Arthur read jokes from his notebook for ten minutes.
The most people in this room chuckled from time to time, but if it was because of the jokes, I couldn't say.
When he finally finished, I was the one who applauded loudest.
I didn't do it because of the jokes.
I did it, because I was proud of him.
Despite his illness, he had stood in front and overcome his, probably terrible, fear.
Arthur dropped in the chair next to me.
"Let's go. I feel like they're staring at me all." he admitted, getting up instantly.
I nodded in agreement. I wanted to be alone with him anyway.
Back on the cold streets of Gotham we walk towards a real café.
"You didn't tell me you're a comedian." I started a conversation.
Arthur was pretty quiet even by his standards.
"So far, only my colleagues and my mother knew that." he replied, pulling his jacket a little closer.
I would have liked to take his arm again, but he didn't look like he wanted it.
"It was horrible, right?" He suddenly asked, looking at me.
"Was it your first time?"
He nodded.
"Then it wasn't horrible, quite the opposite, you did a great job," I replied.
To give him a little more self-confidence, I added "I'm proud of you".
His expression did not change.
"Thanks for saying that, Lila."
We reached the cafe and entered.
The warm scent of coffee and cake did really well.
I could imagine that Arthur didn't often sit in cafes.
"Where do we want to sit down?" I finally asked.
Arthur shrugged.
"Maybe all the way back there?"
He pointed to a round, small table at the end of the room.
I nodded.
On the way to this table, my dream suddenly came to my mind and I realized that I was in a café with Arthur.
Alone.
Again a prayer left my thoughts.
I sat down on a chair, which was directed with the back to the window.
Arthur sat down in the chair across from me.
"Tell me how you managed to calm down so quickly."
A Part of me wanted to know who or what he was thinking about.
"I just followed your advice and thought of a person who could have made me happy right now."
Maybe he wanted to keep it for himself.
I nodded. "I'm glad it helps you."
I meant it serious. I was happy as soon as he was.
Arthur's eyes led out of the window.
He looked like he was dreaming.
As if he had thought of that particular person.
He blinked several times and looked back at me.
"It's Sophie." He said.
I pulled my eyebrows together.
"What is with her?" I didn't quite understand what he was taking about.
"She's the person I think of at such moments." Arthur admitted, tapping nervously with one hand on the table.
For a second my head was ... just empty. Then my heart switched on.
"You're thinking about Sophie?" I wanted to ask again, to be sure.
"Yes, and it works wonderfully."
All the terrible things Sophie had said about Arthur were buzzing in my thoughts.
I saw her in a very different light than he did.
"She's just amazing. She's so friendly to everyone and always smiling. She's perfect." Arthur enthused, making my anger towards Sophie even bigger.
She absolutely didn't deserve to be adored that way. I lowered my eyes and ist my gaze rest on the table.
I had to tell him how Sophie talked about him.
He had to know it, so he wouldn't fall for her much more.
Arthur's POV
Maybe that was the moment I could tell Lila about my delusions. Maybe she even had a tip for that.
"I even imagined that she and I have a date." I said more whispered than anything else. Since no answer came from Lila, I looked to her.
Her eyebrows were pulled together. It looked like she was angry.
"Lila?" Now her expression changed to disappointed, or rather sad.
"Lila, are you alright, are you listening?"
Obviously her thoughts weren't where they should have been.
She released her eyes and looked at me.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying?"
She straightened up a bit.
"I just said that I even imagined having a date with Sophie." I repeated.
Her eyes darkened again.
"Lila..."
She folded her hands and leaned forward a little.
"Arthur, I have something to tell you." she began.
"Okay, go ahead."
She nodded. "Sophie isn't as great as you think right now. I met her in the elevator a few days ago and she told me what she thinks about you."
"What she said wasn't nice ..."
For a moment she closed her eyes.
Maybe to calm down.
"She said she's glad she doesn't live close to you, because she would go crazy otherwise. Arthur, she doesn't like you, not the way you like her. She thinks you're a freak."
With each word that left Lila's mouth, I became more angry.
Didn't she want me to be happy? Did I give her too little thanks for what she did for me?
Or was she simply jealous of Sophie?
I didn't know, but I didn't want that.
"I can't believe you said that." I said, getting up, picking up my jacket and leaving the café in a hurry.
I wanted to spend no second longer in the same room as Lila.
I walked home with quick steps.
Lila's POV
I jumped up from my chair, too, wanting to run after Arthur, but something in me told me to let him go.
I had expressed myself as gently as possible and honestly didn't expect such a reaction.
Now I sat alone in this café and was stared at from all sides.
I felt like crying.
I was so looking forward to this meeting, thinking too much about it, just to let it end, but I had no choice.
And I was almost ready to develop feelings for him.
I paid and left the café as quickly as possible.
By now it was pitch-black outside. The street I was in was lit only by flickering lanterns.
I didn't live in Gotham that long, so I knew it one hundred percent and could tell exactly where dodgy guys were.
I dived home.
As soon as I heard a noise behind me, I turned around in panic.
I was afraid.
In this city, everything could happen to me, without that even one person would notice.
Sweatbathing, I reached Anders Avenue 226a and pushed open the front door.
As if the evening wasn't bad enough, Sophie came to meet me. She smiled.
As always.
My expression remained the same.
How much I would like to have told her my opinion.
"Good evening, Lila, are you alright?" She asked, stopping next to me.
I nodded.
"Yeah, it's all great!" I replied with a sarcastic tone.
Sophie's smile disappeared.
"Did something happen to you? Can I help you?"
She put her hand on my right arm.
"You know what?" I took her hand and removed it from my arm.
"You can help me. Just stay out of Arthur's and my life, thank you!"
I marched straight into the elevator.
When the doors finally closed, I let my rising tears run wild.
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