A FUGITIVE'S SMILE
Elliana didn't tell anyone about Leon.
Not Samantha. Not her sister. Definitely not her father.
The secret sat heavy in her chest, thrilling and terrifying all at once. Every time her phone buzzed, her heart leapt before her mind could catch up.
Leon: You always look over your shoulder.
She frowned at the screen.
Elliana: Maybe I have a reason.
Leon: Or maybe you're curious.
She didn't reply. She didn't need to. The truth hummed between them like a live wire.
That evening, Samantha dragged her out for frozen yogurt, claiming Elliana had been "emotionally absent" all day. They laughed, talked about nothing important, and for a moment Elliana almost felt normal again.
Almost.
On their way back, headlights flashed slowly beside them.
A familiar black car rolled to a stop.
Samantha gasped. "Ellie… is that—?"
"I'll catch up," Elliana said quickly, nudging her friend forward before she could protest.
Leon leaned against the car, arms crossed, eyes unreadable. The streetlight above him caught the edge of his smile—the same one she hadn't been able to forget.
"You follow girls home now?" she asked.
"Only the ones who stare at me like they're trying to remember my face," he replied.
She folded her arms. "You shouldn't keep showing up."
"And you shouldn't keep answering me," he countered. "But here we are."
Silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken things.
"Why me?" Elliana finally asked. "You could have anyone."
Leon's gaze softened, just slightly. "You didn't look at me like I was a headline. Or a criminal."
Her chest tightened.
"You looked like you wanted to know me."
A siren echoed somewhere far away. Elliana flinched.
Leon noticed. "Scared?"
"Of you?" she asked.
He shook his head. "Of what choosing me might cost you."
She didn't answer.
Leon stepped back, opening the passenger door. "Come for a drive."
Elliana hesitated. Every warning her father had ever given her screamed in her head.
"No," she said softly.
Leon nodded, accepting it. "Another time, then."
He closed the door, eyes holding hers for one last moment. "Good night, Elliana."
He knew her name.
As the car disappeared down the road, Elliana realized something she wasn't ready to admit—
She wasn't afraid of Leon Blakk.
She was afraid of how easily she wanted to say yes.
And that smile he left her with?
It followed her all the way home.