Leila
I’m so comfortable right now, I don’t want to move.
Aiden’s breath hits my skin, and I know he’s awake. I wonder how long he’s been watching me sleep, how many times he’s pressed his lips against my forehead and whispered ‘I love you’ against my skin. I’ve caught him doing that a few times.
It’s the best way to wake up. My leg flung around his waist, my arms wrapped around him, not wanting to let go. It’s crazy that mere months ago, he wasn’t in my life. I couldn’t ever imagine getting this close to another person like I have with Aiden.
When my eyes flutter open and I look up at his face, he’s smiling down at me. God, I really like his smile. “What time is it?” I slur, still half asleep. We may have stayed up all night kissing and talking and making love… and more kissing. It was so much fun.
“A little after two,” he says, brushing the strands of my hair out of my face and leaning in to kiss my forehead. I let out a sigh, melting at his touch. He hasn’t stopped kissing me since, and I revel in it, loving every one of his touches.
“We should get out of bed soon,” I murmur, pulling the covers down.
He stops me, pulls me into him, and buries his head in my neck, pressing his lips all over my skin. “A little longer,” he mumbles. “Don’t want to let you go yet.”
I let out a laugh, turning to look at him. “You’ve had me all weekend.”
“Not long enough.”
I have to agree. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of him. But I have a feeling that It’s not the only reason he doesn’t want to leave this room. “Are you nervous?” I ask him, running my hands along his abs, smiling when I feel him flexing under my touch. I love his body, love the hard ridges of his torso, how he’s so hard against my soft. “About the drug testing?”
He lets out a sigh. “Unless someone snuck drugs in my drink again, then I’m clean.”
I still can’t believe Jordan did that, knowing how Aiden feels about drugs it must have scared him out of his mind that someone he considered a friend would ever do that to him. “Then why are you so tense?”
He turns, wrapping his arms around me and places his chin on my head. “Everything is going to be different,” he says. “None of the guys are going to respect me anymore. I probably won’t be captain.” I know how hard Aiden has worked to make the team look up to him, and the thought of him being made a fool of brings an ache to my chest. “I don’t really want to think of anything else right now,” he whispers. “I just want to be in bed with you a little longer.”
A flutter of guilt flashes through me, knowing he’s only in this mess because he wanted me to forgive him. “I didn’t tell you to do that, you know?” I peer up at him. “I would never have let you release the pictures if I knew.”
He shakes his head, pressing a kiss against my cheek. “I know Leila. It was all on me, I needed to do it.”
My hand freezes on his stomach. “Are you worried about seeing Jordan?”
He glares, his hand squeezing my bare hip. “Please. Don’t say his name when you’re naked in bed with me.”
I laugh, pressing my lips together. “Sorry.”
“I hate the thought of that asshole ever seeing you like this,” he says running his hand over my skin. “I wish I would have met you sooner. Seen you right when you came to Redfield.” He stares into my eyes. “You wouldn’t have ever had to meet guys like him.”
I love him for saying that. The smile on my face tries to convey that, but it falls weak. “You probably wouldn’t have even given me a second look.”
His smile is wiped clean, his face shattering. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Aiden,” I sigh. “You didn’t even notice me until you needed to get my number. I don’t hold that against you, but it’s the truth.”
He shakes my head, breathing out a laugh. “I remember a very different first impression of you.”
I narrow my eyes. “You do?”
He nods, shuffling closer to me. “At the bar, about a year ago,” he murmurs, running his hands over my body like he physically can’t stop touching me. “When I was working, Rosie came over and ordered a beer for you. I told her it was on me.”
I still, flashes of the night Aiden bought me a drink flooding my mind. “I didn’t think you’d remember that.” When I looked at him, he was talking to another girl and I thought nothing of it. I didn’t know it would eventually bring me here, with him.
“You were talking to someone else,” he says, smiling down at me. “Laughing, smiling, all for some other guy. I didn’t think you even noticed me.”
I did. I noticed him even though I desperately didn’t want to. “If I knew…”
He shakes his head. “Don’t worry about that, gorgeous. I have you now.”
I smile, my heart thumping against my chest. “I wouldn’t want to go back.”
“No?”
