Hourglass

7

Laelia roamed the streets yet again. She needed to work up exhaustion to crawl back into her bed. It drove her mad to know that the universe gave her only two nights of peace before springing the dreams on her again. Strolling through the city seemed like the best cure for the moment.

Part of her had hopes to see him while out walking. She hadn't seen him in two weeks. After their small tiff at Amelia's birthday, he all but disappeared. Though she wasn't sure how she would react seeing him.

"How many times do I have to tell you it's dangerous to be out this late alone?" His smooth voice rang behind her. She glanced back and him and felt a pang of hurt. How was he being light-hearted after the last time they spoke?

"I'm not talking to you." She stated, turning her face forward.

"Why is that?" He inquired as he caught up to her slightly. He decided it was best to stay behind her.

"Because you hurt my feelings last time I saw you." She answered plainly.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

She scoffed, "Well it sure did seem like you were trying to."

"I'm sorry, Laelia."

"For what?" She spun to face him. "Hurting my feelings or just dropping off the face of the earth for two weeks?"

"Both." He smiled warmly at her. She huffed, folding her arms over her chest. "Why are you out at this hour again?" He asked and placed his hands on her cold cheeks. She gazed up at him with saddened eyes. "More bad dreams?"

She nodded, "Yeah. They were kinda scary tonight."

"So you choose to walk the city streets alone?" He chuckled. She wanted to laugh but couldn't bring herself to. She buried her face in his chest and sighed heavily. "Alright. Come on. Let's get you inside where it's warm."

"I don't want to go home. Michael will just complain that I'm not sleeping."

Leo grinned, "Never said I was taking you to your home." She looked up at him curiously, anxiety taking grip of her insides. He released her, taking a step out of her reach. "Come. You don't need another sleepless night." She followed him as he headed down the next street.

The loud beep of a car alarm deactivating startled her as she rounded the corner. She was stunned to see a sleek, black car parked just ahead of her and Leo. The car appeared to be brand new and expensive.

"Get in." Leo smiled warmly at her.

She folded her arms over her chest, "How do I know that you're not going to try to kill me if I get in there?"

"Lia, sweetheart, if that was something I wanted to do, I could've easily done it already." He chuckled. His voice held a half mocking tone, the other inflection he used, she couldn't place. It was almost as though he knew something she didn't. She eyed him for another moment, until the shiver set into her body. She wanted out of the cold. "Thank you." Leo's shoulders sagged slightly as she hurried to the passenger side door.

"Why are we here?" Laelia looked around nervously as they approached the large warehouse.

"Its where I live." Leo replied. He pressed a button on his dashboard quickly. One of the gate doors began to rise. "My family owns it. I turned a couple floors into apartments. At least I'm trying to. Only two apartments are finished so far." He explained. "I also have two floors of offices as well. I run a business from one of those floors."

"My friend Jana works at the coffee shop across the street." Laelia stated with a gentle smile. "I walk by almost every day." Leo nodded even though he showed more interest in parking than what she said. "A lot of times when I walk passed though, I get this weird sensation." She admitted. Leo glanced at her with curiosity. "Like a mix between a chill and an electric shock."