Chapter Text
Alessia wakes up the next morning with a dull pounding in her head, as if someone was knocking, hard, on her temples. There's a loud ringing in her ears, and she groans, simultaneously vowing never to drink again.
Until she remembers the wedding, of course. She'd take a million of these hangovers over being sober during that.
Rolling over onto her side, Alessia pulls her duvet over her head in an attempt to block out the early morning sunlight that's begun to filter through her curtains. The warmth is briefly comforting before she realises that it was a mistake to move so quickly. She gets a sudden wave of nausea, and bolts upright, gripping the bed frame for support as she sucks in a few desperate breaths.
The muffled chirping of the birds outside of her window is almost like a taunt, and Alessia closes her eyes, desperately trying to ignore them and go back to sleep.
Around half an hour later - or longer, she must have fallen back asleep at some point - she's woken back up by the sound of a loud, droning, buzzing noise. It takes her a couple of groggy seconds of rubbing her temples and silently willing the sound to stop before she realises what it is.
Shit.
Hurling herself out of bed, she yanks on the nearest bottoms she can find - some pyjama shorts that are dangling precariously off the side of her desk chair - and shimmies them on, tryong to brush back her hair with her fingers to seem at least somewhat respectable to the person who thinks it's acceptable to ring her doorbell obnoxiously repetitively at 9am on a Saturday morning as she hurries through her flat towards the hallway.
She swung the door open, fully prepared to unleash her irritation, but she has to quickly readjust her features into surprise as she realises who it is.
"Darling!" Alessia's mum exclaims, her brow furrowed in disapproval at her daughter's slightly dishevelled appearance and vacant expression, before leaning in to press a kiss to her cheek.
Her father gives her a little polite nod in greeting, and Alessia invites her parents inside, wrapping her arms around herself as a form of protection while her mother sniffs slightly at the cheap rug that's lining Alessia's hallway.
"Not that I'm not happy to see you guys, but what are you doing here?" Alessia asks, her voice hoarse, but trying to keep her tone as polite as possible. With her parents, it's best just to appease rather than fight. "You didn't call," she adds, before her mother can interrupt her.
"We thought we'd surprise you!" Her mother waves a hand, and Alessia's stomach sinks. Her mother would never just show up unannounced without a reason for visiting. They weren't that close as a family. The fact that she's trying to conceal her true reason for visiting just makes Alessia nervous.
However, predictably and thankfully for Alessia's growing nerves, her mother wastes no time cutting to the chase.
"Oh, yes," she continues breezily, "and Luca told us about your little girlfriend that you've been hiding! We thought we'd come and meet her before the big day!"
Alessia's eyes widen. Her brother. Of course. She had specifically asked Luca to book Leah’s ticket discreetly for their trip to Sicily, as he was much more organised and systematic than her. But apparently, discretion wasn’t one of the skills on his otherwise impressive list.
"Is she here?" Her mother asks, her smile bright but stern. She begins looking around expectantly, and all traces of Alessia's hangover are suddenly gone and replaced with an all-consuming feeling of sudden dread, in the pit of her stomach.
"I, um.. no, not yet.." she begins to stutter, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear with a shaking hand. Her heart is pounding so loud she's sure her parents will be able to hear it. The way her mother is surveilling her, with her little beady eyes, has caught her like a deer in headlights.
Her father gives her a pointed look, before her mother continues. "Then.. aren't you going to call her? Alessia, darling, we can't just invite a complete stranger to Emilia's wedding! Girlfriend or not."
Alessia bites her lip and just nods. She begins to shuffle out of the hall, making her way towards the staircase. "Just give me a minute. I'll.. um, give her a ring."
She practically races upstairs, fumbling for her phone on the side table and trying to still her bouncing leg as she searches for the contact, the little heart she'd put next to Leah's name making her stomach squirm slightly.
Her finger does hover for a second over the call button, but she knows her mother won't wait forever, and so presses it quickly, holding the phone up to her ear. Leah picks up after only a few beats, her voice slightly amused.
