back to you

leonardo shaw _________________________________ in the daylight when the sun is shining, on a late night when the moon is blinding, in the plain sight like stars IN HIDING you and i burn on. put two and together forever, we'll never change. nobody SEES, nobody knows, we are a secret can't be EXPOSED. that's how it is -, that's how it goes. { f a r } from the others CLOSE to each other. that's when we uncover.

[leonardoshaw]

novacassell‌:

The butterflies in her gut were annoying, but familiar. In all her years of living, she’d never been kissed like she was when Leo kissed her. It felt like the closest thing to heaven available to her. There was no better feeling, and in all their years of messing around in inappropriate places, that feeling never seemed to lessen. It was always there. Reminding her of what she was missing.

She inhaled sharply as he moved her with ease, other people be damned. They seemed to have a lucky streak going with not getting caught in compromising positions in public, why not test their luck? Nova never thought of herself as a gambling woman, but it was easy to forget about consequences with Leo. She pressed herself against him, aching to just be close. Her arm draped across his shoulders, keeping him close, like she was afraid he would just vanish. Her tongue ran across his bottom lip, hand clinging to his shirt. She couldn’t get close enough.

Leo’s arms were wrapped around Nova’s waist, holding her close to him. Even then she wasn’t close enough, the seat not exactly designed for two people, and with an unnecessary amount of clothed layers separating them. Despite how badly he was aching to get rid of them right there and then, however, there was still a tiny part of his brain that realised undressing and having sex this public might not be a good idea. After all, he was a lawyer, so he knew exactly what was legal and what wasn’t. 

“Let’s go,” he breathed against her lips, a pleased sigh escaping him at the feel of her tongue tracing his lower lip. Although they couldn’t do much where they were now, he knew it wasn’t far to a bathroom. Or his car. It might still be wrong, but Leo didn’t care. He wanted her, no, needed her, and he truly couldn’t care less about the consequences, or the fact that he’d promised himself this wouldn’t happen again. 

[leonardoshaw]

novacassell‌:

There was a brief moment when he was frozen that she began to panic, thinking that she’d misread him and fucked everything up, but thankfully that didn’t last. His hand was in her hair and her heart was racing, the hand that held his tightening. He was kissing her back, and the relief she felt could have stopped her heart right then and there. 

Her hand cupped his face, torso pressing into the armrest as she got as close as she could to him. Their last kiss had been desperate, needy, hazy from booze; this time, she felt clear headed. It was wrong, of course, but she did it anyway. She could rationalize it later, but for now, all Nova wanted was to feel Leo’s lips pressed against her own, savoring every fleeting moment. Her hand slid into his hair, fingers gentle as she kissed him, every nerve ending on fire. Her mouth opened, tongue sliding against his with a soft sigh. Despite all the obstacles, some more literal than others, she never felt more at peace than when she was held, kissed, touched by Leo.

An almost inaudible yet pleased sigh escaped his lips when her hand cupped his face and she kissed him back. Leo had been slightly nervous around Nova all night, knowing what had happened at the bar and knowing deep down he wanted it to happen again, but he wasn’t nervous any longer. In fact, he had never felt more at peace, like every piece of the puzzle was falling right into place. 

He kissed her gently, slowly, treasuring every second of their kiss. Still, he didn’t hesitate with opening his mouth at the feel of her tongue, gladly letting her deepen the kiss. Even with her hands in his hair, however, she wasn’t close enough. There was still too much space between them, and he needed to get rid of it. Without breaking the kiss, he moved both hands to settle around her waist and underneath her thigh, twisting her around the armrest and pulling her into his lap instead. This was definitely the last thing he should be doing in a public movie theatre, but he couldn’t help himself. Around Nova, he rarely seemed to have himself in check. 

[leonardoshaw]

novacassell‌:

Making eye contact with him felt scandalous, heart beat quickening. It would take no effort at all to lean forward and kiss him, and she desperately wanted to. She felt flooded with memories, a decade’s worth of feeling his lips on hers, stealing kisses from each other whenever they wanted, not knowing yet that someday it would have to end. Or rather, it would supposed to end. But it was really easy to forget about things like girlfriends and future husbands when his hand was in hers, when he was looking at her like that. Like she was the only thing that mattered.

She watched his gaze drop to her lips and she swallowed hard, biting down on her bottom lip. It was almost like she was reliving the bar incident, but she couldn’t force herself to flee this time. Instead, she whispered, “fuck it,” so low she might not have said anything at all and closed the distance between them, pressing a kiss to his lips. It was light, careful and cautious, because despite their hands intertwined and the look on his face, they had sworn to each other that this wouldn’t happen again. But anytime she saw him, she felt like it was inevitable. She never wanted anyone as much as she wanted Leo.

