Felix sat deeper into the corner of the sofa, one ankle resting casually over his knee, but his posture was deceptive. Beneath the polished veneer of composure, his muscles were coiled tight, his shoulders angled subtly toward the other side of the room where Leonard stood. His eyes tracked the man’s every movent.
Leonard lingered near the edge of the coffee table. "You still keep this old album?" Leonard’s hand rested on the worn leather cover sitting beside him, the one Katherine had pulled out earlier when the twins had asked about their family tree. He flipped a page with care, his gaze dropping to a photograph. "This one... I rember that day. It was at the old park, wasn’t it? Before they renovated the swings."
Katherine’s smile was small, polite, but it didn’t light up her face. "Yes."
Felix’s jaw tightened. Before he was in the picture. He leaned back further, as if settling in, but his fingers drumd idly against the armrest. "You rember that park?" he cut in, his tone easy but laced with a subtle challenge. "I can barely recall what I had for lunch last Tuesday."
Leonard looked up at him, one eyebrow lifting. "So mories stick," he said simply, his gaze sliding back to Katherine.
Felix’s lips curved into sothing that could be mistaken for amusent. "Depends on whether they’re worth keeping."
Katherine glanced between them, the blanket smoothing under her palms a little too long, as if the repetitive motion helped her keep her composure. "We should... probably put the album away before it gets damaged."
But Leonard wasn’t done. He tapped another photo with the pad of his finger. "Do you rember this trip? You wore that ridiculous sunhat."
Katherine gave a quiet laugh, the kind that didn’t reach her eyes, and nodded. "I do."
Felix could almost feel sothing inside him coil tighter. He knew Leonard was doing it on purpose. Bringing up monts that existed before Felix had a chance to be part of her life. It was subtle, but the ssage was there: I was here first.
He shifted forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Speaking of trips," Felix said, directing his words to Katherine, "I was thinking of taking you and the twins sowhere this weekend. Sowhere fun."
Katherine’s gaze flicked to him briefly, and she offered a faint smile. "That’s thoughtful."
Leonard’s hand stilled on the album page, though he didn’t look up. "Funny timing," he said. "I was planning to take them to the botanical gardens on Saturday."
Felix’s mouth curved into a sharper smile. "Then maybe you should clear it with their mother first."
Leonard’s eyes t his, steady and unflinching. "Of course. That’s why I’m ntioning it now."
The air between them was deceptively still, but Katherine could feel the current running beneath it. She stood, lifting the album and closing it with a soft thud. "I’ll... think about it. Let’s not argue over plans right now."
Felix leaned back again, but this ti he didn’t bother hiding the way his gaze followed Leonard. His fingers curled loosely against the fabric of his pants, his mind replaying the earlier mont when Leonard had hovered too close, the way his hand had brushed Katherine’s arm when she coughed, as if it were his place to worry.
"Drink?" Felix asked suddenly, pushing himself to his feet.
Leonard shook his head. "No, thank you."
Felix turned toward Katherine. "You?"
She hesitated, then shook her head as well.
"Suit yourselves." He stepped toward the kitchen, his strides unhurried, though each step felt like a release valve for the tension he’d been holding. The mont he was out of their direct line of sight, he leaned a palm against the cool marble counter, exhaling slowly. His reflection in the darkened kitchen window stared back at him, jaw set, eyes still sharp with the irritation he’d been masking.
He filled a glass with water, letting the sound of it pour give him sothing mundane to focus on. From the living room, he could still hear their voices, quieter now, but not quiet enough for him to miss Leonard’s low tone and Katherine’s occasional soft responses.
His grip on the glass tightened. Leonard had been here too long.
Felix took a slow sip, the cool water doing nothing to wash down the irritation knotting in his chest.
Not that Felix planned to leave anyti soon. He wasn’t exactly in a rush. If anything, he could outstay Leonard without even trying. He had things to say to her now. The real things. About her day. About the kids. And more importantly, about that stupid gossip about his engagent.
Leonard, though? It was always the sa. The past. And not even a good past.
Felix set the glass down a little harder than necessary, watching the ripple of water inside. What was the point in rehashing old wounds?
Leonard’s stories were the kind that scratched at old scars, the kind Katherine had no business being dragged back into. And from the sound of it, Leonard wasn’t letting go anyti soon.
Part of him wanted to return to the room, slide back into the conversation with his usual smirk and undercut Leonard’s every word. Another part of him, the more primal, less patient part, wanted to walk in and make it very clear that Leonard’s ti was up.
From where he stood, he could see the faint outline of Leonard through the doorway, still standing just a bit too close to Katherine, who was now gathering the twins’ things into a neat pile on the coffee table. The sight made sothing in Felix’s chest tighten, the faintest edge of possessiveness curling through his thoughts.
How long is he planning to stay?
Felix straightened, his hand resting lightly on the doorfra as he debated his next move. If Leonard thought he could keep hovering like this, he was wrong.
The question wasn’t if Felix would put an end to it, it was whether he’d do it with words... or by dragging the man to the door himself.
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