The mansion was quiet.
Too quiet.
Izana walked down the hallway toward the bedroom, loosening the collar of his shirt slightly. The house lights were dim. Most of the staff had already gone to sleep.
Only the faint glow from beneath the bedroom door showed someone was still awake.
Leah.
Izana paused for a second outside the door.
Then he opened it quietly.
Leah was sitting on the bed with her back against the headboard, a book resting in her hands. Her long hair fell loosely around her shoulders, slightly messy like she had already been relaxing for a while.
She glanced up when the door opened.
"Oh. You're back."
Izana closed the door behind him.
"Yes."
Leah watched him for a moment.
Something in his expression made her eyebrow lift slightly.
"…You're smiling."
"I'm not."
"You are."
Izana ignored that and walked toward the bed.
Leah turned a page in her book slowly.
"Meeting go well?"
"Yes."
"No shootings?"
"No."
"No threats?"
"No."
"No explosions?"
Izana stopped beside the bed.
"Why would there be explosions?"
"You're a mafia boss," Leah said simply.
"That doesn't mean explosions are daily."
She hummed skeptically.
Then she went back to her book.
Izana looked at her quietly for a moment.
Then he stepped closer.
Without warning, he wrapped his arms around her from behind.
Leah froze.
Completely.
Her eyes slowly blinked.
Izana rested his chin lightly on her shoulder.
Leah stared forward.
"…Okay."
Izana didn't move.
"…Izana."
"Yes?"
"You're being weird."
"I'm always weird."
"Not like this."
Izana pressed a soft kiss to her temple.
Leah slowly closed the book.
Then she turned her head slightly and squinted at him.
"Did something happen?"
"No."
"Did someone betray you?"
"No."
"Did someone try to kill you?"
"No."
Leah narrowed her eyes.
"…Did you kill someone?"
Izana sighed quietly.
"Leah."
"What?"
"None of those things happened."
"Then why are you hugging me like I just came back from war?"
Izana rested his forehead against her hair.
"I can't hug my wife?"
"You can."
She turned to face him fully now.
"But you're being suspicious."
"I'm not."
"You are."
She leaned closer, studying his face.
"You're smiling again."
"I'm not."
"You literally are."
Izana gently pushed her forehead back with two fingers.
"Stop investigating me."
Leah crossed her arms.
"Oh I'm definitely investigating you."
Izana sat down beside her.
Leah kept staring.
Long.
Suspicious.
Then her eyes suddenly lit up with an idea.
"Oh."
Izana narrowed his eyes slightly.
"What?"
"You're hiding something."
"No."
"You are."
"No."
"Yes."
Izana leaned back slightly.
Leah pointed a finger at him.
"I know that look."
"What look?"
"That calm guilty look."
"I don't have a guilty look."
"You do."
She leaned closer again.
"Tell me."
"No."
"Tell me."
"No."
"Tell me."
"No."
Leah groaned and fell backward dramatically onto the bed.
"This is torture."
Izana chuckled quietly.
She sat up again suddenly.
Then her eyes dropped to the bedside table.
His phone sat there.
Leah looked at the phone.
Then at Izana.
Then back at the phone.
Izana immediately noticed.
"Don't."
Leah slowly reached for it.
Izana caught her wrist instantly.
She gasped dramatically.
"You ARE hiding something!"
"Yes."
Her eyes widened.
"WHAT?!"
Izana looked completely calm.
"My patience."
Leah stared at him.
Then she lunged for the phone anyway.
Izana caught it easily and lifted it out of reach.
"Give it back!"
"No."
Leah climbed across the bed toward him.
"You're suspicious!"
"You're dramatic."
"I'm INVESTIGATING!"
"You're trespassing."
She grabbed his arm.
"Let me see!"
"No."
Leah tried to climb over him to reach the phone.
Izana grabbed her waist and pulled her back down.
She tried again.
And again.
Finally Izana caught both her wrists and gently pushed her down against the mattress.
Now she was pinned beneath him.
Leah blinked.
"…Oh."
Izana leaned over her slightly.
His hair fell forward.
His crimson eyes watched her calmly.
"You're finished?"
Leah narrowed her eyes.
"Maybe."
She tried to sit up again.
Izana didn't let her.
"Stay."
Leah opened her mouth to argue.
But Izana suddenly leaned down.
And kissed her.
The protest disappeared immediately.
The kiss was slow.
Warm.
Unexpected.
Leah melted into it for a moment before realizing what had happened.
When Izana pulled away, she stared at him.
"…You cheated."
"I won."
"That was distraction."
"It worked."
Leah huffed.
But her cheeks were slightly pink now.
Izana finally released her wrists.
She sat up slowly.
Then poked his cheek.
"You're still suspicious."
"I'm not."
"You kissed me to shut me up."
"It worked."
Leah glared at him.
Then suddenly reached for his phone again.
Izana moved it away instantly.
"Leah."
"I almost had it."
"No you didn't."
She crossed her arms.
"I'll ask Dante."
Izana immediately looked at her.
"Don't involve Dante."
Leah's eyes widened slowly.
"Oh my god."
Izana sighed.
"You made it worse."
"You ARE hiding something!"
Izana rubbed his temples.
Leah suddenly smiled mischievously.
"You're terrible at secrets."
"I'm not."
"You are tonight."
Izana looked at her for a moment.
Then something caught his attention.
Her hair.
It was slightly tangled from the earlier chaos.
Leah reached over and picked up the hairbrush from the nightstand.
"Give me that," he said.
Leah blinked.
"What?"
He gently took the brush from her hands.
"Your hair is messy."
Leah stared.
"…What are you doing?"
Izana sat behind her.
"Turn around."
"Why?"
"Just turn around."
Leah slowly turned.
Izana started brushing her hair.
Carefully.
Gently.
Leah froze again.
"…Okay now you're REALLY weird."
Izana ignored that.
He continued brushing slowly.
Leah watched him from the corner of her eye.
"You've been affectionate for thirty minutes."
"So?"
"You're plotting something."
"I'm brushing your hair."
"You're distracting me."
"From what?"
"From figuring out what you're hiding."
Izana paused for half a second.
Then continued brushing.
"There's nothing to figure out."
"Liar."
He began trying to braid her hair.
Leah immediately noticed.
"Oh no."
"What?"
"You're attempting that again."
"I improved."
"No you didn't."
"Yes I did."
Leah laughed softly.
"You're terrible at braiding."
Izana kept trying.
The braid slowly formed.
Messy.
But better than before.
Leah smiled slightly.
After a moment she spoke again.
"Are you okay?"
Izana looked at her reflection in the mirror.
"Yes."
"You seem… softer tonight."
He finished the braid and gently tied the end.
"That's because of you."
Leah looked at him quietly.
Then she leaned back against him.
They sat there in silence for a moment.
Peaceful.
Comfortable.
Then Leah suddenly spoke again.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Yes."
"If we had a real wedding…"
Izana froze slightly.
"What would it have been like?"
He answered carefully.
"Simple."
Leah smiled softly.
"I think mine would have had flowers."
Izana's chest tightened slightly.
"What kind?"
"White roses," she said thoughtfully.
"And forget-me-nots."
Izana looked at her.
Exactly what he had planned.
But he said nothing.
Leah yawned softly.
Then slowly lay down on the bed.
Within minutes her breathing became steady.
Asleep.
Izana stayed sitting beside her.
Quiet.
He brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
His gaze softened.
Seven days.
Just one more week.
Then everything would change.
Izana leaned down and kissed her forehead gently.
"I'll give you the wedding you deserved," he murmured quietly.
Then he turned off the light.
And lay beside her.