"I love you, Aries." He said.
My eyes shot up, and I gave him a questioning look. "W-What?"
"Aries, your past doesn't matter to me, we all have things we couldn’t change, but you and that club," he clenched his fist. "My selfish nature won't compromise your grace. My jealousy cannot be tolerated if a scoundrel is discreetly looking at you. I can't bear it if someone is thinking of you so cheaply. I'll lose my mental sanity."
Leo took my face in his hand. "I'm a fierce lover and very, very possessive of you." He added.
"You have got an amazing talent, and I don't mind if you want to perform as an artist, sing, and dance on the stage where the audience is clapping for you and praise you. You deserve to be Loved for and not Lech over." He gently caressed my cheeks with his thumb.
I haven't moved my eyes from his sexy face since he said he loves me.
Leo pressed his forehead on mine.
"You have a body of a goddess, Aries." He admitted softly. I couldn't help but blush crimson.
"When you say that, it doesn't sound vulgar, it makes me feel like I'm beautiful," I stated, giving him a coy side glance.
I leaned forward, grabbed his face, and kissed his forehead, his eyes, his left cheek, then his right, even nose. Our lips touched, but suddenly he knelt on one leg, holding my waist.
"Go out with me, Aries. One date is all I'm asking. I want to make you feel special." He begged desperately.
"Oh my god, Leo, get up; if someone sees you like this, they'll get the wrong ide...." I suddenly realized we were in the jungle.
"Don't try to avoid the question, Aries."
"I'm not," I told him.
"So is that a yes? Are you saying 'yes,' Aries?"
I bent down and grabbed his face.
"You must be crazy to like me and foolish to ask me to go on a date with you."
"Aries, I'm down on my knees, could you please answer me fast."
"Did you even hear what I just said, Leo?"
"So?" He asked.
"Okay, I'll go on a date with you, Leo." I finally said it.
"Really?" His eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes, really, but umm, I'm afraid it has to be after school, though, and I can only stay out late until ten at night."
"How about Friday?" He asked.
"Umm... Friday, I can't. How about Thursday?"
"Okay, I think I'll try to make it work." He said with uncertainty.
"I'm sorry I know it comes with restrictions. I told you, Leo, I'm just a waste-"
"No. Thursday would be a perfect day for our date, after school, be ready." He sounded happy, and he even looked thrilled."
Since we'd skipped school, we stayed over here and now munching on the grapes, apple, cheese, and boiled eggs that I'd packed for lunch.
"Aries, can I take your picture? It's for your profile pic on my phone." He was asking for my permission.
"Umm..." I was thinking.
"It's only a picture, Aries. I don't have any good photos of you."
"Wait, you've taken pictures of me on your phone?"
"Well—" He was trying to avoid eye contact as if he got caught doing something wrong.
"Let me see it. I wanted to see it now." I demanded.
Leo unlocked his phone and handed it to me. I clicked on the photo app and began to browse. He did he'd several pictures of me. They were blurry, simply taken by stealth, mostly my back, or side face covered in a hoodie.
I handed his phone back to him.
"Are you mad at me?" He asked cautiously.
"Umm... no." I shook my head.
"Well, can I take one picture of you now?"
"Maybe later, not now."
"How about a selfie together? That way, we both can have the same picture of us together for our profiles on our phones."
"No, umm... I'm not photogenic, so it'll be worse than what you already have, and besides, I'm camera shy."
"Okay," He dragged the word. "you just sit right where you are and let me do all the work." He said and came behind me.
"But Leo—"
"You don't even have to look at the camera or even smile," Leo angled his phone, holding it in front of my face, and just before the click, he surprised me with a kiss.
Turning over the phone, he showed me.
"Did you like it?" He whispered in my ear.
"Yes." I shyly admitted.
"I wasn't talking about the picture." He clarifies.
Oh, god, and I just melted in his embrace.
It was the most beautiful picture of me I've ever seen. 'How well Leo had captured my feelings for him in this photo—at that moment.'
I sometimes wondered how he came up with such cute gestures.
"Aries, I want to show you something, something impressive." He leaned down, "You won't be able to take your eyes off me." With that, he walked away, leaving me mystified.
"Come on, we can leave right now," he said and I began to wrap things up.
Leo never left my hand since we left the woods and now drive. Though it was convenient for me, he was uncomfortable. I told him to let it go, but Leo wouldn't listen. I even tried to pull away, but he requested me not to, explaining to me that this was the only time he gets to hold my hand.
All his little attempts were not getting wasted, but they were warming my heart towards him more and more. Instead of getting scared and running away, I was getting bold for these feelings. I don't know where all the strength was coming from, but I was feeling less afraid. When I'm with Leo, I feel—loved.
We reached a secluded rustic place, which looked like an old industrial area, surrounded by the junkyard and vacant warehouses. The whole place looked sketchy if you ask me.
"What are we doing here, Leo?" I was almost skeptical.
"I come here to have fun. I can be myself
