` she will be loved , KAYLEIGH

[leo]

It had come as a bit of a shock to Leo that Kayleigh was going through with it, really going through with it. Leo was old-fashioned in the sense that he thought marriage was supposed to last forever. He'd grown up watching his parents always being irrevocably in love with one another. He'd spent years gagging with his sisters when the two of them would kiss. It wasn't until he'd moved out and dated that Leo realized how much he owed to his parents. He'd grown up watching true love and he'd learned to love. He'd learned what it was--clear and simple love. It was the feeling he got right now when he looked over at Kayleigh, walking on the beach beside him. He was sad for her, sad to see her life falling apart. Leo had thought the moment she'd split from Chord--if she ever did--would have been the happiest of his life, but instead he couldn't stand to think about her divorcing.

It was one of those perfect summer nights, the ocean winds messing up Leo's hair and the sand clinging to his feet. He could look up and see the most beautiful night sky and he could look to his right and see the most beautiful girl. Despite the circumstances, he wouldn't trade it for the world. It slowly creeped into his mind if this was considered to be a date. They'd had dinner together...or rather, breakfast, and now here they were, taking a walk on the beach. But instead of voicing this question he stared straight ahead, oddly quiet for once in his life.

[kayleigh]

Kay was surprised in herself, to be honest. She’d sat down with her lawyer and discussed it, filed for the papers, and then just left them there. She hadn’t thought that she would actually bring the papers home and be able to sit down and talk to Chord about everything. It felt so real, and that was what scared Kay the most. She felt a weight lift off her shoulders that night, which she knew wasn’t right about a relationship. She shouldn’t have felt like she was trapped for her baby, for her husband, but she had. And now he was out of the house with Madison, and she was by herself. It didn’t feel right. She'd never been on her own, and now she had to get used to waking up in an empty bed, not having to cook for anyone but herself, not actually bothering with a lot of stuff that she had to worry about when there were other people in the house.

She wasn’t completely alone, though. She had Leo, kind of. The weird thing was, the entire night felt like a date. He’d made her dinner, taken her for a walk.. Kay had only ever been on dates with Chord, so it was completely new. Hell, she didn’t even know if it really was a date. All she knew was that Leo was being oddly quiet. She looked up at the sky and noticed a couple clouds rolling in, but she ignored them and kept walking. She hesitated for a moment before reaching to grab his hand, staring at her feet as they kept walking. Kayleigh made sure her grip was loose enough that he could easily let go of her hand if he wanted, but she kind of hoped he didn’t. Butterflies that she hadn’t felt in years were bubbling in her stomach. She just needed the comfort of knowing he was there, and holding his hand did just that for her.

[leo]

Leo had always kept his feelings for Kayleigh a secret. He liked that idea. keep it a secret. No one would need to know, just like no one needed to know any private feelings he might have. They would be a secret between Leo and himself, kept from doing any harm by staying locked away. They would be his and his alone. A person, a boy, could have all kinds of thoughts and none of them mattered, none of them could betray or embarrass or complicate as long as he kept hold of them, made them his own business and no one else’s, kept them tucked in a box of metal. Leo didn't want to cause any problems in Kay's life--she'd always seemed so happy with Chord. Who was he to interfere in that? She had a family, a life which he didn't belong to. It was wrong of Leo to try and force himself into it, like a puzzle piece that just wouldn't fit.

But now, all the reasons he used to hold back were gone. Melted away like ice on a hot day. Before he realized what had happened, Leo could feel Kayleigh's soft hand holding his. He blinked, looking down at it and then over at her. He wasn't sure what to say, for once in his life, "Well...this is nice," as soon as the words left his lips Leo wanted to kick himself.

