Little Doll

Chapter 13: Theirs

Arabella

"It's alright Leon. I can walk or get the bus. You must have work" I tried to get through to him, but instantly fell silent as he gave my thigh a squeeze.

Giving him a shy side glance, I quickly looked away as I realised he was staring straight at me with a wicked smile on his face.

Pulling up in one of the bays outside the main University building, I sunk in my seat as I looked out at the busy bustle of students.

Oh no. This is why I'm always early.

Bringing my fingers to my mouth, I began to chew on them in fear of walking out in an outfit I wouldn't normally wear.

What if I look stupid? What if I attract perverts? What if I split my trousers?

What was I thinking?

But somehow sensing my distress, Leon effortlessly picked me up and positioned me on his lap.

"Look at me" he demanded, but I couldn't take my eyes off the people walking around the car. 

"Look at me little girl!" he said more sternly as he gripped my jaw.

Having no other choice but to look at him, he ran his hand along my cheek and placed my hand on top of his chest.

"I-I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm getting so worked up" I sighed in defeat.

A lone tear fell from my eye as I tried focusing on Leon's steady heartbeat.

"Baby" he whispered out as he gently wiped the tear away.

"Tell me what's wrong. I'll fix it. You have been alone for far too long. But both Alec and I are here now. So baby, tell me why you're upset".

Occasionally glancing out the window in paranoia, the windows suddenly tinted black, dimming the outside world.

Looking back at Leon, I smiled at him gratefully as he retracted his finger away from one of the many buttons.

"Now, answer my question" he muttered as he relaxed back into the driver's seat with me still positioned on his lap.

"I'm not sure. I guess since being away from University, it's made me realise how unhappy I was. I'm not sociable like all these people. I feel like I don't fit in and truthfully, I think I chose to go to University because it would open doors. But now that I think about it, I hate confrontation and I chose the one field of work where that's what I'll be exposed to. The moment someone shouts at me, I cry. I just don't know what to do with my life".

Feeling frustrated and embarrassed, I lay my head on Leon's hard chest and sighed heavily as the smell of his cologne hit my every sense. Most people describe male cologne as strong, musky or mouthwatering. But his scent was comforting. Didn't know that was such a thing, but it was.

Feeling Leon's hands snake up my waist and rest on my lower back, he tilted his head to the side as if he was trying to assess me.

"Let me give you a tip from my years of work. If you feel lost, go back to the start. And so that's what we will do right here, right now".

Frowning at his words, I scrunched my eyebrows up in confusion taken aback that he wasn't telling me to just keep going.

"If you could choose any job in the world, what would you want to do?".

Fiddling with my fingers, I took a couple of moments to think. Since my life crumbled, all I could focus on was just finding a way to make and keep me financially independent. I chose a course with no real understanding. I loved the idea of business, but the truth was I didn't want any involvement in this world. But I couldn't drop out. I couldn't afford to. So I had to keep going in a field I hated.