The movie theatre could have been on fire and Leo still wouldn’t have been able to tear his gaze away from Nova’s lips. He’d tried so hard not to look at her lips and not to give in to his traitorous thoughts all evening, and inevitably, he’d failed. After spending so many nights together and sharing so many kisses, it was just strange not to think about her like that, even if he did have a girlfriend. As it turned out, he also wasn’t very good with change, and despite his futile attempts, he couldn’t stop thinking about her like he always had. 

Thankfully for him, however, it seemed like she was struggling with the same problem. Before he could find it in himself to look away, before he could even comprehend what was happening, she closed the distance between them. Leo’s eyes immediately closed at the feeling of her lips touching his, and for a couple of seconds, he didn’t do anything, so sure he was making this all up. He soon realised that wasn’t the case — that she was actually kissing him — and nothing in the world could have kept him from holding back then. Sneaking a hand into her hair, he gripped it gently to pull her even further towards him, pressing his lips more firmly against hers. Rationality had evaporated from his mind a long time ago, everything he could think of right there and then was how badly he wanted her. 

[leonardoshaw]

novacassell‌:

Her eyes closed at his ghost-like touch, fingers almost intertwined. What a perfect way to describe them. Almost. She was almost nestled against him, the armrest firmly between them like a reminder to not get too close. Her head tilted to the side, almost resting on his shoulder like she used to. They weren’t just toeing the line of acceptable, they were mocking it, and she knew it. She knew they had to stop, pull away, watch the movie and laugh along and be friends, but her body wasn’t responding to her anymore. It remained firmly how it was, fingers softly and slowly caressing his. 

She breathed out, a deep sigh marked by her unforgivable longing for him. She wanted him. There was no denying that, but it was more than she’d chalked up their last encounter to. It wasn’t just ‘i miss you and we’re used to this’, it was something far deeper. Something about their friendship had changed long ago, and it might just be her ruin. “Leo,”  she whispered, tilting her head to look at him. It was dark, but the screen gave off enough light that she could make out his features easily. Her fingers curled around his hand, intertwining their hands together. Her lips parted like she had something else to say, but no words came. Anything at all to put a stop to this completely disappeared from her mind. 

It felt like every nerve in his body was on high alert, unable to focus on anything but the way her fingers were softly caressing his. Leo was itching to reach out and grab her hand, but he held himself back. He was trying so hard not to give in and instead pay attention to the movie, but it was becoming harder and harder for each second passing. There way no denying it would be a long movie if they kept this up. 

Hearing his name, Leo didn’t hesitate with turning his head to look over at Nova. He almost thought he might just be imagining things, hearing what he wanted to, but by the time he’d turned his head she was already looking at him. They were sitting close, and with her head tilted up to face him there was only a couple inches separating them. If his heart had been beating quickly in his chest before, it was nothing compared to now. “What?” he eventually whispered back, needing to know if she was thinking the same thing he was. Judging by the way she finally intertwined their fingers, he would guess that she did. Still, she parted her lips as if to say something else, and although nothing came out, it was enough to draw Leo’s attention to her lips. Once that was done, he couldn’t look away. He remembered how her lips felt against his own, how soft and sweet, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her again. 

[leonardoshaw]

novacassell‌:

Blood was pounding in her eardrums, an unfamiliar sense of nervousness going through her as she waited to see if he would yank away from her. She hadn’t felt this anxious around him since she’d first proposed the pact. It was hard, trying to relearn her place in his life when she still wanted things to be the way they’d left them. Life moved fast, too fast sometimes, and having to think through every action before she made it, putting up restrictions between her and Leo.. It sucked. There wasn’t really a better way to describe it. They’d always had an easy going friendship, close in every sense of the word, and she couldn’t remember ever feeling this confused and cautious even when they’d dated other people in the past. Maybe it was because this was more real, a live in girlfriend and a fiance were far more serious than a high school fling and they’d already done the unspeakable to those relationships. 

He leaned into her touch and she breathed out, relieved; goosebumps spread where they’d made contact. It was comforting, relaxing. A relic of the past, maybe, but she wasn’t able to pull away. She couldn’t force herself, even if she wanted to; and she really, really didn’t want to. Her palm turned up, thumb tentatively brushing against his hand. She longed for more, but this was innocent. This was passable, as long as no one around could read her thoughts. 

Leo half expected her to pull away when he leaned more into her touch, but she didn’t. As relieved as he was, it also made it even more impossible to keep himself from thinking about her. He could give up ever trying to pay attention to the movie — all he could focus on was Nova. The way her skin felt against his own. How badly he wanted to take things further, to touch her more. Being around her like this was intoxicating, and if he knew what was best for him, he would pull away before any of them had the chance to do something stupid. 

