"So? What happened next?" He asked as I nervously laughed.
"Well, he escaped with my wallet, so I had to chase him all over the city! My legs still hurt just thinking about it." I finally complained as Leon sighed at the other end of the line.
"I hope you got it back, at least." He added as I looked thoughtfully at my desk.
"Well, obviously I got it back. On the other hand, the person who stole it, uh... I may have knocked him out a little too hard, so I hope he's alive..." I half-joked.
Well, if I happened to kill someone on my three months trip, the president wouldn't be so cool about it.
He laughed.
Oh my god, his laugh is so...
"It should be okay. You're not that strong." He added.
My eyes widened.
That jerk...!
"H-hey, what does it mean?! I'm pretty sure I could knock you out too if I wanted to!" I growled.
"Tsk. There's no chance."
I pouted as I felt my pride be shattered in pieces by a single voice.
He dared.
"You'll see, Leon. I'll make you regret it." I added.
"Can't wait to see." He joked.
My heart pounded faster.
It's not fair, he's stronger than me on these points.
But I wasn't going to give up in front of him, even if I certainly knew I was going to regret it later.
"If you can't wait, then come and see yourself. I won't be moving an inch." I dared him.
"Deal?" He challenged me back.
I grimaced.
"Bullshit, you can't. You're working." I replied.
"I'm on vacation." He finally stated, while I strangely remembered my conversation with the president.
"I think he was even planning to take his first vacation, the last time I saw him."
Of course.
"Oh, well. You're on vacation."
He cleared his voice.
"Anyway, how's your trip going?"
I smiled softly.
"I'm enjoying it. I've been visiting so many wonderful places that I feel like my brain has forgotten everything else." I first said, trying to remember what I'd seen.
"And not to mention the Art and architecture here. It's really... inspiring." I added.
Europe had been such a refreshment for my exhausted eyes that I somehow wished I'd live here.
But it'd ruin the concept of "vacation", and, anyway, I had gotten quite sick of eating delicious things.
When I get home, I think I'll stick to rice for at least a week.
"That's good. Still planning to go to France next week?" He asked.
I sighed.
"I don't know. I have the train tickets and all, but... Maybe I should also take some rest before I get back to the US." I mentioned.
He went silent for a while.
"I still think I'll go, anyway. I've always dreamt of going there, I'd be dumb not to." I added as I could hear him sigh at the other line of the line.
"Then go. You won't regret it."
At that time I didn't pay attention to what he meant.
----------------
"Prochain arrêt: Paris Gare de Lyon. Veuillez n'oublier aucun bagage, et vous souhaitons un bon séjour."
Huh, what did the voice say?
I looked outside and at the other passengers, just to understand I had pretty much arrived.
I was so tired that at the moment, I only longed for a bed to rest since I hadn't been able to close a single eye since the beginning of the trip.
I really can't sleep on trains.
But it was okay since I had already planned out everything, including the hotel I'd stay in.
I just had to get there.
As I got off the train, I was immediately surprised by the number of people in there.
If I CAN get there...
Suddenly, my phone rang.
I can't even take the call; I'm being pushed from every side...!
When I finally managed to get away from the crowd, I noticed the missed calls were from Leon.
Oh...!
I hope he's still here.
I found an isolated corner and dialed his number.
...
...
"Hello?" I could quickly hear the other end of the line.
"L-Leon! Sorry if I couldn't answer, I was kinda stuck in the crowd, and..." I began to say, as I took my scarf off to have some fresh air.
"You okay?" He asked.
"Yup?" I replied instantly.
Why's he asking me that right now?
As I became a bit confused, I almost threw away my scarf as I tripped on a dog that was passing by.
Bloody hell...!
"Clumsy feet."
That's when I understood.
I quickly looked around, persuaded I'd find him right next to me.
How does he know I've arrived here?
The cameras?
I stared at them for a minute, a bit confused.
Is he... stalking me?
"Don't tell me..." I began before I could hear a laugh at the other end of the line.
"Of course not. There are plenty of places to look at." He mysteriously replied as I shoveled the phone into my pocket, ending the call.
Did he come here? In Paris?
After twenty minutes of thorough inspection, I finally found him, in a café just near the station.
Probably drinking his dark edgy, without any kind of sugar, or coffee.
I was so happy to see him that I didn't even mind the rest, as the sight of him, wrapped up in a leather jacket and a scarf, sipping his coffee with an almost thinkful air made my head spin in euphoria.
"Oh my god...!" I almost screamed before I reminded myself that other people were inside the café, so I ended up yelling... In my head.
When he saw me, a faint but sweet smile formed from the corners of his lips.
"Thought you would never find me." Was the only thing he said as I restrained myself from jumping in his arms.
I just sat in front of him, placing my suitcase at my feet, to order a Viennese chocolate as the waiter came by.
I trembled like an eighteen-year-old Yorkshire who had been thrown into a sea of snow.
It is him...!
Not a single feature had changed: still his ash-blond hair, his stunning icy blue eyes, his tiny scar on his right cheek, and his calm but "I don't give a damn" attitude while he was already staring at me, an amused look on his face.
Well, uh...
I have to say something before he roasts me.
"W-what are you doing here, anyway? I wasn't expecting you to...."
He raised a brow.
"I still can go home."
My eyes widened.
"No no no no no, you can't!!" I almost screamed as he bit his lip.
The people near us had started to pay attention to us, making me red as hell.
"Shall we get outside?" He asked as I nodded, dipping furiously my lips into my Viennese chocolate.
As we walked out of the café, we started heading to my hotel so I could drop off my suitcase.
As soon as I noticed that we were relatively alone, I took the opportunity to stop in front of him.
"Now tell me the real reason. It was the president who sent you to spy on me, wasn't it?" I asked questioningly.
He sighed and finally grabbed me by the hand until I found myself in his arms.
Oh.
"Of course not. If it's my presence that makes you uncomfortable, I told you, I can always go back." He finally said softly as I calmed down almost instantly.
"Sorry. I'm an idiot" I ended up saying as he softly laughed.
"It's okay, I'm used to it." He replied as he let go of me, starting to walk away without me.
He's used to it???
Sorry??
"Leon, I'm going to kick your-" I started to curse, as he laughed.
"Come on, before I change my mind."
Oh well.
"Okay, you won."