16| knowing her

Leah woke up feeling better then ever, but she had no idea where she was the moment she opened her eyes.

Looking around, she spotted Kane sleeping somewhat peacefully on the couch.

Recalling the past events, Leah remembered what exactly happened. She was a little embarrassed and guilty.

Kane had to sacrifice and sleep on a couch very small for him and he had to cary her to his room and she slept on his bed.

Not wanting to wake him up, she quietly washed up in the toilet connected to his room and then left the room, letting him sleep well.

She hasn't been anywhere apart from the living room, theatre, kitchen and dinning room so she was clueless.

Navigating her way through, Leah managed to find the dining room from Kane's bedroom. She really needed a map to find where everything was.

When she entered the kitchen, there was only Matthew in there.

He was relaxing and drinking a cup of coffee, while reading a newspaper.

She debated going in, being the most distant with him. They rarely ever had a chance to talk and communicate.

As he was about to turn away and hide, Matthew had spotted her and told her to come over.

"Hi Leah" Matthew greeted her politely. Leah smiled at him and like him addressed his presence.

Matthew smiled at the reciprocated action.

There was the good old awkward silence that took over them. Matthew decided to break that silence and chat.

"Do you like Kane?" Matthew asked in a very gentle tone. He was trying not to sound malicious and aggressive.

Leah always had to give many thoughts to this question. She always knew the answer, she was just scared of the reactions and backlash she would face.

"Yes" Leah said, bracing herself for any comments.

"Thank you", which was Matthew's response. It shocked her.

He went on, "This boy has been through a lot. Lots of people have always tried get close to him because of the money he had.

I am always worried for him. He might look tough but he is just one big softy inside. I hope you can slowly let him in. Take your time, please"

Leah didn't exactly know how to respond, but instead stretched her hands out for a hug.

Matthew did hug back of course. She was glad to have a support outlet.

At least Kane's parents had nothing against her background. She probably was influenced by the books she has read.

Not long after, everyone slowly trickled into the dining room and breakfast, sandwiches were simultaneously placed on the table for the five of them.

Everyone ate relaxed, having little chatters to fill the silence. It wasn't awkward though, more comfortable than awkward.

When everyone finished their food, Enya left for her shopping plans with her friends.

As for Matthew and Audrey, they decided to head to their pool to relax, seeing it was a bright and sunny day

"Let's go back to my apartment" Leah suggested which surprised Kane.

"You sure? You know you don't have to do so" Kane was confused. He knew Leah was quite a reserved person and usually one wouldn't share their homes like that.

Kane has sort of been there before but not exactly entered it, so it was definitely houngan to be one foreign experience.

"I want to, come on" Leah reassured. Despite his confusion, he still went along with her plans.

"Lead the way" Leah gave a 'welcome in' like gesture, letting him take the lead. Besides l, he had no idea how to find the garage.

They entered the car and left for Leah's apartment. After that talk with Matthew, she realized that it was good to share these things with him.

At least he would know what he was getting himself into.

In a blink of an eye, they arrived. Kane parked his car and let Leah take over the 'leader' role.

They reached Leah's apartment in a short walk. Leah then grabbed her keys and opened the door.

When you first entered, you are greeted with the sight of her sort of a living room. There were one or two plants she had grown.

She was proud of it.

Walking more in, you will spot her kitchen, dining table, bedroom, toilet and her small balcony.

It was decorated in a very homely manner. Kane appreciated it. He loved very cozy vibes, explaining the interior at his place.

One thing he did notice was the many photo frames nailed on the wall.

Kane's eyes couldn't help but be glued to those frames.

Many of them had a family in it, all with smiles plastered on their face. It was a very cute vibe.

"Give me a second, I'll go and wash up" Leah said, leaving Kane to look at the photo frames.

He was still looking at it even when she was done.

Leah just wore a matching cropped hoodie and sweat pants.

"I think it's time that you should know what happened to my parents. After all we have been spending lots of time together" Leah started off.

"You don't have to. I'm okay without knowing" Kane told her truthfully.

It honestly didn't matter to him. He loved everything about her. It was not a lie that's for sure.

"I want to" Kane being the worrier he is, made sure she was telling the truth and not found crazy before letting her explain.

And of course, Leah made sure that they were seated and had some food and drinks as this would probably be a long one to tell.

Leah took a deep breath and began recounting her story...

Flashback

It was the March of 2015. It was cold and chilly.

Suddenly, everyone felt a brief shake of the ground. Some were scared, some were not.

However, when there was a second shake, everyone began panicking. Leah was woken up from her nap to be greeted by the sight of her two frantic parents.

She had no clue till she felt the ground shake once more. That's when she realized, there was potentially an earth quake.

Her parents swiftly picked up some basic necessities needed for the trip.

They were planning to escape to another country, Los Angeles somehow.

Leah was rushed to the airport and entering the airplane where she saw her parents.

Managing to squeeze together, the plane took off and the journey began.

After that long flight, everyone was being pushed around. Luckily, she managed to find them.

That was the last time she saw them.

Everyone was trying to register to be a U.S citizen.

When Leah was successful, she couldn't find her parents.

Breaking down, she was then escorted and sent to foster homes where she had gotten terrible treatments.

At the sole age of 18, she was thrusted into the real world and started from scratch.

Leah was then offered a job at De Luca Corporation and the rest was history

Flashback over

(AN: not the almost familiar with this)

Kane was speechless. How could one be some cruel? He was happy at how strong Leah is.

"I understand if you want to end this  'relationship' " Leah added into the conversation.

"No in fact, it just makes me want to pursue this relationship even more" He said determined.

Leah smiled, she was just glad he was here to stay.

~~~

hello besties :)

welcome back to another chapter ✌🏻

my exams are in 2 weeks time and i'm dying 🙃

anyways, i am trying to write like 4-5 chapters to post every other day so there's some content to read

it's quite hard nowadays so i'll try

definitely won't be as active till the end of the exams

oh well :D

i'm fine

thanks for 765 reads!!

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜💗

i appreciate it

yup, that's it for today. see you in the next chapter

✌🏻

[word count: 1225 words]

[published on: 18 jul 2022]