He stepped closer again, forcing me against the wall.
With his arms on either side of me, he blocked every possible exit.
I was trapped.
Even though I was over 1m70, he was taller.
And stronger, obviously.
Then he leaned in.
So close I could feel his breath brushing against my lips.
He stared at me intently, and I silently begged the magic on my face not to fail me now.
"Are you with him?" he asked again, but this time, more softly.
I shook my head.
His hand moved up to my face, fingers gently brushing across my cheek — right over my freckles.
And then he whispered something that made my heart skip a beat.
"I must say… it would've been a shame to hurt such a cute face."
I… I think I blushed.
No — I definitely blushed.
A lot.
Because a second later, he pulled back just a little, clearly surprised, and smiled.
And not just any smile — a really beautiful one.
"I'm Arthur. And you are?"
He took a step back, finally giving me space, and held out my wallet after I pointed out which one was mine.
I took it quietly.
"…Thank you. I'm Leo," I answered, after a short pause.
I'd thought about giving a fake name, like in the books. But… somehow, I didn't feel the need.
Then—
Grumble.
My stomach.
Loud and clear.
Okay, to be fair, I hadn't eaten lunch. I was hungry. Not dying, just… starving a little.
Arthur let out a short laugh. "I'll buy you something to eat. Consider it an apology for scaring you."
~
The food felt like a feast compared to what I usually got in the tower.
I didn't even care what it was. I just ate like Gaïa after a run.
Eventually, though, I had to go.
"I need to leave," I told him, grateful but already thinking about the hidden path back.
"Want me to come with you? Just in case another thief shows up? Or—" he hesitated, "you could crash at the hotel I'm staying at. It's already pretty dark out."
'If you knew what I was, I thought, you wouldn't say that. You'd call the guards. Or beat me up like you did that thief.'
"No, it's alright," I said, petting Gaïa who sat quietly by my feet. "If anything happens, she'll protect me. And I don't live far."
Arthur looked at me like he wanted to say something else. But the words didn't come.
We stood there in silence for a moment, just… watching each other.
Then, awkwardly, I mumbled, "Well…goodbye, Arthur."
"Goodbye, Leo," he said back, his eyes deep with some emotion I couldn't name.