Rejected: A love story-Chapter 42: The arrival of Leo

The sun had gone down from the sky, and the mansion’s air was cool. A black sedan car drove into the compound, stopping in front of Nathan whom was at the top of the stairs, his face looking like it was carved out of stone. Gabriel and Anne were on each side of him, both of them dressed and acting like kings and queens of some old, dark, and solemn funeral. Natasha was to the left of Nathan and was leaning against a pillar. Her eyes were shining with a quiet victory which made Nathan’s stomach turn.

The rear door of the sedan was opened with a swing. On the curb, the first person we see is a man of imposing stature and in a dark gray suit. He is the right hand of Natasha’s father. The man is full of intention and control in every action he takes. By bending down he reaches into the car and then helps someone small to get out.

A boy of maybe eight year walked out at the drive way. He was totally lost inside a navy pea coat which was quite stiff and in small leather loafers. His face was turned upward and it seemed as if one could almost hear the sound of a collective gasp coming from the porch.

The child was not just a look, alike. The boy was the exact replica of Nathan. He had the same messy black hair, the high forehead, the sharp and pointed nose, and the eyeskeen, cautious and heavily lashed. Anne almost palmed her chest with surprise. Introductions were the last thing she wanted to do and yet she couldnt stop herself from hurrying down the stairs, her teary face lighting up like a sun. "Look at him. Gabriel, look at his eyes, "

Gabriel came after her, the air of severity dropping between them. He did not hesitate to put a warm, heavy hand on the lads shoulder. No one can mistake that forehead. Welcome home, son. The Keith house is yours.

The boys lips remained sealed. He looked at Gabriel in bewilderment and after that, his eyes wandered to Nathan who was still standing at the top of the stairs, motionless.

The servant advanced, carrying himself with pride and dignity. "Mr. Keith, I have brought the young master, Leo. His papers and belongings are in the car. My master says the boy is well educated at a boarding school, but he himself is happy that Leo is finally with his real family.

Natasha let out a terribly loud and theatrical sob, rapidly descending the stairs and embracing the lad. "Leo, my dear"

"Thats your grandfather" she said pointing with her hand, and that is your father.

Nathan felt sick, 99.9% was no longer just a number. The boy now had a face, a voice, and Nathan’s own eyes. Leo looked scared, stuck between a mother he hardly knew and a bunch of strangers who said that he was theirs. Anne called Nathan over while she was showered the boy with her affectionate glances and stroking the boys hair. "He’s wonderful, Nathan. He is the exact replica of you."

Nathan just stood still . All the other people seemed to be perfect in their roles, but he was just there, as if witnessing someone else’s show. Just then, another vehicle drove in. Calebs car sped into the yard, the beams of the head lamps revealing the reunion.

[Fiona’s Pov]

People were streaming out of the lecture halls, but I was stuck in the same fog that seemed to envelop me. Ella and I were still there, at the parking lot, the wind interfering with my attempt to keep my hair out of my face. She held my arm and my racing heart stopped.

"Fiona, listen", Ella said, her tone being low. "You have to stay calm. Whatever you see when you get there, dont let Natasha see you breaking down. Thats her game. She wants you to feel like an outsider so that you’ll run away.

"I know," I murmured, clutching my bag strap with anxiety." But how am I supposed to compete with a child? A boy who just looks like him?"

"You are not competing," Ella replied quickly. "You are the one he loves, calm down. Just live one moment at a time. And promise me that you will tell me everything tomorrow, okay? I want every single detail. I am always just a text away."

Before I could say a word, the sound of a low, powerful engine interrupted our conversation. A black, sleek rolls royce slowly made its way to the parking space, with its window being lowered, revealing Caleb. He was very chill but when he saw Ella, he brightened up complet "Hey," Caleb said, his voice getting a bit lower, as if not even pretending to notice the busy parking lot. His focus was solely on my friend.

Ella’s face brightened up also, a little pink showing on her cheeks. "Hi."

The space between them seemed electrified, thick with something that hadn’t anything to do with the mess at the mansion. They stared deeply into each other’s eyes. The rest of the world disappeared. Love birds!

I got into the back seat, my head already going a thousand miles an hour, preparing for the unfortunate incident.

"Ella, come on in? Caleb finally came to his senses out of their stare, pointing to the passenger seat. I can take you home".

I could hardly catch the rest of the words. My concentration was completely off as I leaned my forehead against the chilly window pane.