Those thoughts evaporated the second he felt her thumb brushing against his hand. His heart was beating like crazy in his chest, so loud and so fast he was sure it would break through his ribcage any second. Their touching was still fairly innocent, but it wouldn’t take much to make that change. Leo knew that, and yet he still couldn’t stop himself from taking things a step further. Turning his palm, he spread his fingers to make them brush against Nova’s, almost as if to intertwine his fingers with hers. He didn’t take her hand, though, fearing it would be too much. It would, for instance, be far too easy to pull her closer if he had a grip on her, perhaps up on his lap or dragging her with him to another bathroom. They’d both agreed nothing like that would happen between them again, and they were already toeing a thin line touching each other as innocently as they did. 

[leonardoshaw]

novacassell‌:

The quick look between them, the small touch of the hands – to an outsider, it looked like nothing, but every nerve in her body felt like it was on fire. Maybe that fire was just a result of their last encounter, knowing where it could lead to, but it felt too familiar. Something she’d just never paid close attention to, thinking it would be around forever. Or maybe it was because she’d gone so long without him, now everything felt like the first time all over again. It didn’t really matter what the cause was; all she knew was that she wanted more.

Her gaze lingered on him, even as his touch was withdrawn and he was quick to look back at the screen, the thing they were supposed to be focusing on. It took effort for her to refocus, hands back in her lap without a prize from the popcorn bag, eyes glued to the screen without really seeing anything. Friends touch all the time. It happens. It’s nothing, she reminded herself, trying to quiet the pain that came from him tearing himself away with what seemed like ease. But the mantra did nothing to quell her racing heart. She felt like a teenager again, shifting her body so her shoulder brushed against his. She needed to feel his touch, even if it only lasted a moment before he moved away. She needed to feel like they were normal. Normal friends didn’t have racing hearts and aching bodies at every moment of contact. Normal friends could be close without thinking about his hands on her skin, his lips on her lips. Right?

After their accidental touch, Leo didn’t reach for the popcorn bag again. It wasn’t necessarily because he was afraid it would happen again, but more because he wasn’t sure what his own reaction would be. It had taken a ridiculous amount of self control to withdraw his hand from hers and not do something stupid, and he wasn’t sure how long it would last if they kept accidentally touching. Ever since the bar incident he’d tried to convince himself that he just needed to get her out of his system, that the one time they’d shared was enough. Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case. He didn’t want to ruin things between them and risk losing her again, on the other hand, so he really was trying to keep himself in check. 

His gaze was locked on the screen, but he didn’t really see nor comprehend a single thing that was happening. His mind was stuck on Nova, and he didn’t seem to be able to slow down his still quickly beating heart. It seemed even more impossible when she shifted in the seat beside him so her shoulder brushed against his. Leo actually froze up for a second, sure it was an accident on her part. It was nothing, it should have meant nothing, and yet even that small amount of contact made his need to touch her more flare up. Last time he’d been fairly quickly to pull away, but this time he didn’t. Couldn’t. No matter how small and how little the contact was, it felt too good to be somewhat close to her again. With that thought in mind, his eyes still locked on the screen as if he had no idea what was going on, Leo shifted in his seat himself, making their arms press against each other along with their shoulders. 

[leonardoshaw]

novacassell‌:

Leo had a tendency to do the things that Nova wished she had the courage to do. She couldn’t admit it, not to anyone else let alone herself, that when he appeared in the bathroom, she’d felt some kind of.. relief. Like an addict getting their next hit. All her life, there was Leo. Even when they were apart, when their contact was scarce, she was thinking of him in the back of her mind. Three very long years of wanting to share every moment with him, but being unable to because she was too scared about them changing – so scared that instead of facing the music, she just let those years slip by without him. The guilt of that was stronger than anything else, even cheating on her fiance.

“How dare you!” She gasped, faux-outraged by his accusation. Her smile made her cheeks ache, trying to make his statement true as she reached for the mixture. Instead of chocolate, her skin brushed against his and she felt the too familiar jolt of electricity on her spine. She froze, hand on his, mind practically blank as she stole a glance at him. Just friends can touch each other. It happens. It didn’t have to mean anything. 

Leo couldn’t help but chuckle lightly to himself at her faux-outraged accusation. It was such a Nova thing to do that there was nothing to do but smile. It might have been a couple years since they’d last talked before running into each other again, but it still felt like he knew her as well as he knew himself. It definitely felt like he knew her a lot better than his own girlfriend, which he wasn’t sure was a good thing. 

