I sure love beating around the bush lol. Every time I think, "Is this the perfect moment for them to confess their feelings ?" I'm like naaah, I'll prolong it a little longer. Ironically, drama as a reader drives me nuts - but drama as a writer ? *insert evil laugh* I'm enjoying this way too much.

Either way, I'm so excited to be writing again !!


Chapter 12. A Mistake

"Is there something you want to tell me ?"

Ashley gaped at her bodyguard and friend – soon to be neither, she feared. "You remember…?" Was all she could get to come out of her mouth, mumbling.

Leon's eyes widened for a fraction, before an unreadable expression covered up whatever emotion he was feeling inside. Hopefully it wasn't disgust – or disappointment. "I…" He started saying, then closed his mouth. Did the memories make him that uncomfortable ?

She couldn't bear it. Ashley thrust her hand out, smiling. "It was a mistake. Since we have to work together, how about we put it in the past and move on ?"

Surprise cracked through Leon's mask, his lips parting a little. But it lasted only a second before he schooled his face back into something neutral, nodding. "Okay. Agreed."

The simple words made something crumble inside Ashley. She'd always known he didn't return her feelings – whether it was her crush or something more, but the fact that he'd agreed so readily, she realized some part of her must've held on to the hope that maybe, there could've been something between them. But she'd only been fooling herself, and now it hurt. "Excuse me," She said, standing up.

Leon swiftly followed suite, grabbing her wrist before she could take off. "Wait. Where are you going ?"

"Just the restroom. I'll try my best not to get kidnapped." She promised, winking, and he let her go.

A sob rose from her throat just as she entered the women's bathroom. She leaned on the marble sink, facing the mirror, sucking in a ragged breath as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm so stupid…" She was in love with Leon. It dawned on her now, after he'd indirectly rejected her. "Damn it…"

He'd been so kind to her. So caring, and the way he'd touched her – not just once, but many times. When he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, when he embraced her, kissed her – and just earlier, when he wiped the cream from the corner of her mouth ! How could she not get the wrong idea ? But maybe he'd just been flirting. Maybe that's the kind of person he was, when he wasn't so married to his work…and that's all she was to him. Work.

No, you know that's not true. Ashley shook her head, trying to dispel the negative thoughts that had slithered into her mind. How many times had he comforted her, calmed her down and chased her inner demons away ? He'd done so much more than any bodyguard was required to, because he genuinely cared about her…he just didn't love her.

She inhaled a shaky breath. "Stop being a crybaby." Ashley muttered at her reflection, tapping at her cheeks. They had better things to worry about, anyway – which they'd have to talk about, sooner or later. It was silly to focus on things that would never happen.

Washing her face, she went back out.

After buying some groceries and stuffing them inside Leon's bike, the ride back was too windy for either of them to say anything through their helmets – which, frankly, was something Ashley was grateful for; she didn't feel like talking, or pretending everything was okay.

Ashley was helping him put the groceries away, smiling whenever their eyes met, but Leon could tell something was off. There was an underlying tension between them – and he couldn't help thinking it was about what they'd briefly spoken about, at the restaurant. After the momentary shock, Ashley had been so poised that he didn't know what to make of it.

It was a mistake.

For some reason, the words had shaken him to his core, even though she was right. It had been a mistake…right ?

How about we put it in the past and move on ?

She'd stolen the words from his mouth, in that moment. He agreed with her…so why didn't he want to ? Maybe because he didn't even understand why he'd acted that way, back then. Simply because he was drunk ? That was too easy of an excuse. He was never clingy – or needy like that, with anyone else, drunk or not.

But maybe…he knew the reason all along, and he just didn't want to admit it to himself.

"So, are we going to try out those recipes tonight ?" Ashley grinned, pointing to one of the books he'd bought, completely oblivious to the turmoil raging inside Leon.

"We are. But first, we should probably discuss what happened this morning."

She added, leaning back on the kitchen counter. "Or what didn't happen. I thought meeting Derek Simmons would be…I don't know, worse."

"Honestly, the fact that nothing happened means he's definitely got something else up his sleeve."

"Great, because that's comforting…" Ashley rolled her eyes.

"I wonder what the 'physical tests' will be about, though. I doubt they'll make you run on a threadmill."

"Ha, I wish. Did you know I won a marathon back in my 11th year ?" She asked excitedly.

Leon smiled. He liked how composed and casual she was about this. Compared to how she reacted a few days before, this was a huge improvement. But still, he couldn't help but worry. "Are you sure you're okay ?"

Her smile dimmed a little at the question. "Why ?"

Why ? "You shared some pretty private parts about yourself today – in front of complete strangers."

"You know what ? The answers came out so easily, it's silly to think there ever was a time when I struggled to talk about these things."

"Because of your…silver-lining, right ?"

The same grin he'd seen earlier in the day lit up her face once more. "Yep !"

He stepped closer, wanting to be in her bubble – touch the light and warmth that seemed to surround her. "And you're still not going to tell me what it is ?"

Ashley looked up into his face, and though a pale blush colored her cheeks, she didn't look away. Something unspoken shone in her eyes, like a mystery on the tip of his tongue – begging to be discovered. "I think it's better if I don't." She whispered, and something undecipherable shivered in the space between them.

