their addictions. They wouldn’t be able to put it down again and walk away easily, no matter how bad it was for them, no matter the consequences. Just one taste of my favorite voltaic candy and I was so damn done for.
My fingers found their way into his soft, dark hair and nothing else mattered except for his mouth connected to mine, and the hand on my neck and the hand that slipped away from back and rested on my waist. I couldn’t breathe, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t give two shits if I suffocated as I tasted Leo’s whiskey flavored lips and tongue, but apparently, he did care about suffocating, because he broke the kiss. His fingers landed softly on my cheeks as he stared at me. We were both breathing heavily, as if we had been under water for too long.
“I love you,” Leo whispered, his lips centimeters from mine. “I’ve always loved you and I can’t fucking ignore it anymore. I want to be with you, Tabitha. I’ll follow you to slower, lower Delaware.”
“Lower, slower, Delaware,” I corrected in a stunned whisper.
“Whatever the fuck,” Leo replied. “I’ll go wherever you go, baby. I love you so damn much.”
Whatever Leo-induced coma I had been in began to loosen its fingers on my mind. Realization of what I just did again slapped into my brain and shook my insides. His words were weaving their way into my chest, forcing my heart to beat irregularly. I felt panic tapping in, too.
I shook my head. “You’re drunk. You don’t know what you’re saying,” I said, my voice high and unrecognizable.
Leo rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I’m…okay, drunk or whatever, but I know what the hell I’m saying, Tabitha. It’s the same shit I’ve been wanting to say for a very long time. Sober or drunk, I love you just the same.”
“Stop saying it!” I said shrilly. “You don’t mean it. You love Leslie. Leo, you love Leslie! I know you guys aren’t together now, but you love her and she loves you.”
He looked at me like I had just grown a second and third head and sprouted a single horn on each of my heads. “Yeah, we love each other, but that’s obviously not going to work, and that doesn’t change the fact that I love you.”
“You can’t love me.” I pushed his hands off of me and attempted to pull my chair back and away from him, but Leo was quick for a drinker. He yanked on my chair until we were uncomfortably smashed together. I shoved at his chair with my feet, throwing myself off balance in the process. I fell backward out of the chair, my legs and feet getting tangled in his legs as he tried to grab me. Sharp pain shot into my right hand and arm as I pushed away from the chair and then got to my feet.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Leo bellowed as he threw the chairs aside.
I looked down at my hand and saw that I was bleeding. A piece of glass was lodged in the meaty part of my palm. I had forgotten all about the shattered glass of whiskey. Leo closed the distance between us in one large step and took a hold of my wrist.
“Damn it, Tabitha,” he sighed heavily as he looked at my hand. Without any warning, he plucked the piece of glass out and threw it to the floor with the rest of the mess. “You’re so stupid,” he said as he began to guide me out of the room.
“Don’t call me stupid!” I bristled.
“You are stupid,” Leo snapped as he pulled me into the powder room. “You fell backward out of a chair into glass to avoid having that conversation. And to think, I’m the one who isn’t sober.”
He had a point, so I remained silent as he did for me what I had done for him after the Rico Incident. Silently, he cleaned off the blood, plucked out a few more pieces of glass, and then bandaged my hand. When he finished, he stepped out of the bathroom and I followed. I stopped in the living room as he walked back into the kitchen. He reappeared a moment later with my car keys.
“Your car is in perfect running order,” he said, suddenly appearing very
My fingers found their way into his soft, dark hair and nothing else mattered except for his mouth connected to mine, and the hand on my neck and the hand that slipped away from back and rested on my waist. I couldn’t breathe, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t give two shits if I suffocated as I tasted Leo’s whiskey flavored lips and tongue, but apparently, he did care about suffocating, because he broke the kiss. His fingers landed softly on my cheeks as he stared at me. We were both breathing heavily, as if we had been under water for too long.
“I love you,” Leo whispered, his lips centimeters from mine. “I’ve always loved you and I can’t fucking ignore it anymore. I want to be with you, Tabitha. I’ll follow you to slower, lower Delaware.”
“Lower, slower, Delaware,” I corrected in a stunned whisper.
“Whatever the fuck,” Leo replied. “I’ll go wherever you go, baby. I love you so damn much.”
Whatever Leo-induced coma I had been in began to loosen its fingers on my mind. Realization of what I just did again slapped into my brain and shook my insides. His words were weaving their way into my chest, forcing my heart to beat irregularly. I felt panic tapping in, too.
I shook my head. “You’re drunk. You don’t know what you’re saying,” I said, my voice high and unrecognizable.
Leo rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I’m…okay, drunk or whatever, but I know what the hell I’m saying, Tabitha. It’s the same shit I’ve been wanting to say for a very long time. Sober or drunk, I love you just the same.”
“Stop saying it!” I said shrilly. “You don’t mean it. You love Leslie. Leo, you love Leslie! I know you guys aren’t together now, but you love her and she loves you.”
He looked at me like I had just grown a second and third head and sprouted a single horn on each of my heads. “Yeah, we love each other, but that’s obviously not going to work, and that doesn’t change the fact that I love you.”
“You can’t love me.” I pushed his hands off of me and attempted to pull my chair back and away from him, but Leo was quick for a drinker. He yanked on my chair until we were uncomfortably smashed together. I shoved at his chair with my feet, throwing myself off balance in the process. I fell backward out of the chair, my legs and feet getting tangled in his legs as he tried to grab me. Sharp pain shot into my right hand and arm as I pushed away from the chair and then got to my feet.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Leo bellowed as he threw the chairs aside.
I looked down at my hand and saw that I was bleeding. A piece of glass was lodged in the meaty part of my palm. I had forgotten all about the shattered glass of whiskey. Leo closed the distance between us in one large step and took a hold of my wrist.
“Damn it, Tabitha,” he sighed heavily as he looked at my hand. Without any warning, he plucked the piece of glass out and threw it to the floor with the rest of the mess. “You’re so stupid,” he said as he began to guide me out of the room.
“Don’t call me stupid!” I bristled.
“You are stupid,” Leo snapped as he pulled me into the powder room. “You fell backward out of a chair into glass to avoid having that conversation. And to think, I’m the one who isn’t sober.”
He had a point, so I remained silent as he did for me what I had done for him after the Rico Incident. Silently, he cleaned off the blood, plucked out a few more pieces of glass, and then bandaged my hand. When he finished, he stepped out of the bathroom and I followed. I stopped in the living room as he walked back into the kitchen. He reappeared a moment later with my car keys.
“Your car is in perfect running order,” he said, suddenly appearing very
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