Not Without You

thirty-eight

Aria

"You're sure your mom isn't upset about us breaking the tire swing on the weekend?" I ask Leo as we close up shop on Monday evening. 

"Totally," Leo replies. "Kit was supposed to change the rope a long time ago. Think of it as us speeding up the job for him." He wiggles the handle of the door to make sure it's locked before looping his arm through mine. "Anyways, do you want to stop at your place before we head over to the restaurant?"

I nudge him in the ribs. "Are you implying that I need to go home and freshen up?"

"Nah," he smiles. "I'm just trying to be polite. To be honest, I'm exhausted and I don't feel like walking all the way up to Hainsey and Emyln's place just so you can change. I'll pull through and do it if you want to. If you really want my opinion, I think you look perfectly fine and don't need to freshen up or anything like that. You deserve options as much as everyone else does, though." 

As usual, Leo's words make my heart turn to mush. Our fight on the weekend was difficult at the time, but I'm glad we've managed to solve it. As much as he was in the wrong, I didn't like being upset with him. I didn't like the conflict between us. It's rare that you find someone you can easily relate to and get along with, and Leo and I have exactly that. We have an undeniable chemistry that just seems to flow. Besides, I don't ever want to let him go. Having a man that's alarmingly attractive and respectful and excellent at sex is an extremely rare gift. 

"You're a real charmer, aren't you?" I smile, guiding Leo down the side trail to one of the main trails that leads to the Village. The sun is beginning to set, casting an orangish glow across the underbellies of the puffy clouds and making the mountains look bluish and more prominent. 

"Nah," he replies, unlooping his arm from mine and slinging it around my shoulders instead. "I'm just respectful. Like the rest of the male population should be."

I like that, this time, I'm not surprised by his comment. I've become accustomed to hearing them and appreciating them more than ever. Leo is like a breath of fresh air. I wish every guy could be like him. That every girl could be as lucky as me to have someone like him. Sure, a lot of the credit goes to Eliza for raising him the way she did, but we all have minds of our own. Eventually, we begin to question some of the things our parents teach us or we critique them, moulding them into something that suits our own personal needs. That's why I can't express how proud I am of Leo for keeping this mindset and sticking to it like it's some unwritten code of conduct. 

Shifting to my tiptoes, I press a quick kiss to his cheek, marvelling at how a faint blush spreads across his slightly freckled skin. I don't usually pay attention to his freckles because they're so light I can hardly see them. But when I'm this close, I can see the faint patterning across the bridge of his nose and cheekbones. 

"So," I say, resting my head against his shoulder. "Where did you meet Kolby again?"

Leo rubs the stubble on his jaw. Ever since I made that comment about me liking it and it making him look older, he's kept it. The stubble is scruffy but neatly trimmed at the same time. "It was when I was looking for that rock I was telling you about, the one my parents always used to hang out at when they were young and before everything happened. Kolby's dog managed to get free and I offered to help him look for him." He pauses. "I don't know if I'd necessarily call him my friend. He's pretty elusive and is always off on some hiking or camping trip. That being said, though, we do talk when we can. That reminds me...Don't tell Scarlett but Kolby has a thing for her."