O u t s i d e r

Chapter 5

With the Plan Changed...

" Leon," gasped Claire. She blinked at her sandy-haired friend who was leaning on the doorframe with one hand and she could not say anything more. She knew she would meet Leon today, but she didn't expect to see him all alone without the presence of Angela. She felt the nervous clinch of her stomach.

" Claire," nodded Leon, water dropped from the trim of his hair by his slight movement. He was wearing a suit and he was breath-taking with his look. " It's raining so heavy out here."

" Yes..." agreed Claire, then realized that she had let Leon standing outside her house- staying wet. " Blimey! What am I doing? Please come in, Leon!" She hurriedly ushered Leon into the living room. " Please take a seat there- on the couch. Let me get you some towels."

Claire found the unused towels in the drawer of her wardrobe and hurried out and saw Leon standing still in the living room. " I'm sorry," said Claire quickly, handing Leon the towels and reached to the couch. She immediately put the cushions back into their places and tried her best to flatten the spread. " I em... napped on the couch for a while so... Well, you may sit now."

Leon blinked and said, " Oh Claire, I didn't mean that- I was thinking not to make the couch wet by my clothes."

Claire looked up at Leon and smiled sweetly. " Never mind, Leon. Treat yourself here like home. Though it was short, you've been living here for a few days, remember?"

Leon also smiled at the relaxing and comforting stay at this flat after the airport incident. Sitting onto the sofa carefully, Leon replied, " Yes, it's so great to be here again."

The clinch of stomach seemed to be relaxed a lot when Claire saw Leon's gentle expression. " Leon, can you put off the coat so I can hang it for you?"

Leon quickly took off his black coat, revealing the white shirt that shaped perfectly along his well-built torso. She returned and sat beside Leon, who was drying his wet hair with the towel carefully.

" Leon... Have you brought your mobile phone along?" asked Claire curiously.

Leon fished in the pockets of his trousers and shoke his head. " ... No. "

" Ah. No wonder I couldn't call you... And you forgot to bring an umbrella, didn't you?"

" Yes," replied Leon with a bitter smile. Water dripping from his hair drenched the collar of his shirt. " I've parked the car at the corner of this street. The few steps to your flat have just made me wet. You sure have an umbrella here, Claire? I promise I won't let your beautiful dress get wet." Claire looked down at herself embarrassedly. She didn't dress up properly for the date like Leon had and she was now just wearing a plain oxfard shirt and black pants. Leon quickly added, " I mean after you prepare well. Sorry that I arrived earlier, of course you may have as much time to prepare as you like before we head to the restaurant. "

Claire was inwardly grateful to Leon's patient and kindness but she knew she could not delay anymore and she'd better decline the date as soon as possible. She started hesitantly, "Um... Leon?" Leon paused the gesture of drying his hair with the towel and looked up at Claire, showing his attention. Claire looked down at the floor and muttered," I was trying to call you because I think ... we'd better cancel the dinner in the restaurant...you know, it- it's raining so heaily outside..." She chewed her lips, considering the excuse was lame herself.

" Oh," uttered Leon on the other hand. His voice sounded odd with traces of shock and disappointment. " I see. That is- reasonable."

" I'm sorry, Leon... I didn't meant to..." Claire glanced up but couldn't saw much of Leon's expression due to the towel still covering on his water-dripping hair. She would have felt less guilty if Leon had condemned her loudly than simply accepting her accuse. She wished she could tell him everything, from Angela's first call to what she felt in her heart, but her conscience held her back. She know how heart-clenching would felt being set off in the game of two, and she hated making making Leon feel it- totally unwillingly.

" Well... " murmured Leon as he took the towel away from his still damped hair, revealing his usual mask of unflappability. " I think I'd better go now... " Claire flinched as she saw his expression.

Meeting Claire's widened blue eyes, Leon gave her a weak smile as he, kindly reassuring her that it was fine to him. Frozed, Claire's gaze lcoked on Leon as he slowly headed to collect back his coat from the hanger. Few drops of glittering waterdrops were still resting on his dirty-blonde hair.

A few seconds before she had thought that she would feel better if Leon returned her with boldly cold and stony when she met Leon's expressionless face as he said he was leaving, she felt so awful thinking of Leon cold-shouldering her and never treating her as a friend anymore. She would never want this to happen.

