Chapter 8 – Operation: Matchmaker

Two extremely long weeks had passed by since the awkward episode in the basement and my twenty-first birthday had arrived. Chris was just finally starting to feel safe leaving Leon and I alone in a room together, but it was a very different story only three days before when I overheard Chris and Jill talking…

"Jill, you know I can't re-paint the decking this Saturday so please stop asking me." Whined Chris.

Jill slammed the pan she was holding down on to the kitchen counter and turned to face Chris's sturdy form hunched over the island in the middle of the room with his arms outstretched in front of him, face-planting the granite surface.

"I know the reason you won't do it Chris and its stupid. Leave them both alone, they said nothing was/is going on and I believe them… Anyway even if there was-"

"DON'T EVEN GO THERE, JILL! NO WAY! UH-UH! NOT UNDER MY ROOF! NOT HAPPENING!" Chris cut in abruptly, slamming his hands over his ears and shaking his head so vigorously it was almost a blur.

Jill placed her hands on her hips and leaned to one side glaring at him. Chris knew that stare and slowly dropped his hands into his lap.

"I'm staying right here and keeping an eye on those two during the game, they can't be trusted together." Chris muttered under his breath. "And when we go out for Amy's birthday meal, I'm sitting in between them." He added as an afterthought.

"Amy's not Claire you know. You can't be all over-protective with her, look what happened with Claire, she moved to an entirely different state to escape your brotherly love! It's nice that you care for her but don't push her away, maybe Amy is your second chance to get it right. While we have no proof of anything going on between Leon and Amy we have to let them be…and IF there was- "Jill paused waiting for an interruption from Chris, when he said nothing she carried on. "Then we would be there to support them both because that's what friends are for, okay?"

Chris opened his mouth to protest.

"I said okay?" Jill said again in a more firm tone of voice.

Chris sighed in defeat and nodded.

I was in my room doing the finishing touches to my make-up when Jill shouted me from downstairs.

"Amy, are you nearly ready? We have a table booked for eight o' clock!"

I glanced at the clock on my bedside table, shit it was almost seven o'clock.

"Uhh…I'll be down in a minute!"

I took another look at myself in the full length mirror and sighed, I was starting to regret buying a little black dress for my birthday evening.

"I hate dresses, what was I thinking?" I muttered to myself.

The dress itself was very pretty and sleek; two of the words I would never describe myself. I'd decided on an elegant style rather than a party style, it wasn't as if I had any friends to go out partying with anyway. It was a sleeveless one strap dress; but not a spaghetti strap, the strap was wide enough to just cover the scar on my right collarbone. The tight fitting style hugged every curve and it reached the floor with a slit up to my hip on the left side, ensuring the scar on my right leg remained covered also. I took a look at the black strappy heels I was wearing and rolled my eyes, they may have only been four inches tall but to a person like me who never wears heels that was like skyscraper height, and they were already beginning to dig into my heels before I'd even left the house. I started to get all flustered when Jill appeared at my door, looking radiant as ever in a pale blue strapless dress that clung to every curve and complimented her skin tone perfectly. It ended just above her knees and was finished off a pair of open toed black heels and a black clutch bag. She was a classic beauty. I suddenly felt nauseous, how was I gonna look stood next to her?

"Amy, are you okay? You look a little peaky." Jill asked concerned.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and plonked myself onto the end of my bed, knocking my make-up bag onto the floor in the process. Jill sauntered over and picked it up before sitting beside me and placing an arm around my shoulders, an act my own mother used to do whenever I was upset. Oh how I wished she was here to see me turn twenty-one.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I feel so out of place in a dress and heels and it's my birthday and my Mam isn't here to see me and I don't think my hair and make-up looks right and my shoes are hurting already and I feel frumpy and you look gorgeous and now we're gonna be late." I blurted out at lightning speed before taking a deep breath and breaking out into sobs. Jill simply chuckled and hugged me close running her fingers through my hair to calm me down.

