Liar

Waking up in his bed rather than on the couch was certainly an odd thing to Leonardo, and for a moment he had to seriously think about why he might have ended up here. He didn't sleep walk. He knew that much.

His sleepy, half-lidded eyes scanned the room lazily. Within seconds they fell on a suitcase that wasn't his.

Then he remembered.

It hung on his chest like a weighty anvil, but somehow Leo found the strength to push it aside and get to his feet. If he didn't dwell on it, it didn't happen. Simple.

Scratching his stomach as he opened the door, Leonardo stepped out of his room, and immediately afterwards, hunger struck him and urged his feet to head towards the fridge.

It was still early. He figured Savannah was asleep—rather, hoped Savannah was asleep, and that, perhaps, if Lady Luck smiled upon him, the girl would forget about what happened. Then again Leo was aware just how bad luck he had when it came to pretty everything, so it was unlikely.

"If you're going to make breakfast now, I can help."

The unannounced voice was enough to make Leo nearly jump out of his skin. The fact that it had come from no more than three feet behind him didn't help, either.

"Savannah, what on earth is wrong with you??" Leo hissed, frowning intensely at the girl who appeared innocently puzzled by the other's reaction. "Don't sneak up on me like that, honestly..."

"Uh...sorry..."

"Yeah, you should be. It's too early to be giving me heart attacks. Not that there's ever a time for that."

"...right."

Leo was able to brush it off after but a moment and return to his task of getting together the few things he needed for breakfast. Savannah, on the other hand, couldn't brush aside her thoughts—rather, her questions. Questions as to why Leonardo seemed normal now, not having brought up a certain happening that took place less than twelve hours ago.

Maybe he would soon. That in mind, Savannah volunteered to make pancakes as Leo pulled some fruit out of the fridge.

Throughout the process, though be it a somewhat short one, few words were spoken as the two went about preparing their morning meal. Again, Leonardo seemed normal. Savannah glanced at him frequently, waiting for the moment the boy would bring up the subject she herself couldn't bear to ignore.

Surely he couldn't have forgotten.

Before long, the few preparations were done and Leo and Savannah both took their seats at the small kitchen table and began to eat.

Savannah considered perhaps now the other would speak.

But five, ten minutes slipped by without a word. So Savannah took the initiative.

"Are we going to talk?"

"Hm?" Leo didn't bother to lift his gaze from his food. "Doesn't matter to me, I'm used to eating in silence-"

"About last night, Leo."

The sobriety of that tone. As if demanding attention. Leonardo couldn't have ignored it if he wanted to and soon felt his cheeks rising in warmth as the memory replayed itself in his mind. The sheer level of embarrassment he experienced in that moment, recalling it vividly. In a panic, the boy blurted out a response.

"No."

"No?"

He could feel his heart hammering wildly against his chest. Internally, he begged for Savannah to drop the subject but it appeared his silent plea wasn't heard.

"Leo, what do you mean 'no'?? You weren't just-..." A sigh of frustration passed through Savannah's lips. "You weren't just going to pretend it didn't happen, were you?"

"Don't know," Leo muttered. He lowered his face in an attempt to hide the blush he could feel staining his complexion. "Maybe."

"Look, it's one thing if you want to ignore it entirely but you weren't the only one involved."

Like a nail pricking his skin. Leonardo was almost scared to look at Savannah at this point, overwhelmed not only by the girl's sharp tone of voice, but by the words themselves.

Again, they demanded attention, refused to let this conversation end sooner than the speaker wanted them to.

"You didn't push me away."

"I didn't-" Leo's voice got caught in his throat. "I didn't know what was going on."

"But you kissed me back."

It was hard enough suppressing the memory without Savannah bringing this up, but now he really had no choice. As if it had happened mere moments ago, Leo swore he could feel the girl 's lips on his. Once, once more, and a third time, the tender atmosphere suspended above them, the soft, oddly sweet taste of Savannah's lips against his own.

He lost the feeling in his face. Covering it with his hand, Leonardo groaned, exasperated with himself and his own state of hopelessness. If Savannah weren't here at the time, maybe he could have found a way to deal with it more calmly, without being in such a fluster. But this girl across the table from him now wouldn't stop her intent staring.

