Page 99 of Sleeping with the Frenemy

“Something you need to tell me in front of everyone we know?”

He nodded. “Yep.”

She swallowed hard. “Well, I have something to ask you first.”

He raised a brow. “Something to ask me in front of everyone we know?”

She nodded. “Yep.”

He waved his free hand, causing the microphone to make a wind noise. “Go ahead. I have nothing to hide. Not anymore.”

“The map and the passport,” she said. She was very proud of how breezy she sounded despite the way her heart was rampaging in her chest. “Why?”

He lifted the microphone to his lips. “Because no matter where you go, I want to go with you. If you want to go walk The Great Wall, I’ll walk it too. If you want to go do yoga by the Taj Mahal, I’ll be there in warrior pose next to you. If you decide to go on a safari, I’ll be your lion attack lookout. I want to be with you as you check off all those places you once marked on a map. And when you need to retreat to your safe place, I will always be waiting right outside for you. You know why?”

Sofi gulped. “Because you overcame your dislike of flying?”

He laughed. “No. But that’s what drugs are for.” He put the microphone back up to his mouth. “Because I love you and I’m going to do everything in my power to be the man you need. A man who doesn’t see you as a conquest or a goal, but a person with all the complications humans have. One who supports you and puts your needs above his own. A man who realizes that sometimes you’re going to need space to figure things out, but that doesn’t mean you’re rejecting me or thinking that I’m not enough.”

She felt sweaty, breathless, and weirdly amped up, as if she’d just finished a high intensity Zumba class. At least that was how she felt physically; emotionally was a different story. She wasn’t exactly sure how she was feeling emotionally. On the one hand she was pissed at Leo for being so indiscreet. At the same time, she was...excited? Giddy? It was the constant back-and-forth that had her adrenaline spiking. She was so sick of being at constant war with herself and her feelings. She knew what she wanted now even though she was a bit late.

But Leo had always known. He knew her so well. In so many ways he knew her better than she knew herself. He was always striving to give her exactly what she wanted, even when it was probably not what he needed. He’d been doing it for years, letting her hide from her emotions and while she offered him only the smallest part of herself.

Yet here he was reaching out to her again and accepting blame, despite the fact that she was the one who’d really messed up. She was the one who’d pushed him away and refused to give them an honest chance. She was the coward who’d tried to keep everything surface level. He’d always been the one willing to go all in.

It was time for Sofi to show him that she was all in too. She wasn’t going to leave him alone in this anymore.

26

As Sofi just stood there staring at him, Leo’s stomach dropped.Fuck.He’d embarrassed Sofi in front of everyone. She definitely wouldn’t forgive him.Stupid, Leo. Stupid. Idiotic. Asinine.He berated himself as he tried to quell the rising panic in his chest. He shut his eyes and shook his head wondering how he’d managed to mess up already.

A hand tapped him on the knee and his eyes flew open. A soft, brown hand covered in gold jewelry and tipped with long pointy nails decorated with gold flecks and rhinestones made agive memotion at him.

Sofi.

“Give me the mic and help me up,” she told him.

He did exactly as she asked, ignoring his discomfort. Then she was standing next to him. They were practically the same height thanks to the tall heels he’d been checking out at random intervals all night when he salivated over her exposed leg. She looked absolutely stunning. She’d been the only one of the bridal party in a rich pink dress instead of gold. The color was magic and brought out the warm undertone of her brown skin while also shimmering in all the different kinds of light. It had no sleeves so her collarbone and chest were on display and that fucking thigh-high slit was killing him. He’d envisioned sliding his hand in it way too many times for a man surrounded by his family and close friends. Everything about her from her head to her toes was flawless. She was just perfect. She made his heart beat erratically every time.

When she lifted the mic to her lips, he barely paid attention because he was so focused on her mouth. He loved that sassy, pouty mouth of hers. “I have something to say,” she began, but then she kind of froze.

Leo finally noticed the way the mic shook in her hand and the sweat beading along her hairline. He remembered her confession about fearing public speaking. “You don’t have to do this, bombón. Not here or like this.”

At the sound of his voice she appeared to come to. She blinked and looked at him. “Yes, I do. I need to face my fears instead of hiding from them.” She turned and faced the crowd in the tent. “I thought I was going to get through this without having to talk in public, but it appears that life had other plans.” There were some chuckles in the audience. “The truth is that I hate speaking in public. It’s why I quit competing in pageants and why I have to prepare weeks in advance before a presentation. Of course, I didn’t prepare tonight, but I guess that’s okay. I mean it’s not okay. My knees are quaking like I’m a baby giraffe and I’m probably going to sweat out this silk press.” She paused briefly. “I guess that’s more information that y’all didn’t need.” She looked at Leo. “What was I talking about?”

“Your fears.”

She nodded. “Right. My fears.” She turned back to the crowd. “Most of you have known me for a long time. Even so, I know a lot of you will be surprised to know that public speaking is not the only thing I’m scared of. There are tons, but I got really good at hiding them all. I never wanted anyone to see me as weak or foolish, but I guess I already ruined that tonight. And oh shit is that, Chord Bailón?”

She looked at him for confirmation.

Leo nodded. “He came with Eva.”

“I’m making an ass of myself in front of Chord Bailón. Cool, cool, cool.” She would’ve been whispering that to herself if it weren’t for the mic. She paused again. Her brow furrowed. “I think, I should be more upset about that, but I’m not. It’s kind of a relief.” She shook her head. “No, itisa relief.” She took a breath. “I’m Sofia Santana and I’m a coward who hides from the things that scare me instead of facing them.” She turned to him. “And you, Leo, are the scariest thing I’ve ever faced.”

Leo watched her throat bob as she swallowed thickly.

“From the moment we met, you’ve seen me. The real me. Not the facade that I show the rest of the world. You poke and prod and push and piss me off like no other.” She clenched her jaw like just thinking about it made her mad. Then she blew out a breath. “That’s because you dare me to be my true self and that’s terrifying to me. I don’t know how you do it all the time. But you’ve always been braver than I am. You are ready to face anything and to go all in while I want to hide like a turtle in my shell, but I can’t continue to hide. It’s not fair to you. So here’s my truth.” She licked her lips. “I love you, Leo Vega. I’ve loved you since the night you knocked on my window, took me to The Bean, and forced me to feel my emotions, because you knew that’s what I needed.” Her eyes began to glisten with unshed tears. “Probably before then actually, but that was the night I knew for sure. Anyway, you’ve always done that for me, given me what I didn’t know I needed. In return, I haven’t done the same for you. I’ve pushed you away and made you seem unimportant and I’m so sorry for that.” Her voice cracked and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

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