Tangled Fates

zara pov

I kept my phone aside after sending the message. I have never done such things, ever. And no, I was not forced by my father to do it. I just felt like doing it.
But now my heart is beating fast. What if I get ignored?
Will he be annoyed?
Will he think I am too clingy for him?
Will he-
My thoughts were interrupted by the notification of my phone.
With the speed of light I picked it back up and looked at the message.

Leo:

Good night!

I sighed and then kept the phone aside again for it to make another sound. I again picked it up and saw another message from Leo.

Leo:

Hope you haven't forgotten about our dinner tomorrow.

Oh yeah I am supposed to go on a date. I replied to him with a "no I haven't. Will be ready at 6!" And for the final time I kept my phone aside.
I stared at the ceiling not being able to sleep. But this time it was not the anxiety or overthinking that was keeping me awake. It was something totally different.
It was Leo. And what will happen tomorrow. I hope I don't annoy him. I already asked him too many questions. But somewhere deep down I knew that he would not get annoyed by me. Call it intuition or gut feeling but it is what it is.
I sighed. My eyes were getting heavy with each passing minute as the fatigue kicked in.

Next evening [6 pm]

I zipped up my dress. It was a black knee length dress with full sleeves. It looked pretty. I tied a bow in my hair and was ready after giving a touch up to my face. I twirled in front of the mirror when the door bell rang. I looked at the clock to see the time. 6:03 pm. He is on time. Punctual.
What else can I expect from such a successful buisnessman?
I quickly ran down and stopped when I saw my father sitting in the living room crossed leg.
"Going somewhere?" He looked up from his tab and stared at my dressed self.
"Uh yeah. Dinner with Leo." I said quietly. And he nodded when the door bell rang again. I rushed towards the door and opened it.
There he was. Standing in a tuxedo. Looking as fine as the first time I saw him.
"Hey." I said when I saw him trace his gaze down my body. My voice made him look at my face again.
And his eyes shined. Or it was just me.
"Hey... Ready to leave?" He asked.
I nodded.
"Yeah." I said. And then turned towards my father who was staring at us with a smile.
"We are leaving!" I said. And he smiled while nodding his head.
I looked back at Leo who was staring at my father. Something in his didn't set well with the small smile on his lips. But I ignored it.
"Let's go?" I asked him making him look back at me.
"Sure. And here." He said and then extended his left hand towards me which was behind his back all this time. And he gave me roses.
I stared at them and then looked up.
"For me?" I asked still unsure. I've never been in such a situation.
"Yes. I saw them and thought they matched so I brought them." He said. And it made me confused.
Matched?
"Matched?" I asked looking at him with a frown.
"With the color of your cheeks." It made me blush. "There... It matches perfectly."
I quickly started walking ahead after keeping the flowers on the table. And asking a house help to keep them in my room.
My first roses.
"I-i think we should get going.." I said.
And when I saw his face. There, that smirk. Again.
"Sure." He said walking beside me.

We reached a restaurant and settled in.
"Do you know this place?" I asked him.
"No, it's my first time here." He replied. It made me smile.
"Okay, then what will you order?" I asked him.
"You can order whatever you want. I'll copy that." He replied. I looked at him.
"Why?" I asked. And he just shrugged.
"I trust your judgement." He said. And then looked around for a bit.
I couldn't help but feel my heart flutter.
After ordering our food, we sat there in silence for a few minutes. Until Leo spoke up.
"Congratulations" He said looking at me with a small lift of his lips. His smiles are there but they feel circumstancial. Like he smiles when he knows it's good to do it. But it's a small lift of his lips. I wonder what his real smile looks like.
"For what?" He raised his eyebrows.
"For the big deal your company was able to sign." He said.
He remembered.
That's big.
"Oh, thankyou." I smiled.
Soon our food arrived. We talked and ate. Leo said he wanted to get to know me. So he asked me many questions. Many of them were about my childhood and all. But I was happy to answer.
Once I asked him about his childhood so he stopped eating and almost changed the topic. And dodged my question by giving a vague "normal" As an answer. I realised it must be a sensitive topic for him. So I didn't ask about it further. But he told me about everything else.
His best friend Aiden. And his Italian origins. And some of the good tourist spots of Italy.
I even asked him if he knew how to make pizza and he looked at me and laughed.
A hoarse sound that made my insides tingle with the anticipation to crack every joke I knew just to hear him laugh again.
It was like I got an instant boost of dopamine.
After we were done. He took me back to my house and that's when I realised. That it's the part where the main leads kiss. In movies of course but aren't they made on true events?
I got out of the car when Leo opened the gate for me.
"Thankyou for tonight." I smiled at him as he pushed the gate close.
"Thank you for tonight." He repeated leaning against the door.
I gave him a questioning look. And he chuckled.
"I took you on a date. But you agreed to go on a date. So thank you." He said.
I smiled again.
God, I don't think I've smiled this much in a day before.
He then stood straight with his hands in his pocket.
So, now what?
I asked myself. But every voice inside my head quitened and the alarms went off when he approached me.
So close that our chest touched.
I stared into his eyes. Not daring to look anywhere else.
His one hand went near my ear, tucking a strand of hair behind my ears. I didn't even need a mirror to realise I was red right now.
His face came closer to mine. And his hand stayed at its place. And his fingers went to my hairs.
He must've sensed my nervousness.
What if-
My thoughts were intruppted when he kissed my cheeks. And stepped back.
Coldness. That's what I felt.
"Good night, zara." I let his last words wash over me as I saw him sit back in his car and leave.

My heart was still thumping loudly.