Autumn Secrets ✓

E i g h t ( p a r t - II )

~ L e v i ~

"You're leaving early?" Felix enquired as I changed from my work clothes.

"Yeah," I said vaguely.

"Oh," He cleaned his dirty greasy hands with a cloth, "You're okay, right?"

His concern wasn't something new to me.

"Felix, I'm fine," I mustered up the energy to smile at him.

He sighed in distrust, "If you say so. Anyway, if you need any help, just know that I'm always here."

This time, my smile was involuntary, "Sure, Felix. Now now, get back to your work and let me sneak out."

He chuckled, "You know that Kristoff won't mind you sneaking out, but still I'm buying your excuse to get rid of me."

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever."

With that, I mounted my bike and hit the road.

After about ten minutes into riding, I came across a red car stopped right in the middle of the road.

I wondered whether driving licenses were for sale nowadays.

Riding a little closer, I noticed that grey smoke was coming from the opened bonnet of the car.

Huffing in irritation, I dismounted my bike and walked towards the heavily smoking vehicle.

Then I heard someone coughing.

I didn't slow down my pace until I found the four-wheeler's owner, who was a girl.

Standing in front of the car, she was bending down to have a look at the engine as if she were using some kind of superpower through her eyes to fix the car.

"Uhm, excuse me?" I asked, making her jump due to the unexpected company.

"Y-Yeah, how can I help you?" She asked, taking a step back.

Was she serious?

"Uh, I think you're the one who needs help," I said, taking a look at the vehicle.

She gave out a nervous chuckle, "Yeah right."

I refrained from smiling, "Is this your car?"

"Of course." For some reason, she looked offended as if she had been asked the same question multiple times.

"Do you have a driving license?"

"I do," She bitterly replied.

"Really?" I laughed. "How old are you, kid?"

She looked more offended now. "What did you call me?"

"Whatever." I examined the engine closely. "The smoke is due to overheating. Do you have any kind of lubricant in the car?"

"I don't think I have." She looked at the road.

"Great." I gave out a huff. "That's the basic thing you should have in your vehicle."

"Oh." She paused. "I didn't know."

"Anyway." I took out my phone from my jeans pocket. "I'll call my friend and he'll come here with all the necessities, okay?"

"Yeah, I guess, but how do you know about car stuff?"

"I'm a car mechanic, that's how."

Then I called Felix, but he said that he wouldn't be able to make it fast.

"Can you wait for an hour before my friend comes?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "No, I've already wasted an hour standing here, and also, I want to reach a place real quick."

"Okay then, what am I supposed to do now?" I crossed my arms.

"Uh." She fiddled with her fingers. "Would you mind if I asked for a ride?"

Oh God, where am I stuck?

"Ok then." I started to walk towards my bike. "Follow me."

Reaching my two-wheeler, I handed over a spare helmet to her. "Where do you wanna go?"

"Lincoln Street, block number 4," She answered right away.

She didn't mount on the bike. Instead, she stood there holding the helmet. "My mother had warned me about strangers."

I looked at her in confusion. "Okay, so?"

"So what's your name?" She asked as if a stranger won't be able to say a fake name at all. Smart little kid.

"Levi."

She nodded. "Levi, hmm."

"Now, can we get going, stranger kid?"

"Okay," She said and got on my bike. It seemed like she didn't hear what I had called her.

I started the bike and rode off.

"Wait—what did you call me a kid again?"

I chuckled. "Took you long enough."

"But I'm not a kid." I could already picture her offended face.

"But you surely seem like one."

"How? I'm nineteen."

"So you really are a kid." I suppressed a smirk.

After a few minutes, we had almost reached our destination.

"You can stop here." I heard her voice behind me, and I didn't need to be told twice.

I pressed the brakes, and she got off the bike, returning the helmet. "Thank you so much for the ride. May God bless you."

I snorted. "So you behave either like a ten year old or like a seventy year old and nothing in between?"

Her jaw dropped. "What did I do now?"

"Nothing, I was just joking." I chuckled, "Bye and take care, kid." I rode off before she could fully comprehend my sentence.

I reached my house and found Joshua by the doorway.

"Why are you standing here?" I asked him as I walked into the house.

He just shrugged as a reply.

I had just closed the front door behind me when we heard the doorbell ring.

It was unusual for us to have guests.

I opened the door and saw the person I never expected to see again.

"Elsa, you're finally here!"