Chapter 38- Taunting Kisses

[] A M E L I A []

"What?" Leo said, snapping his eyes open.

I gasped and quickly made a move to get up. Since he was distracted, Leo moved away easily and I took this as my chance to leave. However, just as I sat up and made a move to get off the bed, Leo's hand latched onto my wrist, stopping my movements.

"Don't go, Moonie."

The familiar nickname had me instantly deflating. I slumped in my spot, unsure of what to do. Leo tugged on my hand and I slowly turned around to face him.

He was back on his side of the bed now, still holding my arm. To my surprise, he patted the spot next to him, the one where I was laying on just a few moments ago. I eyed the spot warily, not sure if this was a good idea.

"Get in, Amelia. Please," Leo pleaded.

I let out a breath and slowly creeped back into bed. Once I settled in again, Leo embraced me in his arms before I could even blink. I gasped as I met his chest again, but I couldn't help but relax into his arms.

I needed this.

Leo's hold on me tightened, and I let out a small breath in surprise.

"Why was he hurting you?" he asked with a clenched jaw.

I sighed and struggled to find the right words to say to him.

"I told you Leo. He's Brittany's brother. The same Brittany who was my best friend. The same girl who was killed by my brother. Jackson believed the same thing others did," I ended, not really knowing how to explain this.

He sighed and rolled over onto his back. Since he still had his arms around me, I somewhat ended up on top of his chest. I let out an embarrassing squeak and tried to break free. However, Leo only held onto me tighter.

"Leo," I breathed out.

"Yes Moonie?" he lazily mumbled, as if he did this every other day.

"You-uh... I should probably... can you let go?" I nervously said.

Truthfully, if we were this close, he could probably feel my heart hammering against my chest, and that was something I couldn't risk right now. Before he could answer, I slowly placed my hands on the bed between us, and tried to push myself out of his arms. To my surprise, he pulled me back down and wrapped his arms tighter around me, locking me to his chest.

My eyes widened in disbelief and I let out a small sound of protest. However, Leo's next words had me frozen in shock once again.

"Don't move Amelia. I won't be able to control myself if you leave. I could kill him for what he did to you today."

A small breath escaped me at his words. No matter how gruesome his words were, I couldn't help but sink in his arms. I was practically lying on top of him now, my legs were the only part of my body hitting the bed. My hands were nestled between us on his chest, and my hair was falling all over the place around us. My face was tucked right below his neck, my breath fanning his chest. His own arms were tight around me, one hand caressing my hair every so often.

"Tell me about him," he suddenly said.

I pulled back slightly to gauge his reaction. Unlike the rage I thought I was about to see, I saw a subtle frown on his face.

"Who? Jackson?" I asked.

He nodded. I sighed and placed my head back on his chest. For a few moments, I wondered what parts of Jackson's life I should even tell him about. What were the parts that would make Leo calm down, rather than enrage him more. I let out a deep breath and slowly began.

"I barely saw him around all my life. Brittany's parents split up when she was quite young. She lived with her mother, while Jackson lived with his father. When we turned 15, a year before the incident, he moved back with his mom and Brittany, since their dad passed away. He was a year above us and quite the party freak, so I barely saw him," I explained.

Leo nodded and I continued.

"Brittany wasn't super close to him either, but he was still... he was still her brother," I said with a frown.

No matter how distant they were, Jackson didn't deserve to see his sister die at the hands of Levi. I closed my eyes, thinking of the time after the incident.

They were bitter years if I'm honest. Since everyone I knew that was involved in the accident was popular, myself included, there was a huge divide between us after the incident. There were those that chose to blame me, and those that ignored me.

Sadly, Jackson was the former.

"After the incident, he... he blamed me. He said if I was so close to both my brother and Brittany, I should've noticed what was about to happen. That I could've stopped it."

At this Leo tightened his hold on me.

"So he bullied me. For the rest of the time I was there, he made me believe that I should be punished for not telling anyone earlier. For not trying to prevent this."

