Chapter 680: Man Of The Apartment!

Leo pulled the nearby chair closer and sat down, and for a moment, he considered what to say.

Truthfully, he wasn’t entirely sure how to approach the situation.

He could lecture her, but Sofia had probably already done enough of that.

He could tell her she was wrong, but that wouldn’t necessarily make her listen.

He knew what it was like to be young and convinced that everyone older was simply trying to get in the way.

Hell, he was still young, but in moments like these, he had to mature.

"Look, I don’t really know how to approach this whole thing."

Mia didn’t look at him.

"Then don’t."

"I’m already here, unfortunately."

He smiled faintly.

"But I do know one thing. All Sofia wants for you and me is good. That’s it."

Mia shifted slightly.

"She doesn’t have to make everything such a big deal."

"Maybe not. But she’s not doing it because she enjoys arguing with you."

Leo leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees.

"Think about it. Look at how we’ve turned out. Look at the things we’ve been able to do because she’s been there.

She raised us, Mia. She made sure we had what we needed, even when it wasn’t easy for her. Part of the reason why she’s still single, I think, well, aside from her having no game, but I’m not one to talk."

Mia snorted once more.

"Do you honestly think she’d suddenly start trying to make your life miserable?"

Leo let the silence sit before asking his next question.

"How long have you known this guy?"

She hesitated.

"A month and a half."

Leo scoffed.

"So a month?"

"So?"

"Nothing. Just making sure I heard you correctly."

Mia turned her head towards him.

"You don’t have to do that. Talking to me like I’m stupid."

Leo raised his hands slightly.

"Alright. Let me ask you something, then. Are you really going to let someone you’ve barely known for a month be the reason you get into a fight with the person who’s raised you for most of your life?"

Mia looked away.

"He’s not making me do anything."

"I’m not saying he is. But I don’t know him, and neither does Sofia. But he’s twenty-one, and he’s trying to get a fifteen-year-old girl to meet him at a party."

"You’re smart, Mia. Smarter than me, actually, and I don’t say that just because you’re my sister."

"But seriously," he continued. "Would you trust a twenty-one-year-old who wants to date a fifteen-year-old? With or without permission, but in your case, without it?"

Mia didn’t answer as Leo nodded slowly.

"I thought so too. And I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t."

He leaned back in the chair.

"There are people out there who look for opportunities to take advantage of others. They don’t always make themselves obvious.

Sometimes they’re charming. Sometimes they say all the right things. Sometimes they make you feel like you’re the only person who understands them."

He looked at her.

"And sometimes they make you feel like the people trying to protect you are the ones standing in your way."

Mia’s expression grew softer as Leo went on.

"I’m not saying you can’t make your own decisions. You will. But you need to be careful about who you let close enough to influence them."

He stood and pushed the chair back into place.

"I hope you’re smart enough to recognise those people before they get the chance to hurt you."

Mia looked down at the pillow as Leo reached for the door.

"And for what it’s worth, Sofia isn’t trying to ruin your weekend. She’s trying to make sure you have plenty more weekends to enjoy."

He opened the door and then stepped out.

"Get some rest. Your nose sounds terrible."

Mia picked her head up, trying to get another word in, but before she could, Leo shut the door behind him.

She looked at the door for what seemed like a long time before resting back on the pillow when she felt her neck strain.

.....

When Leo returned to the kitchenette, Sofia was already cooking.

The groceries he had brought were arranged across the counter, and a pan was heating on the stove.

She had changed out of her earlier clothes and tied her hair back, looking considerably calmer than she had when he first arrived.

He approached without saying anything and stood beside her.

Sofia glanced at him.

"Did you speak to her?"

"Yeah."

"And?"

"She’ll be alright."

Sofia nodded, keeping her attention on the pan.

Leo watched her for a moment before nudging her lightly with his elbow.

She ignored him, and he did it again.

A second later, Sofia shifted her weight and nudged him back, this time with her waist against his.

Leo looked down at her while she continued stirring as though nothing had happened.

He gave a quiet laugh and then moved towards the sink to wash the rest of the produce he’d come with.

.......

A couple of hours later, Leo was on the road back to Wigan.

The evening had settled in, and the passing lights from other vehicles occasionally swept across the interior of his car.

His phone was connected to the console, and Sofia’s voice came through the speakers.

"She apologised, by the way."

Leo glanced briefly at the screen.

"That’s nice to hear."

"She came out a little while after you left. We talked, and she said she was sorry for shouting at me."

"That’s good."

"She still thinks I’m being unreasonable about the weekend."

Leo smiled.

"That’s probably not going to change overnight."

"No, I suppose not."

There was a brief pause before Sofia’s voice came in again.

"Thank you, Leo."

He snorted.

"Please. I wasn’t the man of the apartment for nothing."

Sofia laughed at the expression.

It was an old one she used on him back in the day when he had only just become a teenager, usually whenever he tried to take charge of something around the apartment or insisted he was old enough to handle a problem.

He had clearly never forgotten it.

"You were very pleased with yourself when I first said that," she said.

"I still am."

Leo smiled, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Anyway, get some rest. I’ll speak to you tomorrow."

"Drive safely."

"I will. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, cari?o."

The call ended, and Leo continued driving, the cabin falling quiet again.

For a while, he simply followed the road, watching the headlights stretch across the tarmac ahead.

His thoughts returned briefly to Mia and Sofia, but the conversation had gone as well as he could have hoped.

Then another thought came to him.

He glanced at the clock on the dashboard, and after a moment, he signalled and pulled into a safe space at the side of the road.

He brought the car to a stop, settled his left arm against the door and picked up his phone.

Noah’s name appeared on the screen.

Leo pressed call, and it rang twice before the agent answered.

"Leo?"

"Hey, Noah. Can I ask you something?"