Chapter 17- Taunting Apologies

[] T H I R D  •  P E R S O N []

The moment the MC announced Leo's name, the crowd cheered loudly. However, all but four audience members were enjoying this.

Sitting at table #4, almost 5 meters away from the stage, were Andre, Gemma, Amelia, and Jamal. Hearing their best friend's name, Andre and Jamal turned to each other and shared a confused look. Gemma and Amelia did the same on the other side.

The only one unaffected by this was Leo himself, who was busy tuning his guitar on stage. He sat patiently on a lone stool in the middle of the stage, waiting for the mini curtain in front of him to be lifted. Granted, he was a little nervous since he hadn't played in a while, but the moment he saw Amelia's shaken form flash in his mind, he was confident all over again.

Back at Table 4, Gemma looked away from Amelia and faced the root cause of the problem, Andre Perez. He was sitting in front of her, making this somewhat easier for her. She turned to him as soon as Amelia and Jamal looked away, and gave him a confused look.

'What is going on?' Gemma mouthed to Andre.

Andre simply shrugged, although by now, he had a good idea of what Leo was about to do.

Within seconds, the curtain was finally lifted, revealing Leo in all his glory. A spotlight lit up his features, and he grimaced. Once he was used to the brightness, he cleared his throat and pulled the microphone he was supposed to sing into a little closer.

"Evening guys," Leo said to the crowd.

In response, the crowd cheered loudly.

Jamal and Andre continue to stare at him in shock. At first, they wished it was some completely random Leo Kennedy who also happened to play guitar; however, the person on stage was the same person they had come to know as their closest friend. It was the same Leo who had not played the guitar in nearly five years, who was now sitting on a stool in the middle of the stage, ready to play for an audience.

It was then that they knew, just exactly why Leo had summoned them here, and in particular, why he had asked for Amelia to be here.

Leo Kennedy was going to apologize to someone in his style.

"I'm not very good at this, so I'm just going to get to the main point. There's a song that I will be singing tonight and I want to dedicate it to someone. I don't know how she'll feel about me announcing her name, and her best friend might just rip my head off, so I won't say it. But she knows who she is."

The audience cooed at his words and Leo breathed out a sigh of relief.

Amidst the loud noise, Amelia could faintly hear the sound of her own heart beating. Somehow, she knew that Leo's words were directed at her.

'But it couldn't be,' she thought, racking her brain for any other plausible explanation behind his words.

Before she could finally comprehend what he had said, Leo strummed the guitar once and spoke.

"Here it goes:

The dawn is breaking

A light shining through

You're barely waking

And I'm tangled up in you

Yeah

The moment Leo started singing, Amelia's eyes widened in surprise. She absolutely adored this song, and the fact that he was singing it, somehow made her cheeks turn a scarlet red. Her heart beat picked up, and she pulled at her sleeves subconsciously.

I'm open, you're closed

Where I follow, you'll go

I worry I won't see your face

Light up again

Even the best fall down sometimes

Even the wrong words seem to rhyme

Out of the doubt that fills my mind

I somehow find

You and I collide

As he continued playing, Gemma, found herself smile a little. However, she tried her best to contain it, since she needed to be sure that all of this was meant for the girl sitting beside her.

As if sensing her doubts, Andre looked away momentarily from his friend, and glanced over to Gemma. She was staring at Leo with narrowed eyes, however, the beginnings of a smile were starting to form on her face. Thinking that it was the best time to push her doubts away, Andre dragged his chair closer to Gemma's. She turned away from Leo and eyed Andre in surprise. Andre leaned forward to tell Gemma what he thought could solve her dilemma.

"He hasn't played since he was 16," Andre said, looking up to Leo on the stage.

Then he looked down to Gemma, who had her mouth set in a straight line.

"I hope that explains what he wants to do with her. He wants to fix her, just like she's fixing him. But I don't think they realize it just yet."

Gemma turned to Amelia, who was listening intently to the song. She had turned completely in her chair and was facing the stage. Her eyes were shining with wonder as she looked up to Leo on the stage, and Gemma finally let her smile slip through.

Andre turned away from Gemma and looked up to Leo, who was almost searching for something in the crowd. However, the light shining in his face was probably too bright for him to see anything. Despite himself, he couldn't help but grin. He purposely didn't let Leo know that he indeed had successfully got Amelia into The Pub. He couldnt help himself. He wanted to make his friend suffer one last time before he and Amelia finally became friends. He deserved it after the way he treated her. However, this was the only time he could do this. He knew that after this, there was no going back.

