No more tears - Leon Kennedy

Chapter 20

By the time Leon arrived with the food, I had managed to get dressed, dry my hair, and freshen up a bit.

Because after all, the worst thing wouldn't be that he stops at the sight of this relatively mediocre hotel room, but rather that he sees me with a face whose gaunt features could make one think of a poorly made wax statue.

I sighed as I shook my head, pacing the worn-out blue carpet while casting a few furtive glances at the door, hoping for Leon's arrival.

But mostly, I was hoping for the pizzas. And Leon too. Well, I was hoping for both.

When I heard a knock at the door, I panicked, remembering that at this hour, someone might have been setting a trap to make me disappear from the face of the earth again.

After all, as long as I hadn't seen the vice president, I was still at the top of the wanted list, both by the state and by the Family, who had more than proven their mafia connections.

I bit my nail, staring at the door, realizing that I had not only given Leon the hotel where I was staying but also my room number over the phone, and if someone had been eavesdropping on our conversation, I was going to regret it.

I pressed myself against the door and held my breath as I delicately lifted the peephole cover with my fingers, sighing in relief when I saw that it was just Leon's face, seemingly contemplating something in the hallway.

Hmm...

And as I found myself staring at him, which I didn't mind at all, I realized how crazy I looked and cleared my throat to try and move on.

As I turned the key in the door and opened it discreetly, I remained timidly hidden behind it, avoiding direct eye contact with Leon while I scanned the surroundings.

"What are you looking at?" he questioned as I refocused on him, calmly motioning for him to enter while I gently closed the door behind us, not forgetting to lock it.

"Sorry... I'm a bit on edge in hotels." I finally apologized as he set the pizza boxes on the side table at the room's entrance, sighing afterward.

"Don't apologize... If I were in your place, I wouldn't have slept at all." he replied, taking off his jacket and tossing it onto the bed.

I smiled timidly at his remark, understanding that he had immediately connected the situation to the few mishaps I'd experienced in hotels.

Leon had always had a knack for remembering those kinds of details, after all.

I swallowed hard when I noticed the various bandages, the strange number of scars, and especially the bulk of his biceps, both impressed and curious about what he had been doing during my seven-year absence.

For him, it was probably natural to take off his jacket after coming in, but for me, it raised a billion questions about him, a good number of which were details I would never dare ask.

I scratched my neck, wondering why I suddenly felt so tense. But it was his voice, both calm and deep, and especially his inquisitive tone that snapped me out of his strange spell.

"Did you get your injuries checked?" he inquired as I looked up at him, slightly caught off guard by the nature of his question.

Then I remembered the time he had taken me to the clinic after noticing I was injured.

He had grumbled the whole way, not missing a single worried glance in the direction of my arm despite my efforts to reassure him.

I can admit that back then, I was afraid of his reactions... Not of him, because I knew he would support me even while grumbling, but more of not being able to face my mistakes in front of someone always so busy.