30. time out

Kitt spent the morning in bed with Leo, snuggled up, watched movies, or dozing off.

They barely spoke.

Josie and her teammates had been texting, but Kitt wasn't ready to rehash the events of the previous night.

"Hungry?" Leo asked softly.

"Yeah, actually." She nodded. She didn't want to break their bubble, but her stomach was singing the songs of a dying whale loud enough that Leo couldn't miss it.

"Do you want me to go get food, or do you want me to get some delivery?" He asked gently.

"Don't go!" She gasped quickly. A reaction even she wasn't expecting.

"Ok, I will get something delivered." He said, relaxing back into the pillow. Kitt snuggled in closer. His presence made her feel safe. The night of fitful sleep had left her exhausted and emotional.

"Ok." She agreed. She turned her attention back to the Netflix movie they had picked. It was a wattpad original story she had read before. She liked the movie, not even caring that some of the storyline was different from the book.

Her eyes drifted closed as the characters on the screen danced to a soft classical song.

Kitt woke up to the sound of voices drifting in through the open patio doors. She instantly jumped up scared the demon from her dream had materialized and had come for her.

"She is asleep." She heard Leo saying to someone on the balcony.

"Do you know what exactly happened?" An unidentified, yet familiar voice asked.

"No, we didn't really talk. But she was having nightmares all last night." Leo sighed, sounding concerned.

"Do you think it is true what some people are saying?" The second voice also sounding worried.

"I really hope not, but it doesn't seem like it's off the table, ya know? What is Axel saying?" Leo asked. Kitt couldn't see either of the people outside her door, but she could imagine Leo's face all tense with worry.

"That's the thing. He claims to have no memory of any of it. He said he woke up with, and I quote,'One he'll of a hangover, and you know it was a good night because I don't remember a thing.' I mean, you know him, if denial was a quarter, he would be the richest man on earth." The second man said.

"What did he say about his face? He was bleeding pretty well when I saw him." Leo asked, sounding further away.

"He said he must have 'fallen or gotten lucky'. He also said that 'taking a piss has become a chore.' So there is that." The second voice said. Kitt felt sick at the dismissal.

"Good. Because if he did or tried to do what I think he did, he deserves to walk with a limp and piss sideways." Leo  said roughly.

"Well, his face won't be back to normal for a while. I think she broke his nose." The other voice said. Kitt felt vindicated.

"He got her back for that one." Leo said, sounding both sad and angry.

"What?!" The second voice gasped. Kitt finally put the voice to the face and knew Liam and Leo were talking outside of her room.

"She has quite the shiner of her own." Leo bit out.

"What an asshole! He hit her?" Liam asked, sounding riled up.

"I think he did more than that. She has bruises on her arms, like hand print bruises." Leo said lowly.

"How have you not killed him?" Liam asked, astonished.

"Because I am here." Leo replied evenly with a cold edge to his voice.

"I think that is probably a good thing, maybe stay here for a few days." Liam agreed.

"Yeah, or something much worse than a broken nose might befall our beloved captain." Leo said harshly.

"Don't do anything stupid." Liam warned.

"Unfortunately, I think I already have." Leo said.

"Well, don't add to it." Liam suggested.

Kitt slid off her bed and went to interrupt their conversation. Her head ached, and she was hungry. She hoped that Liam was there to deliver food.

"Hey." She said, blinking against the mid day sunshine.

"Hey!" Liam said, like he was surprised to see her.

"How are you feeling?" Leo instantly went into worry mode.

"I have a headache." Kitt admitted finally able to look up since her eyes had adjusted.

"Liam brought food." Leo pointed to a large brown paper bag.

"Thanks, Liam. I'm half starved." She looked up at him.

"Jee-zzus!" Liam said, stepping back when he got a look at Kitt's face.

"Thanks, you look great as well." She said dryly.

"Axel, did that?" Liam stood staring.

"Yeah, after he tried to do much worse."  She said, going to lean on Leo, who was staring at her in silence, looking ashamed. She put her hand over the sore spot on her upper arm.

"Are you ok?" Liam asked like his question might break her in some way.

"Yeah, I mean, I have some bumps and bruises, but over all, I am Ok." She nodded as Leo wrapped her in his arms protectively.

"He is a dead man, not me, man, I could, but I won't. But when Jo sees this? He will be shitting ribbons because she will tear him several new assholes." Liam shook his head in disgust.

"Oh, shit. I haven't talked to her today. You can't say you saw me before her, or you will be begging on your knees for a week." Kitt warned him.

"Oh, don't I know that, if I even say I talked to Leo, I will get docked some serious boyfriend points." He shook his head.

"Boyfriend, eh?" She smiled up at him.

"Yeah, we made it official last night before the party." He grinned.

"Bitch! Why didn't she tell me?" Kitt put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

"I think she was worried how you would take it?" He said with a slight grimace.

"What? Why?" She was genuinely confused.

"Because she wasn't sure how you were doing with your own... stuff." Liam looked uncomfortable.

"What stuff?" Kitt felt dumb, she had no idea what stiff could possibly stop her best friend from sharing her news.

"Me." Leo said in his low tone.

"Oh." Kitt said, now realizing she had made things awkward.

"Yeah." Liam looked out over the lush green lawn.