I took a deep breath, my voice void of any emotion.

"But sadly, he wasn't wrong. He was right Leo. I should've noticed that something like this was about to-"

Before I could continue, Leo grabbed a hold of my chin, tilted it up, and brought his lips crashing down on mine.

I froze against him, all rational thoughts leaving me.

Leo was... kissing me.

He was kissing me?

He didn't give me any time to react. He kissed me once, twice, before pecking my lips lightly.

My eyes stayed wide open, and before I knew it, he pulled back and pressed his forehead against mine.

His breathing was labored, and his heartbeat was not loud enough to overpower mine. I let out a small breath after realizing what had just happened.

The kiss barely lasted a few seconds, but I could still feel the softness of his lips lingering on mine. My heartbeat was spiraling out of control, my head barely deciphering my surroundings.

"I told you it wasn't your fault. Nobody gets to tell you otherwise. Because no one else understands your side of the story," he whispered.

He suddenly pulled back and pressed a lingering kiss to my forehead. I closed my eyes this time, unable to do anything else.

"You're the last person that should be blamed," he murmured against my forehead.

A few tears escaped me, and I couldn't help but think that this was mad.

He shouldn't have done that.

He shouldn't have kissed me.

I couldn't help but push out of Leo's arms. I quickly got off the bed before he could realize what was happening, and ended up standing in the middle of the room.

"Go away Leo. You shouldn't be here, and you most definitely shouldn't have done that," I whispered, my voice nearly breaking at the end.

"What's wrong Amelia?" he asked after a moment of silence.

I heard rustling from behind me, indicating he was probably sitting up now. I wrapped my arms around myself, wanting this to just be over already. He needed to leave. He had to leave.

"Can I please be alone Leo?" I said once more.

I heard more rustling and then the sound of his feet hitting the ground. I tensed as he came towards me, and I all out froze when he settled his hand on my shoulder.

"You don't need to have someone like me in your life Leo," I murmured, not looking his way.

Wordlessly, Leo moved forward and came to a stop in front of me. I stayed silent, not looking up at him as he stared at me. After a few moments, he brought a hand up to tilt my chin towards him.

"Amelia-"

"I'm not worth it, Leo," I said.

Suddenly, Leo grabbed my shoulders and started pushing me backwards. I snapped my eyes open, only to see his angry ones clashing against my own. My legs hit the soft surface of the bed, and Leo pushed me down so that I was sitting on the bed. Then, he kneeled down in front of me.

"You're wrong Amelia. Whatever people have told you since the incident is wrong, Moonie," Leo said, his voice holding a desperation I never heard before.

I shook my head at him, looking down at my lap to avoid his gaze.

"Now listen to the truth, Amelia. Listen to me," he said soflty.

His hand came to rest on my cheek, slowly tilting it upwards to face him. My eyes unwillingly locked onto his, and I felt myself forgetting to breathe by feeling the intensity in his stare.

"The truth is Amelia, that they tried to break you. All these years, all those people only wanted to get you to break Amelia, because they themselves can't fathom surviving after such an incident. They can't imagine being that strong."

I let out a small whimper at his words, but he kept going.

"And as for me not staying in your life, I know Amelia. I know you're too good for me. I know I don't deserve to keep you around, Moonie. But I'm not going anywhere. I can't," he finished off, his thumb lightly carressing my cheek.

And there it was.

The thing I had been fearing the most.

That Leo was here to stay. That he wasn't like all the people in my past, who were only here to see what kind of a person I was after my brother killed my best friend. Leo wasn't here for that.

He was here to see what kind of a person I was underneath my exterior.

And now he knew. He knew everything that made up Amelia Harrison.

"Why, Leo?" was all I managed to whisper.

Suddenly, Leo's eyes widened in surprise. I looked at him confused but he only kneeled higher so that he was almost face to face with me. His other hand came up to rest on my other cheek, caging me in his arms completely. His face was set in a deep frown and he was softly rubbing away my tears with the pads of his thumbs.

