5 Questions

Question 4

After what felt like years Leo finally talked. 

"It's your turn."

Oh right, we were playing this stupid game of mine. I slowly raised my head again and opened my eyes. Leo was watching me with the same expression he always wore but the longer I looked the more I noticed that there was something else behind the seemingly cold stare. I averted my eyes and looked down at the shots. Still so many to go. I raised the next shot to my mouth and poured it down my throat. The burn was good but not enough. We were both still mad at each other for the previously asked questions but we still continued. I didn't know why. Why didn't he just leave already? This was, just like he said in the beginning, "childish and unnecessary". We both knew it but we were both also too stubborn and curious to stop. It seemed that we were both idiots.  

Before the awkward silence could stretch any longer I asked the next question: 

"Tell me, Leo, what is your purpose? Like what is your number one goal in life? Finding yourself? Being the best detective in the world? Falling in love?", I laughed at the last part. What a weird thing to imagine.

Leo was thinking. If he still had his LED it would probably be blinking yellow. Sometimes I wished he didn't remove that little mood ring. He was too hard to read sometimes.

After the last question, my mood was totally destroyed. I felt tired. Very tired. I didn't have the energy anymore to tease him or to provoke a reaction out of him. I felt numb. It wasn't the first time I felt like this but I was still not used to it. Didn't know how to handle it. Normally I would grab the nearest drink that had enough alcohol in it and drank the numbness away. But not today. Not now. Not while he was still close. He didn't need to see how pathetic I could really be. No, I didn't want to see Leo's disappointed look. I wished for nothing more than to turn back time and go back to the moment I suggested to play this game. I would punch the shit out of my past self. Worst game ever. 

I thought this would be the best opportunity to get under his skin and break his stupid cold facade, and I was so obsessed with the idea of him finally showing some emotions, I didn't think it could turn so bad for me. Sure, I anticipated some uncomfortable questions but nothing could have prepared me for this much honesty and realness. It felt like I was being stripped naked and he could see everything about me. What's going inside my head. It was too exposing, I was being too vulnerable. His voice brought me back to reality. 

"I don't think I have one. There are a lot of things I want but I don't know what the most important one is."

"And what are those things?", I asked slightly intrigued. 

Oops, another question. I waited for him to remind me of the stupid one question rule but to my surprise, he answered.

" Solving our current case, learning more about myself, getting to know you better, maybe get my own apartment with a cat."

I started chuckling. And the chuckling soon turned into a full-on laugh.

"Man, you are so weird. Those are the things you want the most right now?"

"Amongst other things, yes"

I laughed even harder. It wasn't funny, it really wasn't, but after the heavy mood, the last questions created I needed a good laugh. I calmed down and met his eyes again. I immediately perked up when I noticed a gleam of amusement in his eyes.

  Yes, good.

" You still have to find your true purpose, though.", I said, still amused.

"Yes, I do hope to find it one day."

"Good luck with that. Still haven't found mine and I had way more time than you to figure it out."

"Doesn't mean it's too late to find it, detective.", he assured. 

"It's Elliot. I told you to drop that detective thing."

"Yes, Elliot, I apologize."

Leo was smiling, not fake or unnatural. No, this one was real. And before I knew what was happening I was smiling back at him with my own real smile. I forgot how good that could feel.

"Your turn, tinman."

And there goes another eye roll but his smile didn't disappear.