Page 149 of Reconciling With the Rival

“Ah!” I get up and hug him, Paige joining a few seconds later. “We won!”

“Sorry, Leo,” Grant says, and I smack him.

“It’s alright, mate. Ella isn't the type to let me win anyway,” he smirks before sipping his drink.

“Exactly.” I smile as I check the time. “Oh, shit. We have like ten minutes until the clock strikes midnight. I’m going to go grab the champagne.”

I saunter toward Leo’s kitchen, grabbing the champagne from the ice pail and shaking off the condensation as two arms wrap around me from behind.

“I’ll grab the glasses if you pour,” Leo says into my ear.

I smile to myself. “Okay.” He heads to his cabinets and grabs a few, setting them gently on the counter. “Don’t forget Oliver and Paige aren't having any, so can you grab the sparkling juice?”

“I know, darling,” he says, looking at me as I start to pop it, careful to not let it fly anywhere.

As I pour the glasses for each of us, I’m all too aware of Leo’s eyes on me the entire time. I’ve always been able to do that—tell when he’s looking at me. Even when I hated him, I was always aware of his eyes.

“Can I help you or are you going to stare at me all night?”

He sighs heavily. “Can’t I just look at my gorgeous, sexy girlfriend without being berated for it?”

“You should know nothing with me ever comes easily.”

“Well—”

I pin his eyes with a stare. “Don’t even, Zimmerman.”

He throws both of his hands up in defeat. “Woah, not the surname, Ella. I thought we were past that.”

I throw him a wink as I fill the glass.

“Here I was, thinking we could have a nice conversation before we ring in our first new year together.”

“Well, that can still happen,” I say as I look at him across the table. “What did you want to talk about?”

He says nothing before he slides a small key toward me.

“What’s this?”

“A key.”

I roll my eyes. “Well, duh. But why are you giving it to me?”

He slides around the table and joins me by my side. “I’m not giving it to you, Ella.”

“I’m so confused right now,” I say as I face him, holding the key up. “Elaborate, or I’m shoving this somewhere you’ll never be able to get it out from.”

He only laughs at me. “It’s a metaphor of sorts.” He reaches out and takes it from me. “It’s the key to my flat. Now, it’s yours.”

“Leo, I told you—”

“I know you love living with my sister, Ells,” he tucks a stray piece of my curly hair behind my ear, “but when you’re ready, you’ll always have a place here waiting for you.”

“Hence the metaphor, I see.”

“Exactly, darling. I didn't want to pressure you because this is still very new and I could piss you off in eighty different ways tonight alone.”

“True.” I smirk at him.

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