Leo
1061 Words
Marilyn arrived at the venue of the press conference ten minutes late. The event was done already, and whatever crowd she saw when Collins, the taxi driver she met at the airport, pulled up at the entrance of the Swiss hotel where the conference was held where the journalists and fans trying to make their way back to their homes and other destinations they had in mind to be at.
'Blow s**t' she muttered when she realised that they had missed out on the conference. 'You should have insisted on showing up earlier' she said, blaming Collins for her mistake.
'I didn't know the time for the event either. I thought you had your facts already before you called me ma'am. I'm sorry about that', Collins explained and apologised. 'You can have a tour by yourself, it's a pretty fun place to be, regardless of the fact that we missed out on the main catch', Collins advised.
'I'd take your word then. I can't just waste my time and money without getting to have a look around', Marilyn said while she stepped out of the car. 'I have paid the fare via the app', she told Collins and left.
However long ago the press conference ended, the aura that oozed out of the Swiss hotel still had a lot of excitement and big vibrations. Marilyn stepped into the lobby and scanned the area. She could see a couple of fighters still lingering around, giving off private interviews and entertaining their fans with photos and autographs. She avoided the paparazzi scenery and headed toward the pool area.
There, the loud music that blasted out of heavy speakers beckoned her to take a seat and have a drink while she took in the energy of the place. Her new life and reality looked promising, to say the least. She had been sitting for a couple of minutes when she spotted him. Leo. He was sitting alone as well, a couple of yards away from Marilyn, looking in her direction without hiding the fact that he was staring. Marilyn quickly darted her eyes away from him when she noticed that he was staring at her. She kept her fingers crossed, hoping he wouldn't have the guts to walk up to her: she planned to leave as soon as the energy between them had disconnected, but Leo was in the mood to make new friends, and Marilyn seemed like his type, so he got up and started to advance towards her.
'For f**k's sake, I just got here, what the hell is going on?' she asked herself while she tried to keep her eyes away from looking in Leo's direction as he walked up to her.
'Hello Miss', Leo said to Marilyn with a coarse baritone that drew her attention towards him like a magnet. She eventually locked eyes with him. Leo smiled at her to reveal a cracked incisor. Was it because she was sitting while he stood above her? because he seemed very tall, and his chest bulged out of his shirt, giving him an intimidating aura.
'Hello?' Marilyn replied with a tone that meant to ask what he wanted from her rather than a welcoming one. Leo was tongue-tied at first, but the fighter in him enabled him to take a seat beside Marilyn with confidence.
'I'm Leo'. Leo told her, stretching his arm forward for a handshake. Marilyn stared at him in an unwelcoming way without accepting to shake him.
'Okay? are you lost? Can I help you?' she asked him. He chuckled. If there was one thing he was used to in his life, it was women like Marilyn, beautiful and difficult.
'I know you know I'm just trying to be friends with you, but I love a challenge regardless'. Leo said, squinting lovingly at her. Marilyn rolled her eyes. Typical masculine behaviour. Intrusive and dominant, she thought.
A couple of female fans passed by Leo, waving at him with excitement, but he pretended not to see them. He was not going to give himself out to Marilyn to know that he was a celebrity, he wanted her to like him for who he was, that is if she eventually agreed to talk to him without being defensive. Marilyn was honestly short of words. She was new to Lion. She had not spent up to twelve hours in the country, so there was actually nothing she could tell him that would interest him. She just stared at him awkwardly.
Luckily, she had ordered a bottle of wine, so the waiter came to her table to serve it. It was from there that Leo started to have a decent conversation with her, talking about his love for wine and how he intended to go into the wine business.
'Sorry, I didn't catch your name' he asked her after he had conversed with her for a bit and led her into a comfortable space.
'Marilyn' she replied abruptly.
'Oh, wow. Lion is a very beautiful country, I have to admit' Leo told her, smiling to reveal his remarkably cracked teeth. Marilyn scoffed, because of the fact that he was unaware of her being a first-timer there, she didn't plan to reveal that fact to him at all, and she was sure that this current meeting was the first and last time she would meet him, but her bubble broke when he asked for her number.
'I'm going to be here for about two months, I'm pretty sure I will need a couple of friends around me' Leo told her, handing his phone to her to input her phone number.
'You are going to be living in this hotel for that long?' Marilyn asked him in surprise.
'Yes, I'm here on an assignment; business and work. So? can I have your number?' Leo insisted with his arm still outstretched for Marilyn to take his phone from him and put in her number.
'I just moved in here about eight hours ago or so. I'm a newbie in Lion', she eventually told Leo. 'I don't have a phone number for Lion, but I can give you one that has my chat profile attached to it', she added.
'Oh? Maybe that's why I was drawn to you. You hit me with the kindred vibe' Leo replied, smiling at Marilyn with even more confidence than before.
- Writer
