of us wondering what crawled up his ass this morning.

"What's up with him?" Leo asks.

"No idea," I sigh, kneeling down to pick up the papers that fell to the cement. "I think I said something to piss him off, but I can't tell what. I'll talk to him later and sort things out." I pause, making sure the corners of each paper are lined up together. I then stand and neatly place them on the desk. "Though I have to admit, he's been a lot pissier than usual lately. I don't know if I want to start a conversation with him."

Just like any other situation regarding conflict, Leo shrugs. "You'll figure something out, Aria. Judging by the obstacles your family has overcome in the past, I'm sure whatever you said to hurt Benn will be dealt with by the end of the night. Give him a few minutes to cool off, but also cut him some slack. We've been going at this for hours now, dealing with impatient and sometimes rude customers. If I'm being completely honest, it's a miracle I'm still finding it in me to smile and be nice to others."

I bite back a smile, wondering if Leon was just as optimistic as his son. It wouldn't surprise me if it were a dominant gene in the Saint-Laurent family, masking any pessimistic views or ways of life. "You sound very sure of yourself."

His unique eyes twinkle as he smiles. "That's because I am sure. At one point or another, conflict is always resolved. You two will be fine."

This time, a small smile does break through. "I'll keep that in mind."

"So," Leo says, abruptly changing the subject. "Are you free this Saturday? The weather is supposed to be stifling and sunny, and I think it would be the perfect day to try and find those cliffs my dad used to cliff-jump off of when he was young. We could pack a lunch or something. Make a day out of it, y'know?"

Quickly, I review my schedule. Thankfully, due to it being Canada Day on Monday, we've got a long weekend and have no training sessions scheduled. It would be a perfect way to start the weekend. "That sounds like a lot of fun," I reply. "I think I have to work the early shift, but I'm done at noon. Maybe we could meet up after that?"

Leo nods. "Perfect. We're walking, so just drive up to Aunty Tenille's house. According to my mom, the pathway to get to them is just off the eastern end of the property. We'll go from there and see if we can find it."

I lean against the desk, resting on my elbows. "What is your sense of direction like?" I ask, squinting at him.

Leo adjusts the collar of his company T-shirt, clearing his throat. "I mean, we might get lost a few times, but that's always part of the fun. We'll have food and water, and judging by the stories I heard at the party about your camping experiences, I'm sure you wouldn't mind sleeping on a rock overnight." 

I bite my bottom lip, cursing my dad for telling that story to Leo about me refusing to sleep in the tent because of the synthetic fibres it was made out of. I must have been nine or ten years old at the time. I had just learned about the consequences of our ways of life and began refusing to use anything that wasn't natural. That being said, I was a total hypocrite because I did sleep in my sleeping bag next to the fire that night, waking up in the morning with a stiff neck, dirt in my hair, and multiple mosquito bites on any bare skin. To say the least, I looked like a strawberry-coloured marshmallow thanks to my severe reaction to mosquito bites. 

"I would sleep on a rock or in the dirt," I reply, trying to appear indifferent rather than slightly embarrassed. I stick my nose high in the air, crossing my arms. "I'm not one for those places that pamper you with body-oil massages and foot massages."

He glances down at my hands, honing in on the chipped nail polish. "Who painted your nails?"

I scowl at him, hiding them in the pockets of my cargo shorts. "Shut up."

Leo laughs, biting down on his lip. "I'm going to go help Benn. We need some more bikes out here."

He leaves me with a weakened scowl on my face. I love that Leo doesn't ask if I can handle the line-up and the crowds, implying the idea that I'm not strong enough to do it. Instead, he just knows that I can and avoids the question entirely. Throughout the years of playing hockey and creating my reputation, I've rarely met boys or men like Leo, ones that are at peace with the fact that women are just as good as men, sometimes even better. If I could decide what type of male role model the entire male population of the world should follow, I'd choose Leo. He's what every woman deserves. 

And I'm so thankful that he's all mine.