This Thing Called Love: A Novella ✔️

Five - Molly

Pizza and beer with a stranger. This isn't like me at all. Leo could be a serial killer for all I know. But I have to admit, it's the most enjoyable night I've had in a while. Actually, in a long while. Willa Mae will be thrilled.

Leo is kind-hearted and fun, and he has a good sense of humor, too. He loves telling stories of when he and Valentino were kids. I get the impression they were closer back then than they are now.

"And then you know what that dumbass did?" Leo takes another pull of his beer. "He set it on fire!"

I burst into laughter and curl my legs beneath me on the chair. "Valentino did that? I don't believe it."

"Oh, believe it. He wasn't always the sophisticated supermodel we know today."

"I guess not," I say, grabbing my third slice of pizza from the box in between us. "So, what happened next?"

"We got the hell out of there and never spoke of it again. This is actually the first time I've told that story."

"You're kidding? Never in all these years have you mentioned it?"

"Not even once. If my dad found out my brother and I were involved, he would have ripped us both new assholes," he says. "But one good thing did come of it."

Sonny's laying on the couch next to him. Absent-mindedly, Leo scratches him behind the ear. The dog lays his blonde head in his lap and closes his eyes.

"What's that?" I ask between chews.

Leo tilts his beer bottle back and swallows the last sip. "It's when I decided to become a firefighter."

"Seriously? Setting an abandoned car on fire like a bunch of pyromaniacs made you consider public safety?"

"Seriously," he confirms. "I'd never been that terrified in my life. Feeling helpless is scary."

I understand that more than most.

I take another bite of pizza. "So, you've lived in Miami your whole life?"

He nods. "I love it here. There's no other place I'd rather be. What about you?"

"Born and raised." I finish the last of my crust and wipe my mouth with a napkin. "I've lived in this very house my entire life."

"Do you have siblings?"

"No. It was just me and Mom."

Leo turns to look at me, his voice playful. "And where is this Mom character you speak of?"

I give him a tiny smile. "Mount Sinai Memorial Park."

His face falls. "Oh. I didn't realize."

I shrug. "How could you have?"

He's quiet for a moment. "Do you mind if I ask what happened?"

The typical lump forms in my throat. "Car accident two years ago. She was in the ICU for about a month before she passed away." My eyes sting and I blink back tears. There's no way I'm crying in front of Valentino's cousin. "Pulmonary Embolism," I finally say.

He nods. "I'm sorry. That must have been hard."

I swipe a knuckle under my eye. "It sucked."

"Do you have any other family?"

A long breath seeps through my lips. "I have my Uncle Gus and Aunt Elise, and their two kids. Plus, I have Willa Mae."

His brows wrinkle. "Who's Willa Mae?"

"My next door neighbor. She's lived in that house for over thirty years. I definitely consider her my family."

"Is she the one who was bringing over meatloaf?"