Leo was in Nadia's apartment because he had forgotten something of his. He wandered around stopping to look at photos of him and Nadia. He picked up a photo that stood on a drawer in the living room. He smiled. There was a sudden knock on the door and he put the photo down. He slowly opened the door, revealing Amelia's face. His eyes widened. "Amelia?"

She lightly smiled. "Hi, um can I talk to you?" She asked. "Uh, yeah, sure, come in." He completely opened the door for her, letting her in. She listened to her footsteps as she walked into Nadia's apartment. Leo shut the door. 

"I'm sorry, about Maia." She began. Leo shrugged. "It's okay. She doesn't faze me." Amelia sat down on one of the couches. Leo sat across from her. She chuckled, with a tone submerged in sadness. "I don't, I don't know why she hates you so much Leo. I tried asking her, but she ran off. You may think I hate you too but-,"

"No, I know you don't hate me, you just act like you do." Leo cut her off.

She laughed quietly. "Is it that obvious?" He smiled at her. "Well to me it sure is." They laughed together. "I like you Leo." Amelia admitted. "I think Nadia is lucky to have someone like you and I'm sure you supported her more than Maia and I ever could." She sighed.

"You're a good person."

You don't deserve the potential betrayal that's headed your way. I only hope Nadia can stay faithful to you. 

Amelia knew such a thought was almost near impossible because of Danny's advances. Leo lightly smiled, shifting in his seat. It was clear Amelia's words had gotten to him, but he didn't want to show it. He thanked her and the room regained its silence. 

Amelia took out her phone, turned on the audio recording, and placed it at the side of her thigh. She did this all without Leo knowing.

"Do you love her?" She asked.

Leo's eyes slightly widened at her question. He shifted in his seat again. "Of course I love her." Amelia slowly shook her head at his response. "No, Leo," her voice softened. "I need a real answer, a meaningful one." 

His eyes quickly darted from the floor to look at her. With faintly raised eyebrows and eyes full of uncertainty, Leo's jaw tightened. 

He didn't want to express himself to Amelia whatsoever. But here she was, admitting that she liked him after tagging along with the girl who treated him harshly. Surely, she deserved to know his true feelings for Nadia. He sighed, rubbed his right eye and sat up.

"Truth is, Nadia means everything to me." He began. 

"I didn't think much of it at first. She was just a girl I met at a bar. I brought her to my home when she was too drunk to go back to her own and in the morning, I thought that was the end of that. But I asked her to stay and here she is three years later, still by my side."

"I helped her with her recovery and essentially, she helped me too. When I'm with her, my drinking impulses aren't as strong. I tend to have more control over myself." 

Leo softly chuckled to himself. "And I feel like shit, you know it's only been a few days and I've already woken up hungover." 

He paused, lightly smiling as he thought of Nadia. "It just makes me realize how much of a positive influence she has on me." He sniffled and quickly wiped his eyes that welled up. "She's a wonderful person, and she makes me feel like I'm one too. So, when I say I love her, I mean it."

His eyebrows furrowed in sudden anger as he scoffed.

"When Maia comes around here with her bullshit, talking about how I don't deserve her, how do you think that makes me feel?" 

Amelia sighed, understanding the pain Maia had caused him. 

He shrugged his shoulders. "I-I don't know what I would do without her and just the thought alone scares me." Leo's last words almost broke Amelia down. Knowing something so pivotal that he didn't, gave her a troubled feeling at the pit of her stomach. She stealthily ended the recording.

"Thank you for sharing that with me." She lightly smiled.

"I'm sorry I asked such a question in the first place." Amelia said sheepishly. Leo chuckled. "Don't be. I'm sure you didn't think you would ever admit to liking me." She laughed and in the moment, she loved how he would bring humor after such a touchy subject. "I guess you could say we're even." He smiled. "Yeah." Amelia's eyes gleamed brightly towards Leo. She felt as if she had made a new friend. She could see why Nadia fell in love with him.

"Well," she stood up. "I should get going."

"I should probably leave too, considering I don't live here." He chuckled, walking with her to the door. "Well, you kinda live here." Amelia joked. Leo smiled as he opened the door. "Kinda, doesn't count." She laughed quietly as they slowly walked side by side through the hallway.

"Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it."

"No problem, I just wanted to see if I could ease the tension." Amelia sighed.

Leo let out a breathy laugh as he pressed the descending elevator button. "I wonder if it'll ever go away." Amelia searched for her keys in her purse. "I hope it does." She mumbled. 