The second her skin brushed against his, he could have sworn his heart skipped a beat. Jolts and warmth spread from everywhere her hand was touching his, immediately taking his thoughts back to the last time they’d touched in that shabby bathroom. Against his better judgement, he stole a glance at Nova, just as she seemingly did the same. Their gazes locked for a brief moment, but he was quick to look away again. He also withdrew his hand — rather reluctantly if he had to admit so himself — without actually picking up anything from the mix, after having let it linger against hers for several moments too long. It had been nothing but a brief touch, and his heart was still racing in his chest, already aching for more. 

[leonardoshaw]

novacassell‌:

“Your self control has never been a strong suit,” she agreed with a wry smile. He was the reason she wasn’t quite as uptight as she could have been; while she appreciated a good plan, and sticking to a schedule (and that attitude certainly helped her survive med school), she was more likely to take risks and go with the flow around him. He relaxed her; she knew, no matter what, she was safe with him. That’s what best friends were for, after all. 

“You’re right, as always,” she glanced over at him, still picking pieces of their mixture and popping them in her mouth, though at a slower rate than him. “A little indulgence never hurt anyone.” She chewed on the inside of her lip, grateful that in the dark he wouldn’t be able to see her blush as she realized the unintentional double-entendre in her words. They were already too indulgent with each other, and while she was grateful that she had Leo back, that they had easily picked up their old habits and routines like nothing ever changed, something did change. Something big. And it was way too easy to forget about Zachary when she was around Leo. “But I will hurt you if you keep taking all the chocolate, we are meant to be sharing this!”

Leo could only shrug sheepishly at that, unable to keep his mind from wandering back to their evening at the club. It was his lack of self control that had him barge into the bathroom and kiss Nova, apparently forgetting all about the fact that he had a girlfriend waiting for him back home. After that he’d made a mental note to keep himself on a tighter leash, which was why he was trying so hard not to think about Nova as anything other than his best friend. 

“As always, correct,” he agreed, nodding a couple times as he grabbed another handful of their delicious mix. He kept himself from saying anything to her second comment, wondering if he was the only one to overthink it. If he was, he certainly wasn’t about to remind Nova of their recent slip-up together. They both had significant others, and this was nothing but two friends hanging out together. “We are sharing this! If anyone’s hogging the chocolate it’s you!” Leo whisper-shouted back, though with a faint grin on his lips. It felt good to be as back to normal with Nova as it could be, or at least so he thought. At least until he reached in to grab a handful of their mixture at the same time as her, making their hands brush against each other. 

[leonardoshaw]

novacassell‌:

Her mind betrayed her and conjured up a fully formed image of Leo dressed like the guy from the trailer in a court room; it was almost too easy. She had thousands of images of him partially (or fully) undressed, and a pretty good memory to boot. His comment brought her back, swallowing the guilt that had already begun to bubble in her stomach. This wasn’t the time. There was never a time for those thoughts anymore, she reminded herself. “You flatter me,” She whispered back, a little smile playing on her lips. 

She reverted her gaze back to the screen, thankful for the distraction. She sank a little lower in her seat, getting comfortable as she settled in for the long movie. Her legs stretched out in front of her, nabbing a few pieces of their popcorn/chocolate mix. “I will make you get the refill if this is gone in five minutes,” She teased in a low whisper, the opening scene not quite enough of a distraction to keep her mind off of the man next to her. 

Leo had hoped that as soon as the movie started, he would be able to focus on the screen and forget all about Nova sitting right next to him and what had happened the last time they went out alone. That proved to be easier said than done — his attention kept shifting to her, and his gaze did, too, when she spoke up again. Being here with her was just too familiar, and he had to remind himself that they were just friends. 

“You know I can’t help myself,” he whispered back, a sheepish grin on his lips. Leo hadn’t had their famous popcorn and chocolate mix in ages, and it was so much better than he remembered. He kept taking handful after handful, swallowing it down faster than he probably should. “Besides, who says there’s anything wrong with getting a refill? We can’t always be healthy, you know.” The movie might just have started, but so far, Leo was paying more attention to Nova than he was the screen. He didn’t want her to know that, of course, so he tried keeping his looks in her direction from the corner of his eye to a minimum. 

[leonardoshaw]

novacassell:

She had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud at the idea of Leo showing up to court shirtless, no jacket or button up shirt, just fancy pants and a tie around his neck. What a sight that would be. “I’m sure there would be a judge or two that would love that,” She teased, trying to ignore the arguably bad acting that was happening on screen. Thankfully the trailer ended as she continued to whisper. “I can’t even imagine that happening at the hospital. Legal and moral reasons aside – the health risk. I mean, I can’t go a single day without having some sort of body fluid on my scrubs, let alone my skin.” Children were notoriously bad at giving a warning when they were going to vomit, and that was just during pre and post op. If she tried to do a surgery topless… she shuddered at the thought. 