I shake my head. “I like our story.”
He smiles. “I love our story.” He rubs his thumb over my cheeks. “Who knew a game of spin the bottle would bring me to you,” he jokes, shooting me a smirk.
I let out a laugh. “You’ll have to thank Gabi for that.”
“Thank you, Gabi,” he mutters, pressing his lips against mine.
I reluctantly pull away from him, and turn toward the phone ringing on my nightstand. I reach over to grab it, smiling when I see my sister’s name on the screen. I accept the FaceTime call, Laura’s face filling the screen.
“You’re still in bed?
I let out a laugh. “Hi to you too.”
She squints. “Who does that shoulder belong to?”
I turn to Aiden, who’s grinning when he pops his face into the screen. “Hi.”
My sister’s eyes widen when she sees Aiden sitting next to me in bed, shirtless. “Well, it’s nice to meet you…”
“Aiden,” he finishes for her.
She turns to face me, and I shrug. “It’s new?” I offer.
She laughs, letting out a sigh. “I can see that you’re happy.” I can’t help but look at Aiden when she says that.
“Yeah,” I say, looking into his eyes. “I am.”
“¿Laura, con quién estás hablando?” Who are you talking to?
My sister’s eyes widen at my mom’s voice. “Oh shit.”
“Leila?” Her face pops up on the screen, my sister mouthing ‘I’m sorry’ at me. I haven’t spoken to my mom since I hung up on her, and seeing her again makes my stomach cramp. “Leila, mija, quería hablar de—” The words die on her tongue when her eyes dart to Aiden who smiles at her. “Leila,” she says in a serious voice. “¿Por qué hay un chico en tu cama?” Why is there a boy in your bed?
My sister laughs, pressing her hand to her mouth, and I let out a breath. “Because he’s my boyfriend, Ma,” I tell her, hating how her eyes squint, questioning me. “This is Aiden. We’re dating.”
“Hi, Mrs. Pérez,” Aiden says, squeezing my hand under the covers. “It’s nice to meet you.”
She presses her lips together, eyeing me. “Leila, mi amor,” she starts, my heart beating with the anticipation of whatever words are going to come out of her mouth and make me question everything about myself. “¿Estás feliz?” Are you happy?
I freeze, wondering if I heard that right. My sister glances at my mother, also in shock and Aiden squeezes harder. I clear my throat. “Yes, Mom,” I reply in English, so Aiden knows exactly what she asked me. “I’m very happy.”
My mother nods, her lips lifting in a smile. “Then It’s wonderful to meet you too, Aiden,” she says to my boyfriend. When she turns to me, her expression sobers. “I wanted to talk to you. I’d like to apologize,” she tells me. “I should have never said any of those things to you, Leila. You are my daughter, you are beautiful, and smart and talented. I just wanted you to have the best life you could have.”
Hearing her apologize is all I’ve ever wanted. I’ve dreamed of hearing these words from her, that she loves me, that she still sees me as beautiful even if I’m bigger than her, that she wants me to be happy. But actually hearing her say it, makes my heart ache for what I went through as a little girl, all the pain she caused me. “I can still have that, Mom,” I tell her. “My weight has nothing to do with my happiness. I am happy, and I want to love myself, but it’s hard to do that when you don’t love me.”
Her mouth drops as she shakes her head. “Of course, I love you, Leila. I just—”
“You just told me I wasn’t pretty enough.” Aiden’s hand tightens around mine. “You just said I would have a better life if I was thin. Well, I’m not. I’m not thin, and I probably never will be, but I’m okay with that. I just need you to let me live my life without the comments about my body. That’s all I need you to do. Can you do that, Mom?”
She’s quiet for a while, and my eyes dart to the corner of the screen where my dad is standing by the door, arms crossed over his chest. The smile on his face says everything without him ever uttering a word. I’m proud of you. And I’m proud of myself too, for finally telling my mom how I feel, and putting myself first.
“I can do that,” she finally says.
All the tension in my shoulders lifts when I let out a breath. “Thank you.”
She nods, smiling at me before she turns to Aiden. “You better take care of my daughter,” she tells him.
“I will,” he tells my mom, smiling at her. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure she’s happy.”
