Nothing Matters, except YOU & Me novel Chapter 678

As one stepped forward, the other kept retreating. The spark of fire in Leon’s eyes was burning, but Heather naturally wouldn’t agree to something she disliked.

However, he was pressing close to her at this moment, and just like that, the two of them maintained an ambiguous distance. It was Heather’s first time seeing Leon so anxious, and the atmosphere around them instantly became awkward.

At such an odd family banquet, Heather felt helpless and alone. It was as if she and Leon were on an isolated island—no matter what they did, the others would pretend not to see.

Unfortunately, she no longer had any space to back up and, at the same time that she was desperately trying to conceal the truth from the others, she was still trying to think about how to avoid Leon’s impulses. Using her forearms, she pressed up against his chest to block his approach. From what she could tell, he was not the least bit conscious of his actions at the moment, and twin embers of flame—ones of rage—leaped up in her eyes as well.

There had to be all sorts of reasons her usually obedient Leon suddenly seemed to switch personalities, and as she searched her brain for possible reasons, she exerted all of her strength to hold him away from her.

By now, she was already exerting what seemed to be a supernatural amount of strength, but he was completely undeterred. In disbelief, she stared at him—she never knew he had so many secrets hiding in him.

Whether or not he was intentionally being deceitful, she was not happy about the fact that he had concealed the truth from her. At this rate, she was even beginning to suspect that they weren’t actually even close friends. All of his sworn promises from so long ago seemed like a mirage now.

“Do you have to do this, Leon?” she questioned in a voice that only both of them could hear.

His grin made her scalp tingle, and she turned her face away so that she wouldn’t have to look at his crazed, terrible smile. Right now, she felt so disappointed in him. It seemed they would genuinely no longer be able to return to what they were before the dinner. In the past, she always felt like she was hiding things from him; now, she knew that he hid from her more than she ever did from him. In fact, she felt like she had to get reacquainted with him.

“I have suffered through my love for you, Heather.” The sudden confession shocked her into stillness and made her wonder if everyone else was looking over.

“Come back to your senses, Leon. Do you remember why you asked me here?” she begged, keeping her forearms where they were to prevent him from approaching.

From others’ perspectives, they looked like intimate lovers whispering together. Without taking a closer look, they might even think that she was leaning against his chest.

“I only feel like kissing you at this moment.” He was determined to achieve his goal no matter how long they had to remain in this stalemate.

“I don’t love you, Leon. We will never be together,” she told him plainly, not caring if her words would hurt him.

“I love you and want to have you to myself.” No longer did he wish to conceal his true feelings. After all, how could he be so magnanimous as to share her with others?

This was her first time coming into contact with his true thoughts so directly. Conflicted, she chewed on her bottom lip. She had to think of a way to make him give up on her but, if he still had feelings for her after so long, how could she make him give up the idea entirely at this moment?

“If you keep acting like this, we can’t even be friends,” she lectured him to make him aware that she could very well do without him.

“Why can’t you accept me, Heather?” he asked in an unusual amount of pain. “Why?” He had no idea why he couldn’t compare to Matthias. Why couldn’t she just give him a chance?

“We’re friends, and we can only be friends,” she emphasized heavily. Perhaps, in the past, she had thought once or twice about eventually becoming lovers with him, but that was before Matthias’ appearance.

“Am I inferior to Matthias in some way? I’ve been by your side for so many years. How could you not see all that I’ve done for you?” he asked emotionally as his voice grew slightly louder.

Yet, even as they argued, everyone else acted like they couldn’t see anything. Only Dave looked over from time to time but did not reveal his thoughts.

Staring right at Leon, she informed him truthfully, “That’s just not how love works. I don’t know how to explain these things to you—I don’t even know if I actually love Matthias right now, but I am certain that I don’t love you. It has nothing to do with Matthias.”

“So, you’re not sure if you love him, but you’re willing to hitch your wagon to him and engage in a love-hate relationship with him. What about me? Have you truly never felt the slightest interest in me? If you have, why won’t you give me a chance?” The fact was that he knew all about and had noticed her budding interest in him by the sole virtue of how well he understood her—yet, she refused to be with him.