"Alessia," she greets. The lack of a teasing nickname makes her heart sink, but she doesn't have time to analyse it in the detail she normally would.
"..Hi."
Leah chuckles softly down the phone, parroting back Alessia's timid response with ease. "Hi." She murmurs something unintelligible to someone. There's another laugh, and Alessia knows, in that moment, that Leah isn't alone. "What's up?"
And then she has to stop herself from bursting into tears. "I'm really sorry Leah, I know things didn't end well the last time we saw each other, but my parents have just shown up to my house with no warning because my stupid brother decided to tell them when I specifically said not to that I was bringing a plus-one and now that they know that I have a girlfriend they want to meet you and I.."
"Alessia?" Leah cuts in, her voice amused but soft. "Breathe."
Alessia exhales shakily, pressing a hand to her forehead.
"So.. they want to meet me right now? Like, as soon as I can get there right now?"
"I'm so sorry," Alessia repeats, her voice wobbling. "I know it's really short notice.."
"You think?" Leah teases, and there's another laugh, louder this time, a distinctively feminine giggle. Then Leah's laugh, teasing, low, and the rustle of bedsheets. Alessia tries to ignore the way her stomach clenches at the sound, her knuckles slowly whitening as her grip on the phone tightens.
It makes her feel sick. Sicker than the hangover. Sicker than any hangover.
But it's not like she has any choice in the matter. She pushed Leah away, when she should have just let the older woman kiss her.
"Okay, give me thirty minutes, max. I'll be there."
Alessia nods, whispering a quick, "thank you," down the phone before ending the call, pressing her back up against her bedroom door and sinking to her knees.
She knows she made a mistake last night. She just isn't sure whether she's ever going to be able to fix it, not now Leah's obviously moved on to someone who's clearly much more confident, much more charming, and much more beautiful than her. Alessia's mind flickers back to the stunning brunette Beth and Lotte had been raving about in their cab journey home last night.
God, if only she was more like her.
Maybe then, Leah would want her. Really want her - and not just for a random hookup because she's an available, single lesbian.
Alessia sighs, moving into her bathroom to dry swallow a couple of paracetamol and mentally prepare herself for entertaining her parents for the next couple of hours. She silently begs Leah to hurry up, as then she won't have to deal with them alone. Yet, she also can't figure out whether Leah being there will be worse or better.
She doesn't have to wait long to find out. As exactly twenty three minutes later, her doorbell rings. Alessia practically races to her front door, desperate to get there before one of her parents does. She clings to the side of the door slightly tighter than she normally would, swinging it open.
Leah's there, standing on her doorstep with her trademark smirk playing on her lips, and her cool blue eyes far too relaxed for what Alessia's about to throw her into. She's toned down her usual effortless androgynous style with a simple white jumper and jeans, but she still looks gorgeous. Not that Alessia had expected her not to.
There are a pair of sunglasses to keep her hair out of her face, which falls down her shoulders in blonde waves. The little smirk she's wearing softens slightly as she takes in Alessia's frazzled appearance, holding up a little paper bag with a small grin.
"Figured breakfast might soften the blow."
Alessia releases a breath and whispers another little, "thank you", her voice on the verge of trembling. Taking a step forward, Leah wraps an arm around Alessia's waist, pressing a quick kiss to her knuckles before she shuts the door behind them.
She turns to the younger girl, forcing her to make eye contact, before she whispers a comforting "we'll be fine, okay? Just trust me."
Alessia nods, because there isn't much else that she can do. Leah's eyes are cool, filled to the brim with an unwavering confidence. Alessia can't help but trust her.
But she still feels like a zombie - not completely aware of what's going on - as Leah's gentle hand on her back leads Alessia into the sitting room, where her parents are waiting expectantly.
"This is Leah," Alessia manages to mumble, before Leah wordlessly instructs Alessia to sit down with a little stroke of her arm. Then, Leah steps forward with ease.
She extends her hand to Alessia's mother first with a confident but warm smile. "It's lovely to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Russo. I've heard so much about you both."
