"What was that supposed to mean?" Otto asked after half an hour of his private singing concert. If the circumstances were different, I would surely object and shut my friend's mouth with Cheetos or something, but now... I had no choice but to be glad that he was in this mess with me, at least "enjoying" a bit of this suicide mission.
"What was supposed to mean what?" I asked confused, trying to find out what he was thinking, but still paid the most of my attention to driving. "Your shrieking, which you consider a singing? Should I really comment on that? You don't have tissues nor mom here, so I don't think you can handle my criticism, Wilder," I smirked. Otto hid his face in a feigned painful grimace. It was clear he was trying to suppress a smile.
"Pff, you obviously don't have a good taste," he snorted, nodding his head to the back of the car, where Leo was laying. "Even so, I bet your most secretive night dreams are me in a Gucci suit, looking absolutely dashing at Grammys. I'm hundred percent sure I would kill it with my outfit. As always." Otto chuckled smugly and smoothed his hair back with his hands as if he was some popular jock in TV series.
I grinned.
"Then what were you talking about?"
"I meant your conversation with Leo," he explained. "Did you really think I fell asleep and missed it?"
"You eavesdropped on us again?!" I shrieked like an angry mother, who saw that her child had not finished its lunch. Otto's smile had spread into a more provocative and bigger one.
"He cares about you. Yes, he's a jerk – there is no doubt about that, but I'm sure you can see too that he's starting to show feelings to you," he said with a serious voice.
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel as my face flooded with a curious expression, which I immediately tried to hide. Does he really think so? Is it so visible how Leo's behavior towards me has changed?
"I don't know what you're talking about," I denied, knowing that I can't fool anyone, neither myself.
"Oh my god, Ria, please, stop. I'm your best friend, I know you and I certainly don't buy shit like this," he said, and I gave myself a slap in my head for not playing it more convincingly. "It's mutual." My friend's words echoed in my ears. He didn't even give me a space to deny it and keep the conversation going. "Did you want to kiss him?"
His question got me in shock because I realized the truth. I longed to do it. I really, really, really wanted to kiss him. But I couldn't.
I stayed silent, not sure if I wanted Otto to know. And I was also doubtful because of Leo. What would happen if he found out? Would he take back everything he said? Would he make fun of me, tell me it was all just a game? That he just wanted to prove that he can easily make everyone have a crush on him?
"What? Are you afraid he's not sleeping?" Otto said. Why does he always know how I feel? For others, I am a book that cannot be read. But he seemed to know in advance what was going inside of my head.
Otto spun back in his seat and waved his hand in front of Leo's contentedly face. I watched the whole situation in the front mirror and tried not to miss a single detail.
"Hey, idiot, are you sleeping? Do you know how I'd like to punch you in that stupid face of yours?" He raised his fist, stopping right in front of Leo's nose. I bit my tongue, trying to suppress a laugh inside me. "Are you going to do something about it, huh?"
Silence.
Otto turned back forward and stated:
"What? Are you afraid he's not sleeping?" Otto said. Why does he always know how I feel? For others, I am a book that cannot be read. But he seemed to know in advance what was going inside of my head.
Otto spun back in his seat and waved his hand in front of Leo's contentedly face. I watched the whole situation in the front mirror and tried not to miss a single detail.
"Hey, idiot, are you sleeping? Do you know how I'd like to punch you in that stupid face of yours?" He raised his fist, stopping right in front of Leo's nose. I bit my tongue, trying to suppress a laugh inside me. "Are you going to do something about it, huh?"
Silence.
Otto turned back forward and stated:
"You see, my dear? He's asleep like...one big ugly grandmother."
I still didn't answer. Even that didn't seem like a good enough reason for me to tell him about my feelings for Leo.
Nothing could stop Otto from trying to get information out of me.
"Are you sure you don't want to stop and swap places? You know so you can look at your sleeping prince and drool over him." I frowned like a stormy cloud, making Otto laugh.
"You're terrible, you know that?" I whispered in annoyance.
"Everyone is angry for the truth, my love," he replied with a huge smile on his lips and a small wink. Immediately after that, Otto's favorite song was played on the radio causing Otto to sing, and it started an hour-long nerve control alongside building immunity against harmful infrasound.
