The clear eyes, the warm smile and the strong hand that patiently held food to her mouth confused Paige.

Leo had kissed her passionately in the garden making her crave things she didn't dare mention only to apologize later. If she had known his sole purpose for coming upstairs to their room was to apologize to her she would have kept him out and closed her ears to anything he had to say.

His apology only confirmed what she already suspected but wouldn't dare believe. That he didn't enjoy the kiss like she did.

The pain that resulted from that knowledge should have been over by now. Instead, it had developed into a mass of confusion swirling around her head until it ached.

Why kiss her if he was going to apologize later. And why was he looking at her so tenderly and feeding her as if he hadn't just shattered her hopes, weakened her defense, and then ruined the perfect image of their first kiss in her head?

Who did he think he was to confuse her like that, to make her stomach flutter and her heart race at a pace she did not understand and then withdraw?

Gripping her gold gown under the long dinner table, Paige bit down hard on her lips, trying to stop the trembling that threatened to come. She could feel the eyes of his family members on her, and it made her feel exposed and vulnerable. Like they can tell what has transpired between them.

When next the food came to her mouth, she wanted to smack it away and shout at him or something. Instead, she forced herself to remain calm. Counting from one to five, she opened her mouth and accepted the food thinking of what to do. She was in danger of exploding with so many emotions.

Seeing him smile like that when moments ago he had shattered her heart with his apology made her sick to the stomach and before he could deliver the next food to her mouth, she drew her chair back and sprang up "I think am rather full."

He stared at her in surprise, and then his strong hand lowered the fork to his plate. "So soon?"

Paige didn't bother answering that as she headed towards the entrance. Soon she heard the scrapping of a chair on the hard floor and she didn't need the heavens to tell her he was coming after her. She increased her steps, trying to outwit him. Halfway up the stairs, he grabbed her hand and turned her around.

Confronted with that face, Paige couldn't move and only stared at him. His hand fell on her cheeks and he caressed it with his thumb. Curling his hand under her chin, he raised her face. 

"Don't walk too fast, you might fall and wound yourself."

"I'm not walking fast." 

His eyes clearly said he didn't believe her. 

"Fine, I was running away. You embarrassed me when you feed me," she lied. She didn't want to say you confused me. No, that will be too exposing. She had been saying all this while looking down.

When she looked up at him, he was at staring at her with an intensity that revealed nothing, yet she sensed something within his mind that concerned her alone. His hand fell from her chin. And his facial expression altered.

"I embarrassed you?" He said in a daze. "Why didn't you stop me. You should have said something."

Paige gave a bitter laugh, partly because she was nervous and she didn't know how to respond. In the end, she said, "If there was a poll for best son and fiance, the moment you started feeding me all votes went in your direction. Your parents seemed so happy I didn't want to ruin that."

"So you traded your comfort for their happiness," he met her gaze and held it. "I see." 

The silence that descended next was deafening, and they could faintly hear the Italian chatter coming from the dining. They were on the landing between the stairs that led upstairs and the ones that led downstairs.

When she looked up, his eyes were running through her face. Moving from one eye to the other, he was trying to read her mind. Paige gave a nervous smile and lowered her head.

"If that will be all, then I will on my way." 

He caught her hand as soon as she turned. "I'm sorry."

She paused in her track, one hand on the brown banister, one leg on the step, and closed her eyes. Paige didn't think she would hear that word again not after the way he had used it today. It brought back memories she had hoped were temporarily closed. Now he had gone and opened her wounds again, making her remember how he kissed her and then came around to apologize. 

She wanted to snatch her hand back from him, but she didn't want him to know something was wrong. So gently she pried his hand from her arm. Watching the confusion etched across his face. "Don't say those words to me. I don't want to hear it." Then she flew up the stairs.

Leo's eyes narrowed, and he went after her. When Paige reached their room, she ran inside the bathroom and closed the door she knew she was acting confusingly but it was he who started it first. Why kiss her if he knew he was going to apologize. He should have just kissed her and not apologize or don't kiss her at all.

She could hear his footsteps outside her door. He paused there before retreating.

