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Leon wasn’t mad at you, he was mad at himself. He tried to be happy for you but deep down, he was kicking himself for not acting sooner. It was his fault entirely for not asking you out first before that other guy did. And he had plenty of time to do it too, knowing each other for a while now and Leon had a crush on you ever since he met you. Problem was, he was too shy to speak up in fear of rejection. It was his fault for not asking you out, not your fault for saying yes to someone else who wasn’t him. He never even asked, so why was he so upset?
You were all set to go out on a date with the other guy who asked you out and you had even asked Leon for some minor advice before you went on your date. And he gave you what he could, saying it all with an upbeat tone and a smile on his face. But deep down inside, he was hurting.
After heading home from work that night, he entered his house with a face full of regret prepared for another lonely Friday night. He had joked with you that if you needed anything or needed to be bailed out of a date gone horribly wrong to call him and he’d come rescue you. Although the way he saw it, it wasn’t a joke. But he played it off lightheartedly hoping not to raise any suspicion. He could tell you were looking forward to your date and he didn’t want to ruin it for you.
Nestled in the recliner, the clock read a quarter to midnight. Leon’s movie had ended about twenty minutes ago and he was dozing off when his phone rang. The melody startled him and woke him with a jerk and he blinked his eyes several times while scrambling for his phone only to see your name appearing at the top. His heart skipped a beat as he answered it.
“Hey, how is everything-“ He didn’t even get the chance to finish his sentence before he noticed that you were crying on the other end.
“Leon…” You sobbed, “I- I need you to come get me-“
Leon was already standing and swiping his car keys off the kitchen counter while heading for the garage, “I’m on my way, where are you?” He asked, whipping open his car door.
You sniffled, “I’m at the movie theater, the one on Broad street right off Capitol-“
“I’m on my way, I’ll be there in ten. Just sit tight.” The engine of his Porsche roared to life, pulling out of the garage and taking off.
“Thank you.” You said quietly and hung up, waiting for Leon to arrive.
You felt so stupid sitting there on the curb outside the theater at midnight. You should have known it wasn’t going to work out with that guy, your friend even told you not to even bother with him because he was a loser but you wanted to prove her wrong because you thought he was cute but she ended up being right anyway. Because of course she was. The movie was barely over and he was already eager to get the hell out of there, saying that this ended up being a waste of his time and that he didn’t want to see you anymore. And when you asked him to at least take you home, he refused, saying he had better things to do with his time.
Yeah, you felt really stupid right about now. You felt even worse for calling Leon to come rescue you. You had a crush on Leon but you were way too nervous to ask him out or even imply that you even liked him. You felt like he was way out of your league; he drove a Porsche Cayenne for fucks sake. What business would he want with you? He was a good friend though, you couldn’t deny that.
You sat there sulking with the lights from the theater behind you illuminating the darkness. You just wanted to melt away and pretend like this night never happened. It was already embarrassing enough that your date left you stranded here alone but now you had to wait to get bailed out. What a fucking stupid night this was turning out to be.
Eventually, you saw headlights driving up the main driveway and pulling around to the driveway in front of the building. And you knew that slick black SUV anywhere; it was Leon. He was finally here; here to pick you up and make it all better, hopefully. You looked up as he pulled up and parked, getting out and jogging over to you.
“Hey-“ He greeted, squatting down and looking you in the eyes. “You ok? What happened?” His voice was full of concern, you could hear it.
You just shrugged your shoulders, “I’m fine…” You said flatly. It was only half true, eyes downcast. You didn’t even want to look at his gorgeous face because you felt so fucking stupid.
Leon placed his hand on your shoulder, “No, you’re not fine, he made you cry. Talk to me, tell me what happened.” He moved to sit down next to you on the curb.
You glanced over at him, voice shaky and face red, even your makeup couldn’t hide that at this point. “He’s a fucking dick; couldn’t wait to leave and said this was basically a waste of his time. Obviously he doesn’t want to see me anymore.”
“Then why did he even go out with you?”
You shrugged, “Hell if I know…” You wrapped your arms around your stomach while pulling your knees to your chest. “I asked if he could at least take me home and he basically said he’s got better things to do.”
Leon scoffed and shook his head, “I’m sorry he did this to you, you don’t deserve this.”
Tears were welling up in your eyes again and you looked away from Leon trying to hide them. Of course this would happen to you, shit like this usually did. It was bad enough you always felt like you weren’t enough but then this had to go and happen. And you felt so stupid for calling Leon but you didn’t really have a choice; he probably had more important things to be doing right now too. The more you thought about it, letting it get into your head, the more depressed you became which just made you cry more. So much for trying to hide your tears.
“Hey-“ Leon cooed from beside you, placing a hand on your back to help calm you but it didn’t work.
“I feel so fucking stupid, Leon! I shouldn’t have gone out with him and now this happened and then I had to call you-“ The words were spilling from your mouth as you ranted. “I shouldn’t have called you, now I ruined your night with my bullshit!”
