Leo woke up earlier than usual that morning. A quarter past four, to be exact.
This gave him more than enough time to clean up, hide his injuries, and throw a decent outfit together.
As he was leaving the restroom, he turned to the mirror.
He felt his cheek bones, noticing that the eye bags were nearly gone.
` A change in career was much needed, ` he thought to himself.
Looking down at the rim of the restroom sink, he noticed an empty pill bottle and grabbed it.
He considered what he should do.
Getting a refill was the obvious thing to do, as avoiding panic attacks was crucial for his position.
However, the pills had oftentimes left him with a strangely empty feeling.
His brows furrowed in a strange expression. An expression of slight anger, slight sadness, and a small hint of uncertainty.
He dropped the empty container in the trash can.
` I just want control over my life. That's what this is… `
Leaving the restroom as he straightened his coat, he walked to the nightstand and turned the clock to himself.
` A bit past five, huh… Maybe I woke up a little too early. `
He looked around his apartment, contemplating his choices.
He could hurry down and meet Rachel at her train station to surprise her, but he worried that he would seem a bit hasty if he did that.
Noticing a few articles of clothing lying around, he decided he'd spend his time cleaning up.
He opened the window to let the crisp, cool morning breeze in as he began cleaning.
After some sweeping and sorting clothes in drawers, he started chipping away at the small mountain of dishes.
It was much more tedious than he had anticipated, but he was definitely happy with how things were looking now.
He wouldn't feel ashamed to bring Maria back here.
With that thought, he looked around the apartment once more with a frown.
` It's quite boring here. No bookshelf. No toys. Wait, does she even like toys? I can't remember the last time she asked for a toy. Does this make me a bad father? `
He shook his head, dismissing his strange chain of thoughts.
` Gods. Just shut up already. `
He looked back down to the plate he was cleaning.
After racking the final dish to dry, he turned his back to the sink and walked back to the center of the small apartment.
He looked at the clock again and gave a sigh of relief.
` Perfect. Only ten minutes until she gets here. I should go down and wait for her. `
He shut the lights off and locked the door as he left for the lobby.
Waiting there earlier than expected was Rachel in an olive green pinafore dress that complimented her natural color palette.
Her hair was done differently today.
An intentionally messy ponytail with her bangs loose.
If it weren't for the lack of romantic love in his heart, Leo would have fallen for her in this very moment.
` She really is an incredible woman. `
This thought made him remember the promise he had made to himself the night prior.
He would tell her the truth today.
He smiled for now.
"Shall we get going?"
She gave a simple nod and led him through the doors.
Later, the two found themselves sitting side by side on the train.
Leo was staring out the window by instinct.
Rachel on the other hand wasn't handling their close proximity with much composure.
He turned his gaze to her.
Her hands were fidgeting in her lap.
"You holding up there, Rachel?"
She nearly flinched before looking up, her cheeks filled with red.
"Yes. Perfectly fine."
The rigidness of her voice made him laugh a bit.
She was taken aback for a moment but soon snickered at herself.
This didn't completely diminish her nervousness, but it did help her feel a bit more comfortable.
The train came to a stop soon after.
Taking his wrist, Rachel hurriedly led Leo off the platform and down the street.
Her move had shocked him initially but he brushed it off as her enjoying herself.
He would be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying her company just as much.
She let go of his hand as they reached the front of a cozy-looking restaurant.
Chairs and tables were set outside on the porch, alongside tall greenery.
"Camille's Bistro! I grew up eating here as a kid. It's always been a favorite."
He felt a strange sense of honor being introduced to something so dear to her.
The excitement in her voice made it clear that she didn't regularly share this place.
Nonetheless, she decided to share it with him.
His smile faltered briefly.
` I have to tell her. `
Soon after entering, a waitress led the two to a booth in the corner of the room.
The waitress pulled out a small notepad.
"What will you two be drinking this morning?"
Rachel scanned through the backside of the menu for a moment.
"I'll take a caramel latte with extra sugar. Oh, and a slice of your apple pie, please."
The waitress nodded before turning to Leo.
"I'll have a coffee. No sugar or creamer."
Rachel gave Leo a curious look as the waitress left them.
"Black coffee? Seriously? Don't tell me this is your way of impressing me."
This was obviously meant as a joke. Despite this, Leo couldn't help but explain himself.
"I couldn't really afford sugar when I was working at the Academy, so I got used to my coffee without it."
Rachel's smile turned to a serious look as she listened.
Her posture slightly stiffened.
"Oh. I'm sorry for making fun."
Leo put a hand up, dismissing her apparent guilt.
"No, no. I wasn't trying to make you feel bad. I just… felt like sharing that."
Rachel had a strange expression. A unique expression of regret and gratefulness.
"Thank you for sharing that with me."
His eyes remained on the table for a while.
"Thank you for sharing this with me."
She gave a simple nod.
The waitress returned with their orders, saving them from awkward silence.
Rachel and Leo gave their thanks as the woman left once more.
They conversed for some time as they took small sips of their drinks.
They talked about how work was going, how the weather had been, things they were looking forward to.
Over the course of about thirty minutes, Leo had really lost himself with her.
Eventually, they turned silent.
He took one final sip from his cup.
Resting the cup on the plate, he looked up to her.
She was intently focused on the apple pie.
His eyes fell back down.
A strange, claustrophobic feeling grew from within. As if chains were tightening around his heart.
With a small gulp, he spoke.
"Rachel… We need to talk."