Paige sighed and walked over to the tub, wondering how she would face him as she took her bath.

When she came out wearing a fluffy nightgown. He was seated on a cushion, his legs spread wide and in deep thought.

At her appearance, he turned his head and stared at her, and that look of confusion entered his face again. Paige lowered her head and then pulled her gaze away entirely. 

He said nothing, but she could feel his gaze lingering on her as he stood up from the cushion past her and entered the bathroom. Paige released a sigh and went to the bed. 

Wondering why nature had chosen someone as complicated as him for her to fall in love with.
Someone whose very actions confused her.

He came out of the bathroom looking fresh, full of concern and worry, his eyes pinned on her as he advanced towards her.

Paige held the covers, and she realized that without even saying a word to her, his presence was enough to drive her wild.

Wild with regret, desire, want—annoyance.
Paige closed her eyes, She didn't think she can deal with this tonight. When she opened her eyes she asked, "Do you mind sleeping on the floor today?"

She could swear she physically saw the color drain from his face. And the comforter dropped from his hands.

"You want me to sleep on the floor?" He said with a pained expression and obvious disbelief. Paige nodded her head.

"Very well." His hands coiled into fists by his sides, and Paige wanted to coil into the headboard and disappear with the embroidery there.

Paige felt bad for what she said, after all this was his room, but with her emotions everywhere she didn't think she can bear sleeping on the same bed with him. She might break into a cry and demand why he won't like her and why he was confusing her with his actions and at that point, she might want comfort from him and she would hate herself for it.

So with a wounded heart, Paige watched him spread a comforter on the floor, lay three pillows on it, and then laid down without saying a word to her. She kept thinking he would turn any moment and say something to her, but he didn't. Eventually, she slept off.

In the night after the girl's breath had evened out and it sounded like she was sound asleep. Leo sat up on the floor, his two hands on his knees, and stared at Paige or what he could see of her on the king-sized bed.

Because all sources of light had been turned off. The room was enveloped in darkness save for the streak of moonlight coming from the open balcony which illuminated the room enough to make out the objects within, but not enough to write with it.

Leo sighed as a gentle breeze laid its cold hands on him. He had been so eager to get Paige's attention, he hadn't considered that feeding her out there in the open would cause her great discomfort. However, far from it, there was something else going on he couldn't wrap his head around. It was more than just 'she had been embarrassed he feed her.' Paige did ask for him to sleep on the floor tonight. Just tonight. If he was to analyze that carefully, she wanted distance. But distance from what.

Rising to his full height, Leo padded the floors of his room to where she was sleeping on the king-sized bed. Her blond hair spread out on the white bed and paused in front of her, staring at her. Had he done something he shouldn't have, or could it be something he had said? A foreign feeling enveloped him.

Reaching down, he picked one of her curls and curled it around his finger, checking the texture he let it drop and leaned down towards her running a finger along her cheek. When he got to her lips he caressed it. He didn't know what had gotten into Paige during the dinner. 

But one thing was sure, he couldn't let her keep running away from him.

Kissing her in the garden was unplanned, it had affected him so greatly he wanted to see where this would lead. If it was just a physical pleasure or if it was more.

Of course, he needn't tell her that. He trusts himself not to cross the line. His features softened. Only if she would stop running away from him, then he wouldn't have to pretend he was into one-night stands just to cover up how broken he was. The things he yearned for and wanted. If it was what he suspected, then maybe he can finally let go of the past and focus on the future. However, one thing was certain: he likes this girl, and he intend to keep her.

At the end of that thought, Leo noticed he was leaning very close to the girl's body, one hand on the side of her body, and the hand which he had been using to caress her lips was now cupping her face. His face inches away from hers and his heartbeat escalated.

He stared at the girl's parted lips, pink, full, and in a natural pout and a fire leaked into his heart, revealing itself in his warm brown eyes. impulsively he wanted to ignoren the consequences and just kiss her awake but he quelled down that emotion and instead leaned closer to her, one hand holding her gently and brushed his lips over hers. Once, twice.

When he stood up, he looked down at her wistfully touching her blond hair, and then he was gone.