"Why not, Moonie?"

I let in a shaky breath, and looked away from him. I looked down, casuing his hands to fall from my cheeks and onto my lap. His knuckles were still bloody, and I couldn't help but reach out to touch them. I slowly glided my fingertips over them, my heart hevay as I thought about how he fought for me back in the alley.

I heard Leo let out a shaky breath and I looked up to him silently. His gaze was already set on me, his eyes holding a certain promise I couldn't catch.

"I'm going to do it Amelia. I'm going to make you see what a beautiful soul you are."

I gasped at his words, my heart shaking with the tornado his actions were causing.

"And you're going to believe me one day Amelia. You're going to see yourself through my eyes. I promise you."

* * *

When I woke up, he was still there.

My back was pressed against the wall, and he was shielding me from the rest of the room. His one arm was tight around me, while the other one was under my head. Our legs were a tangled mess, and I was sure I'd wake him if I tried to untangle them.

He looked innocent as he slept. His lashes seemed elongated as they shone in the bright light, and his lips slightly parted. His hair was a mess, and I was fighting the urge to run my fingers through it.

He was close. Almost right where our foreheads had met last night and that brought an undoubted rush of color to my cheeks. My hands was rested on his chest, close enough to feel his rapid heartbeat.

I slowly brought a hand up to touch his cheek, but before I could, my thoughts outweighed me.

His words were running through my head like a loop. It was as if he was trying to tell me something. Something beyond what I could've handled.

"I know I don't deserve to keep you around, Moonie. But I'm not going anywhere. I can't."

A shiver ran down my spine as I remembered his words.

Last night, I got carried away. Once again, I let my emotions get the best of me. Once again, I let Leo see a side of me he shouldn't have.

He had no idea what he was getting himself into by being with me. The encounter I had with Jackson yesterday doesn't even touch the brim of what he's capable of doing.

It's been four years since Brittany passed away and Jackson's torture on me has only increased. At first, it was insults, and of course, turning people against me. However, then he got physical with his torture. Those memories were locked away in a corner of my mind I didn't want to reach into.

I remember the first day I saw him, back nearly two months ago when I had left the library. I had run into Leo in the alleyeay then, and he had saved me from being caught by him. Then he found me as I left the library late that one night, and once again if Leo hadn't come in time, who knows what Jackson would've done. And then the note taped to my door. And lastly, yesterday.

He finally caught me yesterday. His words suddenly rang in my head.

"This will only hurt less than it did to her."

He was referring to Brittany. He wanted to do what Levi had done to Brittany to pay for his mistakes.

And no matter what, there was nothing I could do about this.

I couldn't go to anyone. I couldn't do anything.

My brother had already stolen someone from the Crawford's. I'm not going to be next and get Jackson thrown into jail. Then there would be nothing left of the Crawford's, except for Lillian, Brittany and Jackson's mother, and I couldn't do that to her.

Although his threat last night left me shaking to the core, I knew he could never do that. He wasn't Levi. Truth was, he wasn't someone who would go that far. He didn't in the past four years, and he wouldn't now. Sooner or later, Jackson would leave me alone. But as long as he didn't, I had to suck it up. Until then, I couldn't get anyone else involved in this.

Especially the boy whose arms I was in now.

There was no way I'd let Leo get into this. Not with everything he had done for me. Not after I had met his beautiful family, and had become close with his friends. Not after he had saved me.

So with one last look at him, I pulled myself out of his grasp. I quickly sat upright and got off the bed in one swift movement.

By the time I was standing in the middle of the room, Leo unsteadily opened his eyes and looked around for the commotion. His eyes finally landed on me, and that's when he finally woke up. He quickly stood up and walked up to me.

"What happened Moonie?" he asked, coming up to grab my shoulders.

I shook my head at him, not trusting myself to speak.

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

I nodded and finally spoke.

"I just want to go home."