"I don't know what to say about your Mom but that she would be very proud that you're doing so well and coping as best you can. You've been very brave and I know without a doubt if she could see you now she'd be sad to see you unhappy on your birthday. As for the hair and make-up, leave that to me." She spoke soothingly and smiled. I looked up and gave her a weak smile before wiping my eyes on the back of my hand, smudging my mascara in the process.

"Oh shit, we're gonna be really later at this rate." I huffed.

"No we won't. Pass me the make-up wipes and sit back and relax." Jill said happily.

I did as she instructed and let her do her magic. When she'd finished five minutes later she stood my up and walked me to the mirror once again.

"Now open your eyes." She said.

"Holy shit, is that even me? You're a miracle worker, Jill." I gasped.

Jill laughed and flicked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear. "Well I don't like to brag but…No, seriously you give yourself no credit, Amy. You lack confidence and you really have no need to. Take a look at your perfectly structured cheekbones and your deep green eyes. And don't even get me started on your legs, they're virtually endless, I'd kill for those. I've simply brought more attention to those. You're a very pretty girl, Amy."

I felt myself blush; I was never able to take a compliment without turning bright red. As I studying myself in the mirror I saw that Jill had used a very pale pink blusher on my cheeks to give them a tint of colour which complimented my pale skin, she had applied a small amount of dark grey eye shadow and black eyeliner and mascara to make my green eyes stand out even more and finished it off with a clear lip gloss. My blonde hair was styled in loose curls and hung to my shoulders. I actually felt pretty. I turned to Jill and hugged her tightly, I must have taken her by surprise because she gasped and then chuckled at me.

"Thank you so much Jill."

"It was nothing." She said as she patted my back. "Now come on, we have twenty minutes to get to the restaurant… but knowing Chris's driving we'll be there in ten." She winked.

As I followed Jill down the stairs, clinging to the bannister for dear life with one hand and tightly gripping my black sequin clutch bag in the other, I realised I had to face Leon dressed like this. Suddenly I felt butterflies in my tummy and my breathing quickened; I really hoped he'd like what he saw. Chris was obviously pleased with what Jill was wearing because the blush on his face became apparent as soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs - he looked pretty suave if I might say so myself; he was dressed in a black suit with a pale pink shirt underneath which had the top two buttons undone and black dress shoes. He quickly stood from his place on the sofa and cleared his throat.

"You look...umm…stunning Jill." He stammered.

"Thanks Chris…Hey you're wearing the shirt I got you! I never thought I'd see the day you wore pink, I knew you'd suit the colour." Jill replied smiling.

Chris blushed even more. I couldn't help but smile at how cute he and Jill looked blushing at each other; it took me all of my willpower to not shout at them to get it on already right there and then. No, this had to be done properly and tonight was the perfect opportunity. As I was watching them from the corner I didn't notice Leon slip into the room until he broke the silence.

"You look nice Jill. Wow, Chris I don't think I've ever seen you in a suit before…"

"Yeah, yeah whatever…" Chris grumbled and dug his hands into his trouser pockets like a grumpy teenager.

Leon then turned and noticed me in the corner, I'm not gonna lie he looked HOT. He was wearing a grey suit with a baby blue shirt underneath which brought out the blue in his eyes even more, and a silvery grey tie and black dress shoes - very expensive looking dress shoes might I add. Just seeing Leon dressed in a suit made me go weak at the knees, I hoped he couldn't tell though because he seemed to be staring straight at me...And not saying anything, just staring…Okay, this was getting awkward now so I broke the silence.

"I like your shoes." I blurted out whilst staring at his feet. "I like your shoes?" What the fuck was that all about? Dammit, I should have kept my mouth shut. This thought was further verified when Leon just continued to stare at me blankly. What's with this guy? Did his parents never tell him that it's rude to stare?

"Thanks." Was the only reply I got from him.

Well this was awkward, we were all just stood looking at each other and not speaking, and to be perfectly honest I was pretty pissed off that I never got a comment from Leon, just an intense stare, did I honestly look that bad? I didn't have time to dwell on it because I was being shoved out the door by Chris and pushed towards the car; I stumbled to regain my balance in my high heels and just made it to the car without landing on my face.

"What's the rush?" I asked Chris.

