Late Night Nutella

16: Not A Murderer

Cleo brightly smiled at me as she plopped a bundle of shirts onto the counter. I still remembered the first time she walked into the clothing shop. She inspired me to begin writing notes, as she seemed very depressed and down due to her breakup. Now, however, her expression was alive with delight and her lips were stretched into a smile.

Her cocoa skin seemed healthier, and her dark eyes shone as she addressed me. Too bad my mood wasn't as uplifted. "Hey, Connie! I'm glad you're working today!"

I furrowed my eyebrows. Really, I wasn't not that special of an employee. "Oh, well, that's nice of you to say."

Her smile widened. "No, I mean it. You've really turned my life around."

My frown deepened. All I'd done was ruin lives for the past month. Or, really, my whole life. "I'm sorry, Cleo, but I think you have the wrong person."

Her laughter filled the partly empty shop, causing a few heads to turn in our direction. Really, I loved her carefree laugh.

"What's so funny?"

A guy appeared behind her, light eyes glowing and a smile tugging at his lips.

My confusion intensified. I recognize the boy as one from our school. He played on the football team, I believed. Was he there with Cleo? Did he walk over here to torment her? Why was he smiling?

"This is Leo, my new boyfriend," Cleo clarified, slinging her arm around his shoulders. "I never would have recovered from my break up with someone who didn't deserve my time if it wasn't for your notes."

My eyes widened in disbelief. She took those to heart?

"Don't act so surprised," Leo chuckled, snaking an arm around his girlfriend's waist. "It's obviously you, as the notes only showed up when you were working.
And, I saw them myself. They were very well written."

I felt my cheeks heat up and busied myself with scanning Cleo's items. "Well, um, I'm glad I could
help, Cleo." Writing the notes had become a habit. With each note, I felt a spark inside of me I hadn't felt in a long time. Yet, I feared people would just throw them away. So, hearing Cleo's story made my heart swell with pride and giddiness. Of course, I was happy for her as well. She deserved happiness.

"Can you hold my stuff real quick?" Cleo suddenly exclaimed. "I totally forgot to grab a top I saw! Be right back!"

As she dashed through clothing racks to the other end of the store, Leo let out a chuckle. However, his expression then turned serious. For a second, I feared he would turn out to be nice around his girl but rude when she was gone. However, I was dead wrong.

"Hey, um," he scratched the back of his head, "I see that Luca seems to bother you a lot, yet hangs out with your friend group. That guy is bad news, Connie. Don't let him ruin you. You're such a nice person and you don't deserve that kind of treatment."

My heart leapt into my throat. "It's not only him that hates me," I whispered softly. As much as I had tried to forget, the memory of the video call a few hours before haunted me. Josh. Christie. Together.

Leo shook his head. "They're just jerks." His eyes darkened. "Trust me, I used to know Luca. He played on the football team with me."

My eyebrows shot up, curiosity overtaking my crestfallen mood. "What happened? Why isn't he anymore?"

Leo's expression faltered. "It really isn't my place to
tell."

"Oh," I muttered, idly fiddling with the hem of a tank top. I forced my eyes to meet his, which were filled with an unreadable emotion. "Well, thank you for being so kind to me. However, you don't know what I've done, who I am. He knows what I've done and he's treating me better than he probably should. Besides, it's in the past."

He shook his head. "No one deserves to be treated like dirt, no matter what you've done. And, no, it isn't in the past. What you've done is, but Luca is not. He's still in your life."

Was this God's way of reaching out to me though Leo?

Suddenly, he reached over and peeled a vibrant pink sticky note off a pad. He then plucked a pen from the cup full on the counter and scribbled something. 

"Hold out your hand," he instructed.

Dumbstruck, I did as I was told. He pressed the folded note against my palm and closed my fingers around it. Right about that time, Cleo slipped up to the counter and flung a few shirts onto it.

"Sorry," Cleo laughed, oblivious to what had just occurred. "There were just so many colors that I couldn't choose just one!"

Leo shook his head, a smile dancing on his lips and his previous expression long gone. They bickered over who should pay, but Leo stole Cleo's wallet and put it in his pocket, ending the dispute. He then pulled out his own wallet and gave me the cash for all of Cleo's clothes.

I simply bagged all the items, slightly baffled by what had just occurred. After they had both thanked me and grabbed their purchase, I stared after them as they walked out hand-in-hand.

Shakily, I opened my fist and unfolded the note.

You're not a murderer, but he is.

------
Dun dun dun.

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QOTD: What do you think Leo meant by that?

-Sarah