Looking For Leo

7: Distressed

"Leo?" She repeated but with a flat tone as if she could not believe this turtle man was introducing himself with such a human name. 

"It's Leonardo but call me Leo for short." Leonardo tried to toss a little hint of humor in there. But he knew he had to keep himself distant because he was not even sure if she still wanted him there and it would be definitely embarrassing if she kicked him out now after opening up. "It's me." His tone returned to his usual commanding one. Then, he stood up sternly.

Angela tried to shake her head once as if forcing herself to speak up and snap back to reality. "You were the one I've been speaking to?"

Leo nodded once. He watched her face, the way she stared at him. Was she terrified? Angry? Disappointed? Then, his eyes lowered unconsciously at her bathrobe. He realized she was in the bathroom. Angela noticed this and made her clutch her bathrobe and tighten its wrap around her, glancing away from him. He noticed that. He forced his eyes to look away so he turned his whole body away as if letting her know that he did not mean to see her like this, "Listen," he said, "I did not mean to scare you like that. I wasn't--I didn't know you were busy. And I didn't want you to find out this way."

She didn't say anything, her head turned away from him, too, embarrassed to even look him in the eye as she was kneeling on her own bed, wet and naked under her robe. But her eyes would sometimes glance at him. She saw the way he tried to avoid looking at her body. She felt shivers down her whole body, but not because of fear but because of the cold breezing in the room.

"If I knew I wouldn't have been here." He continued as Angela reached for the window to slide it down. She stood on the bed now and when he glanced at her, he saw her full body. For the first time he saw her whole height and noticed how slim she was compared to him. It sent him shivers, too. But he played it cool. "I'm sorry."

"I didn't know you'd come early, too." She finally spoke and he felt relieved, knowing at least that she wasn't too scared to even speak up.

Angela, while waiting for his reply, clambered out of the bed and stepped on the carpet floor, tucking her robe around her tighter, trying to fight the cold.

"Maybe I should leave." He said, a little hesitant. He didn't want to, but he knew the timing was off. "I'll let you return to your..." he trailed off, "...business. I can come back tomorrow."

Even Angela knew this was awkward and that was the right thing to do. But having him in her room was overwhelmingly and ridiculously exciting. For some fucked-up reason, she did not even want him to move an inch away. Was it having him here that excited her? Was it the fact that he was a breath of fresh air?

It was not as if she's quiet now because she had her own expectations of the mysterious hero. People from the website just happened to put that image in her head because some claimed so. She had doubts but those were facts as others claimed. So seeing him in front of her, looking like a turtle with human features...silence would really overcome her. 

There must be a good reason why he hid himself from the world anyway, she thought. So it's explicable. This is explicable. This is normal. It's normal. The mysterious hero everyone's been gushing and searching for is not human but looks and talks human.

Great.

And he's in my room.

And I'm kinda naked.

"No." She said softly. What am I doing?

Angela glanced at him and he glanced at her, trying to make out if he heard her right.

"Just wait for me outside. I'll be quick." She muttered, trying to act cool as if this was nothing ridiculous. Nope. They both paused, looking at each other.