Taunt

Chapter 72- Taunting Sauces

[] A M E L I A []

Visiting Levi was the last stop for me. He wasn't officially allowed back home yet, since he was still undergoing a few necessities. Officer Santana had said that he would be released within the next few hours at the latest. I held her to that, and started making my way home when she said I wasn't allowed to wait there.

I sighed as I took off my belt, finally stepping onto my driveway. It had been a long morning, and I just wanted to nap now. I made my way up the porch, and made my way inside the house even quicker.

Once inside, I was surprised to hear noises from all over the house. Voices could be heard from the living room, and I frowned when I realized that everyone must be awake. Granted that it was 12 in the afternoon, but yesterday had taken a huge toll on everybody. I expected everyone to sleep in for a long time, preferably before I came back home.

I quickly kicked off my boots and hung up my jacket. Then, I made my way to the living room.

When I got there, I was surprised to see that everyone but mom was awake. Dad was sitting by the fireplace in his favourite chair, reading the newspaper. Jamal, Andre, and Gemma sat at the center table playing a game of Uno very animatedly. At last, my eyes landed on Leo.

My heart thudded against my chest when I saw him. His hair was dishevelled, as if he'd run his hands through it constantly. He was now wearing a shirt, and a blush coated my cheeks as I remembered how he looked when he was shirtless last night. He was pacing back and forth between the entrance to the living room and the dining room, his eyes on his phone.

None of them had noticed me yet, so I took a step further into the house.

"Good afternoon," I said with a smile to everyone. 

All heads turned to me at once, but somehow, my eyes landed on Leo first. His eyes widened when he saw me, and he froze midstep.

I drowned out the sound of everyone else greeting me back, and could only focus on how Leo started making his way over to me in quick strides. He was in front of me in merely seconds, his hands immediately reaching up to touch me. But suddenly, he stopped last second, and brought his hand back down to his side. I frowned in confusion but he spoke before I could.

"Where have you been Amelia? Are you okay?" he asked, fumbling over his words as his eyes raked over my body.

He finally reached up, and I felt his hands caress my skin, his eyes darting over my bruises and checking for new ones too. I could only stare at him, unable to look away from his intense gaze as he looked over me with concern. His eyes finally met mine, and I saw his lips move in a tantalizing manner. It took me a few seconds to realize he was saying something to me.

"Amelia?" he said, shaking my shoulder a little.

I finally snapped out of my trance and blinked up at him.

"Sorry, what?" I mumbled.

He frowned at me, his hand coming up to cup my cheek.

"I asked where you went. I tried calling, but you didn't answer," he said, his voice laced with worry.

"I was gone to wrap up a few things. I'll tell you later," I said to him, quietly enough that no one else within hearing range could listen in.

He watched me silently then, and I sucked in a shaky breath when his thumb caressed the underside of my eye. I realized then that my eyes were probably swollen red, making him wonder what went wrong today. To ease his worry, I gave him a smile and leaned into his palm. He let out a deep breath as I did so, his hand on my cheek tightening slightly.