Something Unreturned
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone
Part 1
God forbid, that I fell in
love. Where is the crime in that?
"Hey
Piper! Did I miss anything?" Leo asked in a hushed whisper, slipping in
to the spare seat beside her, saved especially for him.
"Not a
thing. This lecturer is so boring. Look.
I even designed my page." Leo
glanced at her notebook and playfully hit her arm, stifling a laugh. Piper stiffened, her heart skipping a beat
at the touch of his hand.
"So, why
are you late?" She covered, her arm
frozen in place as Leo occasionally brushed it with his.
"I was
having coffee with this most amazing girl.
I swear Piper, she so incredible!"
Leo grinned.
Piper
forced a smile. It was so hard to form
with that familiar lump catching in her throat. "Oh! Tell me more! Who is the unlucky girl?" The grin was even more difficult then the
smile, it had to be that little more convincing. Her quiet giggle was pathetic, even to her. Lucky Leo was so excited about his perspective
girl.
"Can't
tell!" Leo exclaimed.
"Oh come
on! Do I know her?" This forced interest was essential for their
friendship, but it threatened to break Piper's heart daily.
"Nope. Well I don't think so."
"Is she
in any of our classes?"
"Nope. She's in this faculty, but not our
year." Leo stated, his eyes dancing
with excitement.
"You're
not going to tell me are you?"
"Not a
chance! I don't want to jinx it
Piper. I really think that this could
work." He whispered, turning serious all
of a sudden.
"Okay. I understand that. So, where are you taking her?"
"I'm not
telling you!" Leo grinned and shook his
head defiantly.
"You
know I wouldn't show up! I was just
curious." The conversation was going on
too long. Piper even glanced towards
the lecturer, debating whether or not to return her attention to her.
"I'm
just taking her out to dinner. But I
need your advice. What should I wear?"
Piper
staged a silent battle with herself.
Should she tell him to wear something awful or something that she would
love to see him in if he took her out?
She was too sweet to jeopardise this relationship for him. "Wear those casual pants you love with one
of your button up shirts. And washing
your hair is always good."
"Nice
choice! I agree! Have I ever told you how much I love
you?" Leo grinned and leaned over to
hug her and lightly kiss her cheek.
Piper
smiled, trying to fight the tears that formed in her eyes. "Yeah yeah yeah. You only love me cause I give you advice and food!"
"Oh! Speaking of which. Got any of the latter?"
"Of
course. Here. Crackers and cheese good?"
"Excellent! Thanks!"
Why should I be painfully
punished for loving a man who doesn't love me?
Where is the justice in that?
Part
2
To just hold your hand in
love and not friendship…
"Piper! Come on!" Leo called out, rushing to Piper's side and grabbing her
hand. "Results are up!"
"Oh
no! I don't want to know mine Leo. You get yours, we both know you would have
aced them." Piper insisted, trying
to distract herself from the tingling sensation that ran from her fingertips
and up her arm.
"Don't
be ridiculous Piper! You studied hard,
you would have done perfectly fine."
Leo pushed them towards the front of the crowd of students that gathered
around a small piece of paper, taped to a notice board. Cries of anguish and cheers of happiness
infiltrated their ears; squinting to find their numbers. They found their results at the same time, a
shrug of ambivalence from Piper and a small smile from Leo. Weaving back through the mass of students
they headed for a grassy patch under a large shady oak. "So, how did you go?" Leo grinned.
"A
credit." Piper shrugged, forcing a
smile. She knew by Leo's expression, it
was obvious he had at least a distinction.
"How about you?"
"You
did so well Piper! I'm proud of
you!" He exclaimed thoughtfully,
his intentions sincere although the execution and timing was slightly
patronising. "I got a high
distinction." He added casually,
shrugging his shoulders and giving an incredibly gorgeous sheepish grin.
"You're
just too good!" Piper laughed in
return, punching his arm softly.
"Ow!" Leo faked pain and clutched at his arm.
"Awww. Want me to kiss it better?" Piper teased, her subtle if not slightly
juvenile flirting going unnoticed.
"Yep!" Leo exclaimed, pulling up his sleeve and
offering his arm.
Not to
be outdone, Piper leaned towards him and showered his arm with tiny kisses;
unable to keep from laughing hysterically.