The elevator doors opened. "Well, I'll see you around." Leo stepped into the elevator. Amelia faintly smiled. "Bye." She waved. Leo smiled back at her, quickly waving before the elevator doors closed. 

Amelia unlocked her front door and stepped into her quiet apartment. She leaned against the door, exhaling deeply. She placed her purse on the kitchen counter and slumped onto a couch.

"What did we do?" She whispered to herself.

We've only made things worse, Maia and I, but Nadia is no angel either. He'll hate us all in the end. 

She took out her phone and listened to the recording of Leo's confession. Amelia knew it was the only thing that could possibly turn things around for the better.

...

At nightfall, there were three loud knocks at her door. Amelia had a feeling of who it might be and when she opened the door, she was right. She sighed. "Maia." Maia attempted to smile. "Hi, can I come in?" She asked. "Yeah, sure." Amelia's voice was hushed. Maia looked to the ground as she walked inside. Amelia waited to hear two words come from her mouth as she closed the door behind her.

"I'm sorry." Maia finally coughed up.

Amelia crossed her arms over her chest. "It's about damn time. I was wondering when you would show up and apologize." Maia rolled her eyes. "Well it wasn't easy for me." Amelia leaned against the counter. "Oh yeah? Why is that?" Maia glared at her. "You already know why Amelia." Her short-tempered manner was beginning to reveal itself. Amelia pretended to think deeply as her eyes glanced up towards the ceiling.

"You know, I really don't." She said sarcastically, shaking her head.

Maia scoffed. "Are you fucking serious right now?"

Amelia took her weight off the counter. "Yeah Maia, I am all right? You still haven't told me why you act like such a bitch towards Leo." Maia was rendered speechless, only nodding her head in disbelief at Amelia's backlash.

"Leo is a good person-,"

"And just how do you know that huh?" Maia cut her off, questioning her.

"Because Maia I talked to him! Right after you stormed off and unlike you, I'm trying to be friendly. I'm trying to get to know him." She paused. "I'm tired of standing around in your shadow as you degrade him. It casts over to me and I seem like the bad guy too, when I'm not."

She softened the tone of her voice. "Maia, you're my best friend and I don't want to fight with you, but I need to know. I just need to know what he did to you to have all this hatred in you." Maia wasn't one to cry, but she could feel the urge to let tears fall. She resisted. She took a seat and began to explain herself. 

"It was about 3 years ago, in April. 8 months after Danny left Nadia..."

(Flashback)

Maia's POV

I made my way over to Nadia's place. I thought I'd surprise her and then maybe we could go to the movies, or just hang out in general. 

I noticed her door was slightly ajar and I quietly stepped right in. 

My smile faded when I saw her on the lap of some guy I'd never seen before, indulged in a heated kiss. She smiled against his lips and opened her eyes, quickly pulling away from him in fright as she noticed me.

"Maia? What the hell are you doing here?" She asked me breathily, getting off the guy's lap.

I shrugged. "I thought I'd stop by."

She sighed. "What happened to knocking?"

"I never really need to, but now that you're exchanging saliva with random guys, I guess I should start."

"Oh, my god." She whispered, rolling her eyes.

Nadia turned to look at him. "I'm so sorry, could you give us a minute?" He sighed and I could hear the slight disappointment and annoyance in his tone. "Yeah, sure, it's no problem." She smiled at him. "Thanks, we'll be right outside." 

Nadia walked towards the door and I glanced at the guy. His curly hair was pulled back, he wore a yellow Baylor shirt and looked a little older than Nadia and me, but he still looked like he was in his early twenties. 

He caught me staring and glared at me. My eyebrows drew together and I glared right back at him.

"Maia!" I swiftly turned around. Nadia gestured me to come with her.

I took a second look at him before I went outside with her. I closed the door and she immediately started talking.

"Ok, what the hell is your problem?"

I amusingly scoffed. "What?"

"You just barge in like you own the place and then accuse me of kissing random guys?"

"Well I 'barge in' all the time and you've never had a problem until now. Isn't that strange?" Nadia grew angry at my added sarcasm. "Okay, then who is he?" I asked. Nadia crossed her arms over her chest. "None of your business Maia." My eyes narrowed. "Oh, so it's none of my business, right? That just tells me he's just some guy." I leaned against the wall. "Nadia, who is he? It hasn't even been a full year and you're already throwing yourself at other guys." Her eyes widened in disbelief. They warned me not to continue but I went on ahead.