"You...regret it, don't you-?"

"Savannah, I can't-" The question triggered Leonardo to put his hands down and finally make eye contact, though in his flustered state he couldn't get the rest of his words out—rather, that he hadn't known what exactly he was going to say when he opened his mouth to begin with. "I can't think about this right now, okay?? I'm—I don't know, alright, I've got too many things going on right now, I just...I don't-..."

"Well, I don't regret it."

The girl's voice softened suddenly. Leo found Savannah looking down at her plate of food, picking at it, uninterested.

"You can decide what you think of it, but it won't change my opinion," she said quietly. "I liked it. It was really nice. Really...nice."

The direct sincerity. The drifting gaze, the tint of color in the girl's face, none of it helped to calm Leo's troubled, beating heart. He couldn't handle this sort of atmosphere rationally.

"You're...so blunt," he said to Savannah, hesitant to risk looking at her again but he did so anyway. And it was so odd to him. How serious, yet how gentle Savannah's face appeared to be at the same time.

"I could be even more blunt, if you want."

"What?"

"No," she forced a laugh at Leo's confusion. "You probably wouldn't like that...forget I said anything. Maybe another time."

A tight-lipped smile. Savannah returned her attention to her breakfast, soon to resume eating, but at a much slower pace than normal.

"...you ever kissed anyone before?"

"Savannah, that's—"

Witnessing the abrupt change in Leo's expression, the resurfacing blush triggered by that little question alone, drew a genuine laugh from Savannah who had fooled the other into thinking she had dropped the subject. Even though she doubted she would receive a legitimate answer, she predicted Leo would grow shy and the girl couldn't resist a chance to see that again.

"What, have you?"

"I don't have to answer you."

"I never have. You were my first."

"Cut it out, you're doing this on purpose now."

"Maybe I am. So have you?"

Battling the urge to snap at her again, Leo resorted to taking out his phone to distract himself. Maybe that would shut Savannah up. Hopefully.

To his pleasant surprise, Noah had texted him within the time Leonardo had spent preparing breakfast. He opened the messages.

+

Noah_bored

leo i have some news

super good news so text me as soon as you can

+

Leo.nardo

i'm here, what is it?

+

Noah_bored

oh good that was pretty fast

ok so i'll just get right to the point

i've got a vacation, like an actual one

i can afford to visit you finally

+

Leo.nardo

no you're messing with me

how soon???

+

Noah_bored

tomorrow, so if you've got a schedule clear it

well i mean i know you've got college and work but you don't have classes every day and i have time to spare sooooo yeah :)

if you'd let me crash at your apartment then i'd love to stay with you for a while, leo

+

Leo.nardo

but noah if you have all this vacation time wouldn't you want to go on an actual vacation???

+

Noah_bored

umm excuse me leo my time my choice

it's not a vacation if i don't get to see you at least once and besides, i want to actually spend time with you in person, i'm tired of texting

not to sound cheesy but i've missed you so much leo

+

Leo.nardo

noah stop i might actually cry i'm so happy

i'd love for you to stay with me on your vacation. i mean my apartment isn't anything special but still

+

Noah_bored

cmon leo you know i wouldn't care about the apartment as long as you've got popcorn and a tv we can make fun of terrible movies together and my vacation would be made

so yeah

tomorrow, better be ready for me buddy ol' pal

+

Leo.nardo

i'll be thinking about it all day :)

+

By the time he finished texting Noah, Leonardo had stretched across his face the widest, toothiest grin, not restrained in even the slightest form of the definition. He had no reason to restrain it. Wouldn't have been able to, anyway, due to how genuinely ecstatic he felt all of a sudden. And naturally this abrupt shift in his mood didn't go unnoticed by the other girl in the room.

"What's...got you so giddy?" Savannah asked, unable to mask her curiosity. "Win the lottery or something?"

"Even better," Leo blurted as his eyes widened fully, "Noah's coming to visit, my best friend, I feel like I haven't seen him in forever, oh my gosh, this is-"

He stopped himself mid-sentence, as if another thought had interrupted the first and urged him to get on his feet. Savannah just stared.

