By the time I got home for the night, it was around 9:30. I was left with my thoughts and the only thing that kept coming up was Leo. I wanted to know more about him. We did come from different worlds so I wasn't sure if I would mix well with him. Who would know, though, it wasn't like I had talked to many guys in the past.
The only reason I was so intrigued by him was this feeling I got when I first saw him. There was something familiar about him, comforting. It was as if we had been friends before, even like I could trust him without having him prove himself to me. It wasn't that I needed people to "rise to my level," it was just that I kept to myself a lot and was never sure how to know if people had good intentions. With Leo, though, there was something that screamed "Yes, I do."
Leo: Are you done with work yet geez
Me: Yea, I'm sorry. I had to go help my parents
Leo: Ohh, that's okay
Leo: I was just excited to talk to you
Me: I was excited too :)
Leo: Aw, you used an emoticon
Me: Was I not supposed to?
Leo: No! You can, obviously
Leo: You just seem like a quiet, mysterious, serious man so I wasn't expecting it
Me: Yea, contrary to my… personality, I know how to text
Leo: So, you're a better texter than you are a speaker?
Me: Well, I don't mind speaking, I just get flustered sometimes
Leo: Flustered? Aren't you a supervisor? You talk to people all the time
Me: It's different. At work, I'm all work. I mean, I guess I can be friends, too, but I know what to say. With you, I can get nervous and stuff
Leo: You are literally so cute
*incoming video call*
I blushed when I saw the name pop on the screen, waiting for me to connect. Almost shakily, I pressed answer and smiled the minute I saw Leo's bright, brown, smiling face pop up.
"I wanted to have you get flustered. Plus, I wanted to hear your voice again," he said.
"Well, here I am. Thank you for wanting to embarrass me,"
"You're welcome. Are you going to talk to me all night?" I nodded.
"I would love to,"
"Do you work tomorrow?" I shook my head.
"It's my day off, there and my parents,"
"Your parents? You work for them?"
"No, no we have a farm. I help out there most free days,"
"You have a farm?! That is so cool!" Leo was beaming. It seemed as though he was always beaming. I adjusted myself in bed and kept talking to him.
"I do, animals and all,"
"You're a country boy, but you don't seem it. What made you go into construction then?"
"Yeah, my mom made sure I didn't sound too… country. She said people would view me differently. But, I like working with my hands and building so that's why I did construction. I didn't think I'd make it this far, though,"
"Yeah, my dad is very impressed with you," he said as he rested his hand on his chin. He looked so cute. I was done talking about me, time to get to him.
"And I'm thankful, but why aren't you doing construction, too? You know, since your dad owns a company,"
"Getting dirty like that was never an interest of mine,"
"What are your interests then?" I laid on my side and held the phone to my face. Leo had my full attention.
"I really like English, that's my major. Well, English and education,"
"A teacher, that's what you wanna be?" I was surprised.
"I know, I know. It doesn't seem like it, but I really want to show kids how cool it is to read stories and see how they relate to now,"
I just stared at Leo with a stupid grin on my face. We were quiet for a few minutes, but it didn't feel uncomfortable. Although I didn't learn too much about him right now, I learned enough to know that he wasn't someone unmotivated. I wasn't a fan of English. Hell, I don't even think I remember that last time I read a book, but I was glad that someone was.
"Can I ask you something?" Leo broke the silence with a small twinkle in his eye.
"Sure, anything,"
"Why were you at that party? You don't go to college and it was kind of far from where you said you lived,"
"Ah, good question," I didn't want to tell him that I was making money on the side like that just yet. It was a small, stupid thing I did, but it wasn't something to really be proud of. If I could keep one thing private, it would be my alternate means of money.
"It wasn't anything bad, right?"
"What do you mean?" I was glad he interrupted.
"Well, that night I heard some girl got hurt… that wasn't you, was it?"
"Oh, god, no. I hope she's okay. It couldn't have been me, trust me. I never even went inside,"
"Oh, okay," Leo sounded with a smile. "Can I say something else, then?" I nodded for him to continue. "I felt something when we met. It sounds so odd, but I felt a real connection, you know?"
"I know what you mean," I began. "I haven't spoken to anyone like how we have been, but this feels different than a first-meet interest," Leo chuckled and attempted to wipe the big smile off of his face.
"I want to keep talking to you," Leo admitted. "I really like you, you're a special cute,"
"So are you, Leo," my heart pounded with an unspeakable force. Things felt like they were moving fast, just a little, but in a good direction. I was excited to be around and know more about Leo. He was refreshing and someone new to have in life.
"Keith," I heard him call out with a sleepy tone. A large chunk of time had passed unknowingly, and it was very late now. I had no intention of talking this long, but I was more than glad I did.
"Leo,"
"Do you want to get lunch with me tomorrow?" I laughed and nodded. "Don't laugh at me, just answer before I fall asleep, idiot,"
"Yes, yes! I will. Text me in the morning. Goodnight, Leo."
"Goodnight," he blew a kiss at me and hung up, but I felt like I was lingering on the last syllables of his words. Jumping in with both feet into something new was the right thing to do, right?