"Happy?" She gasped
out, lying down on the grass and resting her head in his lap.
"Perfectly!" Leo replied, playing with a loose strand of
her hair.
After a
few minutes of comfortable silence, Piper sighed quietly. "So, are you going to tell me about
this girl you've been seeing? When do I
get to meet her?"
Leo's
expression changed and his eyes danced with mystery. "She's amazing Piper!
I've never had more fun with a girl before!"
Piper
fought the lump that formed in her throat, his careless words reaching her
fragile heart. "That's great! I'm so happy for you." She forced the words out along with the fake
smile; Leo's mind too preoccupied to even notice.
"She's
going home this weekend though, her family lives only a few hours away; but
that means, we can hang out. What do
you say?"
"I
don't know Leo. I've got some things
planned with my friends, so I'll have to get back to you."
"Oh. Okay, that's fine. I just thought we could go out for drinks."
"Yeah,
I'm not sure. I'll let you know,
okay." There was something about
Piper getting drunk and confessing her undying love for Leo. He would always smile, sweep her on to the
dance floor and hold her close. And I love you! He would always
reply good naturedly, dismissing her claims.
He would slip his arm around her waist and lead her to a cab once her
legs began to give way and she pleaded it was time to go home. They'd always go back to Leo's, where Piper
would immediately crawl into his queen sized bed; leaving Leo to take off her
shoes and cover her with a blanket, slipping quietly in beside her. Then she'd wake the next morning, her head
pounding and face stained with the previous nights makeup. Her heart would sink at lying beside Leo,
but knowing it was out of nothing but friendship. The ultimate higher being patronisation; being so close; yet so
far.
"Piper?" Leo questioned softly after a lengthy
silence.
"Yeah." Piper replied a little hesitantly, wondering
what was going to follow. He couldn't
read her thoughts could he?
"Sometimes
I think that you're mad at me. Did I do
anything wrong?"
You were you. You let me fall in love with you and you
don't love me back. "Of course not. Just thinking I guess."
"Good. Cause I don't know what I would do without
you." His smile was so angelic and
she stood up as a lump formed in her throat and she felt tears brim her eyes.
"Likewise! I'll call you." Piper called back, already walking away,
feeling tears fall down her cheeks until she rounded the corner of a building
to stop and gather herself.
Never has being with, felt
more like being without.
Part
3
When touching you hurts my
fingers
After
much consultation with her friends, Piper finally decided to send Leo a text
message just before midnight. Meet you at Alice's around 1:00?
Laughter echoed through the dormitories as girls ran between rooms
swapping clothes and seeking opinions.
Piper carefully applied her makeup and upon much insistence, her shortest
skirt and most revealing top.
She
grinned as her cell phone beeped and she rummaged through her chaotic room,
eventually finding it amongst the sheets on her unmade bed. Hurry
up! I have no decent dance partners!
She laughed at Leo's message, resisting the urge to reply again. Instead, she began running through the halls
and shouting for everyone who was leaving with her to hurry up. In the end, only three left with her; the
others assuring they would meet them there.
The dramas of what to wear becoming too much for them to handle in such
a short time span.
They
entered the club at exactly 1am, immediately searching the crowds for eligible
bachelors. Whilst the other girls
passed comments each remotely cute guys attributes, Piper just smiled and
looked around for Leo. Her mind was
urging her to turn around and return to her dorm, not to do anything resembling
stupidity. But it wasn't to be.
"Piper!" She heard her name only split seconds before
she felt arms slip around her waist and hot breath on her neck. The clearly identifiable smell of bourban
infiltrating her senses.
"Hey
Leo!" She grinned, surprised to
see him more drunk than usual.
"Dance
with me!" He exclaimed, leaving
her no choice as he dragged her towards the mass of bodies on the dance floor.
"How
long have you been here Leo? I've never
seen you like this!" Piper
exclaimed, but Leo looked at her blankly.
"What?" He screamed over the music, pulling her into
him and leaning to place his ear near her mouth.
"Are
you feeling okay?" Piper yelled,
that unbelievable sensation running through her fingers and up her arms as her
hands gripped his back.
"The
bitch stood me up!" He exclaimed,
laughing and kissing Piper's forehead.
"She said that I loved you!"
