Leon Pride: A World of Demons

Chapter 4 - Vega Industries

Lauren looked across the arm rest which was all that separated her from Leon right now as the two of them drove down Rhode Island Avenue. Leon's car was a lot like Roy's old Mustang in that it looked like a lot of the original features were still a part of it. But unlike Roy's car Leon didn't clean it very often or at all was probably more accurate, when she got in she noticed right away the mountain of garbage from fast food restaurants in the back seat. Not only that but Leon stopped for some McDonald's on the way to their appointment across the city. He'd offered to buy her some lunch too but she declined even though she knew that she should probably eat something to help with her headache, the very thought of eating made her stomach turn over.

She looked over now just as Leon shoved a whole burger in his mouth marking his fourth one that he'd done that to, she couldn't even begin to count how many boxes of fries he'd just tossed in the back seat and she didn't want to know. Yet another rather insignificant thought came to her after Leon let out a loud belch before he took a drink of the third of five sodas he'd ordered. She couldn't help but wonder how in the world he wasn't as big as this car was with how much food he was eating just now let alone all the food wrapping that was in the backseat. Maybe it had to do with him being a demon she thought, but then she remembered her friend Andy who was also a demon and was probably the biggest person that she knew. What was it she wondered, and almost ventured to ask him about it when the cup in his hand made a loud slurping sound letting her know he'd just finished it.

"You sure you don't want any?" Leon asked her tossing the cup in the back with all the rest. Despite the jerkish way he'd cornered her into working for him Lauren could tell that Leon was genuinely asking but the sight of him destroying almost all that food made her stomach feel even worse. She shook her head no. "Alright then."

He opened the last burger and shockingly enough he actually ate it like a normal person would and not just shoving the whole thing in his mouth. Lauren just kept shaking her head as she watched him eat trying to figure this guy out. When they'd first met they were both calling each other the worst names that they could think of, but now she was employed by him--albeit unwillingly--and was being offered lunch as if they were long time friends. Something was off about all this but Lauren just wished that she could figure out what it was about him that unsettled her so much. He was good looking for sure, but she'd turned down guys that were just as cute and just as nice as he was being right now. She never felt any attraction at all to demons because she wanted a normal husband to start a family with, plus she'd refused dates with a few demons that asked her out as well so she ruled that possibility out as well.

It vexed Lauren so much that she actually wanted to rip her hair right out of her scalp but that wouldn't help anything. What was it about him that unsettled her so much and at the same time made him seem so undeniably attractive to her despite her promise to herself never to fall for a demon. She didn't believe in love at first sight especially when it concerned someone who seemed as immature as Leon but the more and more she thought about it, the more she hated herself for the possibility of it actually happening. And with Leon of all people! She didn't know him very well--or at all for that matter--but something about him just screamed not right to her as if her body was warning her away from him while her self-conscience told her to stick around him.

Oh forget it, she told herself with a huff as she turned around to look out the window at the passing cars. She sensed Leon's eyes on her when she turned but she absolutely forbade herself from glancing in his direction lest she do something incredibly stupid. She couldn't even get excited about being in such a nice old world car because half of the things she wanted to look at were on Leon's half of the car which was more than enough for Lauren to convince herself not to look. To take her mind off it she reached in her flannel and pulled out her PET, flipping it open and going through the student database of her school to look for Roy's account. She wasn't entirely sure how she got home last night but she knew for sure that it wasn't Roy that drove her and she was going to give him a piece of her mind for disappearing on her last night.