We stopped at the gas station to refuel. Otto ran away to the toilets, and I was left alone with Leo, who in the meantime woke up and threatened Otto, that if he didn't stop making those harrowing noises, he will make him run behind the car.
"Will you finally tell me what's going on?" I started a long-awaited conversation when I saw that Leo was not going to do it. Leaning against the back door of the car, I watched him put gas in the car.
Leo didn't look up, using his activity as an excuse.
"I'd be surprised if you didn't ask me," he said in a calm voice that was slowly making me go nuts.
"You said you wanted to help me," I reminded him. "Prove it. I don't want empty words."
"I wish it was that easy," he muttered softly, finally looking me in the eyes. I saw something I couldn't describe. Maybe it was fear or even regret?
"It's simple," I snapped, "you keep complicating things." I was tired of knowing nothing. I needed answers more than anything else and it didn't matter to me what they were like.
Leo took a deep breath and looked around. Our car was the only one here, what was the sign that the gas station we were at, was not used often. Merely from time to time, some drivers were hurrying on the road next to it, traveling to the busier city.
Tensed like a string, I waited for what he wanted to say.
"I used to work for Mina," he said in hurry and rather used the remaining time for examining my reaction. For a few seconds, I stayed quiet, deepening this information into my overwhelmed brain. I just needed to everyone stop taking me as a child and start telling me the truth.
"Okay...so?" I asked with raised eyebrow, unsatisfied, hungry to know more.
"Okay? That's all you gotta say? You don't mind the fact that I was helping to kidnap people?" Leo asked, surprised by my reaction. He probably imagined this to go in a different direction.
"What else am I supposed to say? Do you want me to judge you? I'm not going to do that. You said it yourself – you used to work for them, and you don't do it anymore. Is that so?" My cold eyes rested on Leo's, which immediately ignited.
"Yes," he agreed.
"Yes," I repeated quietly.
"Leo, I don't understand. Why are you saying this to me?"
"I...don't really know. I just I got this feeling you should know it... Know me. I want you to trust me. The fact that I worked for Mina, I...I've seen some things. Sometimes, the people involved in that shit had no other choice. They need to do some unreasonable things to protect the people they loved... And I'm telling this to you because you yourself should know the best that... never mind, forget it. All you need to know for now is, that your mother is alive, and we are going to find her. And as for Lucifer... you need to trust him as well. He's doing the best he can."
Leo meanwhile refueled the car and tried to get out of our conversation.
"Where do you think you're going?" I pulled him by the jacket, which was probably not the best decision. Now, Leo's nose was only inches from mine, and I could feel his breath on my neck, which made my skin pleasantly tickle.
"Are you trying to make me talk by kissing? Or is this my reward?" Leo asked fiery, with his thumb running over my lips. Why was his presence making me so weak in my knees? I felt so light and heavy at the same time, it was weird.
Before he was about to put his thumb away, I lightly touched him with my lips, then released him. It was a small gesture, but to me, it meant a lot more than any other interaction between us. The sudden urge to kiss him make me dizzy. The planet Earth has stopped rotating, the whole universe stopped, there was just me and him, standing at the empty gas station, feeling as close to each other than ever before.
I leaned closer to his neck, leaving a bunch of small kisses around it. I loved how intoxicating was his scent.
"Reward for what? You still haven't told me who the hell is White," I whispered, and I could feel Leo wanted me as well. He pulled me tighter and bow his down to my ear. I thought to myself, that this is the time I'll finally find out about the mysterious man.
How deeply wrong I was.
Leo just dropped me on the rear body of the car, saying:
"I have to pay."
Then he left me. Alone and angry.
He's using me. And I'm using him, too. It's clear we're both playing a game... And we will keep doing it until one of us falls in love.
Hello!
First of all - sorry for the waiting, I was dealing with work & school responsibilities, but I'll do better the next time. Hope you're all enjoying this story so far, we're getting closer to one of my fav adventure scenes, I'm so excited!
Stay tuned,
Mia De Parth