Meeting

It was the only thing on his mind.

Preying on his thoughts, all day, even in his dreams the night before, in which he imagined meeting with a masked person who ended up pulling a gun on him right there in the middle of the bookstore.

Leonardo didn't believe that would happen. Of course not. But it certainly didn't help to put him at ease, and regardless of the unlikelihood of it becoming a reality, the dream still scarred him.

Moreover, he wondered about it. About what would actually happen. If their meeting would be long, or if the sole purpose of it was to prove that Blue was an actual person, and not just a coward hiding behind a screen.

In his classes, Leo couldn't hide his odd behavior. He often appeared to have something on his mind, and he was aware of it, but today, even he could tell he was being obvious. A resting scowl on his face, eyes flitting back and forth rapidly as though scanning his own thoughts.

Savannah even asked him about it.

"Meeting," the boy answered. "I'm meeting with someone, that's all?"

"Meeting?"

"Meeting."

"Like, for work?"

"Kind of."

"Oh, okay."

She raised no further questioning. William, however, did.

"You look real antsy, Leo, everything alright?"

"It's fine."

"You sure? Got a dentist appointment later or something?"

"No. Just a meeting."

"Ah, I see." William made a noise of understanding and leaned back in his chair. "No need to be nervous, Leo, you'll knock 'em dead with your good looks."

"What?"

"I'm trying to be encouraging."

"Oh...well...thanks, I guess..."

"You're welcome!"

It didn't help much. He knew it full well, that nothing would be able to put his mind fully at peace until after this "meeting" was over and done with. Not even Noah, though with his scarring dream on repeat in his head, Leonardo urged himself to message his friend.

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Leo.nardo

hey noah i know you're probably at work but i just felt like saying hi

hope you're doing well. take care of yourself.

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Noah_bored

lucky you, caught me on my lunch break :)

i'm doing fine leo what about you?

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Leo.nardo

pretty good i guess

got a meeting today, a little nervous about it

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Noah_bored

oh leo you'll be fine i know you will

there's nothing you can't accomplish, leonardo

be sure to let me know how it goes, okay? i'll be rooting for you

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Leo.nardo

:) thanks noah

i know i can always count on you

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Noah_bored

of course you can <3

***

The time was nearing five p.m. now. Leo had called into work not long ago, informing his boss that because of personal issues he wouldn't be able to come in that day, or that, if at all, he would have to work later.

Luckily Aiden was available to stay late so it wasn't too much of an inconvenience.

Leo wanted to make sure he showed up at Barnes & Nobles before Blue did. Though it probably didn't make a difference, he didn't want to feel as though Blue was even one step ahead of him. So by 5:15 that evening, Leonardo had himself seated at a small, otherwise empty table on one end of the store. To pass the time, he flipped through comic books while at the same time keeping a close eye on the entrance door, as well as the other customers skimming magazines and novels nearby.

Things were quiet. No noise above a gentle tone of conversation, nothing too distracting, too loud.

The loudest things right now were the internal reverberations of Leo's heart.

He checked his phone—5:52 p.m. No messages from Blue.

She should better be here.

Every minute that passed by added more doubts, more questions, more anxiety to what had already so greatly accumulated in Leo's restless mind. It had been running all day. He was tired.

The little bell on top the entrance door rang and instinctively Leo turned to it again.

Someone entered the store. A white mask covering her mouth and nose, while a pair of tinted sunglasses shielded her eyes from view, the figure was dressed casually in grey sweatpants and a comfortable-looking, oversized sweatshirt, the hood of which had been pulled up over the person's head.

Leo held his breath without knowing it. There was no second-guessing. This was the person he had been waiting for.

Heartbeat accelerating, he watched as the masked person made their way quietly over to the table and pulled out a chair to sit down.

For a moment, Leo felt himself shaking. I'm not scared of her. I don't have a reason to be scared of her.

As he repeated these words over and over again in his head, Leo almost failed to notice as the masked person held up her phone, having typed out a message for Leonardo to read. And Leo had to look at her strangely.

"Can't you talk?"

The person shook their head horizontally.

"I don't believe you," Leo scoffed. "You are Blue, aren't you?"

"Mm."

"There, you do have a voice."

No response. He couldn't even tell if Blue were looking at him.

"What's with the sunglasses? We're indoors, for goodness' sake, get rid of them."

Again no response. Guilty silence, perhaps. Leo rolled his eyes and finally turned his attention toward the phone.

I HAVE A TACK. I'LL PROVE MYSELF NOW.

