Chapter 73- Taunting Conversations

Hey lovelies! Only a few more chapters left of Taunt, and I can't begin to express how grateful I am for all of you who've shown immense love to this book.

With that being said, I will be moving onto more projects, and if you haven't checked out my recent post about upcoming works, go ahead and do it! I would love feedback, dm me or comment in the conversation, but make sure to give your opinion!

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[] A M E L I A []

"They do that all the time. Forget others exist."

Leo and I snapped our heads up to see who had spoken. To my embarassment, Jamal, Gemma, Andre, and Dad were now also in the kitchen. Mom was standing in the same spot as before, a calculating look on her face.

I squirmed in Leo's hold, and he got the message, slowly putting my foot down on the ground. He got up quickly, after making sure that my foot was fine. I pulled off the counter, my cheeks burning as I saw everyone's gaze on us. Leo stood beside me confidentally, his arms folded behind his back, his posture straight as he looked at my Mom.

Mom watched Leo carefully, and I swallowed in nervousness, waiting to hear what she had to say.

"Let's have a talk Leo. On the porch now," Mom stated.

My heart felt as it would pop out of its chest as I saw Mom head towards the terrace, not bothering to hear Leo's reply.

I heard Leo sigh beside me, and I looked over to him to see him smiling at me.

"I'll be back, Moonie," he said lightly.

He started walking away from me then, and feeling anxious, I suddenly grabbed Leo's arm. He stopped and turned to me, his brow raised. I shook my head at him, telling him to not go, and he sighed. He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear in a comforting manner. He winked at me then and started heading in the same direction as Mom, dropping my hand from his arm as he walked away.

I felt heavy as he walked away from me, and I only hoped that he could handle the force that was Cassandra Harrison.

On his way out, Andre and Jamal hooted and thumped his back in a way to cheer him on. Leo then passed Dad as he ate dip at the table. Dad held out his fist for Leo, and without blinking, Leo fistbumped my dad and started making his way for the backyard door. I chuckled at all the interactions and shook my head. I suddenly felt an arm around my shoulder, and I looked over to see Gemma also watching the scene before us.

"He's got this, Amelia," Gemma said with a grin.

I could only hope so.

Just then, the bell rang, signalling our first arrival. I headed for the door with Gemma. When I opened the door, I was elated to see Lillian on the other side. I had invited her after Mom told me to, and she had agreed after a bit of reluctance.

I smiled and leaned in to hug her when I saw her on the other side. She was smiling when I pulled away, and then walked in hesitantly. After grabbing her coat and introducing her to Gemma, we walked further into the house. From here, I could see that Jamal and Andre now had their hands in the dip too, and Gemma was walking over to join them.

I was thankful that mom made a spare dip that sat in the fridge.

Once in the living area, my Dad came over to join us. For a moment, both of them were silent. At last, Dad broke the silence and leaned over to give Lillian a comforting hug. It took Lillian a moment to react and hug him back.

They had been friends for a long time, before Brittany and I were even born, hence the close friendship between Brittany and I. It was heartbreaking when their friendship was put on hold.

When both of them pulled apart, their eyes were watery. They quickly wiped away their tears and smiled fondly at each other. I smiled watching them.

I hoped that at last, we can all find a way to move on. That we can find strength in each other, unlike the last time we went through this.

* * *

[] L E O []

I had never been scared more shitless in my life than right now.

Cassandra, Amelia's mom, was standing a few feet away from me, not shivering in the slightest, even with temperature being so cold at this time. I tried to hold my shivers back too, cursing the fact that I didn't grab my coat on the way out.

She stared me down for a few moments before finally looking away from me to face the railing on the balcony. I stood where I was, only turning to face her.

"Why are you covered in bruises?" Cassandra asked, breaking the silence.

I thought of what I could say in this moment. There was so much I could say to make myself seem like a good guy, a hero, or anything but what I actually was. However, I couldn't do that. For some reason, I didn't want to lie to Amelia's mom. I wanted to be completely honest with her, even if she didn't like the truth.

"There wasn't a time when I was ever. It was always someone in front of me. Never me."

Cassandra turned to me at that, her eyes narrowed.

"Explain."

I let out a small breath before speaking.

"I always fought. I was so angry all the time that I'd pick a fight with anyone. I used to think with my fist before anything else," I said, a bittersweet smile on my face as I thought of all my victims over the years.

"When did it stop?"

I looked up to Cassandra, forgetting what we were talking about for a moment.

"Four years ago," I told her.

