One day I'll have it all. // Williamson

While you sleep

The drive home from Milton Keynes had been way easier on me than the drive there.

Leah and I talked about mostly insignificant things. We were still somehow getting to know each other. She told me her favorite song was 'Baby I'm Yours' by the Arctic Monkeys, while I told her mine was 'Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst' by Kendrick Lamar.

I told her my favorite movie was The Fallout, she told me hers was 500 days of Summer.

She told me about Milton Keynes, and I told her about Los Angeles.

Then, as we approached London, she said: "Maybe one day you'll take me to your childhood house, too."

I laughed loudly at her words, before realizing they were sincere.

"What? No. No way. You're not going to Boyle Heights." I told her, my voice firm and determined.

Leah glanced over at me, a playful glint in her eyes as she responded, "Oh, come on, Valentina. Why not?"

I shook my head adamantly, my tone serious as I explained, "It's not safe, Leah. Boyle Heights isn't like the neighborhoods here. It's... rough."

Leah fell silent for a moment, her expression thoughtful as she considered my words. "Rough how?"

I sighed softly, feeling a twinge of sadness as memories of my childhood flooded back. "It's a tough neighborhood," I began, my voice tinged with emotion. "There's a lot of poverty, crime, and gang activity. It's not the kind of place you want to go wandering around in, especially if you're not from there. I- I've seen things, Leah. Things I never, ever want you to see."

Leah's expression only turned more curious at my words. She looked at me for a second, before focusing her eyes back on the road. I could sense her curiosity, her desire to understand more about the place that had shaped me into who I am today.

"What did you see?" She finally asked me the question that had burned her tongue for several minutes now. I sighed at the question.

"Leah... I don't think you wanna know the answer to that question."

Leah fell silent, sensing the weight of my words and the gravity of the memories they evoked. For a moment, the only sound in the car was the soft hum of the engine.

I glanced over at Leah, seeing the concern etched on her face. Despite my reluctance to delve into the darker aspects of my past, I knew she was genuinely interested in understanding me better.

Taking a deep breath, I began to speak, my voice soft yet tinged with a hint of sorrow. "Boyle Heights was... it was a rough place to grow up," I admitted, my gaze fixed on the road ahead as memories of my childhood flooded back. "I didn't live in the worst part of it. But I saw... violence, I saw crime, I saw dead bodies, a few times. I saw gang initiations, and rapes, and..." I stopped for a second, sighing softly. "It's not the worst place in Los Angeles. It had its good sides. But I just- I don't want you to go there. Never. And my childhood house... it's just a house. I'm sure my mom tore down my bedroom as soon as I
left so... nothing interesting to see there."

Leah listened to my words in silence, her expression shifting from curiosity to empathy as she absorbed the weight of my experiences. She didn't say a word, for the rest of the ride. I wondered if it was something I had said, or if she was just still thinking and processing my words.

As the car hummed along the familiar streets of London, a heavy silence enveloped us. I glanced over at Leah, her profile illuminated by the soft glow of the streetlights as we passed by, her expression thoughtful and contemplative. I could sense the gears turning in her mind, the weight of my words sinking in as she grappled with the harsh realities of my upbringing.