The Castillo's Caregiver

20. Harry.

The breath leaves my body the moment I hear the door slam, and I suddenly want to take back the past five minutes as Kate's words echo painfully in my head, like a bad song. This is what I get for eavesdropping.

Why didn't I just stay put?

Why did I let my curiosity drag me here to hear these things...

Why didn't I just sit still on his bathroom floor... crying silent tears over the stick that had changed everything in a few seconds...

I don't hear Leo's footsteps on the stairs on time, so when he rounds the top and bumps into me, I gasp out loud and jump back... my eyes still clouded with tears from Kate's words.

Leo sighs deeply when his eyes settle on me, and his gaze softens.

"How much of that did you hear?" he asks solemnly.

"Enough." I say between quivering breaths, and he takes a step closer.

"Olivia—"

"I gotta hand it to her, she gives a good speech." I muster out, my words hitching in my awful attempt of trying to stop the tears.

"Listen, don't pay any attention to anything Kate said—"

"And why not?" I ask, taking heavy breaths as I look at Leo questioningly.

"Because..." he begins, his grey eyes observing me as he trails off. "Because it's Kate. She will say anything in any scenario to make herself look like the perfect answer or the heroine. It's what she's always done, except this time around I turned her down." Leo says, finally up close as he gently takes my hands in his.

"I won't let her take credit for what you did for me. And she reacted by trying to plant doubt and fear in my mind by saying all those things about us." He says and I step away from his hold at that last part.

"So... so the thought of me wanting to hold your hand or go on a date with you, scares you?" I can't help but ask and Leo's brows furrow with concern as he moves closer.

"Well no, but does it matter? I don't even think like that, and you shouldn't too." He says softly, pulling me back into his arms, but my mind is still stuck on Kate's words... along with the pregnancy test stick showing a glaring positive result in my purse... unable to help the feeling that something is wrong.

"We just got a good thing going here and we've got our rules, so---"

"Rules?!" I push Leo's hands away now as I glare at him, suddenly angry at him for everything.

Is he kidding? That's why he feels calm about everything she said?

Because he can rely on rules?

"You mean the same rules we keep breaking? The same rules you talked about taking off just minutes ago? You want to rely on them, now?!" I demand, acting on the emotions as they come to me, my head flooded with scenarios of carrying his child and having his baby while he tells the whole world we had 'rules' so he's not committed.

"Haven't we always relied on them? I know we've broken a couple, but we've never taken them off and you've been fine with us like that. So why are you letting Kate get to you now?"

"Because what if she's right?!" I demand now, letting it out as I stagger back a bit in tears. "What if I eventually want those things or maybe something else? Did you think of that, Leo? Maybe I might like it when you cuddle me or when we pillow talk in the dark. Maybe I don't hate the thought of forehead kisses so much and it won't be so bad to hold your hand in public. What if that becomes our reality?"