"Oh, really, I would be delighted, " Ella said her voice a bit lower as if she was out of breath. "But my brother is coming to pick me up so I can’t let him down. He’s like literally next to the corner."

Caleb looked quite a bit of the let, down and only half of his smile was reaching the eyes. "So, maybe, another time then. Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow" she said with certainty.

Caleb got the car started and drove away from the school.

"It didn’t seem like you have a lot to say there, Fiona, " his tone was a bit serious but still with a touch of humor. "Are you thinking about the guest of honor?"

"Is that really the case, Caleb?" I whispered so lowly that only a very close and very focused person could hear it. "Does the boy look like Nathan?", Caleb’s face turned somehow and he even went on to tighten his grip on the steering wheel.

:The kid? I haven’t even seen him yet, " he told me. "But if you look at it from the way my parents are, you would think it was the most important event of the world. You know... my dad has already seen the boy as a Keith. He doesn’t care if Nathan remembers or not, or if Natasha has an interior motive."

Caleb drove into the mansion "We are here." He said.

I tried to get out of the car as if I was carrying a dead weight and it was pressing down on my legs. It was cool outside but the sun was still shining on my face. As I stepped out, the people on the porch turned their heads towards me. The light from the house was so bright that it was making everything look like a film scene. Gabriel and Anne were beaming with happiness, really smiling, in a way I hadn’t seen before. They looked like they had just won a prize.

Then, the small boy standing between them turned around. My heart stopped. I completely forgot how to breathe.

I didnt have to see a DNA test to be sure. I didnt have to hear Natashas stories to believe it. That kid was the exact reflection of Nathan. It was scary how he was the spitting image of Nathan. He had the same long, dark hair that covered the eyes, the same contour of the nose, and those deep, intense eyes that seemed to look right through you.

He was just like Nathan, only a bit younger. I leaned against the car door to keep myself from falling. Every doubt I had in my head disappeared. There was no way this was a lie. No stranger could look this much like another person.

"Fiona, dear, you’re back, " Anne called out, her voice full of excitement. She reached down and patted the boy’s shoulder. "Look, Leo. This is Fiona."

​The boy, Leo, didn’t utter a word. He only looked at me with those familiar eyes.

I looked to the porch to find Nathan. He was not moving at all, his face was very pale. When our eyes locked, I could see the agony and the amazement in them. He looked as if he was equally shattered with me. He was not seeing a "forgery" anymore; he was seeing his own kin.

Natasha came closer to the boy and put her hand on his head. She looked at me and gave a very slight, slow nod. It was the look of a woman who had already achieved victory.

"He is lovely, isn’t he?" said Natasha, her voice being nice and piercing at the same time.

I was speechless. I felt like a stranger in a family picture. All the Nathan and I promises made this morning, I could only see them from a distance now. How was it possible for me to be part of this?

The silence was so intense that I could actually hear the wind going through the trees. I was standing next to the car door which was open, I couldn’t move my body, and my eyes were stuck on the little boy whose resemblance to Nathan was so striking that it actually hurt my chest.

The boy, Leo, took a very small and unsure step away from Anne and Gabriel. He got off the stairs and slowly walked to the corner, his little leather shoes making a clicking sound. He looked at me curiously.

"Are you the lady in the pictures?" he inquired.

His voice was soft and distinct, but it had a serious inflection which was a perfect match to Nathan’s. My heart did a painful somersault.

"What pictures, Leo?" I could only whisper, my voice was trembling.

"The ones in the man’s office, " Leo explained, indicating the house with his finger. "Mom showed me. She said you are the one who lives in my dad’s house now."

The way he said ’my dad’ was like a slap in the face. I glanced at Nathan. It seemed that he wanted to vanish. He hadn’t told me that Natasha was showing the boy pictures of us.She really prepared him, she prepared him to see me as the one who is replacing his father.

Leo looked at me for a long moment, his dark eyes curious. "You’re pretty. But mommy said you’d be sad to see me."

"Leo, that’s enough, " Natasha said quickly, though she didn’t look or sound angry. She looked like she was having the best time at my expense. She went down and stood behind him, her hands on his little shoulders. "Don’t bother Fiona. She’s had a long day at school."

Then Gabriel came down the stairs, looking more handsome and powerful than ever. He didn’t even glance at me. He just looked at the boy with a smile that I have never seen him give Nathan."

