(POV: Ava)
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There are certain moments in life when time slows down.
Like when your coffee spills on your white shirt.
Or when someone sends a "we need to talk" text.
Or, as I discovered today, when Leo says the phrase:
> "It only lasted one night, but she said it was unforgettable."
Yeah. That happened.
I wish I was joking.
Let me explain how we got there before your brain melts like mine did.
---
It was a peaceful Sunday. Blue skies. A light breeze. The kind of day that begged you to drink iced coffee and pretend you weren't avoiding all your responsibilities.
The four of us were at our usual café. Sophia had just pulled out a quiz to prove Ethan was a "walking red flag." Leo was spacing out, staring at a squirrel. I was sipping my mocha, trying to get a stain out of my skirt that may or may not have been curry.
Everything was fine.
Everything was normal.
Until Ethan asked, mid-chew, "So what'd you do during that week away?"
Leo shrugged, swallowed, and said, "Just went out of city to meet a friend, and roam around after that."
That alone was enough to make all three of us blink.
Sophia raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you have friends… over there?"
Leo nodded slowly. "Yeah."
Ethan leaned forward. "So where did you stay?"
"A hotel." Leo replied.
Till now it all seemed well and good, and we let it slide without asking further. The real chaos came a few moments later.
When Leo's phone buzzed.
He checked the message and smiled—not the usual soft, polite Leo smile.
No, this was the kind of grin you wear when a memory hits just right.
Sophia raised an eyebrow. "Who's that?"
Leo, still smiling: "Oh, just someone I met last week."
My mocha nearly went up my nose.
Ethan's spoon dropped into his cup. "Wait. Met where?"
Leo casually replied, "At the hotel I stayed at during that solo trip. We kind of… connected?"
Connected?
I blinked.
Sophia leaned forward. "Like… emotionally?"
Leo tilted his head. "I mean, I think it was mostly physical."
I swear the earth paused on its axis.
Sophia blinked.
Ethan froze.
I dropped my spoon.
He kept going—digging his own grave with innocent enthusiasm.
"It was just one night. She left the next morning. But she said she wouldn't forget me."
Sophia: "…"
Ethan: "…"
"…Sorry, what?" I said.
Leo looked up, brows slightly furrowed. "Hmm?"
"You just said—what exactly?"
He tilted his head, thinking. "She said she wouldn't forget me?"
Sophia's jaw dropped. "LEO."
Ethan nearly yelled, "DUDE. CONTEXT??"
Leo blinked, mildly confused. "Why?"
I inhaled deeply. "Okay. Let me just… backtrack for a second. Did you say physical?"
My brain did a full backflip.
Sophia choked on air. She looked like she was calculating how much therapy this conversation would cost.
Ethan whispered, "We were wrong. He's a menace in disguise."
Leo added, "She even called me her hero."
Sophia clutched her straw like a weapon. "STOP."
I leaned in slowly. "Leo. Be honest. Are you saying what we think you're saying?"
He blinked. "What do you think I'm saying?"
Sophia: "That you—"
Ethan: "—hooked up with a stranger—"
Me: "—at a hotel—"
All together: "—for a one-night stand?!"
Leo stared.
Then laughed.
Wondering if he had lost it I asked. "Leo. Just to clarify. Who are we talking about?"
He raised a brow. "A seven-year-old."
Dead silence.
I blinked.
Ethan blinked.
Sophia blinked.
Sophia crossed her arms. "Explain. Fast."
Leo, perfectly serious, added, "At the hotel, there was this little girl. Her cat had climbed into a tree, and she was crying her eyes out. I climbed up and got it down."
Silence. Again.
"She gave me a sticker," he finished. "It said 'cool guy.' And also told me I was the nicest person she had ever met."
We all stared.
I nearly screamed.
Ethan: "You're joking."
Leo: "Nope."
"THEN DON'T SAY IT LIKE THAT!"
Leo tilted his head. "Like what?"
"Like you seduced a stranger, Leo!"
He blinked, genuinely puzzled. "...I didn't?"
Sophia groaned. "You said it was just one night—"
"—that she said you were unforgettable—" Ethan added.
"—and that she clung to you," I finished. "How were we supposed to know you meant a kid and a rescue operation?!"
Leo, still completely deadpan, muttered, "That's what happened, though.That was my last night there. And she wrote me a thank-you note in crayon."
We just sat there, blinking.
I dropped my face into my hands. "Leo…"
"Yeah?"
"You need subtitles. And a scriptwriter."
Ethan nodded. "Next time, just lead with: 'I helped a child rescue her cat.' Not—whatever THAT was."
Leo blinked. "But that's longer."
Sophia facepalmed.
Ethan added. "We almost put you in the hall of shame, dude."
Sophia was still reeling. "I was about to schedule a friendship intervention."
Leo sipped his drink. "Honestly, I'm flattered you all thought I had that much game."
We all groaned.
---
Later, as we were leaving, Leo looked over his shoulder and said casually, "I still have the sticker. She said I was a superhero."
Sophia muttered, "You're a super-something."
Ethan snorted. "Yeah. Super-suspicious."
Sophia looked over her shoulder. "Seriously, though—wording, Leo!"
He shrugged. "Not my fault you all thought that way."
I exhaled. "It is entirely your fault."
He blinked. "That's subjective."
Ethan: "You are objectively the worst at phrasing anything."
Leo simply sipped his coffee.
---
That night, I journaled something I never thought I'd write:
> "Leo spoke for two minutes and made three people consider therapy. Accidentally."
A true achievement.
___
End of Chapter 43.