[kayleigh]

Kayleigh kept a lot of stuff secrets. There was even some things that Chord didn't know about her, but she wouldn't tell anyone that. She'd made mistakes, but everyone made them here and there. It wasn't anything major, like cheating, but Kay had known for a lot longer than she'd put off that it wasn't going to work. She'd worried too much over turning into her parents that she'd forgotten that Chord wasn't anything like her dad. Sure, she was a bit like her mom -- okay, a lot like her mom -- but Chord was so much better. The thing was, Kayleigh wasn't able to do it anymore. She had never experienced really living like a nineteen year old. Dates, school, parties.. None of that. She still couldn't afford school, but she could still try out the dating and such. Like that night with Leo, not that she was completely sure that it was a date or not.

The second that Leo spoke, a dark blush spread over her cheeks. Kayleigh looked over at him for a moment before looking up at the sky again, watching the clouds roll in a little quicker as wind picked up a bit. "Yeah, it is." A drop of water fell on her nose, causing her to stop in her steps and wrinkle her eyebrows together. She looked up at the sky, keeping her eyebrows furrowed. "Really?" she asked, mostly to the sky than anything else. Kay felt another drop, whining a bit.

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[leo]

Leo reached out as he felt the rain drops starting to fall, letting one of two touch the palm of his hand. Rain was such a beautiful thing--the sound of it, the way the earth spelled after a shower, the way the ocean was starting to look now with small drops hitting the surface. Perhaps Kayleigh thought this was going to ruin the evening, but it couldn't have been any better for Leo. Before he had a chance to speak, the clouds picked up and soon it was a complete downpour. Leo let out his usual carefree laugh, running a hand through his now wet hair before turning to her, "Really." Leo saw this as some sort of symbolism for them. The rain was going to wash her past, leaving a clean slate for him to enter. He could pull her close right then, push her hair out of her face like they did in the movies, but he wasn't sure how she'd take to any advances. Sure, she reached out to hold his hand, but people did that all the time. His sisters would tell him girls just did it to feel secure. So like he had so many times before, Leo kept himself from doing what he so badly wanted.

Instead, he bent down and picked her up around the knees, throwing her over his shoulder. "Since you're already wet now, it wouldn't be a problem for me to throw you in the ocean." Was again Leo laughed, but around Kayleigh his laughter was ligher, more carefree, if that was even possible. She lifted some sort of a weight off of him, he didn't hold any pretenses around her, she made him complete and totally comfortable. Without even really doing anything.

[kayleigh]

Kayleigh had always loved the rain. It felt as if it could wash every little problem that she had ever had and make her be able to actually be herself again. That wasn't something that she got to feel very often, so the second it started to downpour she couldn't help but smile a bit, especially when she caught Leo's laugh. He always seemed to put her more at ease lately, especially throughout the night. There was no pressure with Leo. It was comfortable. Comfort from Leo was so much different than what it had been with Chord. Scary part was, she liked the dofferent. She liked the butterflies and the different and it all scared the hell out of her. She was going through a divorce, shouldn't she be sad? No, she'd wasted too many years of her life being sad, she was tired of it.

A small squeal escaped Kayleigh's lips as she was thrown over Leo's shoulder. She didn't squirm or anything, instead bringing her hands to her face to push the wet hair and water out of her eyes. "Guess it wouldn't." Taking a deep breath, Kay prepared herself to go under water. When she finally did, the rush of the water felt as if it was washing away all the fear from her body. She stood up, shaking her hair from her face and wiping her eyes. Kayleigh couldn't help but laugh. She looked up at Leo for a second before lifting her hand to run it through his hair, leaving it sticking up before the rain would probably weigh it down. She could feel her own hair sliding back to cover her face, but she ignored it. Kay opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Instead, she shut her mouth and bit her lip nervously, staring at his lips for a little too long before finally looking away. She felt like a complete idiot. Like usual.

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[leo]

Leo let Kayleigh down into the water with a loud splash. He stepped back for a moment, laughing, splashing water at her. Even with her hair and clothes completely soaked, a look that wouldn't do justice to others, Leo found her so incredibly beautiful and perfect. When she reached out to play with his hair, he closed his eyes for a second too long. He begged that his hair could actually feel, but of course, that wasn't going to happen. Instead, he stared at her, letting his hands slide into her own hair, moving it out of her face. He stared at her then, every memory of wanting to be this close to her coming back into his mind. He remember all the times he'd come so close to talking to her, and yet here he was, standing only a few inches away from her.