"He has the Keith spirit, " Gabriel said with a smile. "Direct and honest."

I felt smaller than I ever had in my life. I was not the woman of the house anymore; I was just a girl coming from college and standing in the way of a family reunion.

Nathan finally decided to move. He came downstairs with a stiff face and stood right in front of me. He didn’t look at his parents or Natasha. He only looked at me, his eyes searching mine for any sign that I was okay.

Nathan couldn’t care less about the murmurs of his parents and the arrogant smile of Natasha. He didnt even look at the boy and went straight past him to me. I was so scared that I felt like I was shaking, but as soon as he took me in his arms, I lost all sense of time.

It was not a matter of fact that his dad was watching them with a displeased look or that Natasha was standing there. He ignored all that and clasped my icy cold hands in his big, warm ones, giving me a reassuring squeeze.

"Fiona, " he uttered, very softly and with a lot of feeling. He moved closer to me, his forehead almost touching mine, separating us a little from everyone else on the porch.

"Look at me"

I didnt have any other choice but to look at him. His eyes were pitch dark and were devoid of all the typical superficial lies people often tell; instead, they were brimming with an honest and a kind of unspoken understanding.

"I know what this looks like, " he uttered under his breath, his tightening hold on my hands reflecting that he was getting more and more desperate. "But nothing is different between us. I don’t care about how much we might look alike or what anyone says. My loyalty is to you. My heart is with you. I’m not the one to let this go."

Nathan didn’t even blink. He didn’t turn. It was like his dad wasn’t there. He still kept his eyes on mine, as if I was the only air he could breathe. "I’m here, " he said to me in a very low voice, not paying any attention to the boy who was looking at his back.

"I’m staying with you. We go in that house together, or we don’t go in at all."

"Nathan, really, " Natasha said, her voice completely fake. "The poor kid is right here. You haven’t even greeted him. Don’t let your... distractions... make you a father without a heart."

I took a breath that was not very steady and looked from Nathans fierce, protective eyes to the little boy who was standing just a few feet away. The boy was still staring at Nathan with large, bright eyes, and he was holding the strap of his backpack tightly. It was hard for me to accept that Nathan, in front of turning his back on the boy, might have been the one to make the boy feel so much like himself without saying a word, no matter how the situation was.

"Nathan, " I whispered, "I am here, I am okay, really." I was giving his hand a gentle, encouraging squeeze.

He was about to argue, his hold getting even more firm, but I shook my head mildly. "He has been on the road all day. He is just a little boy and obviously, he is waiting for you. Go. Go and greet your son."

Nathan looked at me closely, searching for any indication that I might be just telling him what he wanted to hear. When he understood that I meant it, he didn’t hesitate to let out a deep long sigh. He was still holding my hand, but he was already slowly letting go. His fingers were touching mine for one more fleeting second after they should have been. The place was as silent as a church when he cast back his eyes and after that, Gabriel was more confident, approving with a nod while Natasha was running her hand through her hair. Nathan approached Leo. With every step he was taking it appeared to be more and more difficult for him as if he had to walk through a river of chest, deep water. He halted not very far from Leo and lowering himself to the child’s height, he met his gaze. Up close, the resemblance was even more strikingthe same stubborn chin, the same curve of the lips.

​"Hello, Leo, " Nathan said. His voice lacked warmth or that typical fatherly tone, however, it was calm and respectful. The kid blinked, and after a quick look at his shoes, he stole a glance up at Nathan.

"Are you really my daddy?"

The question was so sharp and painful that it could be felt. Nathan looked at me for a brief momenta look of absolute inner turmoiland then he faced the boy again.

"I am Nathan, " he said quietly, carefully weighing his words. "It’s a pleasure to meet you"

Natasha, moved closer and placed a comforting hand on Nathan’s shoulder, "He’s a little shy, but dont let that fool you."

It was a gesture of ownership, as if to demonstrate to the world and me that they were family and I was the one standing in between.

"However, he couldn’t stop talking about you during the whole flight, right, Leo?"

Leo was nodding slowly.

"Grandpa told me that you are a king and this is a castle."

Gabriel responded with a loud and hearty laugh which he seldom does. "That’s my boy! And someday, all of this will be yours."

I was standing beside the car, observing the "family" shadow against the rich amber light coming from the mansion. I felt like a shadow of my own life.