You abruptly stood up and began walking in the opposite direction of Leon’s car. “I’m leaving, you can just go home, I don’t want to be here anymore!” You yelled between heavy breaths and flowing tears.
Seconds later you felt Leon’s hand grab your arm and stop you, “Wait; don’t leave.” He said, spinning you around to face him. The look on your face was that of disappointment and shame. “You didn’t ruin my night, not at all, in fact, I wasn’t even doing anything.”
“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”
Leon shook his head, “No, it’s the truth. Look, I understand you’re upset, and I just want to help you, that’s all.”
Your face scrunched up again and you tried to wiggle free from his grip and for a second it actually worked but you honestly knew better. He reached out and gently grabbed your arm again and carefully spun you around and back to him and into his arms. The look on your face now was that of surprise; you stood face to face with Leon just inches away from his own face.
He looked so timid with eyes full of worry; it looked like he actually cared. “Please don’t go…” He begged softly. You swallowed, eyes fixed on him while his were bouncing between yours and your lips. He moved gingerly and cautiously, both his hands on your upper arms, blinking slowly as he leaned in. His eyes fluttered closed and his lips connected with yours. You just stood there and let him do it, a little in shock because you weren’t expecting this but you didn’t protest.
Leon’s lips were soft and your eyes closed when you felt his stubble scrape against your face; it was such a welcoming feeling being kissed by a man, a real man. Especially one you had been crushing on for a while. It took a second but you eventually kissed him back, lips moving just the slightest to capture his. But as soon as you did it, he pulled away.
“I’m sorry-“ He breathed, immediately looking down and away from you like he instantly regretted his actions. His fingers came up to touch his lips and he shook his head looking back up at you. “I’m so sorry; I overstepped. I shouldn’t have done that-“
You watched him and instantly saw the way his face turned from concern to regret. And at that moment, he felt so irresponsible. He was supposed to be there to help you, not make an ass out of himself. And here he was, probably making you feel worse and even more confused. “I- I’m sorry; I’ll take you home. Fuck-“ He ran an exasperated hand through his hair, “I didn’t mean to-“
“Leon…” You spoke up quietly and he instantly stopped talking and paid attention to you. You took a step forward to close the gap between you two, “I’m sorry-“ He muttered again but this time you shushed him.
“What are you sorry for?” The question was heard and Leon was surprised that you asked that so he answered with the truth. “For kissing you.” He apologized, the tone in his voice sounded like he was about to be punished for his sins.
You took a half a step closer, your hands resting timidly on his chest now and he just stood there watching you. He was statue still, probably afraid to move you assumed so you just slid your hands up to rest on his neck and jaw bone and when they did, your eyes fluttered up to his. “Don’t be.” You whispered softly.
Your lips very gently met his again in the absolute slowest kiss of your life. It wasn’t slow in a bad way, it was actually extremely sexy. Lips parted while they moved against his. It was just one kiss but it felt like it lasted a lifetime. Your hands stayed on the sides of his face and you felt his come to rest on your ribs. Your body was on fire, spine tingling and you couldn’t help but lean into him slightly.
The kiss only lasted a few seconds and when you both had pulled away he gave you a sheepish smile. “Umm, this might be a stupid thing to say but uh… I uh, I didn’t know you umm…” He cleared his throat out of nervousness, “I- I didn’t know you uh, felt this way about me…”
His shyness and nervousness was so adorable, you couldn’t help but smile. “Well, to be fair, I didn’t know you felt this way about me either…”
Leon smiled softly, amused. “I have for a while…” He whispered and you couldn’t help but return the smile back to him, you thought he was so cute. Both of you stood in silence for a few moments before he finally offered, “Come on, let me take you home.”
Before he had a chance to turn away, you stopped him. “Wait.” He paused and looked at you. “Umm, I’m kind of hungry. Know of any late night diners that are open?” You swallowed nervously hoping that he did.
Leon thought for a second before the corner of his mouth turned up in a little smile. “Actually, I do.” The butterflies in your stomach activated and you smiled shyly giving him a look that you hoped he interpreted correctly and he did.
Leon took you by the hand and walked you over to the passenger side of his car and opened the door to let you in and then followed around to the driver’s seat. His door closed and he glanced over to you, “Ready?” He asked and you nodded your head.
“Is this like… A date?” You asked out of curiosity and he smirked at you. “Only if you want it to be.” He said, shifting the car into drive.
Your eyes dropped down to his hand which was resting on the center console between the both of you and you reached over and laced your fingers with his. “I want it to be.” You said honestly with a tiny little smile.
Leon smiled back at you and tightened his grip on your hand; he nodded, “Ok.” He said, letting off the break and driving off into the night.
Leon couldn’t believe how his night had turned around so quickly. If you had never gone on this horribly wrong date, who knows if he would have ever gotten his chance with you.