Before he could ask why – opening his mouth to do just that, Ashley turned, walking away, and Leon suddenly felt like that night when he was drunk; almost like a physical ache, he wanted to hold her close – needed her close. Shit, what's wrong with me ? He thought.

But as she was getting further away, he balled his fist – resisting the impulse to reach out to her, he said, "Did you really mean it ?"

She stopped, spinning around to face him, perplexed. "Mean what ?"

"That it was a mistake. Our kiss." Her mouth fell open at his words, while Leon's heart was pounding within it's cage, threatening to break out.

"What do you–"

The doorbell rang, causing both individuals to jump out of their skin – effectively ending the conversation, and breaking off whatever was about to happen. "Stay there," Leon instructed, making his way to the door. He waited a moment before peering through the eyehole…and saw Mr. Thompson standing there, waiting patiently.

"Sir." Leon said as a way of greeting, opening the door. "You're back."

"So I am, Mr. Kennedy." The older man smiled. "Is Ms. Graham here ?"

"Of course. Please, come in."

"Mr. Thompson !" Ashley exclaimed, rushing to meet him. "It's good to see you again."

"And you, young lady."

A good half hour passed as the three of them sat down, and Ashley reported the events of the day to the politician. Leon was content to just sit in silence, only adding his grain of salt when she missed a detail.

"So you're saying Derek Simmons was gone by the time you were done ?" Repeated Mr. Thompson, rubbing his short but thick beard.

"Yes. I don't know what he's up to, but we'll find out."

The man's wrinkles deepened as his expression switched from thoughtful to kind. He really did give off that 'friendly grandpa' vibe, even as he was dressed to the nines. "It's heartwarming to see thar my old friend has such a good and dedicated person as his daughter. I am as proud of you as he is."

Ashley's practically rose all the way to her hairline. "My father's proud of me ?"

"Of course. He may not be able to say so as of right now, but I assure you he is very proud of you, Ms. Graham."

"Thank you."

"Howevee, we'll be at an impasse if Simmons is always gone. You'll need to find a way to draw him out – catch his interest."

"How do we do that ?" Leon asked, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

He inclined his grey head towards Ashley. "Ms. Graham is the bait of this operation. If that's still not enough, we simply need to make the bait more tantalizing."

"I need to find out what makes him tick, basically, and use that draw him in."

The politician's eyes glimmered. "Exactly.

Ashley had asked if the man wanted to have dinner with them, but Mr. Thompson said his schedule had already been booked – though assured he appreciated the invitation. Once the man was gone, Ashley sidled up to Leon's side, who was already in the kitchen – pulling out generic ingredients from the fridge.

"That seemed to go well." She commented. "He seemed pleased."

"Of course he was. You did a good job." Leon casually replied, getting a headstart on slicing his vegetables.

Ashley would never get used to seeing this man in the kitchen, looking all domestic, but she was still taken aback by his nonchalant compliment. "I just answered some questions."

He dropped the knife and turned his head towards her, frowning slightly – but not unkindly. "You're risking a whole lot, Ashley. That takes guts."

They looked at one another, and Ashley was reminded of the oddly electric moment they'd been having before Mr. Thompson arrived. She didn't dare to be hopeful, and yet his question…it's as if he was hoping for a different answer than what he'd gotten.

"Why don't you choose a recipe ?" He said, looking away and resuming the slicing of his vegetables.

Ashley cleared her throat, blinking herself back to reality. "Sure, I'll…I'll find something." Stop stammering !!

At first she was pretending to look at the pages, and then she really started seeing what was on them once she'd calmed down – more or less. This man was going to drive her crazy.

After a while of rifling through the pages, her finger tapped one of the yummy-looking images. "This one. Seems easy enough to make, and you've already got the vegetables to go with it."

Leon looked over and snorted. "Ratatouille ? That's what you call easy ?"

She smiled, amused by his reaction. "C'mon, how hard can it be ?"

An hour later. It was a mess, and they were still nowhere done. "Takeout ?" Said Ashley, looking up at Leon with an arched brow.

"Takeout." He agreed, and that was that.

While their dinner-making hadn't exactly been successful, it had – at the very least, restored laughter and levity in the small apartment. They sat on the couch, side by side, watching a random movie on Leon's laptop as they munched on their pizza. "When I first met you, I never thought I'd end up eating greasy pizza with you." Said Ashley, at one point. "Funny how things change."

The man in question looked up from his fourth slice, and smiled. "Yeah. Funny."

She wondered what was going through his head. One moment he was the stoic, impassive man she knew – with bouts of sarcasm and snarky-ness, and then other times he was flirty, or acting really weird, like earlier when he asked her that question. He kept doing things she didn't expect, and they happened more often as time passed. What could it possibly mean ?

Were they just new sides to Leon that Ashley had never discovered ? They hadn't know each other for very long, after all. And to think she'd grown such strong feelings for him, in such a short amount of time…

Leon tensed when he suddenly felt a weight on his right shoulder, and something soft caressing his cheek. Looking down, he realized Ashley had fallen asleep. Her body, so warm, pressed against his – fitting perfectly, like she belonged there.

He didn't bother scolding himself like he would've in another situation. Instead, he laid the top of his head over hers and closed his eyes, allowing his body to relax. When was the last time he'd felt so comfortable ?

But as he started falling asleep, his eyes snapped open at Ashley's mumblings. "It wasn't a mistake…"

To Be Continued…