Chapter 28
Leon and Aaron arrived at the hotel dressed in suits and ties. Aaron was chatting to Leon idly as they walked into the huge function room set up for the album release party, but Leon was looking out for someone specific. He couldn't see them anywhere, but Dane appeared in his line of sight, waving excitedly. In his usual bubbly way, he strode over to greet them. He was grinning from ear to ear, and his happiness was infectious. Rhys and Mattias must have spotted them, coming over from their left. They all shook hands and hugged, proud of their achievements and working together. Broken Phase's new album had been released at 6 p.m. on electronic platforms, and physical copies could be purchased in stores tomorrow. Dane began raving enthusiastically about how many listens the album had already had digitally and was clearly pleased that it was going so well. Rhys and Mattias were similarly pleased but were a little less extroverted by nature.
Dane was glancing at the door, and he, Mattias and Rhys would greet anyone who entered politely and thanked them for coming and for their support. Leon didn't miss how Dane looked slightly disappointed each time someone came in, and it wasn't whoever he was hoping it would be. Leon had a good idea of who he was looking forward to seeing. He wished that Zara would arrive soon too. She had declined when he'd offered for her to get a ride with him and Aaron, so he didn't know if she was on her way yet. Leon didn't want to seem needy and message her either.
For now, Leon and Aaron did their best to make small talk with everyone in attendance who they spoke to and make a good impression. It was going well so far, and Leon and Aaron were both working hard to see if they could drum up some other business with some of the other artists and bands in attendance tonight. Dane had been incredibly flattering in his recommendation of their work and talent, so Leon was pleased they had been approached a few times tonight and handed out some business cards. They enjoyed drinks and finger food as they chatted, and Leon occasionally glanced at the door to see if Zara had arrived yet.
A while later, Dane got his attention from a few metres away and gestured for him and Aaron to come to their group. Rhys, Mattias and another man that Leon guessed was the CEO of the record label were there. Everyone else in the room was promptly ignored, though, as he noticed Zara standing in their circle.
Everything else in the world ceased to exist when he laid eyes on her. The sounds of people talking and laughing, music, and clinking glasses faded into silence. Leon's mouth was dry as he looked at her, and his breath caught in his throat as he took in her appearance. Zara's hair was out, with the top half pulled back and the rest fell majestically over her back and shoulders. She had dark eye makeup on that made her hazel eyes stand out. She was wearing a black dress that appeared to be made of velvet from what he could see from this distance. The dress had a long split up one side ending just before her hip, revealing a toned leg, and he could see part of a tattoo on her thigh. His eyes dragged slowly upwards from her heeled foot, up her calf and thigh and continued over her hips and her chest. The neckline was a V-shape, showing more than Leon had ever seen since she usually wore t-shirts, and she was wearing a necklace with a black stone that hung just above her breasts. The material fit her perfectly, every curve of her body looking soft, and he was desperate to touch her. There was a physical ache in his chest since he knew she was just out of reach. For now.
No more being a coward, or second guessing himself. He wouldn't let another chance slip past him and mentally scolded himself for his million missed opportunities. Tonight, he resolved that he would tell her that he thought she was beautiful, that he was utterly infatuated with her and he wanted nothing more than to worship her until the day he died. He knew what his feelings were, and he wanted to be with her.
Swallowing thickly as Aaron ushered him over to the group with a hand on his back, Leon shuffled over silently, still gaping openly.
"Pleasure to finally meet you both, gentlemen, Vaughn Toledo." Vaughn said to them both, but Leon was just unable to focus on him.
"Nice to finally meet you in person, too. Aaron Grayn," Aaron said as he reached out and shook Vaughn's hand. "Just ignore him. It's like he's never seen an attractive woman before. This is Leon Salter. You look great, Zara."
Leon was aware that Aaron was talking about him, but he could only look at Zara, who had a hint of colour on her cheeks, after noticing that he was still staring at her. The group moved over to a nearby table, sat down together, and they all talked for a while before it was time for the speeches. Vaughn, Dane, Mattias and Rhys got up and headed to the stage. Zara had sat on a chair closest to the stage, but it was facing away from it, so she turned it toward the stage to see better. Leon had purposely ended up seated next to her and did the same with his own chair.
"Good evening, everyone," Vaughn said into the microphone, and the crowd quickly quietened down in response.
"Zara." He took the chance and leaned over to whisper to her.
"Yeah?" She responded, peeking over her shoulder to see him with her side profile.
"You look so beautiful." Leon complimented her breathlessly, doing his best to put all of his feelings into his tone and she smiled shyly over her shoulder at him.
Throughout the speeches, Leon was thanked a few times by Dane, Rhys, Mattias, and Vaughn as well, and smiled back at them when they looked at him. Once the speeches were done, Dane came down from the stage with a determined expression and approached Zara to ask her to dance with him. She accepted with a smile and followed him away from the table. Leon did his best to ignore them as they danced together, smiling and laughing.
