More Than Just A Friend (A Bruno Mars Fan Fic)

Chapter 68

Tues 24th Dec 2019

2 days later

Boston

He loves how happy and relaxed Leila is with her family, he hasn't seen her like this since a few days before their party on Friday and since she told his family that she wouldn't be doing karaoke and why on Sunday it's been awkward and tense between her and his sister Jaime and he'd actually felt relieved when they had headed to the airport to come to Boston after having breakfast with his family this morning and he's hoping that a bit of time and space apart is all that's needed for Leila and Jaime to be ok with each other again and he's brought out of his thoughts when Leila's sister Olivia comes and stands beside him and she points to the photo he's holding in his hand and tells him, I don't know what I was thinking wearing that dress to prom and he laughs a little and tells her, you look great in it and she makes a face at him and he puts the photo back onto the cabinet shelf and he asks her, why aren't there any photos of your sister in her prom dress and Olivia moves closer to him and whispers to him, we don't talk about that, ever and Bruno feels confused and asks her, why and she looks over at her dad and her brother Jordan who are sitting on the sofa playing the x box and she looks at him and quietly tells him, I can't tell you, you'll have to ask Leila about it, but tread carefully and ask her about it when you're alone with her, I better go back to the kitchen and help mom and Leila with dinner and she calls out, dinner will be ready soon guys and she leaves the lounge quickly leaving Bruno feeling confused about what Olivia had told him and curious about her warning and about what she wouldn't tell him.

She smiles as she opens the door to her bedroom and see what's on each of their pillows and Bruno walks in behind her and closes the door and asks her, where did they come from and she walks over to the bed and looks at the stockings for each of them on top of their pillows with their names on them and she picks hers up and and tells Bruno, every Christmas Eve my mom puts a stocking on top of our pillows that we can open up, just little things, she always gives us all the same presents in them and Leila laughs and tells him, I think she started it to stop us kids from opening any of our presents under the Christmas tree, and even though we're older now, she still does it and Bruno smiles and tells her, that's sweet and she smiles and tells him, yeah, lets open them and they sit down beside each other on top of the bed and open their stockings and Leila laughs as they unwrap their gifts and sees that her mom has given them both a pair of red pyjamas with snow flakes on them, matching red slippers and a small gold tin filled with chocolate chip cookies and Bruno sniffs his cookies and tells her, these smell good and she smiles and tells him, they taste good too, my mom made them like she does every morning on Christmas Eve and Bruno smiles and tells her, these are great and he bites into a cookie and strokes the letters of his name on his stocking and she tells him, my mom made your stocking like she did for the rest of the family and Bruno looks surprised and she kisses his cheek and tells him, lets get ready for bed and they get undressed and put on the pyjamas and slippers her mom has given them and Leila uses her phone to take a photo of them both and as they stand beside each other brushing their teeth she's glad that her bedroom has a bathroom unlike her brother and sister who have to share a bathroom.

She feels relaxed and ready to fall asleep as she plays with Bruno's hair in bed and he asks her, why aren't there any photos of you in a prom dress Leila and she stiffens up and stops playing with his hair and rests her hand on top of his chest and tells him, because I didn't go to prom and he asks her, why not and she tells him, because I didn't want to go and he rests his hand over hers on his chest and asks her, why not, did you have a bust up with your boyfriend or didn't the guy you liked ask you to go to prom with him and she tells him, I didn't have a boyfriend in high school, I wasn't interested in any of the guys there and Bruno asks her, why not and she sits up feeling frustrated with his questions and asks him, what does it fucking matter and Bruno sits up and tells her, for you to get this upset then it obviously fucking matters, tell me why baby and Leila sighs and tells him, after the way I was treated especially by those who were suppose to be my friends in LA, I didn't want or even try to make friends here, I was always worried about somebody at school finding out about what had happened to me and being treated the way I had back in LA, I kept in touch with the few friends I had left in LA who had shown me I could trust them and I didn't want to get involved with any guys in high school because I was convinced that what had been said to me repeatedly back in LA was true and I wasn't a real girl anymore, when we were packing to move here I put all my skirts and dresses into a trash bag and had my mom donate them to the church and I got rid of anything that was girly and I dressed like a tomboy and Bruno puts his arm around her shoulders and kisses the side of her head and tells her, i'm sorry baby and she tells him, me too.