Out of Reality

Chapter four

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**We Will Meet by Fate**

It was 4:18 in the early morning when we finally arrived home. I rushed to plug in my phone, desperately hoping everything would be alright. Meanwhile, Sam took a shower in the bathroom. I was surprised not to find any missed calls from my mother; perhaps she was on her way here. Needing to calm down, I made myself a cup of coffee. Just as I started to relax, a strange ringtone shattered the moment.

"Sam, your phone is ringing," I called out.

"Answer it!" she replied.

Oh no, I had almost forgotten about Leon's phone, which I had taken with me from the hospital. Now it was ringing.

"Oh my God, what am I going to do now?" Panic surged through me, especially when I saw 'Mom' displayed on the screen. What had I been thinking? Meeting Leon again was the last thing I wanted, but I had to return his phone before anything bad happened.

"Who was it?" Sam asked, standing in front of me with a suspicious look on her face. My mind was racing; lying wasn't something I did easily, but in this moment, it felt necessary.

"Uh... wrong number," I stammered. Sam looked at me skeptically but didn't press further. She sat beside me on the sofa, her wet hair leaving water droplets on the surface.

"So, are you going to tell me who that guy was?" I asked.

Sam hesitated. "Um... Theodore?"

She shot me an annoyed look, ready to grill me for details. "He's Leon's brother. He's trying to copy him with some boring, desperate love songs."

I couldn't believe my ears. How could someone as angelic-looking as Theodore be related to someone like Leon? My thoughts were completely different from Sam's.

"But he helped you, right?"

"No, it wasn't like that. I was at the party, and after Leon left the stage, his brother showed up. I yelled at him to get his ass off the stage, and he heard me and left."

"What? Why did you do that? That's disrespectful and rude!"

"I know, but I was drunk, Elsa, and I felt really bad. I tried to apologize later, but I ended up throwing up before I could say anything nice."

"Oh Sam, I'm never letting you drink again."

She smiled weakly. "Well, I hope so. And don't make me feel guilty; that asshole called me ugly. Besides, I'll never see him again anyway."

"Who knows?" I replied quietly, my mind already calculating the chances of us meeting again. After all, Leon's phone was still in my possession.

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The clock struck five, and although we lay in our beds, sleep was out of the question. I couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened in such a short span of time. I kept replaying Leon's reaction after the accident-maybe he hated me now. I had immediately refused to take a picture with him, as if he were contagious. I had nearly killed him and then left him alone in the middle of the night, taking his phone with me. I felt like a stupid thief.

And Theodore... the way he spoke in that soft voice made me believe he was a talented singer. His face suited him perfectly-his almond-shaped eyes were a simple light brown, reminding me of his brother yet seeming nothing like him.

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"Elsa, wake up! Your mom is calling!"

Sam's voice screamed in my ear, and I was surprised to realize I had fallen asleep. Now, we had bigger problems.