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I look up at him as I move the plate to the side. "No. Although, I probably should. What you did was pretty rude."
It wasn't a lie. Leo was rude as hell for showing up like that. What he needed to talk to me about could have waited. He didn't have to come in and insert himself. I'm not sure what his motive really was or if he was even thinking about any of that. It all seemed very impulsive, yet there was an underlying tension between Griffin and him. I don't know what happened between them when we were younger, but it was clear that neither of them had moved past it.
"I would say I'm sorry, but I'm not." Leo shrugs with indifference as he sets his wineglass down on the table. "He's not a good guy, Ari."
My eyebrows draw together. "Says who?"
"Me." He pauses, his nostrils flaring as he lets out a deep breath. "Just trust me, please. You only see what he wants you to see."
I want to question him, but I don't want to pry. I want to know what evidence he has to support his claims about Griffin. He has never been anything but nice to me and from what I know, that's how he is to everyone. There's something that Leo knows that he isn't openly offering. This might be the most civil conversation I've ever had with him, so the last thing I want to do is chase him away now. I want him to be like this with me—easy and comfortable.
I'm not going to argue with him and I'm not going to press the issue. I'll let it go… for now.
Instead of commenting on what he said, I shift the conversation in another direction. “So, since you decided to crash my date tonight, what are you going to do to make it up to me?”
Leo cocks his head to the side as a smirk lifts one side of his mouth. “I already made it up to you. I agreed to skate with you.”
Clicking my tongue, I shake my head at him. “Nope, that won’t do. That was something we already planned on doing, so just because you finally decided to be on board doesn’t mean that counts as a way to make it up to me.”
“What would you propose I do then?”
The server comes back and I break the conversation with Leo to tell her that I need two boxes to take the rest of the food home with me. She sets the check down on the table before walking away. I extend my arm, reaching for the small black folder, but Leo beats me to it.
"All you drank was wine. Let me have it."
Leo narrows his eyes at me and leans to the side in his chair as he pulls his wallet from his back pocket. "Absolutely not, and don't you dare argue with me, Aria." He takes out a credit card and slides it into the folder while he continues to stare at me. He holds the check in his hand instead of setting it back down on the table.
A sigh escapes me and I slouch back into my chair as I cross my arms over my chest. "If that's your way of making it up to me, that doesn't count."
A chuckle rumbles in his chest and he rolls his eyes. "I didn't say it was. I asked you to tell me what I can do to make it up to you."
"I want to go dancing."
His lips part and he stares at me like I have two heads. "Just because I skate, doesn't mean I dance, Aria."
"Well, tonight you do," I tell him with a smile as the server comes back to the table. She takes the folder from Leo and hands me two boxes. I can feel Leo's eyes on me as I begin to shovel the food into the two containers. As I finish, I look back up at him just as the girl returns with his credit card. The smile is still on my lips as Leo slides his card back into his wallet and rises to his feet.
He pushes his wallet into his back pocket and he picks up his wineglass. I watch him as he tilts his head back and drains the liquid before setting the glass back on the table. He holds his hand out to me as I shrug my jacket on. "Let's go, tiny dancer."
I place my hand in his and he pulls me to my feet as I get up from my seat. He releases my hand and I half expect him to leave me to follow him, but instead he bends his elbow and holds it out to me. I look down at his arm and back at his eyes before I gently slide my own through his. My forearm presses against his and I can feel the warmth of his flesh through his long-sleeve shirt and my jacket. Leo grabs the food containers from the table and begins to walk, shortening his stride as I fall in step beside him.
He walks up to the door and holds it open for me, but he doesn't move his arm from mine as I step through the threshold. My car is parked in the parking lot that is situated along the right side of the building. Leo turns to the left and I walk with him. "My car is in the parking lot," I tell him as I stay beside him. "I can follow you wherever we're going."
Leo shakes his head. "We're not going far. Just down the street to The King’s Inn."
Turning my head to the side, I look up at him, but he continues to walk. When I said I wanted to go dancing, I didn't plan on going to the local dive bar. Leo stares straight ahead, confidence dripping from him as he walks. He pays me no attention, so I don't bother questioning him. A sigh escapes me and I let him lead me down the street.
The bar isn't far away from Davino’s. It's only about a two-minute walk and we find ourselves standing outside the door. It's noisy inside and I'm surprised with it being a Thursday evening. Leo pulls open the door and we step into the dark room. Lights flash from above and I feel like I've stepped into a club instead of the local bar. They tend to get a lot of locals here and I know some nights they try to make it a little more exciting than people just sitting around getting drunk.
On the weekends they tend to showcase different DJs who want to come to the small coastal town. When it's not off-season, we get a lot of tourists that come to Idyll Cove. This is a different vibe for tonight, but I'm not going to question it. It saves us from driving into the actual city tonight for a similar scene.
The music is loud and the bass pounds throughout the building as Leo unlinks his arm from mine. Instead, he drops his hand down to hold mine and he leads the way as he pulls me through the crowded room. He stops when he reaches the bar and I almost collide into his back. I let go of his hand and place it on his shoulder as I lift myself onto my toes to speak into his ear. Instinctively, Leo dips his shoulder, lowering himself so I can reach him better.
"What are all these people doing out tonight?"
Leo turns to face me, dropping his mouth down to my ear as he speaks. "There was some kind of a beer fest at The Garden tonight, so I imagine a lot of the people came here afterward." He pulls back and looks at me, shrugging. "We can leave if you want to."
I shake my head at him. "No, this is fine."