Once she was sure that Leonardo had read the message, Blue lowered her phone back to the table's surface, then proceeded to reach into a small drawstring bag she'd brought with her to retrieve exactly what the message mentioned.

A small thumbtack. Leo shot her a frantic look.

"Wait, you..." He eyed the pointed object. "...you were serious, you're going to-"

A quick action, an abrupt stab into her index finger that caused Leo to flinch. It was merely a poke. But it exaggerated itself in Leonardo's eyes solely to raise alarm.

A tiny tear of skin. Torn, enough to allow blood to escape from the inside.

Blue.

She hadn't been lying after all.

Just as quickly as she had done this, Blue reached into her pocket and pulled out a tissue which she used to cover her finger, tying two ends together so it would stay in place.

Leo couldn't tell if he were breathing at this point. Knowing the truth was even more overwhelming than his anxiety had been leading up to his moment.

Blue was like him.

He wasn't alone.

And right now, that fact left him speechless. He could only watch in silence as Blue applied pressure to her finger, the dark color of her blood leaking through the thin tissue which seemed to frustrate her. Her hands were shaking. Her sleeve had partially rolled down from her forearm being raised, thus revealing a silver charm bracelet hanging from her wrist.

"What's that?"

The innocent question sparked a suspicious reaction. It startled Blue, urging her to put her arm down and cover the bracelet in a hurried manner.

Leo squinted at her. "What, too personal to share? It's just jewelry, right?"

"Someone-"

She stopped herself after having seemingly let this word slip out by accident. It was quiet, soft, and muffled by the mask.

Blue lifted her phone again, typed out a message, then held it up for Leo to see.

IT WAS A GIFT FROM SOMEONE SPECIAL.

THAT'S ALL. SORRY FOR BEING JUMPY.

Her behavior was odd. Certainly less confident now that she couldn't hide behind the phone, even though she still used it.

"Someone special?" Leo raised a brow in curiosity. "Can I ask?"

Clear hesitance. Blue turned her head slightly to the side, most likely in a thoughtful way, although Leonardo couldn't really tell due to the other's face being entirely covered.

He received a response after a while. A slowly typed out response.

IT'S A BIT TOO MUCH FOR ME TO

DESCRIBE IN DETAIL, I'M SORRY. I'M

AFRAID I'LL GET EMOTIONAL. BUT YES,

THEY WERE SOMEONE SPECIAL TO ME. I

HAVEN'T SPOKEN TO THEM IN YEARS.

"Speak to them, then." Leo whispered curtly. "It's not complicated. Seems a better use of your time than whatever you're doing now. Unless you actually plan on telling me something. Or did you really just set this up to show me your blood?"

Blue shook her head horizontally again.

She typed out another message. This time, however, Leonardo sensed more urgency. The tremor in Blue's hands was even more obvious, and that frightened him.

Blue held up her phone once more.

I'M AFRAID THEY'RE AFTER YOU, TOO.

FOR YOUR BLOOD. JUST LIKE MINE, I'M

SCARED THAT THEY'LL TRY TO SELL IT

ON THE BLACK MARKET. I HAVEN'T SEEN

THEM YET BUT I KNOW THAT THEY'RE IN

SEATTLE. THAT'S WHY I'M HERE.

Genuine fear. Leo could feel it in those words, despite only reading and not hearing them, and moreover, that hand tremor...

The tiny cut from the tack seemed to have stopped bleeding but Blue still left the tissue tied over it, as if afraid it would do so again.

Leonardo stared at her with wide, demanding eyes. This all felt like some intense fever dream but he knew it wasn't. "Black market..." He swallowed his breath. "You're...you're not serious, right? Have they actually done that to you?"

No answer. Not even another message. No, instead, almost in a panic, Blue shoved her phone back into their bag and stood up suddenly from her chair, triggering Leonardo to do the same.

"No, you're not leaving, you can't leave me hanging like this, Blue-"

"Talk later."

Those two, gentle, muffled words and she bolted. Past the bookshelves that lay between them and the door, and Leo followed as quickly as he could but not quickly enough, evidently.

He lost her after thirty seconds.

That feeling, that feeling of defeat alone amounted to more frustration than Leo believed to have ever experienced in his entire life. He could still text Blue as he had been doing that, he knew that, but for some reason being with him in person meant more. Especially now, now that Leonardo knew Blue hadn't been lying about the most important thing.

But he had lost her. That woman was too quick on her feet.

Leo held his head in his hands. In his pocket, he felt his phone buzz. Sighing a deep, unsteady breath, he took it out.

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You have (1) new message from Blue

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Blue

i'm so sorry, leonardo, please forgive me, some day please.