He laughed.
"Is your imagination always this… vivid?"
"Why are you laughing? I think I have every right to be curious. I've never actually seen you properly."
"First of all…" he said, his face still incredibly close to mine. He cupped my cheek gently and looked straight into my eyes.
"With eyes that beautiful, how am I supposed to say no to you?"
"So you will take it off?"
"If you insist."
He pulled his hood down.
He wasn't bald.
And his ears were perfectly normal.
"Oh—so you're not bald or anything. And your ears look… human."
"Thank you, miss. Did I pass your inspection?"
As I laughed, something caught my eye—the left side of his hair. I noticed some red patches; maybe an allergy. He must've noticed me staring, because before I could say anything he asked:
"So, miss… are you warm enough now?"
"I am, thank you."
"We still haven't properly met. I'm Leon."
"You're right. I'm Valeria."
He extended his hand. His hands were surprisingly soft for a guy.
"You said you could help save my things. Are we actually going to do that?" I asked.
"We'll have to wait until it gets darker. Until then, we can go to my place if you want. Are you hungry?"
"I don't know why I trust you."
"Because you want to. Because you need someone to trust."
"…Alright. Let's go. I guess if you were going to hurt me, you would've done it already."
He only smiled and kept driving. He looked my age, but he drove like someone with years of practice. I was honestly impressed.
"We're here," he said.
"This place?"
"Yes. It's not big, but it's enough for me."
His home was small, simple, but clean and neat.
"I don't know what to say… Thank you for everything."
"You don't need to thank me. I'm only doing what I felt like doing."
"Leon…"
"Yes?"
"Did you grow up in this city?"
"No. I've been here for two years. I worked during my first year—I needed to build a life of my own. Once I could stand on my own feet, I started school."
"I honestly admire that."
"Thank you. Your admiration is an honor."
I laughed softly.
He motioned toward the kitchen. The apartment was a small one-bedroom.
"You can wash up if you want. I'll be in the kitchen. Bathroom's over there."
"Thank you."
I washed my face and hands; everything was covered in soot. After I fixed my hair a little, I walked to the kitchen.
"Oh wow… it actually smells really good. So the gentleman can cook too," I teased.
"When you get used to taking care of yourself, you end up picking up a few skills," he chuckled.
"But…" I said, glancing at the counter, "if you cook everything at the same time, the juices will mix. You have to do it in order."
"You know these things, I see."
Mimicking his tone, I repeated, "When you get used to taking care of yourself, you pick up a few skills."
We both laughed.
We set the table together, then sat down to eat.
"So, Mister Leon… I'd like to learn a few things about you."
"And I'd like to learn about you, miss," he replied.
"There's something I want to ask, but I'm a bit embarrassed."
"Ask. Don't be shy."
"Have we… met before?"
He looked into my eyes, then smiled.
"If I had seen eyes like yours before, I would never have forgotten them."
I froze for a moment, my mind drifting into the past.
"Valeria…"
"Oh—sorry. I zoned out."
"Is something wrong?"
"No… I just remembered my first love. You look like him."
"What was he like?"
"Never mind… I want to get to know you right now."
"There's not much to know, really," he said with a shrug. "I live quietly. I'm into cars. It's my first year at university—I'm studying law."
"Wow… so you're smart. I already figured you had good taste from that Subaru of yours."
"It's your first year? Am I older than you?"
"You seem to forget I worked for a year, young lady."
"You're right, sorry."
"Do you know anything about cars?" he asked.
"I used to be obsessed in my early teens. Then it faded."
"A shame," he said, laughing.
I laughed with him.