Time Tailors

Chapter 3

Embarrassed, I turned my eyes to the floor, feeling lost for words. Then, in a shaky voice, I whispered, "Coffee?"

Leon, looking puzzled, said, "Excuse me?", trying to make sense of me.

Encouraging myself a little, I continued, "You mentioned another scenario, I think you should let me buy you a coffee."

Leon smiled slightly, then nodded his head in agreement. "OK, but I will choose the place," he said confidently.

"Then it's six o'clock," I replied. Leon reached out and took the book from the shelf and handed it to me. "I'll be waiting for you here," he said with a warm smile as he headed for the door.

I paid for the book and headed back to the hotel. I had to call Daisy and tell her about this interesting encounter as soon as possible. I checked my pockets but I didn't have my cell phone. I had left my phone in the hotel room. As the echo of my quick footsteps echoed through the corridors, I made my way to my room. As soon as I opened the door, I hurriedly picked up my phone, which was lying on the coffee table. When I saw eight missed calls from Daisy on the screen, I called Daisy back.

Daisy's angry voice sounded on the other end of the line. "Dude! Where have you been? I thought something bad had happened!" she said, concern evident in her voice.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I just left my cell phone in my hotel room. But you won't believe what happened to me today," I said, my breath coming fast even as I spoke excitedly.

Daisy said, "If you think my anger will be replaced by any other emotion, you're wrong, young lady! I'm terrified!" she said, still angry.

"Okay, I was wrong, I'm shocked now," said Daisy, who had fallen silent at my words, "Don't you think it's a bit mysterious?" 

I continued, "You know, solving mysteries is my job. That's why I asked Leon out for coffee." 

Daisy was surprised again, "What did you do? What did you do?!" she repeated.

"Yeah, maybe we could save the world together and have another coffee afterwards." "I really can't believe you, Detective Thornheart!" 

Daisy's mischievous voice echoed over the phone, "So this Leon, is he handsome?" she asked. 

I smiled and replied, "Yes, very handsome. You know, a nice coffee and a nice view, huh?"

Daisy laughed, "Wow, you look impressed."

We talked for a while and then hung up the phone. I had to get some sleep and then get ready for the evening. I changed, put on some comfortable clothes and went to bed. As I lay on the bed, a light breeze was coming in through the window. The smell of the sea made me sleep peacefully.

I woke up an hour later to the sound of my phone's alarm. I rubbed my eyes, sat up and picked up my phone to call room service. I called room service and ordered pizza. Just thinking about the delicious pizzas of Italy was enough to whet my appetite. The knock on the door increased my excitement even more. The pizza brought by room service spread into my room with its wonderful smell. With its thin crust, fresh ingredients and plenty of cheese, it was a feast of flavor.

After I finished eating, I immediately took a warm shower, then unpacked my suitcase and put on my brown, fine fabric suit for the evening. I put on light make-up and put my hair up in a ponytail. I was ready. I grabbed my bag from the sofa and left the hotel to meet Leon. 

When I approached the corner where Leon was waiting, our eyes met. He smiled when he saw me. I must admit that I was impressed by his charismatic stance and stylish clothes. As I approached Leon step by step, I was observing his style. The black color complemented his elegant and sophisticated look. The suit he was wearing was perfectly cut. His jacket was made of a thin fabric. The details on the collar and cuffs of the jacket showed that the design had been carefully crafted. The buttons of the black shirt he was wearing shone as an elegant detail. His trousers matched his jacket and had a straight and classic cut. Leon wore a watch with an interesting design on his wrist and silver rings on his fingers.

I finally made it to him and offered him my hand. "Good evening, Mr. Leon. I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long," I said, trying to smile. 

He raised his left eyebrow and extended his hand. "I've just arrived, and I'm only Leon. We know each other now, don't we, Ms. Melody?" he said slyly.

"Then you can just call Melody," I said, "Where can you go?" you continued.

"It's very close to here, he walks right away," Leon said, marking his areas of interest. We walked in silence, accompanied by the light wind. A lot of money. They said "Here they are" and pointed to the cafe.

As soon as we entered, we went out to the terrace. The view was incredible; It was like the sea was meeting the sky. "Here you go," Leon said, pulling the chair around the table. After we sat down, the waiter brought us the menu. I wanted latte, Leon wanted espresso.

At that moment, as I sat on the terrace and watched the sea, I felt a sense of peace. The view was truly impressive, the sea stretching to infinity. When I took my eyes off the view and looked at Leon, I froze for a moment. His eyes were deep and mysterious, as if he wanted to tell me a secret he kept inside by looking into my eyes. I didn't know how long he had been looking at me, but at that moment I was faced with a strange energy.

Leon asked quietly, "How do you feel?" asked. "I'm fine, thank you," I said slowly, searching the mystery in his eyes. But inside, I was trying to understand a deeper meaning hiding behind this question. Those deep looks on Leon's facial expression seemed to be a sign that something had changed. Taking a deep breath, I continued, "So how are you feeling?" I asked, looking into his eyes.

"Understanding human emotions is like trying to grasp the infinity of the sea," he said. Faced with his profound words, I didn't know what to say for a moment. I now understood the sadness in his eyes better.

"The waves on the surface hide the secrets in the depths. Even if you say you are good, there is a storm inside, but no one knows," I said and took a sip of my coffee.

Leon looked at me with surprise and a kind of acceptance in his eyes. "Tell me a little about yourself, Melody. Who are you? What are you doing here? Are you here with your family?" asked.

Hearing the word family caused an unexpected emotional reaction. The feeling of emptiness on my face became evident. When Leon couldn't understand my silence, he asked, "Did I say something wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"No," I said, hastily trying to reassure him. "Sorry, it's just been a while since I heard the word family."

I tried to suppress my mixed feelings as I changed the subject. "I came here for some research. There's a paper I'm working on." I had to make up something like this to hide my identity.

"I understand," he said, a slight sadness appearing on Leon's face. "So what is your article about?" I would have to be more convincing. Why might I have come to Italy? Of course it would be about fashion.

"I'm doing research on the patterns used in designs from past to present," I said without thinking.

"Wow," Leon suddenly said, his eyes shining with excitement. "What a coincidence that we have common interests. I'm a fashion designer. And I'm holding a fashion show here this week."

I couldn't believe what he said. For the first time, the person in front of me was connected to what I made up. Without hiding my surprise, I said, "I should have understood his style, but a fashion designer can wear suits with such interesting patterns." However, I had a hard time believing such a coincidence. Was this encounter really a coincidence, or was everything part of a predetermined fate?