Page 28 of Burning Bridges

Leo pulls into a parking lot, and I look at the building and realize where we are. My breath catches in my chest. The McCallum Theatre. I used to do recitals here as a teenager. I place a hand over my chest, feeling that flutter I had last night come back. “Are we going to a concert?”

“I know how much you love classical music.” He smiles, and it’s genuine. Such a rare sight with this man these days. I want to pull him in to me and kiss him with everything I have for being so damn thoughtful. But I restrain myself, since we're out in public and he’s still driving.

He had something nice planned for me all along. My anxiety settles knowing he’s not going to murder me. “You only had today to plan this. And I know these tickets were sold out already, I tried to get some to bring Hannah.”

“I know people,” he mutters like it’s no big deal, even though he knows it is to me.

“Thank you,” I say softly, so surprised by his kind gesture.

He pulls the car up at the valet and hops out, coming around my side to open the door for me like the gentleman we both know he isn’t. He holds his hand out to me, and I can’t help the smile that crosses my face as I grip his hand back. I wasn’t expecting him to be so swoony. Where is the asshole I have grown to know?

We walk through the grand entry. A small sweep of nostalgia washes over me. This place hasn’t changed at all from when I came here as a kid. It’s so special to me, one of the only places I have good memories of my family enjoying an evening together, and to be here with Leo feels so right. There are well-dressed wealthy people mingling around, holding glasses of champagne, but we don’t stop in the lobby with them for a drink. Instead, we walk right through to the gallery, climbing the stairs to the mezzanine. A guy dressed in a uniform sees us and greets Leo.

“Mr. Rivera. Right this way.” He motions for us to follow him, and we do, finding our seats in a private balcony off to the side of the stage.

I lean my head in a little closer. “You really do know the right people,” I whisper.

“Are you impressed?”

“A little.” I smirk. “I didn’t expect all this.” We take our seats, and I move my long skirt to the side so I can sit properly without wrinkling it.

“Maybe I wanted to show you what kind of life I would have given you if you'd come with me that night.”

My heart skips a beat at the thought. I would give just about anything to do things differently. If only I could've guaranteed it would end up with us together and not him dead. I glance back at him, a little lost for words. He still thinks about that night as much as I do. It was one of those sliding-door moments where everything could have been so different if I had chosen to go with Leo instead of my father. But I didn’t, and he knows why. Yes, we obviously both like to fantasize about how wonderful life would have been if I were his and I didn’t have to return to my living hell. But things could have also been so much worse. My father could have killed him, and I couldn’t have lived with myself if that was the case.

“I like the sound of that,” I tell him honestly, because I do. I know I’m forgetting why I’m really here and getting swept away with the romance and how sweet he's being, but letting go of reality for just one night isn't going to hurt anyone. I owe him this. I owe it to myself. And most of all, I want it. A perfect night together like both of us deserve.

He sweeps the hair away from my face, cupping my chin as he stares into my eyes. Closing the distance between us so our lips meet, he kisses me. It’s sweet and slow and perfection. He’s kissing me like this is real. And for a second, I close my eyes and get lost in the moment. Leo has always been my perfect man. I fell for him when I was just fifteen, and if things were different, I really do believe we could have lived very happy lives together. He would have taken care of me and loved me the way I deserved. But things have gotten so bad over the years, I never anticipated this could ever be possible.

A rustling behind us breaks our moment. “Sorry to bother you, Mr. Rivera, I have the drinks you ordered.”

“Thank you,” he snips, obviously irritated by the interruption.

The waiter places a bottle of Moet on the table in front of us, along with two champagne flutes. He then places down a whiskey in front of Leo. “Dinner will be served during intermission,” he tells us before leaving again.

“Dinner and everything.” I grin like I’m impressed. And I am. He has gone all out.

“You did request a meal.”

“That’s true.” I smile a genuine smile for the first time in who knows how long.

Leo pours my drink and hands me the flute. I take a sip, enjoying the sweet citrusy flavor. “It was a toss-up between the champagne and a vodka and Coke, but it’s hardly the place for a drink like that.”

He knows me so well. Every little detail, down to how I take my alcoholic beverages. The thought should be unnerving, but it’s not. I like that he knows me well. It means I’m worth his time to pay attention to what I like. “The champagne is perfect.”

A bell chimes, signaling for the audience to take their seats. The lights go low, and the pianist takes the stage. A haunting melody rises goosebumps over my skin. I glance back at Leo, and I know I have tears in my eyes, but I can’t help it. This is all just so beautiful. Not what I’m used to. And it makes me regret so many choices I have made over the years. My life could have been very different. I know this can’t last for long, and I want to bottle this moment up and remember my one perfect night forever.

Two hours later, we're back in his car on our way to his place. The show was incredible. It’s been so long since I've seen a live music performance, and while some of it brings back memories of my parents forcing me to perform for our dinner guests, music is also my happy place, my escape, and without Leo even knowing, this show was exactly what I needed right now. It has somehow grounded me. I feel like I’m thinking clearer than before we arrived. Dinner at intermission was baked salmon and vegetables; it was delicious. And Leo seemed to enjoy the show just as much as I did, even though I wouldn’t have picked him for a classical music fan. It’s not for everyone.

Nervous butterflies dance in my stomach as we get closer to his mansion. When I was getting ready for tonight, I knew what I was doing. I had my plan all lined up in my head. Get into his house so I can search for information for Tony. Seduce him so he willingly gives me everything I want. But now, now I don’t think I can hold my nerve. It was so much easier when I was painting Leo as the bad guy in this situation. But he’s not really. He’s a victim of his family circumstances, much like me. We were both dealt shitty hands in life, and we have fought tooth and nail to get to where we are now. We have just done what we had to in order to survive. And I know Tony hates him because he took over all his businesses when he faked his death, but Tony was the one who left them in such a mess that I wasn’t able to handle the debt. Leo did him a favor if anything. If he hadn’t intervened when he did, it wouldn’t have been too long before debt collectors would have stepped in and shut down everything. I’m also aware of the fact that Leo took a lot of pleasure in doing it, and he treated me like shit in the process, but I wasn’t very nice to him either.

“Are you all right?” he asks softly. He has been quiet the whole drive home as well, both of us trapped in our thoughts.

“Yes.” I glance back at him, wondering why he's being so nice to me suddenly. For years we have made it obvious how much we despise each other, but now he wants to take me out and pretend like he cares about my wellbeing. I couldn’t have been that good in bed last night that he literally changed his feelings for me overnight.

“You're very quiet.”

“You don’t have to take me back to your place if you don’t want to. I shouldn’t have put that on you this morning. I don’t know what I was thinking,” I mutter before I can stop the words. I’m panicking that this is turning into something I’m not going to be able to walk away from when I have to, and it’s only the second night we've spent together.

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