Looking For Leo

6: Run?

He agreed to see her again to answer her pending questions. If the old, sober-from-love Leo would see himself now, he would have slapped himself awake. But Leonardo would probably beat the crap out of his old self just to get rid of anyone that would stop him from seeing Angela.

Finding a valid reason to return and even sit a few inches away from her was luck, he thought. For once, he would not have to creepily camp out on top of the buildings. He would be able to stare at her consciously and with consent.

Leonardo sat on his usual corner, on the steel ladder hoisted against the wall that was just a few inches away from Angela's window sill. He waited, hoping she'd notice his shadow at least. But seconds have passed and he realized she hadn't even appeared by the window. He began to wonder that maybe she hadn't seen him. 

Should I peek? But what if she's just about to walk now? It would make her think I'm eager to see her. Where the hell is she? Should I take a look? Did she even see? Does she even know I'm here? Nah, I'll just wait here. No big deal. I can patiently wait until she comes to me. But what if she forgot? Would she forget? Leonardo impatiently swiveled his broad feet against the ladder step as he tried to decide, not knowing that Angela had seen her shadow.

Angela was just getting ready for her bath. She had no idea the man who was so eager to leave would come by this early. She was just inside her room's bathroom when she noticed a shadow swing across the window outside. She knew immediately as the light from outside her window shone down on her floor inside her dark room, with only her bathroom's dim light on. She was completely naked and had just removed her bathrobe.

She panicked. She stepped inside the shower and was all wet when she realized the door wasn't closed. She saw the window and was paranoid someone could see her. So when she reached for the door, wet and naked, and saw the shadow, her whole body shivered.

Angela thought and tried to figure out what she should do. Should she continue to shower? Should she go to him? Surely, he must know that she saw him? After all the man's a ninja? He would know lots of things even in one swift look. 

Oh my God. Angela suddenly shivered again. He didn't see me naked did he?  He couldn't. He swung past the window, though. Oh my God. Now I can't just shower.

Angela groaned and immediately grabbed her robe, wrapped it around her and walked out of her bathroom and stalked to the window. She dried her feet on the rug before standing on her bed and quickly opening the window, a little angry that he might have seen her naked. She was angry, because what if he had been watching for a long time? She shivered at the thought and felt a little tension in her whole body. 

While Leonardo was mentally shouting at himself, worrying what was taking Angela too long, he decided to get a quick glance just to see where she was exactly. His thoughts were too loud and Angela's body was shivering in the cold. Both eager and overwhelmed creatures were left to face each other in a sudden trance.

Just as he moved to peek, the window slid up revealing Angela staring right in front of him.

Both stared at each other with wide eyes; Leonardo's features visible under the moonlight, conveniently conspicuous to Angela's eyes. Slowly, her mouth gaped at the sight of him staring right at her. Her mind registered multiple thoughts all at once: Who is this? What is this? Why is he just as surprised as I am? Who-what?

Incapable of screaming, Angela slowly sat on her heels on her bed. Leonardo kept frozen, but his eyes wandered, watching her slowly move. He immediately tried to figure out if she would scream or run far from here and shout. He watched her every move and prepared what to do if she did any of it. 

Angela finally was about to speak but Leonardo began shushing her, still not even touching her.

"Wh-wh-who-what-who are you?" She stuttered and shivered both in nervousness and the cold coming from outside. "Who are you?" She muttered to shout, but not loud enough for people next door to hear. Leonardo would have covered her mouth for that, but something in him told himself not to even lay a hand on her. He didn't want to do anything else to offend her or...scare her. He knew that. He knew she was terrified. So he did what he could to calm her down in a gentle way.

Leonardo placed a finger against his mouth, shushing her, while his other hand was held up in front of her, gesturing for her to stop for a second. Then she whispered, "It's okay, I won't hurt you. I'm--I'm--I'll tell you if you promise not to scream."

Angela suddenly frowned at the speaking turtle. Confused, she listened to the turtle for she had an immediate feeling that the voice sounded all too familiar. She tried not to believe herself.

"Please don't scream." He sounded commanding although he used the word please. And with that tone, she already knew that she heard right. Is he...him?

Angela managed to shake her head 'no' just to reassure him. 

When Leonardo saw her shake her head, he tried to calm himself down too. Leonardo crouched lower and leaned against her window pane. He turned around, surveying the outside, making sure that no one is seeing any of this. Then, he turned to her. His eyes suddenly glanced at his hand, then at Angela who looked like she was now upset that scared.

"May I?"

She furrowed her eyebrows at him, trying to figure out what he was asking.

"May I come in? People are gonna see me here." He sounded commanding again. It has to be him, Angela thought. He asked her again, realizing she had not replied. 

"Uh huh," she said and gulped. Slowly, she clambered to the other side of the bed to give the creature space to enter her room.

Leonardo clambered inside and held on to her window, looking down at her floor. He leapt, avoiding to step on her bed, and landed on the floor. When Leonardo slowly stood on his feet revealing his real, towering height and broad features in front of Angela, she immediately knew that her eyes and ears were not be deceiving her anymore.

This was reality. It was him. And...he's in her room.

The mysterious man she fantasized about meeting is here...and he's not a man at all.

But just to be sure, just to clarify, just to find out if it really was him, she urged herself to speak up. "Are you him? The mysterious hero they've all been talking about?" Hearing herself say it made her cringe now that she looked at this creature.

And it was not because she was disgusted or that she was completely scared; she cringed that people would call him a mysterious hero and think of a handsome, stubbled prince. But here stood a whole different creature. A creature that spoke. A creature that looked frightening yet asked permission to enter her room.

"Are you the mysterious hero?"

Leo cringed at the name, too. He didn't like it. Let alone, there were four of them and not just him. But he shrugged.

"I'd prefer Leo."

With that, Angela raised her eyebrows.