“At least it’s not just women strutting around scantily clad.” She mused, leaning back into her seat. She was sick of watching underdeveloped and under dressed women in movies, another reason she so rarely went to the cinema. There wasn’t a genre protected from that, though she would ignore it for an old fashioned romantic comedy. “Half naked men too? Equality.” 

“Right, and my reputation as a credible lawyer would be thrown out the window the second I stepped inside,” Leo couldn’t help but whisper back, though with a grin on his lips. He could just imagine how people would react if he’d shown up to court in as much clothes as the guy on the screen; he’d probably be kicked out before the session could even commence. Nah, it would be best to just keep his clothes on like always. He wasn’t very much looking forwards to walking around in suits every day, however, he was normally more of a hoodie type of guy. It would be a big change not being able to walk around in it every day anymore.

“I bet you would never be able to measure a normal heart rate ever again if that was the case,” he mumbled with a small chuckle. Leo could just imagine injuring himself and showing up to the hospital with a half naked Nova there to take his pulse. Yeah, he was pretty sure his own heart rate would betray him then. It was better if they all just kept their clothes on. “Equality, huh? I guess you have a point,” he teased, shaking his head slightly as he leaned back in his own seat. The trailers were finally finishing, so the movie they were actually here for could finally begin. That also meant he didn’t have to hold back on eating popcorn and chocolate anymore, so he took another big handful. 

[leonardoshaw]

novacassell:

“I haven’t,” She retorted with a grin. Nova had always been easy to scare; she had a non stop, vivid imagination, and once something was stuck in her head, it was there forever. She was a grown woman with a career where she saved children’s lives, and she was still afraid of the things that go bump in the night; Zachary liked to tease that when they had children, it would be Nova crawling into their bed and asking them to check for monsters in the closet, not the other way around. The fond memory brought a fuzzy feeling in her chest, quickly replaced by crushing guilt. Everything about this was wrong, and she felt it, but it was like she was watching her body move while floating five feet above it. She couldn’t help herself; it might be impossible to have the best of both worlds, but goddammit, she was going to try. Even if it killed her.

Leo whispering to her as the trailer played was so familiar it made her smile, and she leaned closer to him so she could respond, shoulder just barely brushing against his. “Which actress? The blonde one from that space movie, right?” She whispered back, watching as the actor in question ripped his shirt off for – seemingly – no reason. “Yeah, he probably should have stuck to stripping. Seems to miss it.” She giggled, throwing a few pieces of chocolate in her mouth to keep the sound from being too loud.

“Yes, that’s the one,” he nodded when she whispered back. He couldn’t hold back a small chuckle at her comment, barely even noticing how her shoulder was touching his, or how close they were. For once he was more occupied with the movie to be thinking about everything he shouldn’t, which was a good thing. His thoughts had already wandered enough for one night, and after their little run in with the mouthy clerk earlier, he didn’t want anything to make things tense or awkward between them again. 

“I don’t get why people are always barely dressed?” Leo continued on whispering. “Like dude, you’re supposed to be saving the world and somehow being practically naked is necessary? You don’t see me showing up to court shirtless.” He could just imagine the spectacle if people actually went around dressing like some people did in movies. The thought of him showing up in court when he was finally a lawyer in nothing but his pants was almost enough to make him snort loudly. There was no way anyone would take you seriously, but then again, it was just a movie. And movies were rarely realistic. They were just meant to make money, and what better way to do so than show off some skin on their perfectly attractive actors? Nova had a point, though, maybe the guy should have just stayed a stripper. 

[leonardoshaw]

novacassell:

She couldn’t help but smile, relieved that she wasn’t completely insane and he got what she meant. Or at least that he was willing to lie about understanding; that was one of her favorite things about Leo, that no matter what she said or did she never felt judged, or crazy, or stupid – and she certainly said a lot of crazy and stupid things over the years. The filter that existed between her mouth and her brain was slim and overworked, and so things slipped through, but she never had her guard up around Leo. At least not until recently, but even that they were dealing with… slowly, sure, but dealing with nonetheless.

Her stomach filled with butterflies when he called it our spot; it was, completely and truly. Hot summer days were spent here, after begging their parents to drop them off before they could drive, and midnight premieres of movies were watched from the back, the two of them side by side. “It’s only our spot because you scared me with that horror story about the movie theater serial killer,” She reminded him, the lingering fear of being choked from behind by some psychopath lingering years later. As she grabbed another handful of popcorn, the lights began to dim and the trailers for other movies began, and so she settled back in her seat, smiling a small smile. They were back. 

Leo couldn’t hold back a small chuckle when she reminded him their spot had ended up being the back row of all places. “I’d totally forgotten about that, actually,” he admitted with a sheepish grin. “But honestly, you were so naive I just couldn’t help myself. How was I supposed to know it would forever scar you?” As soon as she’d mentioned it, he remembered the happenings as if it had been yesterday. In his defence he hadn’t meant to scare her, well, not for it to last years anyways, but now he was glad it did. If not, they wouldn’t have had their little safe haven in the very back; it was almost as if it was their own little world. Especially tonight, seeing as there weren’t much other people around. 

