Are you hungry?

Chapter 6 Are you hungry?

"How long have you been waiting?" Leo asked with no sympathy. Sav thought he might feel a little guilty but then again gangsters knew the art of guilt by heart. It was an emotion that may destroy one's sanity so it was practiced and reminded so often to avoid such a situation.

"Enough for you to come." She smiled when she should have been angry. She had such a great nap that all was forgiven. This was after all the first and last encounter she would have with him.

"Is it something important?" He gazed at her then walked to the railings.

Sav joined him and they both stared at the beautiful and warm sunset. "Why do you think old people appreciate sunsets more than us?"

"For the reason that they never know when they'll see it again," he answered thoughtfully. "Tomorrow is another battle for them."

"True," she agreed with him. "But what about us? Why don't we realize that we may never see it again as well?"

"Because we're afraid. Afraid to think about death."

Sav looked at him with wonder. "I never thought of it that way. But I guess deep down, we are all afraid. I thought it's because of our immaturity."

"That too. We think of peace as something we may enjoy later on—"

"When we're old," she finished for him.

He looked at her, his deep blue eyes engraved in her mind. She didn't have to look to see how deep in thought they were or how some of the specs in his irises were dark green. She had never seen such sad eyes.

"And that is why old people seem to appreciate sunsets more."

"Do you like sunsets?" She asked instead of ending the conversation.

"As a matter of fact, I do. I came here for the very reason."

"I see," she said, not bothered by the fact that she had asked him to come here. They weren't friends to begin with. "I like them too. They're beautiful and warm. Very warm."

"So you like peace." It was a statement. Leo's tone was always of the statement, it must be from bearing the responsibility of being the son of the most powerful man in the country.

"I do but it doesn't like me." Sav thought of the glares she got that morning, the intensity in the classroom, her stalker and the threatening letter. She was far from being at peace but at that moment she felt like she could finally breathe. There was something soothing and familiar with Leo that made her feel at ease no matter how intimidating.

"In our country there's no such thing as peace. So if you're looking for it, the best option is for you to move."

"But won't that seem as if I'm just running away?"

"Is there something you're running away from?"

Sav was silent. She didn't know what she was running away from. She was simply trying to live a normal life yet problems loved looking for her to hang out.

"What is so important for you to ask of me to come here, Savannah Cahill?"

Sav stood a little shocked that he knew her name. "That's surprising and yes, I have something for you from my mother."

"If a stranger sat in front of you for the first time in more than a decade, I presume it's alright for you to find out the stranger's name."

She nodded as she focused on getting the small parcel in her bag. It was a small black pouch and she'd been curious to find out what was inside it.

Leo was hesitant to take it at first but he did so anyway. Inside was a golden necklace and it twinkled under the sunset light.

"It must be from your mother. My mother and she were friends. My mom's name is Catherine by the way."

He looked at the necklace closely. It had a locket but it took him less than a second to figure out how to open it. Curiously, Sav went next to him to see what was inside.

It was a picture of a mother holding her son. Both of them were smiling to the point of almost laughing. Sav had a hard time believing that the young boy was Leo as she's never seen him smile.

"Your mother is very pretty," she commented.

He quickly shut the locket, his face more unreadable than before. "I know."

At that exact moment, her stomach growled. Sav rolled her eyes at the timing of such a grim moment.

"Are you hungry?"

"I think so," she said, nodding her head, suddenly feeling shy.

"Come, let's eat dinner. I have a feeling you have more questions to ask."

She chuckled, feeling better. "How'd you know?"

"I had a feeling you were going to ask that as well."

***

"The food here tastes different but it's not exactly bad or anything." Sav thought aloud. She was grateful of the company and lots of food. She was also thankful that Leo booked a private room for them as she didn't want to be seen sitting with him and most importantly, in front of him. She thought he wouldn't want to be seen with a person with such a bad reputation as well.

"That's because everything here is organic and handmade. We grow our own food and make our own dishes," he answered while cutting his steak.

"Does it bother you that I'm sitting in front of you again?" She asked but before she could hear his answer they were interrupted by a knock.

A burly man in a suit came in and whispered in his ear.

Sav watched Leo's eyebrow raise a little. "Okay."

The man bowed his head before leaving and Sav asked anyway even if she might not get an answer.

"What is it? Well if it's confidential, it's ok—"

"One of the blueprints of the academy was stolen."

At that moment, Savannah realized how her prying and curiosity may be the cause of her getting in too much trouble. But it was too late to fix it now.