Chapter 16
Leo
I passed all of the Christmas decorations on the street and it didn’t fill me with so much dread anymore. The lights and Christmas music blaring out of the store fronts weren’t affront to my senses anymore. Now I was feeling like it was the holiday season and I was going to get everything that I wanted. If all I got was Celia, I was going to open and cherish the gift like it was the best thing in the world.
I stopped in front of the restaurant, all decked in ornaments and lights. God, she looked great. I saw her from the restaurant window and I had a moment to really look at her before she saw me. I had forgotten how beautiful she was, the picture in my mind doing her no really justice. I instantly wanted her and when she caught me looking, I feared that my expression gave it a way because she had an unsure look on her face that was hard to fathom. I had waited so long to see her that I just wanted to stare, even though I knew that it was the wrong way to go. I felt like a bumbling idiot when I was around her, but that was just going to have to be okay because I really didn’t have a choice.
I opened the door to the small restaurant, nothing like the one that I had seen her in working before. This one had no privacy and sitting right next to the front windows, the privacy was even less. I had a feeling that it was done to keep me from doing as I had done before. I knew her body, but if I couldn’t get my hands on her, how was I going to convince her?
She stood up and smiled at me. I went in for a hug and she stuck her hand out like that was all I was going to get. It was frustrating to say the least, but I took it in stride. I was going to have to. I didn’t want to mess it up, so I made sure that she understood that it was all I could do to stop myself from touching her.
“It is good to see you Leo.”
“You don’t have to lie, Celia. I know that you don’t want to be here. You are afraid of what will happen between us, but I am happy to see you.”
She smiled at me and shook her head to the contrary. “Not at all. It is good to see you again.”
I was going to let her say that, even though we both knew that it was wrong. I don’t know really what happened besides that Grey’s friend had spoken out and Celia heard her. I didn’t know if I should bring it up. I finally did because I had a feeling it would be better to get that out in the open.
“So look Celia, I feel like I should get something off of my chest first. The last time we saw each other…”
She stopped me with a hand going up. “It’s not anything to really talk about. That is in the past.”
I should have let it go, but I wasn’t ready to let go on us. I was glad she was pregnant and I was glad for many things, but I wanted her back. I felt like I had just gotten her and then moments later she was gone. I didn’t want that to be the case again.
“Let me explain Celia and then I will let it go, please.”
“If I don’t have a choice.”
It wasn’t starting well. I could see the stance she was taking and I figured it was best to just lay it all out and see where we ended up. I hoped that she would see that I was being honest and forgive me. It was all I had wanted since I came home to an empty place so long ago, just a chance to plead my case to her.
“So I have a feeling I know why you took off that night Celia and I want to promise you that it wasn’t what it looked like, or sounded like rather. You heard that woman in the background, but it was for my employer.”
“At three in the morning?”
“Yes, I am a driver for him. I have worked for Grey for many years and before he settled down last year with his wife, he was a bit of a lady’s man.”
She just nodded and then asked if it was the one that was at the club that night. I had forgotten about that a little bit. It seemed like Grey had gotten in the way more than once with Celia.
“Yes, you saw him before. He is really not so bad, but he was a bit of a playboy before. He is a big time lawyer and he was a bit of a mess back then. I would have to pick up countless women in the middle of the night. I haven’t had to do it in a little while but Cassie just kind of showed up at his apartment and he had to get rid of her without his wife knowing. They hadn’t seen in each other in a while, so it was my job to make sure that she was taken home safely.”
“You both seem to have trouble getting rid of women huh?”
I sighed. I knew how it looked and it didn’t look good. It was hard to figure out what I was supposed to do, but at the end of the day, it was even harder for me to worry about everything that had happened. Why couldn’t she see that she had changed me in so many ways? I knew it was hard to believe, hell it was hard for me to understand what it was that she had done to me, but there was nothing I could do about it. I had to convince her.
“I am not that way anymore. Ever since I saw you in the crowd, I just knew you were the one for me. The woman with me that night was just someone that I had met. I never thought that I would meet you and I didn’t want to mess it up with you. It seems to be something that I am rather good at though. I wish you would believe me. I wanted to come back and be with you, but you were gone. I have looked for you Celia.”
She turned away, not able to look into my eyes and I hoped that it was a good sign. I really wanted it to be a good sign, but there was a part of me that wasn’t sure. I never was as sure as I should be when Celia was involved.