*Bianca*
“Are you sure you haven’t heard from him?” I bit my nails nervously as I sat on the couch.
“No, not at all. Darion had a eting with them over sothing but that was hours ago. I’ll try to find out more, Bia. You stay ho and rest,” Taylor said soothingly through the phone.
“Okay,” I reluctantly said.
“Cheer up, I’m sure he’s just gone sowhere and lost track of ti.”
His attempts to cheer up weren’t that helpful but I appreciated it nonetheless as we hung up. I sighed, brushing a hand through my long hair. It had gotten thinner over my pregnancy and easily breakable and all this stress wasn’t helping.
“Leo, you are in so much trouble,” I muttered under my breath as I glanced out the window. It was dark out and Leo was supposed to have been ho hours ago. I searched through my phone to find out when his last text and call was.
He’d checked on in the afternoon, at 1:03 according to the call ti on my phone but after that, it had been radio silence. All my calls went to voicemail, and my texts were left unanswered. It was like Leo had dropped off the face of the planet in a matter of hours.
I didn’t know where he was or what he was doing but he’d better have a good excuse or I was going to raise hell when he ca back.
If he ca back, the back of my mind whispered to . I shook off that anxiety, reaffirming to myself that I didn’t know if anything had happened, that Leo was okay and just lost track of ti as Taylor said.
He’d co back to as soon as he could. We still have to get married.
I blinked back the tears in my eyes, staring up at the ceiling to hold them back as firmly as I could. My whole body trembled as a big ball of static anxiety continued to grow in the middle of my chest. It felt like it was constricting around my heart.
Leo would be back, I reaffird to myself.
But I couldn’t just sit here and wait.
I flinched as my ringtone broke through the tense air but my shock lasted only a mont before I dove for my phone and answered it without even looking. My heart thumped wildly in my chest as hope rose through the bitterness.
“Leo?” I exclaid hopefully.
“Not quite.” The cold tone that t was familiar but it didn’t stop the utter disappointnt that leashed its way around my throat as I heard it.
“Franky...” I said lifelessly. It wasn’t Leo after all. “Is Leo with you?”
“He is,” Franky responded curtly and I perked up imdiately, the worry for my soon-to-be husband overflowing.
“Is he okay? Why hasn’t he been answering? Did sothing happen or did he lose his phone? He’s not hurt, is he?” The questions blurted out of my mouth at rapid speed and I couldn’t stop it in the slightest.
It was only once my questions died down and I fell into a tense silence thatFranky responded.
“Leo is...” Franky hesitated, then sighed, “He’s not hard. I’m with him at a bar downtown right now. He got so rather...unsettling news and he’s not taking it too well. I tried to talk him out of it but he’s drunk right now. Could you pick him up and take him ho before he kills his liver?”
Well...it wasn’t the answer I was hoping for. Doubts word their way into my mind but still, I wanted to believe in Leo.
“Send the address,” I sighed, “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
As we hung up, my hand clutching my phone fell into my lap. I pursed my lips in deep thought, my eyebrows furrowing together as I thought about Franky’s words. Unsettling news? Enough that it led Leo to get drunk and not even be able to respond to my texts or calls?
Whatever had happened, it was ti for Leo to co ho now.
I rose from the couch with a bit of difficulty, using my breathing exercises as I took every step slowly. I felt like I was carrying double my weight at this point but I slipped on my shoes and went outside anyway.
I wasn’t willing to drive when I was so heavily pregnant and I knew a sober Leo would give hell if I did so I called out one of the drivers on standby. It didn’t take them long to arrive and I carefully slipped into the backseat.
“Where to, Miss?” The man asked with a polite smile despite how tired he looked. It was nearing midnight so I felt a little bad but this was his job. I told him the address Franky had said and despite the startled look he gave , he said nothing and we left on our way.
I sighed as I leaned back into the comfortable backseat and grabbed the heated blanket that Leo had stocked every car with just in case. My hands and feet felt a bit warr under the blanket and I just snuggled up as I stared out the window.
The flashing neon lights of downtown LA were as obnoxious as always and soon, we were pulling into the parking lot of a rather run-down building. It felt familiar to and I rember being here once or twice before but the details were fuzzy to my tired and hormone-drunk brain.
“Do you need to go inside with you?” The driver asked with a frown, not even hiding the uneasy judgnt on his face as he stared at the dingy bar.
“No, I’m just picking up my future husband,” I said with a wry smile, taking a little pleasure in his startled look. I pulled myself out of the car and the few steps it took to get into the bar. The bell above the door chid as I entered and imdiately the sll of alcohol, rust, and body odor hit like a truck.
I covered my face with my hand at the sll. Despite how crowded the bar was, full of drunk idiots rambling at the sports TVs or playing darts and billiards, it didn’t take long to find Leo and Franky.