She rose a brow at me, indicating I continue. I sighed and took a step closer to her, stopping beside her by the railing. I still had my hand behind my back as I looked down at Cassandra.

"I stopped fighting because I had a reason to. I needed to stay level-headed for my family. But even after, there were times when someone picked a fight with me," I said, thinking back to all the pricks who passed comments about my family. "They knew my history, so they thought they could talk about it."

I looked down at my feet, at loss for words now. To my surprise, I felt a soft pat on my arm. I looked up, only to see Cassandra's eyes softening as she stared me down.

"Go on Leo, I won't judge. I may be a little rough around the edges, but that doesn't mean I'm not willing to listen."

I understood that about Cassandra. In a way, I had been the same. I understood her need to be judgemental of me when we first met. If I was in her shoes and a random boy came into my house with my daughter, especially covered in bruises, I would want to know why.

That's if the boy even gets passed my front door.

But telling Cassandra could be risky. If I told her the truth about my past, she had every right to make me leave Amelia and never see her again. Amelia had seen too much violence in her life for a pure soul like her. Me adding to it didn't make it better.

A voice in the back of my mind was always nagging that no matter what I did, I could never be the perfect guy for her. But I always ignored it. I never paid mind to it.

However, standing in front of Cassandra now, that voice overpowered all others.

Because Cassandra held all the power in the world. She had the power to remind me that I wasn't good enough for her daughter.

I sighed as I looked up to Cassandra's soft eyes. They were blue, unlike Amelia's brown eyes, and I wondered if Levi took after her. Amelia looked completely like her dad, so much that even their smiles matched.

Amelia.

I suddenly pictured her eyes. Her desperation as I was walking away from her just a few minutes ago. She wasn't willing to let go, and I felt like my heart would burst if I didn't go back to her right now.

And like always, just thinking of her caused all my insecurities to wash away. I looked up to Cassandra, gathering all the strength I had in me to tell her the truth. I stood up straight and locked eyes with her.

"My father was jailed for abusing my mother and nearly killing my sister."

Cassandra's eyes widened, her hand slipping from my arm. I continued, wanting to be truthful about this. For Amelia.

"Since then, I was angry. I was angry at anyone pointing a finger our way. So I fought them all. But I didn't need to when my sister decided to stand up for herself and get therapy. So I controlled myself. I controlled myself whenever I could, holding back my fist to not let anger overpower me. And I had been doing good, but just a few days ago... I was jumped in a parking lot," I explained, quickly thinking of a lie to cover up that Jackson and his guys beat me.

Knowing Amelia, she wouldn't want her mother knowing about Jackson bullying her. At least, not yet, and I had no right to bring it up.

Cassandra was silent for the next few moments, her eyes trained on my own.

"Funny... Jackson had also been in a fight a while ago," Cassandra said surprising me.

I froze, but quickly covered it up.

"Really? I didn't know," I stupidly said.

Cassandra sighed.

"You mean you didn't know that Jackson beat you for defending my daughter?"

My mouth fell open at her words.

"How did you-"

"I already knew Leo. Gemma had told me when it happened. I needed to know at that time. Amelia... she had completely shut down after hearing the news," Cassandra said.

My heart fell to my stomach.

"Did she cry?" I mumbled.

Cassandra's eyes widened at the question. Then her eyees narrowed, as if reminiscing about that time.

"That's an understatement. She went through stages like she did when Brittany died."

I sighed defeatedly, leaning my back against the railing for support.

"I didn't know. I thought she didn't care about me anymore then."

Cassandra suddenly reached over and patted my shoulder.

"I don't think she's ever cared for anyone more than you."

She smiled at me then, her eyes glistening.

"I didn't mean to scare you earlier, I just needed to make sure you were serious about my daugh-"

"I am," I said, straightening up to face her again. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

Cassandra smiled warmly at me.

"You better keep her as happy as I've seen. And don't you dare get hurt again. She couldn't take it when you did the last time."

I nodded.

"I promise to never let her down. I love her. I absolutely love Amelia with all of me," I rambled.

Cassandra rolled her eyes at me.

"Alright pretty boy, no need to get all sappy with me. Let's head inside before Jerry eats the rest of the dip too."

*  *  *  *

[] A M E L I A []

I sighed and turned my attention back to the pasta I was making. I poured the sauce over the freshly boiled and strained penne, waiting every few moments for Gemma to stir the sauce in little by little. The time was ticking by fast. Levi could be here any moment and Leo and Mom still hadn't returned.