He continued to laugh.
Piper's
heart skipped a beat and she forced a smile.
"You'll find a better girl!"
She yelled back.
"I
don't want another girl! I want
you!" He said defiantly, bowing
his head to press his lips to hers in a drunken, if not passionate kiss.
"I
think you need some fresh air. Come
on!" She gripped his hand and
pulled him out on to the street, unable to stop the tingling she felt in her
lips.
"You
think I'm drunk don't you?"
"I
think you've had a few too many drinks, yep!" Piper laughed, suddenly wishing she was drunk rather than this unfamiliar
role reversal.
"Make
love to me Piper!" He suddenly
exclaimed and Piper choked on nothing but air.
"What?" She gasped.
"I
love you." He answered, taking
some hesitant steps towards her.
"I have always loved you and will always love you!" He continued. "You and only you Piper.
Do you know what?"
"What?" Piper asked, watching as he gently took her
hands and brought them to his face, placing kisses on her palms.
"I
want to marry you after we graduate."
"Okay,
yes Leo. We'll get married." Piper agreed, forcing herself to laugh and
make a joke out of it. "Right now
though, I'm putting you in a cab and you're going home to bed."
"Without
you?" He teased with a childish
grin.
"Get
in there now!" She answered,
pointing to an available cab.
"I'll call you later today…make that this afternoon." Piper added as an afterthought, pushing him
in to the backseat.
"Thankyou!" Leo exclaimed, pulling Piper to him again
and kissing her, this time she allowed her lips to linger, enjoying the moment
since there wasn't a chance Leo would remember it in the morning.
Watching
the cab drive away, Piper brought two fingers to her lips and closed her eyes;
the memory of their kiss etched in her heart.
Why is it, the words we
want to hear are seldom reinforced?
Part
4
I offered my heart, why is
it you took my shoulder?
Piper made her way to Leo's apartment around
3pm, relatively sure he would have risen and recovered a little by then. She knocked on the door, expecting one of
his annoying roommates' to answer, but surprised when Leo appeared. She couldn't help but burst into laugher at
him, still in his boxer shorts and experiencing a bad case of bed hair.
"Not
one word Piper." He mumbled,
letting her through the door.
"I
wasn't going to say a thing!"
Piper exclaimed in response, following him to where he collapsed on the
couch.
"Sure. You're going to give me the same lecture I
usually give you."
"Oh
relax. I'll be nice!" Piper grinned, playing fully hitting his
arm.
"Hey. Don't hit the invalid."
"Self-induced
and might I add temporary invalid!"
"It's
not my fault! Every girl I date thinks
I'm in love with you." Leo whined,
lying down carefully and resting his head on her lap.
Piper
took a deep breath and massaged his forehead.
"Is that such a scary thought?" She smiled, trying to make the comment light-hearted but holding
her breath for his response.
"Come
on Piper. You know how much I love
you! We're each other's
backups!" He grinned and closed
his eyes, enjoying her touch. Piper
remained silent; she had no answer for him.
Leo finally opened his eyes after a few minutes and stared up at
her. "Are you serious?"
Piper
took a few seconds to debate her answer in her mind, finally smiling
slightly. "Yeah Leo. This time I am. Why couldn't we give it ago?
Everyone thinks we're a couple anyway, why not add truth to the
rumours?"
Leo
stared up at her for the longest time, an awkward uneven smile on his
face. "Well, I have been told I
was more than a little friendly with you last night. It's possibly my subconscious was
expressing…something." His
mysterious smile formed into a grin.
"What's
the worst that can happen?" Piper
shrugged.
"We
could end up hating each other."
Leo suggested and Piper screwed up her nose. "But we wouldn't let that happen."
"I
agree!"
Leo
pushed himself up and help his open palm to Piper's cheek, stopping to take in
her features. To look at her as a
girlfriend was far different to looking at her as a friend. Suddenly, she was so beautiful. He tilted her chin up and kissed her gently,
their hearts racing in synchrony.
"I don't know what took me so long." Leo laughed slightly, running his hands through her hair.
"Neither
do I." Piper whispered, pulling
his back into a passionate union.
Nothing that comes easily
is ever worth it in the end. The harder
the battle; the greater the reward.
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Thanks, Hay
