Page 122 of Under Her Protection

"Come and sit."

Leo came down the last step.

She crossed the stone to the bench. She did not, for the first count, sit. She stood at the end of the bench with her hands at her sides, and she looked at Vivienne.

Vivienne let herself look back and let her own face react to Leo.

She let it move at the corners of the mouth. She let her hand come up, from her own thigh, and reach out across the small distance between them, and rest, palm up, on the stone of the bench between them and she let it rest there.

"Sit."

Leo sat.

She did not take her hand. She sat next to it on the stone with her own hands flat on her own knees on the denim of the jeans, and she looked at the bottom-lit water of the pool.

"I overheard some of the women talking at Maison Noire,” Leo said. “They were laughing about me and you.”

A beat.

Vivienne closed her eyes.

She did not, for three breaths, open them. When she did, she did it slowly, and she looked at Leo, who was still looking at the water.

"Leo."

"Yes."

"I am going to find out who they were and sort this out.”

“Please, you don’t need to do that.”

"Leo."

“You don’t need to do that. It wasn’t any of your friends. Let it go."

"Mm."

"Vivienne."

"Yes."

"I should have told you. On Wednesday at the library. On the portico. On any of the days. I did not because I was in love with you and in love with you in a way that I did not have a name for. I couldn’t be honest with you and I am sorry about that.”

Vivienne did not move.

She kept her hand on the stone of the bench, palm up.

"Leo."

"Yes."

"I am in love with you too.”

A beat.

"I have been in love with you, I think for some time now. I just haven’t had any idea how to navigate it or how to admit it to anyone, especially not myself.”

Leo turned. She was so gorgeous in the dim pool light, Vivienne felt her breath catch.