"We need to get a move on that's all." He replied.

As I climbed into the back of the SUV I felt someone grab my hand and help me in, I turned around and came face to face with Leon.

"Thanks Leon." I smiled.

"No problem, you just look like you could do with a hand in those heels." He chuckled.

He seemed less intense than he was in the house and that I was grateful for. He was just about to climb into the seat next to me when Chris appeared at the door behind him.

"Jill's gonna ride with Amy, aren't you Jill?

"I am?" Jill looked at Chris confused. I couldn't see Chris' face but I could just tell what expression was on it. "Oh yeah, I remember now." She answered through gritted teeth. Did they really think we wouldn't notice this? She wandered around to Leon's door and sat herself in the seat next to me and put her seatbelt on. As Leon shut the door and walked to the passenger side and Chris climbed into the driver's seat she gave me a sympathetic look and mouthed the words "I'll explain later." I sighed and turned to look out of the window, I already knew what this was about, it didn't need explaining and it was making things extremely awkward for me and Leon.

The ride to the restaurant was a quiet one, verging on awkward if I'm honest. I was glad as soon as I saw the restaurant appear into view, I breathed a sigh of relief as I got out the car and stood alongside Jill whilst Chris gave the keys to a valet and Leon stood stiffly on the other side of Jill. Things were pretty tense so I decided to put my plan into action a little earlier than initially planned. I started holding my stomach and groaning quietly, not wanting to over-do the acting. I just prayed my acting skills could pull it off; the only person who could ever see through my "poorly" act was my Mam but Jill and Chris were used to people trying to lie to them on a daily basis. It seemed to be working though because I got Jill's attention right away.

"Amy, are you okay?" She asked concerned.

"I feel a bit sick if I'm honest, but don't worry about me I'll be fine." I answered quietly.

"You didn't seem yourself earlier either, are you sure you're okay? We could take you home if you like?"

"NO!...I mean I'm fine, really." Shit I nearly blew it there.

Leon must have overheard because he stepped over to us and took Jill to one side.

"You know, really I have to be at work early tomorrow anyway so I could take Amy home on my way back to mine?"

I tried not to look too hopeful as Jill mulled this over in her head.

"Chris wouldn't like that, Leon. I know you're not stupid and you've seen the way he's been acting since the power cut, he'd instantly think something was going on…And it's your birthday Amy, I feel like it's been a disappointment for you."

Chris was on his way to join us when Leon spoke again.

"But if she's not well then she shouldn't be here should she? I'll tell you what, why don't you and Chris go ahead and have a nice meal, it would be a shame to lose your table now too; I've heard the lobster they do here is great by the way. We can always celebrate her birthday another night."

I had to stifle a giggle at Leon's efforts; he was really laying it on thick. I was silently praying that Chris and Jill – two very intelligent agents, didn't catch on to our plan. Jill looked genuinely torn between staying with me and going ahead with the meal, I hated lying to her and Chris but what other choice did we have if wanted to get these to numbskulls together? By this point Chris was giving Leon a death glare, I was completely convinced the plan was going to fail and my heart was in my mouth when Chris asked Leon to step aside to "have a word". This left Jill and I alone and I was so close to letting her in on the plan but I didn't know if it would make her feel better or worse so I decided to keep my dying duck act up.

"Honestly Jill, I think it's for the best if I go back home, I'll just go to bed and see you when you guys get home. I'll even text you every hour to tell you how I am. You go ahead."

I did my best to muster up a smile that wasn't too eager but also didn't make me look like I was about to hurl in her face. I knew if she thought I was too ill she would accompany me home. Before she could reply a very smug looking Chris re-appeared with Leon at his side, Leon on the other hand didn't look even remotely smug, he actually looked like also wanted to hurl. What on earth had Chris said to him?...Actually, maybe I didn't want to know.

"Leon and I have had a chat and we've come to the conclusion that it's a good idea if he takes you home, but I want hourly texts to ensure that you're okay and if you need us don't hesitate to call. Leon will only be across the road too but I would prefer it if you called us if it was that bad, there's no need to go disturbing the man now is there? And he shouldn't disturb you either, right Leon?"