"What, is he a rebound? Danny left you in such bad shape that you have to use some guy to avoid the pain?" 

Angry tears shimmered in her eyes. "He's not a damn rebound Maia. He likes me." Her voice was low as she was fighting back tears.

I had to laugh at that.

"He likes you, aw how sweet. So, you think he's different, right? He's not like other guys? They're all assholes. Danny liked you too Nadia, in fact he loved you. But where is he now? Gone."

My eyes shifted to her door. "And he'll be gone too if you don't leave first."

She scoffed and slowly nodded her head. Her breath was shaky. She inhaled sharply.

"You're a bitch."

Nadia didn't bother to say anything to me after that. She simply put in her code to her room and slammed the door behind her, leaving me there. 

I didn't think much of it really. It was her choice not to listen to me. I was only trying to protect her from repeating history. 

I'm sure she saw it as me being harsh and in her words, a "bitch", but I was just being real. I knew Nadia. I knew she was lying, telling me he wasn't just some guy to distract her from Danny. 

Once the guy knew he was just Nadia's rebound he would eventually leave her, and she'll be crying back to me and Amelia all over again.

But that didn't happen.

Months continued to pass and the same guy was still around. 'Some guy' eventually acquired the name 'Leo'. Nadia would talk about him to Amelia and me all the damn time. 

Danny was completely out of the picture. 

Nadia would spend so much time with him, sometimes putting us off to the side. Leo eventually befriended Amelia and with his charm, she didn't seem like it was a big deal for Nadia to occasionally leave us for him. 

She thought it was good thing that Nadia had someone to show her what it was like to be loved again.

I didn't buy that bullshit. His bright smiles and amiable personality that made Nadia radiant as ever was all a façade. I wondered how long he would keep that gimmick up.

I knew he would gain her trust and one day, it'll all come crashing down. 

I still tried to convince Nadia that he was no good and sometimes it felt like my words were starting to get to her. It wasn't enough, because she was still with him. Why wouldn't she listen to me? Why couldn't she see that I was right and she was wrong...

...

"Maia, are you kidding me?" Amelia looked at Maia as if she just told her a joke. 

"So, let me get this straight. You wanted to be right so bad that you went out of your way to manipulate Nadia into thinking Leo is going to screw her over?"

"Amelia, he is."

"Maia, you don't know that!" She yelled, throwing her hands in the air. She sighed. "Look, I don't know what guy fucked you over in the past to make you think that all guys are the same, but what you're doing is wrong."

Maia stood up. "I'm just trying to protect her." 

Amelia scoffed. "Protect her? Maia you're trying to put her in the same position you were once in. You're trying to make her think like you. You're making her go through the exact same thing you did. To make her feel the same emotions as you, Maia. Nadia isn't you and the guy who hurt you, he isn't Leo."

"But Leo doesn't deserve-," Amelia cut Maia off, slamming her fist on the counter.

"Oh my god Maia, how many times are you going to say Leo doesn't deserve Nadia huh? What, you think Danny deserves her? Is that what you think?" She chuckled. "Yeah, yeah let's just bring Nadia back to the guy who ruined her in the first place, because he totally deserves her again." Amelia said in a mocking tone.

Maia tried her best to manage a calm manner. "But Amelia, Danny still loves her, that's why he called." 

Amelia scowled at her. "No, Maia, can't you see that Leo loves her? You think some phone call suddenly means Danny loves Nadia? Where was he three years ago? Where was the 'I'm sorry'?"

Amelia quickly wiped her eyes. "Nadia got absolutely nothing from him except for some stupid note. As if that would make it all better and you just-," She stopped, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. She sniffled.

"Just get out. Please."

"Amelia," Maia's eyes soften, realizing she had burned a hole in their friendship.

"Maia, I said please. Just leave, I need some time alone."

She watched Maia silently walk out of her apartment until she shut the door behind her. She wanted to call Nadia, telling her to come straight home. But it would only bring questions and suspicion. 

She took a seat, placing her elbows on the table, clasping her hands together covering her nose and mouth. Her eyes peered around in the darkness of the room. She knew she had to do something, but whatever that something was, she had no clue.

Hi guys! Thank you so much for reading it means a lot :) feel free to lmk what you think in the comments
These next two upcoming chapters were one of my favorites to write so I hope y'all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it! 🤍