"He's coming tomorrow, what am I doing?? I should do something for him. Bake! I could bake something, he's got a sweet tooth, I'll bake something for him."

It came as such a powerful shock to Savannah, this level of excitement, this energy she had never seen before in Leonardo, not anywhere close, and above all that smile. That full, brilliant, and heartfelt smile brought about by the genuine joy that Leo had to let out in one way or another.

All because of someone who wasn't even in the room, a person who had done nothing more than sending a few text messages, and voilà, the typically anxious, low-energy, paranoid boy had never looked more happy to be alive.

Savannah wasn't really sure how to feel about that.

"I wish I were more like him," Leo continued to gush, "he's got cookbooks jammed in his head, hardly even needs a recipe for reference, but I really don't wanna screw this up." He tore out his phone and started furiously scrolling through recipes on the internet. "Cookies, cakes, pies, I don't know which I should do, maybe all of them?? We'll probably eat till our stomachs hate us but that's the best part. Savannah, do you wanna help?"

Taken aback by the mentioning of her name, the girl in question raised her head, brow furrowed as she gazed at Leo. "What?"

"You don't have to," the other said. A mixing bowl appeared to have materialized in his hand. "Just asking. You could help me bake. I'll let you have some of whatever I end up making if you do. But it's up to you, I'm gonna make it either way."

Hesitance. Her stomach felt a little off. "Uhm, yeah, sure." Just smile. "I'll help. Could be fun."

"Yeah? Okay, great! Maybe I could get more done this way. Here."

Before Savannah knew it Leo had speed-walked his way over to her. He held up his phone to show the girl two side-by side pictures.

"Left or right. Which looks better? Noah loves strawberry things which they've both got but I can't decide between them. If I have time, maybe both, but still, pick one."

"Uhm...the...left one, I guess."

"Left it is. C'mon, let's get cracking."

It left her cruelly disheartened, but Savannah strove to hide her feelings and enjoy the time with Leo regardless. And she did, she adored the boy's smiles and random giggling that, most of the time, came without a warning or even a reason, at least not one that Savannah could gather. It tickled her heart in both good ways and bad. But perhaps more bad than good right now.

"Ginger, vanilla extract, I know I have vanilla extract, I should have ginger...? Can't say that with confidence. Hey, Anna, could you check in that cabinet right next to you? It might be in there."

Savannah did as she was asked. "...no, I don't see any."

"What? Really? There's vanilla extract in there, right?"

"No. Don't see that, either. Maybe another cabinet."

"Try the one next to it."

"...not here, either."

"Oh, great." Leonardo released a deep sigh, shaking his head as his eyes traveled to the door. "I'll get both at the store, then. Better yet, maybe I could ask Oliver. I wouldn't normally ask favors but going to the store for vanilla extract and ginger seems like a waste when you've got neighbors. C'mon, Anna."

"I-I'm going, too?"

"Yeah, why not?" Leo shrugged, pressing his lips together in a thin line. "It's a group effort. Let's go."

Savannah didn't have it in herself to turn Leo down—not that she wanted to, rather that the boy's change in behavior was something she needed more time adjusting to.

With an encouraging tug on her arm, Savannah soon found herself following Leo out of the apartment and directly over to the one adjacent on the left. A mile-wide smile still on his face, Leo knocked on the door to Oliver's apartment and waited patiently.

"Let's hope she's home," he said to Savannah. "If not, I guess we can just make a quick trip to the store. It's not far from here. Just figured we could save some time."

To Leo's great relief, within seconds the door was opened to him by the familiar, blond-haired neighbor of his who greeted him with a cheerful, but somewhat puzzled smile.

"Well, this is unexpected." Oliver chuckled, glancing at the two as she tilted her head in question. "Came to say hi? Not complaining but it's not like you, Leo."

"Well, special occasion," Leonardo grinned. "My friend's coming to visit so I wanted to bake some things for him, but, go figure, I didn't check to see if I had everything I needed before starting to make it. So I just wanted to ask if you had vanilla extract and ginger? If not, it's not a problem."