Chris patted Leon hard on the back with his shovel sized hand and almost sent him flying as he nodded in agreement. I couldn't help myself and I rolled my eyes; Chris was about as subtle as a kick in the teeth.

So we said our goodbyes and Leon had flagged us a taxi down, leaving the car for Chris and Jill to come home in incase of "an emergency" as Chris had put it, he was honestly treating me like a child, not that I was going to complain too much as it was nice to have someone looking out for me. Leon got into the taxi first to tell the driver our address as Jill repeated over and over to not hesitate to call if I needed them, I eventually peeled myself away from her and got into the taxi breathing a sigh of relief. As it was pulling away I heard Chris yelling down the street.

"And no hanky panky either!" He bellowed.

I glanced back and cringed at the amount of people staring at poor Jill as she stood next to him before turning towards Leon, he either hadn't heard Chris or he was pretending he didn't.

"Jeez, that was harder than I expected." I laughed to Leon.

"Tell me about it, I think I'm mentally scarred for life after Chris spoke to me."

"What did he say?"

"Oh he just said if I touch you, speak to you or even think about you inappropriately he'll rip my balls off and feed them to me." Leon answered in a nonchalant manner.

I gulped and suddenly felt really guilty for dragging Leon into my plan. He must have sensed this.

"Oh don't worry about it; he used to threaten me all the time back when Claire was single and living at home…not that it was me that he had to be worried about." Leon smiled as if remembering something. "Poor Steve didn't know what hit him when Chris found out about those two."

"Do I really want to know what happened?" I asked with morbid curiosity.

"Probably not." Leon laughed. "But I'll tell you anyway." He added excitedly. "Chris and I got off work early one day and found them fooling around on the sofa "watching a movie". Steve didn't even have chance to get his shoes on before Chris was chasing him down the street, he got almost a block away before Chris tackled him to the ground and gave him the biggest wedgie I have ever seen in my life, he almost needed his boxers surgically removing from his ass man, it was sick. I had to intervene at this point I mean it was just cruel to watch the poor kid."

"So you didn't find any of this remotely funny?" I asked knowing full well what the answer would be.

"Hell yeah I did! I mean who wouldn't?" And there it was, the inner child in Leon S. Kennedy.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head before looking out the window, suddenly realising I had no clue where were.

"Umm Leon? Where are we? Correct me if I'm wrong but I think our houses are in the opposite direction?"

"No you're right they are but I thought considering it's your twenty-first birthday and you're now officially legal to drink alcohol in this country, I'd treat you to a few drinks before we go home, Chris and Jill will never know. We're heading to a good bar I know across town." Leon grinned.

I didn't know whether to be happy or nervous about this, now I don't get me wrong I can hold my drink but whether I can hold my drink and my tongue around Leon is another story. Just then we pulled up outside a bar that was full of people, of course with it being a Saturday night everywhere was bound to be full. Leon paid the driver, got out and walked round to my side of the car to help me out. As I looked around I suddenly felt completely overdressed for this type of place, everyone was dressed so casual.

"Leon, I don't think we're dressed properly for the occasion." I said with my back to him.

"Nonsense." He replied as I turned back to face him.

My jaw nearly hit the floor when I saw him, in the seconds I'd been gaping at all the other people he'd removed his tie and undone his top few buttons and taken off his jacket and slung it over his arm. He looked unreal. He could easily pass off as being on a night out now whereas I was still feeling like a fish out of water.

"Don't worry about it, Amy. You look gorgeous and that's all that matters." He whispered in my ear.

I blushed profusely and started my regularly stuttering as usual. "I…uhh..yeah..umm…o-okay.

Next Leon took my hand and led me to the bar entrance, my face was still burning and I had an awful feeling I was going to make a fool of myself tonight, but as soon Leon had pushed our way to the bar and got us three shots of Sambuca each, I stopped caring. This was my birthday and nothing was going to spoilt it. Not even the people throwing funny looks in mine and Leon's direction for what we were wearing. Tonight I was going to let my hair down, I just hoped Chris and Jill were having as much fun as me.