The lights started dimming soon after, so he grabbed another handful of popcorn mixed with chocolate and leaned back in his seat. It was almost a little surreal to be back here with her, watching a movie just like old times, but he loved every second of it. “Oh, did you know that guy’s career started out because he knocked up some B-level actress? I’m pretty sure he was a stripper before,” Leo couldn’t help but whisper, leaning slightly more towards Nova as one of the trailers still played. The two of them had always talked during movies, much to the people around them’s increasing despair, but it was a ritual. Even more so because Haley absolutely hated when he did that, so Nova was the only who accepted his random facts or comments about what was going on. It somehow just made him miss her even more, be even happier about the fact that she was back.

[leonardoshaw]

She peered over at him, a small smile on her lips. She couldn’t help it; his smiles were always infectious, even if there was nothing happening in the moment. His grin lit up the room, and she always wanted to share in that. Better yet, she always wanted to be the cause of it. “Oh, I know,” She said, poking her tongue out at his dramatic sigh and teasing words. Everything about him was so familiar. There was nothing he did or said that was shocking, though it wasn’t predictable, and with every action he did, a thousand memories filed up. It was breathtaking to know someone so completely, something she hadn’t experienced before or after him. It made sense, of course; they’d known each other since they were children and had explored everything together, from puberty to middle school to learning how to make toes curl and each other moan. There wasn’t anything that they hadn’t done together.

“Me either,” She said, a little happy that he hadn’t come back after she left. Not that she wanted him to abandon everything they used to do, that would be miserable, but when she first found out about his girlfriend she was scared she’d been replaced, that she’d discover everything that they used to do together, he now did with Haley. A ridiculous thought, of course, since his relationship with Haley and his relationship with Nova were so different, but it had scared her nonetheless, even if she was the one who fled. “I was going to, once, as a treat yourself day, but it kind of… I don’t know, the best way to put it is that it felt like I was cheating on you. Weird, right?” She shrugged, grabbing a few more pieces of popcorn and tossing them in her mouth, licking the tips of her fingers so they were free from the butter and salt. 

Leo couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so effortlessly happy. Nova had a way of making him feel that, which only made him love every moment they spent together even more. She was his constant, his rock, the one person he could always count on to make him feel better. Even when they'd been fighting during their teens, she’d always been there for him. He remembered one time when they’d fought over something ridiculous, he couldn’t even remember what it was anymore, and his dog had died of old age. Leo had been devastated, but Nova had been there for him, holding him in her arms and comforting him in a way no one else could. Even now he knew no one would ever be able to take her place; they had too many memories and too much history for that.

“Nah, actually, I know what you mean,” he said with a small nod. Before he could continue explaining, however, his gaze dropped involuntarily to her lips. Seeing her lick her fingers like that was almost enough to make him shift uncomfortably. The familiar want burned in his stomach, making him take a handful of popcorn and propping it into his mouth before he accidentally blurted out their safe word. She probably wasn’t even aware of what she was doing, that it affected him at all, and it seemed stupid that she couldn’t even lick her fingers without making his thoughts duck down the rabbit hole. God, he really needed to get a grip on himself and stop his mind from wandering. “I’ve been here several times over the years, but I could never bring myself to sit on the back row. I don’t know, it’s just… our spot, I guess,” he finally spoke up with a smile after finishing the popcorn.

[leonardoshaw]

novacassell:

Two empty seats, side by side, in the back row of the darkened theater; what could go wrong. If she was thinking ahead, perhaps she would have forgone her old fear and chosen a seat in the middle, where more people had chosen to sit. Where there’d be someone behind them, in front, in the same row; here, the entire row was empty save for them, and it was three rows before anyone else was even seated. But instead of being concerned like she should be, she was glad; she liked to whisper jokes to Leo during movies, and she didn’t want to be bothering anyone else with her words. 

“Self control, Leo. Learn it.” She made the joke before she realized how else it could come across - in reference to their sex life together - but tried to move on quickly, hoping he didn’t take it any way she didn’t intend. “If you finish it, you have to go get a refill and I’m not going to explain the parts of the movie you missed,” She said, pulling the bag of candy out of her purse and opening it as quietly as she could. The lights weren’t dimmed yet, which meant that they didn’t have to be completely quiet, but she still tried to keep the noise to a minimum. She quickly dumped the chocolates into the popcorn and grabbed a handful of the mix, humming happily to herself as she munched. “Ugh, I missed this so much.” Nova smiled up at him, crossing her legs at the thigh and smoothing down her skirt. 