They stood out in their fine suits, slumped over at the bar. The crowd practically parted for like the red sea as they saw coming, jumping out of the way as one guy yelled “Pregnant lady!”
I didn’t mind as it let make a beeline straight to my future husband, who as I ca closer I overheard was rambling on about nonsense.
“--so pretty and gorgeous and sweet—” Leo slurred his words a bit and Franky looked like he was nursing a headache with his head slumped onto the bar.
“You’d better be talking about ,” I crossed my arms staring the two of them down. I gave them an impatient look as Leo and Franky both whirled to face . Franky’s face was bright red and I wondered how much he had to drink but clearly not nearly as much as Leo.
“Baby!” Leo exclaid cheerfully, lighting up like a blind man who’d just seen the son. He threw himself off of the barstool to get to only to end up tripping on his own feet and crashing face-first into the floor.
My jaw dropped as I stared at him blankly. Then I whirled to Franky. “The hell did you do to him?”
“All self-inflicted,” Franky grumbled, groaning as he held his head firmly.
“Baby, baby,” Leo sprung back from the floor impressively quick, despite the little bit of blood dripping from his nose. I frowned concerned about his behavior as he stumbled drunkenly over to , outstretching his arms.
His eyes bead like little suns as he enclosed into a hug and I pressed my lips together as I slled the alcohol on him.
“What did you do, Leo?” I asked, gently, pulling back as I wiped the end of my sleeve around his nose. The blood was quick to stop but Leo’s condition was even worse than I thought as he just grinned widely and nuzzled his face into my neck, making slobbery kissing noises.
“I told them all! I told them how pretty and kind and sweet and amazing you are! Kiss-kiss for !” Leo attempted to press a kiss to my lips but I just threw my hand in front of him, not wanting to even chance it with how much alcohol he’d probably consud.
“I’m pregnant, Leo,” I said firmly.
“You are?” His eyes widened in disbelief, glancing down at my belly before his eyes actually started to tear up. “Baby has a baby?”
Oh, dear lord, I thought helplessly, glancing at Franky for help. He just shrugged and looked away from as if saying ‘It’s your problem now.’
“My baby has a baby! Told you all!” Leo hugged again, yelling out at the others like he was bragging and I blushed with embarrassnt at the eyes that turned to us. But despite his bragging, the mont Leo saw those sa gazes on us, he protectively folded every inch of into his arms. “Perverts! Don’t look at my babies!”
I didn’t know whether I wanted to laugh or cry.
“Leo,” I said, my voice muffled from how tightly my face was pressed into his jacket. I pulled back so I could look up at him. “We need to go ho. It’s late, okay?”
“Ho?” Leo’s glazed-over eyes seed to reconnect back to reality for a second as he stared down at . Then very quietly like he never ant to say it aloud, he mumbled, “I have a ho?”
My heart ached at the question. I leaned over to grab Leo’s hands in mind, pulling them up to my cold cheeks. He was warm as always. “Yes, Leo, yes. With .” I reassured him, hoping his alcohol-ridden brain was taking this in.
But even if it didn’t, I’d tell him every chance I could.
Leo smiled, his eyes crinkling at the ends as he bead. “‘Kay,” he whispered. I smiled in return, kissing his knuckles before I gently tugged him away from the bar. I glanced at Franky behind us who just raised a hand in greeting, waving us off like he’d be okay and I nodded.
I led Leo to the car and he chatted endlessly to him about everything that ca to my mind. The driver pretended not to notice anything which I was thankful for as I buckled up Leo and then myself. He leaned over on my shoulder, still muttering about how pretty I was and how much he loved .
It was a long drive ho and my clingy fiance used every chance he got to latch onto . I sighed helplessly as I led him into the empty house. He was obedient like a puppy wagging its tail, his eyes not leaving for a mont as I took him upstairs.
“My baby is so pretty. Our baby will be cute like you.” Leo mumbled brightly as I grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to sit down on the bed.
“Yes, they will,” I coaxed him gently, pushing his arms up so I could take off his jacket.
“I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” I unbuttoned his shirt, taking it off as I then glanced over at his shoes and socks with a frown. I wouldn’t be able to get those off. “Shoes and socks off, okay?”
He nodded obediently as he did so and I threaded my hands through his hair, finding quite a few knots I gently tugged out of his hair. Once he had fulfilled the task, he threw himself onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling before he threw his arm over his face.
I climbed into bed with a huff, intending to climb onto him but it didn’t work as I just rolled face-first into his chest. I gave up then. He’d have to take a shower in the morning instead, I thought. I had just closed my eyes, intending to sleep like this when I felt Leo’s body trembling.
“Leo?” I asked, “Are you okay?
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