I was itching to know what they were talking about. But getting ready for Levi's return seemed more important right now.

I poured in the last of the sauce and took the pot over to the sink.

Andre and Jamal were sitting at the island, both peering over at the backyard door every so often. Lillian and Dad had taken a seat at the couch, both of them talking quietly about something.

"You think he would die if your mom threw him over the balcony?" Jamal asked, staring at the backyard door with genuine concern.

"Don't be silly, Jamal. Leo won't die from falling like 10 feet," Andre retorted.

"Right... but he could break a few bones, which won't be too hard with his current state," Jamal said thoughtfully.

"Ouch, that's gonna hurt," Andre said with a sombre look.

"You guys, Amelia is five seconds away from passing out," Gemma said, looking over at me with concern.

That much was true. I was about to faint. Just the thought of what could be going on out there was driving me insane.

Andre and Jamal suddenly cracked a smile. The fact that each of them had a spoon in hand as they ate from the dip bowl was an odd contrast in this moment.

"Don't worry Amelia. Leo was born ready for you," Andre said, making the rest of us laugh lightly.

I laughed along, my anxiety forgotten for the moment. After Gemma and I were done with the pasta, I set out to gather all the necessary items for dinner, such as plates and cutlery. Just as I finished setting the table, the backyard door opened. I snapped my head up to it, and started making my way there immediately.

Mom entered first, her face straight. I gulped as I took in her face, but her expression gave nothing away. I looked away from her to face Leo who was entering behind her. His face also neutral. Leo closed the door behind him, stopping just behind mom when he came.

I looked between mom and Leo, and then again. Without a word, I took a step forward, towards mom, then passed her to get to Leo. His eyes widened when he took in my detour. I kept my gaze trained on his and stopped in front of him, my back to mom.

Without a word, I reached forward and wrapped my arms around him.

I didn't care if Mom didn't like Leo. I could spend the rest of my life changing her mind. I could even tell her the real reason why Leo was covered in bruises. I could do anything to be with Leo.

Leo stiffened under my touch, his body going stoic. I heard a clank somewhere in the distance, and I wondered if Jamal or Andre dropped the spoon they were holding earlier. Gasps resonated throughout the room, but I didn't care as I hid my face in the arms of the boy I loved.

"I missed you," I murmured, repeating his words from earlier.

Leo sucked in a breath, and a moment later, I felt his arms encircle me back.

"I always miss you Moonie."

I sighed and snuggled further into his chest.

A clearing of a throat finally brought me out of my trance. I slowly pulled away from Leo, just enough to have my head peak out from his arms, and faced my mother. She was staring at us with a hard glare. I slowly pulled out of Leo's arms and turned to face her. Mom opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, I cut in.

"Mom, before you judge him, just hear him out okay?" I pleaded.

Mom's eyes widened at my words, and I took her surprise as a cue for me to speak.

"I don't know why you have this impression of Leo, as if he's some bad guy. He's not. He's far from it. He was the first person to make me realize that people treating me badly for what happened with Brittany, was wrong. He stood up for me when no one else was willing to, and he made me see that I have no reason to hide from anyone. He let me grieve. He made me love."

I let out a deep breath and looked away from mom, to Leo. His eyes were wide and shining with love as he peered down at me, his mouth slightly agape. I smiled and reached forward to link his hand through my own.

"He loved me, when I didn't know I was allowed to be. He cared for me when I couldn't care for myself. He makes me happy, mom. The happiest. And I love him for all of that and more."

His eyes were filled with unahed tears as he stared down at me, his hand tightening around my own. I let out a shaky breath and looked back at mom. Dad was also standing behind her now, Gemma and the boys standing in the kitchen as they watched. I finally turned to mom.

"So I hope you don't see him for anything but the good in him."

Mom's eyes narrowed as she stared us down. Finally, she took a step forward, her gaze set on me. She stopped in front of me, her hands on her hips.

"Amelia May Harrison..."

I swallowed at the use of my full name.

She continued to stare me down, not saying a word. To my surprise, she cracked a grin.

"You really underestimated him, didn't you?"

"Huh?" I choked, whipping my head over to Leo's.

He was giving me a flat look, and then he looked over to mom.

"I told you Cass, she really doesn't have faith in me," Leo said to her.

Mom laughed, and then reached over to hug Leo.

My mother, hugged Leo.

And I stood there like a gaping fish.

"Welcome to the family Leo."

Before any more could be said, the doorbell rang, signalling the arrival of my brother.