In a second he closed the space between them, pressing his lips against her's. He let himself push out anxieties and fall into the kiss. All the need and want he'd let built up inside of himself over the years came flooding out. Leo wasn't much of a passionate person, but at that moment no one would have guessed otherwise. His hands wandered from her hair to around her waist, pulling her as close as was humanely possible. He didn't once think about how wrong this was, that she was still a married woman.

[kayleigh]

Had Kayleigh ever really taken the chance to look at Leo in the past, she would've known then and there just how good looking he really was. Thing was, she was blinded by Chord for six years. That wasn't true anymore. The longer she looked at Leo, really looked at him, the better he looked. Standing only inches away from him was sending feelings rushing all through her body. Butterflies, nerves, hesitation. Things she hadn't really fealt in years. It was different with Leo than it ever had been with Chord, and Kayleigh couldn't help but think maybe that wasn't a bad thing. She needed change; she needed Leo. As many nerves that started to fill her, they all slowly uncurled and disappeared as he closed the distance between them.

It felt right, comfortable, being that close to someone again. Kayleigh wrapped her arms around his neck, stepping up a tiny bit on her toes. The waves pushed against her legs, but that wasn't what she was thinking of at all. Her mind was racing a million miles an hour as the kiss just didn't stop. When she finally pulled back she was nearly out of breath. Breathing heavily, Kay looked up at him and dropped back down to her normal height. A soft laugh escaped from her lips, running a hand through her soaking wet hair. She was beyond words, instead focusing on slowing her breathing.

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[leo]

Here's what I can tell you. You either have chemistry with someone or you don't. And you better have it with someone, or it's like kissing a relative. But even with chemistry, you had to be careful. It's kind of like those perfume ads, the ones that look all mysterious and interesting, but it's not until the last second where you know what they're selling. Basically, chemistry is a place to start, but not a place to end. Kissing her proved to Leo they had something, a connection. But his mind was filled with her failing marriage, showing him just how fragile things were. He was scared, wondering if him and Kayleigh would even last. It was pathetic of him to be wrapped up in those thoughts when they hadn't even started anything yet. It was just a kiss. But a kiss that had changed everything for him in a moment.

Her laugh brought a smile to his face, as Leo let his own out. The nerves and fear he had been feeling seconds earlier evaporated. Instead, Leo tightened his arms around her waist and lifted her up, spinning her around. Leo rested his forehead against her's, once again speechless. "Wow."

[kayleigh]

Kayleigh had honestly only ever kissed four guys in her nineteen years. Two guys she'd "dated" back in middle school, Chord, and now Leo. The two guys in middle school had been nothing special. It hadn't felt right, and those relationships hadn't lasted long. With Chord it had been comfortable, like a safety net to know that someone was there for her. The thing was, with time, that safety net wore thin. Kissing Chord just felt forced, like a routine. With Leo, though.. That was a whole different story. Kay honestly couldn't say if they would last or anything, but she didn't want to think about that. She wanted to last with him, and that's all she could really ask for. They weren't even together, why was she thinking about that? Kay cleared the thoughts from her head mostly, letting them drift into the back of her mind for another time.

Giggles erupted as she clung tighter and lifted her feet as Leo spun her. She felt like a kid again. That's when it hit her, the realization that she was still a kid. She was only nineteen years old, and she'd been forced to grow up too quickly because of a mistake in the past. Kay just wanted to go through the motions of being a college age person, instead of acting like she was way older. And that's exactly what she felt with Leo at that moment. It was nice. A gentle laugh slid from her lips. "Definitely wow." Kay closed her eyes and took a deep breath, opening them again to smile up at him as the butterflies in her stomach went crazy again.

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