Making a Difference ~Book 2 of The Difference Series~ [BWWM] (Major Editing)

「Twenty-Three」~ Chapter Updated

Thanks goes out to @lindabiny (thanks for all the votes!) and @softball2397 (thanks for joining the hopeless romantic family!)

A/N: Sorry. I had to redo the chapter. I didn't like how I first wrote it.

A/N:  Never feel alone again. If you're feeling suicidal, please give a call to the hotline  1-800-273-8255.

The sun slowly set over the trees and there was a slight breeze. However, I ignored the slight chill as I spotted Leo standing on the side of the park's path. His arms were shoved into his pockets as he stared off in front of him. He looked deep in thought and he must have been extremely zoned out because he didn't notice me walking his way until I was only inches away. When our eyes locked, my heart went wild. For a moment, I thought the breath I had, had been lost. I was nearly speechless for a few seconds as I slowly allowed myself to smile softly. After all, it had been a few days since I had seen Leo.

"Louise," he said as he looked me over. He smiled. "You can't imagine how much I've missed you." Leo pushed the strand of hair out of my face as I stood there speechless. He had no idea. "Walk with me," he said as he grabbed my hand and lead the way. "You know, I never meant to hurt you."

I took a deep breath before answering. "I know." I didn't know what it was, but something told me he would never intentionally hurt me. I just needed the clarification I guess.

The wind blew softly for a moments pushing a few strands of hair back into my face. I softly tucked the strands behind my ear again. It was a nice day for a stroll through the park. "I'm sorry for what I did back than, Louise. I should have done my research as a lawyer. I guess I was just so blindsided by Kandy's story that I never thought she would be lying about it. Her story just reminded me so much of my best friend, Raven." Leo paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "She was going through a similar case and she died because of it."

This caught me off guard as I came to a halt and looked him in the eyes. It was obvious he was still hurting over the traumatic event. "What do you mean? What happened?"

"Raven ended up killing herself because she was losing her son," he said softly. I was unsure what to say to that. "I just always felt like it was my fault."

I shook my head. "It's not your fault," I told him as I squeezed his hand.

"In a way, it is my fault," he sighed as he walked over to the bench and took a seat. His hands ran through his hair as he fell back against the bench seat.

I took a seat next him and rubbed his back. "You got to stop beating yourself up."

"It's hard not to when I could have saved her. She wanted my help and I refused to help her."

So is that why he felt it necessary to help Kandy? "You couldn't have known."

Leo scoffed. "Still. She was my best friend. Almost like a sister. We grew up together. I could have found a way to help her with her situation. All she asked me is to help her get a lawyer because she had lost her job and she didn't want to lose her visitation rights again." Leo snorted. "But I said I couldn't help her because I was basically broke juggling bills and school all at once."

"You have to forgive yourself, Leo." I took his hand into mine and held it softly trying to help lift some of the guilt off his chest.

Leo looked at me with pain in his face. I was trying hard to be there for him. After all, a relationship was a two way street. "It's hard to forgive myself for Raven's death. If I had given her a chance in high school or, at least, found a way to let her down easier than I did when she told me her feelings, maybe she wouldn't have ended up in a relationship with that deadbeat. Maybe if I had insisted she needed a better guy after she told me how he cheated on her, she wouldn't had gotten back with the bastard when she gave birth to her son. Maybe if I had been a better friend and kept in contact more while I was in school, I would have known that the asshole had went to jail for stealing. Maybe if I had been there for her to support her when he went to jail, she wouldn't have turned to drugs. Maybe, if I had just taken a second to hear her out and tried to come up with a way to help her with her son, she wouldn't have killed herself and left a note saying she couldn't live without her son."

I was slowly connecting the dots. Kandy's made up story had "Leo, this guilt is just a demon strangling you little by little each day. You can't go on like this. You just need to make amends and let go. I'm pretty sure she doesn't blame you and the last thing she would want is for you to suffer each day."

Leo took a deep breath. "You're right." He held my chin in between his thumb and index finger and smiled softly. "This is why I can't lose you. I don't know what I'd do without you. I knew when we first officially met, that you would be mine forever," he said in a lower husky voice before planting a kiss on my lips.

It was warm and inviting and I felt the spark between us once again. I knew I didn't want to lose him either. The only thing that kept me on edge with wonder was fear itself.