Page 93 of The Layover
Well, I’m not sure if I’m avoiding Leon, or if it’s only right to give him some space. He seems to be enjoying himself so I assume that, whether or not he spoke to Kayleigh, he’s made his peace with it.
I just feel like such an intruder.
I came here for Marcus, to steal him away and break up the wedding. Leon wouldn’t have even given me the time of day if we hadn’t been stuck in that airport. We wouldn’t even have met if …
There’s a distant little whisper of a thought that says,Maybe that’s fate.
But I’m being ridiculous. If there’s one thing I have learned about myself in the last twenty-four hours, it is that I amveryridiculous. Especially when it comes to romance.
As the evening draws in, the tables are moved away to clear space on the terrace for a dance floor. The band is replaced by a DJ and the drinks flow more liberally. The first dance will be coming up soon; I wonder if I’ll be able to sneak off to bed a bit early once the party has started.
I nip inside to check into my room, which I never got around to this morning, and after collecting my key and being told my things will be taken up for me, I stop by the loos on my way back out to touch up my lipstick.
Gemma was right; it is my colour.
I’m not sure if it’s the lipstick or the lingerie nobody but me knows I’m wearing or the release of finally letting go of Marcus, but Ifeelrejuvenated. Like a better version of myself, someone I was too scared to be before now.
Someone a bit bolder, and a bit more confident.
When I come out into the corridor outside the toilets, I collide with someone leaving the men’s.
‘Oof!’
‘Sorry, sorry, I – oh,’ Leon says. He’s caught my elbow to keep me from toppling over in my heels when he bumped into me, and doesn’t let go. ‘It’s you.’
‘Fancy seeing you here,’ I joke.
He pulls a face before laughing. ‘Come on, let’s get back out before we’re accused of fornicating again.’
He says this just as Marcus’s grandmother rounds the corner. She yelps, startled, and rushes past us. I lift a hand to my face, trying not to laugh as Leon flushes with embarrassment. He tugs on my elbow, leading us back to safer ground.
‘Are you alright?’ I ask him. ‘About … Did you speak to Kayleigh, in the end? I didn’t know whether to come and ask you earlier, or if … I didn’t want to intrude, or put my foot in it at all.’
‘You came out here to break up a wedding, and you’re worried about putting your foot in it?’
‘Oh, shut up. You know what I mean.’
He grins, but it fades quickly. ‘I didn’t speak to her. I was going to, but … I don’t know. Felt like a losing battle. I figured she’ll come around on her own if she wants to, and I don’t need to sacrifice my peace and happiness for her sake. I didn’t need to put my neck on the line just to end up making things worse, you know?’
He’s not holding onto me anymore, but I slip my arm through his. ‘I’m glad. You’re worth more than that, too, Leon.’
‘Thanks, Francesca.’ He looks at me earnestly and his voice is low, and slow, and the way he says my name sends a pleasant shiver down my spine; it makes me think of the almost-might-have-been kiss. I wonder if it makes him think about it, too, because suddenly he clears his throat and looks away, focusing on the ground in front of us as we walk back to the party. ‘So, um … Marcus. You didn’t …?’
‘I didn’t.’
‘Oh. I thought …?’
‘I was going to, but … At some point last night it stopped feeling like this grand romantic gesture and more like ripping off a plaster – like I was too far in to back out now, and like I owed it to myself to be honest with him and see how he felt, but … I didn’t need to put my neck on the line, either.’ Leon glances at me from the corner of his eye, and I smile. ‘It doesn’t matter how he feels – if he ever did feel anything for me.’
I don’t need to know; I won’t carry that uncertainty and regret around with me.
Because I finally know my own worth, and that’s more than enough.
‘It’s not … going to be weird for you at work? Seeing him all the time?’
‘Believe me, that office is more than big enough that our paths don’t have to cross if I don’t want them to. I think it’s about time I found some different work friends, anyway. They’re really not my sort of people. I only hung out with them for Marcus’s sake; I’m sure they won’t miss me too much.’
‘Speak of the devil,’ Leon mutters, snatching his arm away from mine, and I look up to see Marcus jogging away from the terrace to go to the loo.
