Page 22 of Off-Limits Bad Boy Protector

An hour had passed, and my hope was fading. He probably wasn't going to come. I opened my phone to call him again. I had lost count of how many times I had called and texted him in the past hour. My texts showed desperation and anxiety.

“Leo, what’s going on? Where are you? I’ve been here for ages! Are you coming or not?”

The call went to voicemail again. I opened my messaging app and sent another text. Frustration boiled up inside me.

"You're not coming, are you?"

I scoffed as I pressed send. He wasn't going to respond. He hadn't responded to any of my messages in the past hour, so what were the odds that he would respond now? My eyes turned towards the huge glass door. Every time the doors had swung open, I had anxiously turned. I hoped to see his blue eyes, chiseled face, and perfect jawline. But, it just wasn't him.

When I turned again, I wasn't surprised. There was no sign of him. My shoulders slumped in disappointment. I had been holding back for a while, but tears welled up in my eyes. I bit my lips and tried not to cry.

I would have ordered a vodka if I didn't know it would be really expensive at this kind of restaurant. My fingers trembled, and my voice shook with both sadness and frustration. “Where is he? Why isn’t he answering? Did he forget? Was this just a game?” I muttered to herself, chewing my nails in anxiety.

Around me, chairs were shuffling and most guests were leaving. The atmosphere suddenly felt suffocating. It was as if they were all mocking me for coming to this place and sitting alone. The flickering candle at the center of the table seemed to mock me too. A tear spilled from my eyes as I looked at my phone again.

8:45pm

It was hopeless. He wasn’t coming. It was almost 9 pm, and if he was, he would have informed me. The disappointment stung. How would I tell this to Lisa? It wasn’t just that he canceled. It was that I had been abandoned with no explanations, left waiting and wondering.

I sighed. There had to be a reason. Something logical. Something I just wasn't seeing yet. "He must be busy or something. Maybe something urgent came up. There's no way he abandoned me here on purpose," I whispered to myself. I swiped at the tears with my wrist, smudging my mascara, but who cared? I wanted to knock the socks off his feet, and yet here he was, knocking me completely off the ground.

I snorted, shaking my head at the empty seat across me. I grabbed my clutch and stood up, wiping away another tear that ran down my cheeks.

I walked out of the restaurant without looking back. I didn't say anything to the woman at the door because I didn't want to admit that I had been stood up. It took all my courage to keep walking. Maybe I stayed there so long because it was easier to pretend he wasn't standing me up. But he was. He just wasn't coming.

The moment I stepped outside the large glass door, I fell apart, and tears burst from my eyes. Oh fuck it! The disappointment and betrayal were just too much to bear alone. I was calling Lisa, and even if she was going to say, "I told you so," at least I wouldn't be crying alone. My fingers trembled as I dialed Lisa's number, my body shaking with sobs as the phone rang.

I didn’t even know when Lisa picked the call because I couldn’t stop crying. "Is that you?" Lisa's voice came through my tears, concern evident. "What's going on, Cass? Why are you crying?" My voice rose, worry seeping through.

I swallowed. I struggled to speak but the pain wouldn’t let me. When I eventually did, my voice was choked with tears and I was stuttering so bad, it was unbearable. “Z…Lisa, he…he..he..he”

“Babe! Calm down! Calm down! What’s going on? What did he do?”

Despite trying to calm down, I could tell Lisa was worried too. I fought back my tears and managed to speak. "Lisa, he didn't come. He never showed up! I waited for so long, but he didn't come! He didn't explain anything. I feel so hurt and foolish," I cried.

Lisa's voice was like a warm blanket in the cold. "Oh, I'm so sorry. This is not your fault. Oh goodness! Please don't feel that way," she said, her words comforting. I was racked by sobs. But, her compassion gave me the freedom to let out all the pain I had held in my chest.

“I, please. I wish I could be there with you right now. Please stop crying I. Do you want me to come over?” I straightened and shook my head even though I knew Lisa wouldn’t see me. I walked towards the road, not bothering to wipe my tears and hailed a cab.

“It’s fine Lisa. I’m fine” I sniffed. “I just need a long shower and some sleep. Maybe he was just busy. I’m sure there’s a valid explanation.”I leaned to tell the driver my address before opening the door, I heard Lisa’s loud groan as I slammed the door shut.

"I know you want to give him a second chance, but for peace's sake! Look at the signs on the wall. He hurt you before. Now he's making you go through that pain again," Lisa exclaimed. Her concern was clear.

I bit my lower lip. I hated that Lisa had been right. Leo wasn’t worth it. He was wasting my time and would only continue to. “You’re right,” I sniffed. “Leo won’t change. I don’t know why I thought he would. You were just hopeful Cass and I think that’s okay too. I just think you need to stop settling for less than you deserve” Lisa murmured.

My eyes scanned the sidewalk as the cab moved. My heart felt heavy in my chest. I knew I didn’t want to admit that he had stood me up, but there was no other explanation. It was exactly what had happened. If he cared, he would have at least responded to one of my texts, but he didn’t—because he didn’t care.

I took a deep breath. "Thanks, Lisa. I think it's time I finally let go of this madness and focus on healing. That's it, babe. Listen, I'll come around in the morning. Just get yourself some warm milk, take a shower, and get some sleep, okay?"

I smiled as the cab drove into my street. Lisa had to be the most supportive friend ever. How would I have found strength without her? "Thanks, Lisa. I'm so lucky you're here. Thank you for not mocking me. I was so scared you'd think I was foolish."

"Babe, why would I do that? You know I love you," Lisa replied warmly. I leaned back against the car seat, pointing my apartment to the driver.

“I know you do.” I muttered.

Chapter 15

One of the secrets I would take to my grave is that I attempted to call Leo both last night and this morning. My heart was filled with hope, yearning for an explanation or a glimmer of regret from him. Sadly, my efforts were in vain as he never picked up the phone.

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