Alessia's mother takes Leah's hand, her sharp eyes narrowing slightly as she sizes her up. "Have you now?" she asks, her tone cool but not unfriendly.
"Absolutely," Leah replies, her voice steady, unwavering. "Alessia speaks so highly of you, Mrs. Russo. And I have to say, your hydrangeas out front are stunning. I knew there wasn't a chance Less could've grown them!"
Eyes widening, Alessia tries to keep herself composed whilst wanting to shoot Leah a look. How did she know that?
Her mother’s face softens almost imperceptibly. "The ones at my house are definitely cared for better, but I will take the credit for the ones here as well," her mother says with a faintly amused lilt.
"You'll have to share your gardening secrets," Leah continues smoothly, her smile never faltering. "I’ve been meaning to start my own little garden, but I’m hopeless with plants."
And thankfully, her mother seems delighted by the flattery and waves her hand dismissively, though there’s a hint of a proud smile. "It’s all about consistency and patience," she says.
"I’ll have to pick your brain about it later," Leah replies, then turns her attention to Alessia's father. "And Mr Russo, Alessia tells me you’re the reigning family champion at poker nights. I'm in the presence of greatness!"
Her father lets out a low chuckle, faintly amused. "That you are."
"We'll see how you fare when I take you on then," Leah continues, smoothly.
Mr. Russo raises an eyebrow, his amusement deepening into something resembling intrigue as he repeats her words. "Confident, are you? We'll see if you can back it up."
Leah grins, a mischievous spark in her eye as she throws Alessia's father a little wink. "I like a good challenge."
The next hour passes in a surreal haze. Leah manoeuvres through every conversation with ease - listening intently as Alessia’s father talks about his favourite wines, nodding along as Mrs. Russo discusses the upcoming wedding and the pressures of finding the perfect centrepiece. She even manages to charm them both with an impromptu anecdote about a disastrous attempt to assemble a piece of IKEA furniture.
Alessia finds herself watching Leah in awe, equal parts relieved and overwhelmed. She’s so good at this. Too good, maybe. It’s terrifying and thrilling all at once.
"And so, Leah, how did you two meet?" Alessia's mother asks eventually. "Alessia's been very secretive about the whole thing."
Uncontrollably, Alessia flashes a little worried glance at Leah, but the older blonde's only response is a little comforting squeeze of her leg.
"We actually met through my younger sister, Lotte," Leah begins, not a hint of unease in her voice. "I'm not home much of the time because of work, but the one time I am Lotte happens to bring over one of the prettiest girls I think I've ever seen, ignoring the fact she was absolutely terrible at charades."
Leah glances at Alessia, a teasing smirk tugging at her lips. "You should’ve seen her trying to act out The Lion King. She kept doing these little claw gestures and roaring - well, attempting to roar. It was adorable."
Alessia's parents let out little polite laughter, but Alessia finds herself frozen. This isn't just any story Leah had conjured up for entertainment purposes, a romantic story of make-believe she'd thought of on the spot. This was how they had actually met.
Leah’s grin only widens at the look on Alessia's face. “Anyway, we hit it off pretty quickly. I was lucky she agreed to go on a date with me. I may have had to beg a little.”
Alessia’s father lets out another low chuckle, leaning back in his chair. “You don’t seem like the begging type.”
Leah shrugs playfully, beginning to stroke Alessia's knee with her thumb, a soft but superficial smile on her face. “She's a special girl, your Less. There isn't much I wouldn't do."
The room falls into a brief silence, before Leah quickly excuses herself to the bathroom, her hand lingering on Alessia's leg a little longer than she needed to, as she leaves Alessia alone with her parents.
"She’s charming," her mother says after a pause, her tone unreadable.
Alessia braces herself. "She is," she replies softly.
Her father, always quieter, gives a small nod. "Seems like she really cares about you."
Alessia swallows hard, unsure how to respond. "Yeah," she says finally. "She does."
Her mother hums thoughtfully, tilting her head toward the kitchen where Leah has disappeared. "I hope so, for your sake," she says. "You deserve someone who does."