"Vanilla extract and ginger, huh?" For a moment, Oliver looked back into her apartment, humming in thought. "I should. Let me just check."

"Thanks, Oliver, I really appreciate it."

"Hm? Oh, no problem at all." She chuckled again, waving her hand dismissively at the comment.

A mere second that hand was raised. Maybe two at most. But it was enough for Leo to see it.

Hanging loosely from Oliver's wrist.

A silver charm bracelet.

"It might take a moment, none of my cabinets are very organized, but I'm sure I have-"

"Could I see your wrist, Oliver?"

The exuberance in Leo's outward demeanor vanished in an instant as though it had never been there in the first place. A mere passing illusion. It caught Oliver off guard, evidently, as did the question.

She wasn't subtle in hiding her arm behind her back. "My...my wrist? It's nothing, Leo, I-"

Even if he considered it could have been a misunderstanding, a coincidence, there was no second-guessing the anxiety that arose in the blonde's voice. Without a warning, Leo extended his hand and seized Oliver's right arm, yanking it upward to reveal the same bracelet he recognized from his meeting with Blue.

"It is the same."

He threw the arm down again.

"It is the same bracelet, you bastard."

Savannah didn't understand. Helpless and confused, she stood back, alarmed beyond belief at what was happening, at what could possibly have occurred just now to trigger this clear-cut mountain of rage in Leonardo. That, as well as the other girl in the picture, pale as a ghost and floundering with her words as if desperately struggling to explain herself but failing to the utmost degree.

"L...Leo, please, just let me-"

"No, don't you dare say another word," Leonardo spat, his words acrid and biting, hurting their receiving ears as much as they hurt Leo to speak. "I don't want to hear anything from you. You don't deserve to explain yourself, Oliver, I don't—"

The emotions overwhelmed him. His thoughts jumbled themselves and stuck into both his brain and his heart like puncturing needles, agonizing to leave in, agonizing to take out.

"All this time, right here. All this time, and you were living right next to me??" His piecing gaze dug into Oliver's guilty eyes. "And you knew it, too. You knew I was here, I'm sure you knew about my blood before everyone at my college did, didn't you? Didn't you, Blue?? Huh??"

"Leonardo, I'm sorry, I-"

"You think I want your apologies?! How many times have you lied to me now, huh?? How many??"

Trembling eyes sparred with approaching tears in the blonde. They were losing.

"I don't even want to ask how you knew about Noah."

That hateful, betrayed voice.

"However you knew about him," Leo began, his voice bleeding with intimidation, a verbal warning that couldn't be ignored. "However you know, listen here, Oliver, nothing had better happen to him. Nothing. Or I swear to you, I'll make you regret it."

With that final piece of stern admonition, Leo turned furiously from the doorway and stormed back to his own apartment, Savannah following in a hurried, but still terribly confused manner. Once back inside, she closed the door behind her and turned to Leo. She wanted to ask. So badly, she wanted to know what had caused that stirring of emotions, that anger.

Leo rubbed his eyes, he groaned, kicked the couch which he stood beside before falling onto it. It wasn't long before Savannah realized the boy was crying.

"It's not fair..." He held his hands over his eyes. "Why do these things always happen to me? Why am I such an idiot for trusting people, I should know better, I should know better than to have trusted her, the day I met with her and she wouldn't show her face, I didn't recognize her voice when she spoke 'cus she only whispered, but either way, I should have known better."

He rolled to his side, breathing out unsteadily as he continued to rub his eyes. The tears stopped flowing but they were still there.

"I should have known better." He sat up against the couch, sniffling. Then, he laughed in spite of himself. "There's nothing important you're hiding from me, too, is there, Anna?"

She made accidental eye contact. Savannah looked away immediately, her heart plummeting.

"Of course there is. Of course you are."

"Are you going to kick me out?"

"No, Savannah," Leo snapped, "no, I don't care, I really don't, because what's the point? What's the point??"

Silenced by her own lack of an excuse. Savannah stood still for a moment, staring at the floor.

"I'll go to the store for the ingredients," she said after a while. "I'm sorry."

"Fine. Go. Take your time."