After the song finished, Leon looked back over to see that Zara had disappeared from his line of sight. Dane came over to the table and patted his shoulder with gruff friendliness, and Leon took the hint to get up and follow him. They went over to the bar, and Dane asked the staff to make them a bunch of different cocktails, and he'd come and grab them in a few minutes to give them some time to prepare them. When he turned to Leon with a strangely serious expression, Leon was worried about what he was going to say.
"Do you think Zara will say yes if I ask her to leave with me?" Dane enquired with an uncharacteristically serious tone.
"Uhh, I don't know." Leon responded, doubting himself about the right way to answer. He didn't want to be mean since Dane was his friend, but he also desperately wanted Zara for himself.
Panic hit him like a tonne of bricks. He hadn't considered this in his equation. Dane was a nice guy; if Zara liked him, he didn't want to stop her from being happy with him. However, he'd resolved himself to at least tell her how he felt about her tonight. He would simply have to accept whatever choice she made.
"Hmm, okay." Dane crossed his arms over his chest, then spotted that Zara had returned to the table their group was sitting at.
They headed over to the table together, and Dane told them he was getting them all cocktails in his cheery voice, his earlier seriousness gone, before he returned to the bar to collect their drinks. Leon sat across from Zara and smiled brightly at her, hoping she was having a good time. The group talked and laughed together for a while but split up when Rhys and Mattias went to find some more food. Dane went to the bathroom, and Vaughn came to talk to him and Aaron about work and they agreed to meet up tomorrow to discuss more in depth while Vaughn was still in town.
Once Vaughn was called away to talk to someone else, Aaron went to the bathroom, leaving Leon with a perfect opportunity to speak to Zara, who was standing next to the table and looking at her phone. Sitting in his seat, he chewed his lip thoughtfully and felt his leg bouncing nervously as he assessed the situation. If he let the moment pass and did nothing, he would regret it later. He wouldn't miss another chance to let her know how he felt about her. Now or never…
Rallying all his courage, he got up, stood next to her and crossed his arms over his chest. Even with her heels on, the top of her head only reached his neck, and he looked down at her.
"Dane wants to ask you to leave with him." He shuffled a little closer so he could lower his voice, and he couldn't deny that he leaned closer than he needed to. She smelled divine.
Leon wanted to gauge her reaction to see what she thought about Dane's interest in her. If she seemed keen on the idea, he would at least tell her how he felt about her and she could make her own decision from there.
"Does he now?" Zara asked him with a raised eyebrow, glancing sidelong at him.
Leon wasn't sure how to respond since all he could think about was kissing her. Words just weren't going to cut it, and after steadily becoming more interested in her, something had to be done. He had missed too many chances; he would feel absolutely idiotic if he didn't put up some kind of resistance toward her leaving with Dane. If she wanted to, he would have to accept it, but he didn't have to accept it quietly. He was confident that some of her shy smiles and blushes tonight indicated that he at least had a chance.
"Don't go with him." He said, not as eloquently as he hoped. In fact, he sounded desperate, like a man dying of thirst when water was within his reach.
"Why not? Is he actually an asshole?" Zara turned toward him as she spoke.
Leon couldn't lie to her; Dane was a great guy. He shook his head anyway but wasn't sure what else to say to convince her not to go with him. At this point, all he could do was make his feelings and intentions known and hope that she reciprocated them. He relaxed his arms, and lost the fight with himself to keep his hands to himself. Resting one hand on her waist, he brought the other up to her face.
"Because," He brushed some hair away from her ear and leaned closer again, whispering. "I want you to come home with me."
It was as straightforward as he was ever going to get, but he was proud of himself for taking the plunge. If she denied him, that would be hard, but he would respect her answer. Normally, he wasn't so blunt and wouldn't immediately proposition someone to come home with him, but Zara was different.
As he pulled back, he dropped his other hand to her waist. Zara seemed surprised by his offer, and he observed her carefully as she took a breath and sipped her drink as she thought it over; the cogs turning her mind were almost visible. The seconds dragged on like they were hours as he waited for her to respond. She tilted her head back and finished her drink in one mouthful before she turned to face him and nodded sharply.
"Well then...shall we?" She said nonchalantly, and he was momentarily stunned.
His jaw dropped, and his eyes went wide. Even though he'd desperately hoped she would agree to his proposition, he hadn't actually expected it to happen. Now, he was stuck in a strange moment where he had asked the question but hadn't been prepared for her to agree, and he must have looked thrown off guard. Probably looked like an idiot.
"Wait, what?" Leon blurted out, too stunned to stop himself.
"Let's go, then," Zara said as she looked up at him with a smile that melted his insides and made his heart race. She stepped into him, putting her hands against his chest, nudging him towards the exit.
Leon blinked slowly as her words finally sunk in…