AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Leo’s smile falters, but he catches himself and beams brighter.
“You’ll be the second person to know all about it,” he informs me, and that intrigues me even more. “The first person only knows because we spent our childhood and college years together. You get pretty close when you're stuck in the same dorm room for four years.”
Despite myself, I laugh, thinking about him and Jordan in college.
But also…
That means Leo’s more than willing to tell me about his past. He’s actually allowing himself to open up to me. If I just open up to him as well. It’s a trade of secrets, sure. But we’re just two people getting to know each other. That’s all this is, right?
“This feels weird,” I hear myself say. Where did that come from? “It’s just that nothing feels normal right now.”
Leo’s clearly shocked by my confession and, honestly, so am I. But I steamroll through.
“Sorry. I know nothing about this situation is actually normal.” I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding.
Leo’s face softens, a small grin returning.
“No need to apologize,” he assures, his green eyes scanning the menu in front of him. “You want to go first or should I?” he asks as he looks back at me, his gaze more piercing than ever. The way he adapts to it so quickly is such a skill set.
“Yeah, you know what, I’ll go first,” I assert, feeling a surge of confidence.
“My parents used the money for the renovation to help out some of my cousins.”
Leo’s eyes narrow and crinkle around the edges as he takes in the information.
“And they did that without your consent or knowledge?”
I nod with a deep sigh.
“How do you feel about this?”
I know he said he’d be there to listen, but I’m still surprised by the question. I start talking before I can let myself think.
“I come from nothing, Leo. You’ve seen that and understand that by now.” My fingers are absentmindedly playing with the paper edges of the menu. “And most of my extended family are also like that. A lot of Filipinos aren’t blessed with the comfort of having enough money. A lot of us just live from paycheck to paycheck.”
Leo doesn’t say anything, he just nods, urging me to continue. I take comfort in the lack of sympathy or pity in his eyes. His face is stubbornly neutral, and it gives me the power to continue.
“The hardships made me tough. Tough enough to withstand your cutthroat business,” I say coyly, but I’m not telling a single lie. Leo softly chuckles but stays silent.
“And it’s because of that, that I was able to do a really good job as your assistant, earning more than enough money to give my family a comfortable life. And apparently, also my cousins.”
A silence falls between us. Leo puts the menu down, trusting me to order for him because it’s all Filipino food. I gesture for the waiter and place an order for some of the most iconic dishes as my words linger in the air.
“So that’s what happened to the renovation money,” Leo summarizes, looking down at the table. “You don’t seem angry about what happened at all. I mean, I’m just saying, but if it was my family, lawyers would be involved,” he tells me, taking a quick sip from his sweating glass of water.
I laugh and we sit in awkward silence for a few minutes until the restaurant staff place dishes of food between us. I notice that most of the staff are wondering what this hunk of a man is doing withme, who is one of them. I have to force myself to ignore their curious eyes.
Wordlessly, I dish some rice on my plate first before pouring somesinigangon top of it. The sour and salty soup is perhaps one of the required foods for any foreigner to try. Leo mimics my actions, and my grin becomes wider as I watch him. It’s kind of cute, seeing him experiencing Filipino cuisine for the first time.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about it, obviously,” I say, breaking the silence before taking my first bite.
I let the familiar taste of the soup bring me back to my younger days in that same house. I close my eyes and pause in the deliciousness of it all.
“Yes, they might have gone behind my back, but they did what they did with good intentions. They could have stolen the money from me and did something selfish, like gamble it away or something, but they did it to help my cousins,” I explain, feeling the weight on my shoulders slowly disappear. “I can’t be mad at that for too long, you know? My parents are good people, but I just wish they would set aside some things for themselves and my siblings.”
Leo nods without saying anything. There’s comfort in his silence, like I know for sure he isn’t judging me. He just listens. I have always liked that about Leo. He’s definitely more attentive right now, but I’ve always felt like I was heard with him.
He takes a bite and I watch a range of emotion and feeling flash across his face: shock, confusion, and delight.