Amelia and Leo would be inevitable, and that thought made him smile.

Both Gemma and Andre stared at their friends, finally sure that this was something they had no power over. So for now, they continued listening to Leo.

I'm quiet you know

You make a first impression

I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind

Even the best fall down sometimes

Even the stars refuse to shine

Out of the back you fall in time

I somehow find

You and I collide

By now, Leo was almost irritated. He couldn't even see the person who this was meant for!

'Heck, all of this might've been for nothing. Did she even come here? And if she did, what if she ran away the moment the curtain fell? Had I been doing this for nothing?' he thought.

But before his thoughts could get the better of him, he focused back into the song, trusting his friends to make sure that Amelia came and stayed.

Don't stop here

I've lost my place

I'm close behind

Even the best fall down sometimes

Even the wrong words seem to rhyme

Out of the doubt that fills your mind

You finally find

You and I collideYou finally find

You and I collide

You finally find

You and I collide

He finally strummed the last note, making the crowd go completely wild. Not even waiting to hear the end of it, Leo unstrapped his guitar and held onto it. He headed backstage to give it back to the people working there, since it wasn't his own. He then searched the area for the one item he brought with him. The moment he found it, he grinned and started headed for the door.

Then using the backstage door, he burst out into the audience sitting area, and headed for the tables.

* * *

[] A M E L I A []

I saw him approaching the moment he came bursting out of the side stage door. Involuntarily, I got up as well, my legs still a little jittery. I held onto the table for support and was happy to see that much of the crowd dispersed once they saw Leo leave backstage.

He looked around and once he spotted us, he made his way over. He searched a little more and suddenly, his eyes caught mine. I was frozen in my spot, my eyes hooked onto his.

Closer up, he seemed more disheveled. His hair was uneven, as if he has brushed his hands through it several times throughout the day. It also looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days. I frowned at his appearance, wondering why he looked so disorientated.

As he made his way closer, my breathing hitched. In a few quick strides, Leo was right in front of me. He didn't say anything for a few moments and simply stared. I did the same.

"We're getting drinks," Andre announced.

I looked over to him and the three were already making their way towards the bar. Gemma gave me a small smile, to which I only gave a confused look back. I turned back to Leo, who didn't even bother looking over to them. His eyes were focused on me.

A few more beats passed, and finally, Leo spoke.

"Hey there," he breathed out.

I finally broke my gaze from him and nodded. I awkwardly rubbed my arm, unsure of what to say to him. As I looked down, I noticed that he held something in his hand. I frowned staring at it, and noticing my gaze, Leo looked down as well. Then, his mouth formed an 'Oh,' and he quickly held out the thing he was holding out for me to take.

I finally recognized it as being my English notebook.

The events of Thursday finally popped into my mind and I let out a shaky breath. However, I had to get over it for now. I slowly took it out of his hand and clutched it in my own.

I was about to open my mouth to thank him, but before I could, he spoke.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," he suddenly blurted out.

My eyes widened and I looked up to him in surprise. I shook my head at him, trying to show that I wasn't hurt, but Leo wasn't having it. He shook his head back and groaned.

"For goodness sake's Moonie, just let me apologize properly for once," he said crankily.

My eyes widened at the endearment and I stared at him open-mouthed. He cleared his throat and looked me in the eye.

"As I was saying, I didn't mean to hurt you. That day... that day when you came into my room, I didn't realise what came over me. I was so... terrified with the thought of you finding something personal about me that I cracked. I know it's not a great excuse, but I guess you just scare me a little is all. And I now know that it's in a good way."

I stared at him sheepishly, not used to the way he was apologizing to me.

"You didn't have to do that-" I sheepishly said, gesturing towards the stage.

Leo's answer was almost immediate.

"I did. I did Amelia. Because I hurt you, and that was wrong. So I'm sorry," he said, scratching the back of his head.

In response, I smiled at him.

And to my surprise, he smiled back.

We stared at each other for a while, trying to decipher one another. Suddenly, Leo took a step forward, making my eyes widen in surprise. But I held my ground, leaving us standing nearly a breath away from one another.

"One more thing Amelia," he said in a whisper that only I could hear. "The reason why I feel scared of you is because you remind me of myself. That makes me want to know what you're hiding Amelia, so one day, I can freely tell you about myself. And telling someone about myself terrifies me Amelia."

I let out a shaky breath at his words. He was wearing a confusing look. His eyes were boring holes into my soul  and I suddenly felt bare under his stare. He spoke again, his words once again leaving me breathless.

"But apparently... it doesn't scare me enough to let you get away."