Old Things

He passed trough the door, hearing an old sound of a bell upon it. Why some people just don't ignore past habits? Who still uses those things but not electric ones? He sighed, thinking why she choosed that cafe in all of the other along the principal avenue.

I will never understand Lee's mind!

He smiled to the barman, who was cleaning the balcony with a piece of white fabric. West was walking to the man, when that calm voice called him:

"West, here!"

He looked to his right, where a pale hand was squeezing trough the air, getting his attention. He looked back to the man, who was giving him a huge smirk. He answered with a false angry look, and ignoring him, he walked to the table where she was.

Lee.

She was beautiful.

Without the uniform, her pale skin was more brilliant, and the red-flowered dress was in perfect harmony with her black eyes and hair. He always knew she was gorgeous in her exotic and oriental shape, but obliviously she already did know that... so, he just wouldn't make a fool paper telling her what she could know by herself.

"You're late."

He gave her a nervous smile, keeping his eyes away from hers.

"Hei, there's a big traffic outside, you know? And I'm a very busy agent of the Govern..."

"Don't start it, West. It's your day-off. Let's just talk and have some fun, ok?"

He sat in the sofa opposite to hers, right beside a huge window. She sat down too, asking to the waiter another cup of coffee with tea, his favorite one. Well, it became his favorite one, because of her strange taste. Of course the idea to try coffee and tea in the same drink wasn't his idea. But she loved to drink it so much, every morning! He just gave up and a sunny day, when they were waiting for some information from the Agent Bennet, West decide to change his usual cup of express coffee for Lee's one.

He liked it. And since that day, she always had asked two cups, for both of them.

But after then... she just... left.

"So, how work's going?"

"I though we wouldn't talk about it in our day-off."

"Sorry." - She smiled an ashamed smile. - "I didn't want to..."

"It's not the same without you."

He saw her cheeks got a soft red color, her eyes trembling and staring at him. Could she really know how she was beautiful? He kept his mouth closed. Of course she knew it. Of course her boyfriend, or anyone else, would her to be sure about it.

He just wondered why she never talks about him... or anyone...

"Ahn... Thanks... I think."

She smiled again, a truly happy smile now. The waiter came and rested his cup in front of him. She re-started to drink hers, now looking trough the window. It was autumn and all the streets had some king of nostalgic around. The brown was present in the leaves, in the clothes, and even in the light of sun upon the gray buildings, lying about his yellow and red colors.

West was still looking at her, thinking about all those things they did together. But, yet, he feels her so distant... no, he was distant. She was there, as always, but and him? What did he really know about her? Only coffee with tea? He knew she lived alone, in an apartment. She didn't have parents since her childhood, but she lived with her grandparents in a big city, in the middle of the Asian Continent. He wasn't sure if they were still alive, but he preferred to think they were. Lee didn't deserve to be all alone in life...

"So... how you life's going, then?"

He blinked, turning his head to the cup in his hand, untouched.

"Good. I think Bennet will give me a reward pretty soon. I'll get Zeta in the next time. I've been thinking about some plans, you know?"

She put her hand upon his, with a sad smile.

"No work, remember?"

She pulled away her hand, turning back to her glare at the window.

He felt his body petrified.

"So..." - she continued - "Isn't there anything more in you life, but work?"

He blinked again, slowly and thoughtful. He stared to the smoke in his drink. Well... no, there wasn't. Why would it have?

There was her... but she wasn't with him - at work - anymore.

So, does it mean she was leaving his whole life too? Does it mean she wasn't going to be his partner, anymore? Of course he liked their meetings, always as they could; she was always calling him to a coffee, a break, just to keep in touch.

So why was she so distant?

Or was him?

He raised up his eyes, staring her asking face.

But he didn't answer her. He took a deeply breathe, even without notice it, and asked:

"Why did you leave me, Lee?"

She took a shock, he could say. She took his hand on hers, holding them high between her finger. And she answered, with hurt voice.

"I did not leave you! I just couldn't keep a work that I didn't believe anymore!"

"How can you know?"

She gave him a soft smile, still holding his hand.

"Because of the olds things. Don't you see? Everything around us is just machines. Our hearts, our lives... so a robot wanted to go away, helping people and loving a young girl, how can I judge him for doing that? Just because he's less machine inside than we had became?"

"You're not a machine. You're human, and he is not."

"Do you love, West?"

She let go of his hand, her neck leaning against the sofa.

"I... I don't know."

"But he knows. He loves life. He loves any form of life in this world. I already saw him and that blond girl just looking at the trees, saying anything. Have you ever seen the trees in autumn, West? Have you ever appreciate a coffee made by a man, not a machine? Or the sound of a bell singing above you when you enter a store... the wind touching you, the streets getting darker when it's dawn... if it's not human, West, I don't really know what I am. Because in this world, it's all those things that I have to remember that I'm more than a hand in my gun. These kinds of things won't change with time... "

She stopped her speech, losing her attention at some point on the brown and gray avenue. West jus let her with her thoughts, trying to understand why she cared that much with the robot and his cause. Ok, he knew how smart - brilliantly intelligent, alright - she was, but he couldn't understand why she felt so hardly that she needed to do the right thing by herself. If they were right or not, it was with Bennet, not him! Or her! She was meant to be there yet, with him! Why did she need to think so much about those things! He missed her! Couldn't her see that! It was so simple!

"You left me anyway!"

He put his hand with force on the table, standing up. She looked at him her black eyes full of surprised. He didn't know why or how those words expelled out from his mouth, but he just didn't care, and he didn't want to stop it...

"Do you know how is to have to work with those agents looking everyday as I was a fool! And that ugly woman! She's so... She hates me! And she tries to get the entire Bennett's attention to her! Do you know how hard I have to try to not let them commit mistakes? It's pretty hard without you there to help me keeping them in order!"

She stood up, her mouth opening and closing several times without a word, her eyes staring at him as she have never saw his childish compliments before.

"West..."

"I miss you there, Lee! How can I go on without you by my side!"

She squeezed her eyes, closing her mouth after a long whisper. He stood there, looking at her. Suddenly, her hand touched his face, and he felt her lips above his. She kissed him tenderly, and when he found it, he already has opened his mouth to let her depend on the kiss.

But as suddenly as she started it, she stopped it.

And she whispered to him, the air passing trough her lips touching his.

"I would never leave you, West, because my human heart wouldn't let me to."

And she sat again in her place, taking another gulp from the coffee with tea.

He watched her moves, and did the same. But now, was he supposed to do? He didn't know! Lee always knew what to do! But what about him! He was such a fool!

"Lee... I... I mean... I always..."

She smiled, taking his hand, playing with his fingers between hers.

"Tell it. Tell you love me."

"But you always knew it, didn't you? So why do I have to?"

"Because then I'll be able to say I love you too."

West laughed, kissing her hand.

"I really missed you, Lee. You and all your freaky old things..."

oOo