Katherine stood still, fingers curling slightly at her sides, trying not to let her nerves show. She was facing Leonard, who stood just outside his apartnt, a few feet away from her. Behind her, Felix and Irene were talking in hushed tones—though Katherine could feel Irene’s sharp gaze drilling into her back.
Leonard’s eyes were on her. Soft, unreadable. He looked at her in that way again—half-studying, half-rembering.
"You look pretty," he said, his voice quiet but clear.
Katherine blinked. A strange heat blood in her chest. She recovered quickly, offering a small smile. "Thank you."
Leonard nodded slowly, hands tucked into his pockets. "So... I guess you’re going out tonight?"
She glanced down at her dress, then back up. "Yeah. With Felix."
There was a beat of silence. Leonard’s expression flickered, sothing subtle—a pause in his breath, a slight pull of his lips.
"Oh," he murmured, then tried to adjust his tone. "Then Irene’s here to babysit, I guess?"
"Nice guess." Katherine tried to sound light, but her voice had an edge of tension.
Leonard shifted his stance. "You know," he added with a little smile, "you could’ve asked . I’d have watched them."
She hesitated, then said softly, "Felix asked Irene earlier... and honestly, we usually ask her for help, so yeah..."
"Yeah," Leonard echoed, nodding again, though his voice lacked warmth now.
Before anything more could be said, Irene swooped in like a force of nature. She latched onto Katherine’s arm and pulled her away from Leonard without so much as acknowledging him.
"I cannot believe he’s in the picture again. Living across the hall?" Irene hissed under her breath. "Katherine. You didn’t tell ."
"I wanted to," Katherine whispered, eyes darting back toward Leonard. "I just—I’ve been overwheld. With the kids, with everything..."
"Overwheld or not, I’m your best friend," Irene snapped. "You’re supposed to tell stuff like this. Now I walk in and he’s right there like he never left? I nearly fainted."
Katherine opened her mouth, but Irene held up a hand. "Nope. Save it. I’m not happy about this. Not at all. But," she softened just a touch, "you and Felix have a big night ahead, so go. We’ll deal with this later."
With a gentle but firm push, Irene guided her toward Felix, who t Katherine halfway. Their shoulders bumped lightly, and Felix instinctively reached out, his arm curling around her waist to steady her.
Their eyes t—brief but grounding. Katherine’s lips parted slightly, but before she could speak, a low, intentional ahem cut the mont.
She turned her head to see Leonard still standing nearby, smile polite but eyes a little too sharp. He hadn’t missed a thing.
"Well," Felix said, clearing his throat, "we should head out now."
Katherine nodded, exhaling slowly. "Right. The twins."
She turned and called, "Maya, Nathan! You can co out now!"
Katherine hadn’t ant to keep them waiting this long. It had just slipped her mind, in the midst of trying to keep everything together, to make sure the twins weren’t caught in the crossfire of whatever this was. She didn’t want them to see the flickering between Irene and Leonard.
She’d had no choice but to send them off, even if the timing felt off, even if the excuse she’d given—go play in your room, sweethearts—had been a half-hearted attempt to protect them from the frustration building between the adults.
They knew when things were off, when people were not at their best.
The twins ca bounding out of their room, already dressed in pajamas, their faces alight with curiosity. "Mommy! Can we say goodnight to Uncle Leonard?"
Katherine glanced at Irene, who looked like she was one second away from bursting into a lecture in front of the kids. She mouthed please to Irene.
Irene sighed. "Fine."
The twins ran up to Leonard and gave him quick hugs. "Bye-bye, Uncle Leonard!" Maya chirped. "See you tomorrow maybe?"
Leonard knelt slightly to their level, affection softening his posture. "Of course, sweetheart. Sleep tight, okay?"
As they started back toward Irene, Leonard rose and turned his gaze on Felix and Katherine again.
"So," he said, voice casual but not really, "where are you going?"
Irene crossed her arms, already stepping forward. "I don’t think that’s any of your business."
Leonard smiled without looking at her. "Good thing I wasn’t asking you."
Katherine could feel the heat rising in Irene’s face without looking. Her best friend huffed, clearly fuming.
Leonard turned to Katherine and Felix. "I an it. Just wondering where you’re headed. That’s all."
Felix kept his voice level. "Just dinner."
Leonard nodded, gaze flicking between them. "Nice. Well... enjoy."
Katherine took a step forward, placing a hand gently on Leonard’s arm. "It’s probably best if you head back inside now. I really don’t want a bloodbath in the hallway."
Leonard let out a breath that could’ve been a laugh. "Fair."
He glanced once more toward Felix, who had taken a careful step closer to Katherine again. Then Leonard’s eyes fell back on her.
"Have a good ti, Katherine," he said, a bit more sincerely this ti.
"I’ll try," she replied softly.
With that, Leonard turned and quietly retreated into his apartnt, door clicking shut behind him. The mont it closed, it felt like the tension in the air lessened—but not by much.
Katherine turned back to Irene, who was watching her with a mix of disbelief and concern.
"I know what you’re thinking," Katherine said before Irene could open her mouth. "We’ll talk later."
"We will," Irene said, eyebrows still raised. "Trust ."
Felix reached for Katherine’s hand again and gave it a light squeeze. "Let’s go?"
"Let’s go."
They walked together down the hallway, side by side. Behind them, the twins waved from the doorway, and Irene was already herding them inside.
As they reached the elevator, Katherine looked back one more ti at the closed doors. Leonard’s door. Her own.
I hope everything goes well, she thought.
But deep down, she wasn’t so sure.
Reviews
All reviews (0)