...
After what feels like an eternity, her parents finally leave, promising to call later to arrange dinner. As soon as the door closes behind them, Alessia sinks onto the couch, burying her face in her hands.
"I owe you,” she mutters.
Leah sits beside her, setting the paper bag on the coffee table. “You don’t owe me anything.”
There’s a pause, and when Alessia finally looks up, Leah’s expression is uncharacteristically gentle. She reaches over, brushing a stray strand of hair from Alessia’s face.
"I was happy to help you. And besides, a promise is a promise. I don't break them." Her voice lowers slightly, "And I definitely wouldn't with you."
And the moment would be nice, would be sweet, if Alessia didn't know what she already suspected. She has to ask. It's killing her.
"Were you with someone last night?"
Leah looks confused for a second, before realisation dawns on her face. "Ah. Yes. Mia, a family friend, stayed over."
Alessia continues in barely above a whisper. "And at the party?"
"I was drunk," Leah begins, running her hands through her hair. "Drunk, and upset."
"Because I didn't kiss you?"
Leah's eyes soften as she takes in Alessia's question. She’s quiet for a moment, the weight of the admission hanging between them.
"Yeah," Leah says slowly, her voice low and steady. "Because you didn’t kiss me."
Alessia feels her breath hitch at Leah's words, the weight of them settling somewhere deep in her chest. There’s a sincerity in Leah's tone, a steadiness that Alessia has always admired, but now a deep honesty, too. Something a little vulnerable.
She fidgets with the hem of her shorts, unsure of what to say, unsure if she can trust herself to speak.
"I did want to.." she starts, her voice unsteady.
Leah looks at her carefully. "..but?" She supplies.
"But I was scared."
Leah opens her mouth to speak, but then as she realises Alessia wants to continue, immediately shuts it again.
“I just…” Alessia finally looks at Leah, and there’s a vulnerability in her eyes that she can’t quite hide. “I don’t get it."
Alessia takes a deep breath. "I didn’t think I meant that much to you. I don't get why I would."
Within a moment, something flickers across Leah's expression. "Why on earth would you think that?"
The younger blonde shrugs, running her hands through her hair. "I don't know. I'm not like you. I'm not confident or funny or charming. And I'm Lotte's best friend. I'm not.."
Alessia hesitates, her voice catching as the words feel too raw to finish. Instead, she says something else completely. "You make me feel completely out of control."
Something shifts behind Leah's eyes. "Is that supposed to be a bad thing?" Leah's voice is soft. Genuine.
When Alessia doesn't reply, Leah continues.
“Look, Less, I’m here because I care about you. Because I want to. And maybe I’m not always great at saying that in the right way, but I thought... I thought you knew.”
"I wouldn't have acted like I have around you if you were just anyone."
Alessia feels tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. She doesn’t trust herself to speak, so she nods instead, a small, shaky movement that feels like a step into something terrifyingly real.
"I act confident, sure, but you gotta know that's just an act, right? I wouldn't want to date someone like me.." she trails off for a moment, as if she's trying to search for the right words. "There's nothing more I'd want than someone genuine. Honest. Kind." She draws out the last word, looking at Alessia with those cool blue eyes again.
"Someone who's brave enough to tell her best friend's annoyingly confident older sister that she's afraid of thunderstorms on the first date."
Alessia offers a small smile at that, but it's not without the tears that roll down her cheeks along with it.
Leah smiles softly, her thumb brushing over Alessia’s knuckles in a soothing rhythm. “Okay,” she says, her voice gentle now. “So here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to sit here, eat these very overpriced pastries I brought, and let the day slow down for a minute. Deal?”
Alessia lets out a watery laugh despite herself, nodding again. “Deal,” she murmurs.
Leah grins, releasing her hand only long enough to open the paper bag and pull out an assortment of pastries. The buttery scent fills the room, and Alessia's stomach grumbles audibly, earning a soft chuckle from Leah. She hands over a flaky croissant, holding it out until Alessia reluctantly takes it.