“I’m trying, believe me,” Leo grinned in reply, but he wasn’t sure if he was talking about the popcorn anymore. He was weak for the delicious unhealthiness, sure, and his self control when it came to waiting for the movie was awful, but that wasn’t what he was most concerned with for tonight. There was another pressing issue that made it far more difficult to restrain himself, and that was Nova herself. Who would have ever thought there’d come a time when he had to mentally remind himself and even give himself a pep-talk when he was around her just to make sure he didn’t do anything stupid like kiss her and cheat on his girlfriend again? He certainly hadn’t expected it, but that was the way it was. For the time being, he reminded himself. It would all pass soon. 

“Rude, I’d be getting popcorn for you too, you know,” he sighed dramatically, shaking his head dramatically as he continued speaking. “You really can’t trust anyone these days.” The lights weren’t dimmed yet, so it was still some time before the movie started. In the meantime he busied himself with taking a few pieces of the popcorn, and chocolates she dumped into it, leaning back in his seat. “I haven’t been here since the last time we were out watching a movie,” he admitted with a fond smile; he’d missed this too. Whenever he’d gone out with friends or Haley, they’d never been seated in the back row. That was his and Nova’s spot, and no one else liked sitting back here anyways. That was probably why they had the entire row to themselves for the time being, with several empty rows in front of them as well. Stupid as he was, he thought that was a good thing; at least now they wouldn’t be yelled at for whispering during the movie.

[leonardoshaw]

novacassell:

She was scared, for those moments of silence before she spoke, and then after he muttered his agreement. Scared that the stupid clerk with a big mouth and misguided attempt to be kind ruined their night out, but Nova looked up at Leo just as he smiled and it was like the sun coming out after a storm. It was infectious and she grinned back at him, the small bounce in her step returning. “You can expect no less than the most unhealthy thing I can think up.” She said firmly, already planning what she would wrangle him into next. Now that this was becoming a normal thing, hanging out again, she spent her days eager to hear from him. Not only because it was Leo, but she was lonely; Zachary worked long hours and she didn’t have the energy to reconnect with old friends. Leo was perfect to be around; effortless, even. Aside from the magnetic sexual attraction, of course.

“Give me-” She immediately reaches out and snatches a piece, trying not to focus on the way his tongue running across his lips made her body heat up. Habits died hard, she reminded herself, as she popped the piece in her mouth and let out a long, satisfied sigh. “Mmm. Even better than I remember. Absence truly does make the heart grow fonder.” She turned into their theater, a little surprised to find it wasn’t as busy in there as the rest of the theater suggested, but it was good enough. A little under a third of the seats were taken, with the back row - where Nova preferred to sit, because she had an abnormal fear of someone trying to strangle her from behind in a theater (thanks to a scary story told to her by none other than her current companion) - completely barren. “Perfect, our usual seats are available. And hey, don’t eat all the popcorn before it starts.”

“I’m already looking forwards to it,” Leo said with a cheeky grin. And he was. Spending time with Nova was something he would never, ever grow tired of. They never ran out of things to talk about or things to do, and he was comfortable with her in a way he wasn’t with anyone else. He supposed that’s what happened when you grew up with someone, and spent mostly every day for a decade together. She knew him better than anyone else, better than his family even, and certainly better than his current girlfriend, and there was something reassuring about hanging out with her. Most of the time he didn’t even have to tell her what he thought; she would just instantly know. 

At least it had been like that before, and he was certain it could be like that again. They were on a good path now, ready to put everything that happened at the bar behind them and just focus on being friends again. Leo even thought it was going surprisingly well, with the exception of the clerk’s little slip up, of course. He wasn’t even thinking about kissing her or any of the sorts, at least not until her satisfied sigh broke the air. It made him briefly want to find another way to make her sigh happily, preferably followed by a moan, but he quickly pushed those thoughts away. He’d been doing so good all night, he wasn’t about to let that all be ruined now. “You know I can’t help myself,” he said innocently, following her into the empty back row so they could find their usual seats. “The commercials are always so long and the popcorn is just sitting there looking all kinds of delicious. How can you possibly expect me not to eat it all?” That was one of his habits that he had trouble shaking; most of the time when he went to the movies, he ended up finishing all his candy long before the movie actually started.

[leonardoshaw]

novacassell:

Her mind was going a million miles a minute, trying to piece together what the clerk had seen. It wasn’t the first time they’d been mistaken for being a couple, but it was the first time when they were both in relationships. And what did she mean, how Leo was looking at her? All she saw when she looked at him was Leo, and his soft smile and kind eyes - the same look she’d seen for years before. It hadn’t changed at all in the time she’d known him; the clerk must be imagining something. That had to be it. 