"Well, I should call her back. Thanks for the food." Kitt smiled and grabbed the bag of food leaving the men on the porch to finish their conversation.

Kitt picked up her phone to see over a hundred notifications.

She quickly posted a brief including pictures in the team group chat so she could save everyone the effort of gossiping separately.

She emailed the coach to ask for an appointment, talking in person would definitely be more efficient.

The smell of the food pulled her away from her screen just as Leo popped his head through the curtains.

"Want to talk while we eat, or wait until we are done?" She asked. He looked extremely uncomfortable.

"It's up to you." He shrugged and sat in the desk chair. He opened the large paper bag and began pulling out its  contents.

"After." She said accepting the sandwich he passed her.

***

"How could you believe him?" Leo sat on the floor of Kitt's dorm room with his elbows on his bent knees looking exasperated.

"I didn't say I did. But when you all but ghosted me last week, that hurt. Then to hear Axel say you were with Eva? You know that girl was awful to me right?" She said from her spot on the floor in the space between her bed and her wardrobe.

"I wasn't WITH Eva. She was there AND I was there. We were NOT there TOGETHER." He said running his fingers through his hair.

"And logically I understand that. But my heart wants to know why I WASN'T there." Kitt said looking down at her hands.

He didn't answer right away, which made her sad.

"What happened last week? I thought you were my boyfriend. Like, you know, for real." She wiped at a tear that had spilled down her cheek. She flinched at the pain from touching bruised and swollen face.

"I am!" He said getting up.

"But you disappeared." She said quietly.

"Ugh, I didn't mean to. I just had some stuff." He sounded apologetic.

"But you can't do that." The tears fell in big fat drops from her tired and swollen eyes.

They had spent the afternoon talking and arguing. Kitt confronted him about his disappearance, and he asked her why she was alone with Axel and why she believed him.

More than once, he had started to say something but stopped himself. He looked pained each time it happened. She knew he was hiding something. He wouldn't say what it was dismissing it each time.

"I think I love you." His words shot her like an arrow.

"No, you don't." Her first reaction was not to believe him. She got up out of the space that, only moments before felt comforting and protective. Suddenly she felt trapped.

"Kitt, I do, I love you. I'm sorry about last week. That was a dick move. Like, I had some family stuff, and I am used to just kind of going off to think and deal with things." He moved to touch her arm gently.

She stood in front of him with her arms crossed. He reached across the space between them, not daring to bring his body any closer.

"You can talk to me you know." She offered. She wiped her eyes again, flinching involuntarily as it caused her bruise to become painful.

"I know, but like it is just family stuff." He shrugged.

"Why were you at the pub with Eva?" She asked again, this time less accusatory, more hurt.

"Babe! I wasn't! I promise!" He said stepping towards her.

She put her hand up to stop him from getting too close.

"But you were there, and when she was there too, you sat together. You talked. Maybe danced? Had a drink?" She said softly looking up at him.

"She wasn't alone, she was with Axel and Amber. Like last time, it was a group thing." He shook his head.

"Four people? Two are a couple, and the other two had been on a previous date? That sounds like a double date." Kitt challenged with a heavy sigh.

"I, uh, I.." He faltered.

"Exactly." Kitt turned to walk over and sit on her bed beside the nightstand.

"I promise I didn't see it that way! It was a mistake." He was almost begging.

"But you could have called me, or told me, or left, or sat at the bar, or with someone else. You had options. You chose to stay with her." Kitt felt the lump in her throat affect her voice.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't see it that way at all." He said. He moved to sit beside her.

"It was the reason Axel thought I was fair game." Kitt said quietly.

"That fucking prick won't be thinking anything when I get my hands on him." Leo said under his breath.

"Leo!" She said, surprised at the violence in his tone.

"Kitt, please?" He said, looking dejected.

"Promise you won't do that again?" She lamented.

"Cross my heart!" He said, holding up one hand and drawing an X on his chest with the other.

"Thank you." She said, leaning over until her shoulder touched his.

"Ok, now that that is settled, can I please take you to go get your face looked at? I think you are beautiful, but that bruise is ugly." He put his arm around her.

"I'm fine." She said, sitting up.

"I know, babe, but what if he broke your face?" Leo asked, pushing her to stand up.

"I don't think it is broken." She scoffed but allowed him to guide her to her shoes.

"Ok, so the doctor will tell is that and we can come straight home." He  nodded. He grabbed her phone off the nightstand and she grabbed her mini  sling backpack.

"I want ice cream." She pouted. Reluctantly grabbing her belongings and letting him lead her out of her room. She had insisted they take the back stairs so no one could see the dark purple mark on her cheek or the bloodshot eye it had to match.

"We can get ice cream after. And if you are good at the doctor's office I will get you a lollipop." He teased.

"I want two lollipops!" She said with her lip jutted out like a sullen toddler.

"You can have twenty if you want." He laughed.

Once they were in the golf cart, He dropped his arm around her and tucked her into his side. She let him be protective because it felt nice. She liked being with him.

She still had lingering doubts about what he was hiding. She knew that there were things he wasn't saying. He said that she could trust him, and she chose to believe him. At least for the time being, having his arm around her made her feel relaxed, and she closed her eyes.

She was choosing to trust him. She hoped she wouldn’t regret that decision.