It was awkward and she stared down at the ground, completely silent even as they began to walk away. Her lips pursed; every day she’d seen Leo since she got back had been ruined by something. There was the grocery store, and the discovery of Haley and Zachary. The bar, and their slip up. The hospital, which was ruined from the moment she laid eyes on him. This couldn’t be ruined too, especially not by a clerk who couldn’t help but run her mouth about something she had no idea about. Nova cleared her throat, nudging Leo gently with her elbow. “That was weird. Kinda brings you back to high school, huh? When all our friends thought we were dating?  People really act like men and women can’t be friends, it’s… ridiculous.” She wasn’t sure if she was making things better or worse, but she kept talking anyway. “Thanks, for the popcorn. And soda. Our next outing will be on me.” 

Leo wasn’t sure what to think as they walked away, neither of them saying a word at first. It wasn’t the first time someone had mistaken them for being a couple, but it was the first time it had bothered him as much as it did. He wasn’t even sure exactly why it was bothering him, if he thought it was a good or a bad thing, but he was just trying not to dwell too much on it. This was Nova, after all, and they weren’t a couple. They were just best friends, and so what if someone assumed they were a couple? It was a natural instinct considering they were at the movies together, him buying her popcorn and a drink. It didn’t have to mean anything. 

“Yeah,” he murmured in agreement, not sure what he felt about her words either. Was there some truth to it? After all, he certainly didn’t sleep with his male friends, but he did sleep with Nova. Or at least he had in the past, but that was all over now. They were back to being just regular friends, both with significant others. “I expect something at least as unhealthy then,” he added with a small grin, refusing to let his mood be ruined by the clerk. They were gonna have fun tonight, and just be Nova and Leo, Leo and Nova. He stole a piece of popcorn, running his tongue along his lips and then grinning. “It’s as good as I remember.” There really wasn’t much that could beat theatre popcorn; it was salty and buttered and everything he’d been craving lately. Going to the cinema really was a perfect plan; not only was the popcorn good, but as they made their way towards the right place, there were tons of people around too. They were definitely not gonna be alone tonight, which hopefully meant no temptations. 

[leonardoshaw]

novacassell:

“Hmm…” She tapped her chin, pretending to think about it for a moment before nodding firmly. “Yes. I guess the cat’s out of the bag.” Her eyes traced his smile and she felt hers grow bigger; this was good. This was working. They were just two friends having a good time at the movies, no urges to run off to a private room to fuck each other senseless, not even a flickering thought to just kiss him already. Only aching cheeks from laughing and her healthy platonic affection for him. 

She had forgotten, for a moment, that Leo was a black coffee drinker and she felt her cheeks flush slightly. She hadn’t meant to insult him again, even if he was grinning at her, and tried to play it off. “Only if you drink, like, five cups a day. That’s when it starts to affect you.” She grinned up at him, glad that he added another statement so she didn’t accidentally slip and make a lawyers are soulless joke. That might’ve been a little too far, especially considering Leo’s intentions. “Unintentionally, actually. Not my fault you’re so easy to pick on,” She wrinkled her nose, gazing at him as they went to the check out. She was hardly paying attention to anything else around them when the word couple sliced through her thoughts and she looked over to the clerk, a look of surprise on her face. She opened her mouth to reply, three words at the forefront of her thoughts: I am lucky, but she kept them from coming out. “No, no we’re not - we’re not dating.” She shook her head, glancing up at Leo nervously. “We’re just friends.” 

At the clerk’s comment, Leo could feel his shoulder tense up. For a little while he’d forgotten all about the fact that this was exactly the same as a date for normal people, that for a brief, barely existing moment, he’d wished it was a date too. He hadn’t even thought about kissing her once since they arrived, just enjoying her company and the two of them hanging out like they used to. It was something he’d missed terribly the last two years, and it felt so good to have her back it was pretty much everything he’d been able to think about. 

At least until the comment about them being a couple. “Yeah, no, we’re just friends,” he nodded, giving a tight lipped smile that felt way more forced than his smile from just a few seconds ago. That one had been wiped off his lips pretty quickly. Whether or not the girl behind the counter noticed the suddenly slightly awkward tension he wasn’t sure, but she just murmured a “could’ve fooled me” and started scanning their snacks. The whole time, and even as he pulled out his wallet to pay, he couldn’t stop thinking about what the girl had said about how he’d been looking at her. What did she mean? How had he been looking at her? They were just friends, who’d occasionally hooked up. The only problem was, he hadn’t been thinking about having sex with Nova at all, or even kissing her, so it didn’t make any sense at all. He tried his best to just forget all about it as they made their way away from the counter and the small kiosk. The last thing he wanted was for things to get awkward again; they still had a whole night ahead of them.