" Leon, I-- " called Claire. Her feet brought her to the side of Leon. Her hands raised to touch one of his, sliding to hold the coat from his hand and hanging it back to the hanger. She took in a deep breath and began, " I thought you've mistaken what I meant. I was thinking a dinner at home would be better than going out. Oh I mean- of course the food in restaurant would be much greater than a simple meal at home. Actually they are not comparable- but just like what I said was the weather. Yeah the weather is not fine for us to get outside..." She finally stopped her rambling after realising it. She bite her lower lip embarraassedly and stole a glance to see Leon's surprised was gazing intensely at Claire as if in astonishment, while Claire was fighting hard inwardly not to avoid meeting his eyes.

They remained gazing into each other for a long moment and Claire started feeling lost in his eyes when Leon released a sigh dramatically. " Claire, I thought- you were blowing off the date and asking me to leave."

" ... You've misunderstood my words, Leon," responded Claire with a cough. He had got what she meant actually. " I'm just thinking if we could... change the plan tonight... that we aren't going to the restaurant... eh, would it be okay for you? It might sound silly for it was actually me asking for a dinner with special occasions but it comes out that it's also me who calls the time-out. Actually I didn't mean it at first but... sorry," She ended abruptly before she would blurt out more about the original plan.

Leon shook his head in response. " It's fine to me, really, Claire. I'm happy as long as you acompanying me to enjoy the dinner."

She smiled gratefully, " Thank you so much, Leon. "

" I've just said what I feel..." mumbled Leon, running his hand roughly through his damp hair. " So... do you have cup noodle ,oatmeal or something like that? We may watch a DVD together with our meal."

" Well I actually have bought some ingredients which can be used to make a simple course..." mused Claire. She wished she had bought more and better ingredients if she knew they could be used to prepare proper meals for Leon... But actually she could have never imagined the little plan of Angela would come to this situation...

"Oh really. You intended to make some food?" Leon raised an eyebrow.

" No!" denied Claire immediately, jumped at Leon's suspect on her staying him at her home on purpose. " I was really looking forward to the dine out with you, you know... I've just bought the ingredients for my- lunch tomorrow!"

" No, what I mean is..." Leon peeped at her carefully and asked once more. " You actually bought something to burn it into a dish?"

" Not burn, but cook," pronounced Claire slowly, shooting a hurt look at him. " I know, that time was a shame, but is my cooking skill really that terrible to you?" She knew she wasn't good in cooking. Chris never said a word about the simple meals she cooked, cosseting his little sister too much, or for his techniques of gastronomy was actually as 'speechless' as hers. She herself has also prefered purchasing a hamburger or a carton of chinese noodles from restaurants nearby occasionally. Claire had never imagined that lacking the talent in cooking would do any harm-- until the time she exposed this weakness to Leon when she tried to make a welcoming dinner for Leon's brief stay in her apartment but has burnt almost the whole kitchen in the end. Leon reassured that was nothing bad as they had pizza instead, but Claire felt her cheeks burning hotly at that time and she felt totally embarrassed.

" No... Well, not too much," Leon confined awkwardly," Are you sure you'd like to cook? I'm thinking we could have pizza dilvery... A pasta sounds good, eh?"

Claire chuckled softly as she replied," Yeah, and it relieves me to know that you'd like pasta more than pizza..." Watching Leon's puzzled expression, she nodded, " Pasta... that's the dish I'd make today!"

" Really?"

"Um-hm," Claire stood up and headed for the kitchen.

" Well, Claire, could I help?" asked Leon, standing up while his long and wet bangs dropped in front of his eye by his quick motion.

Claire smiled warmly as she stepped up and patted his arm as a friendly sign of thank-you. " The meal would be done 20 minutes. Believe me, it's quick and easy." She was about to turn away when she remembered and added, " Oh, I should have thought of that... Leon, you could use the hairdryer in the bathroom. It's easy to catch cold when your hair's still wet."

" I will. Thanks, Claire," nodded Leon as the two exchanged smiles. " Call me if you need help." He added.

" Okay," said Claire reassuringly. "Leave it to me!"

Closing the kitchen door behind her, Claire put on the apron and quickly get all ingredients ready. The pasta was quite easy to handle for she occasionally cooked it as a lunch... Though she had bought only some basic ingredients for she just prepared it for herself, she had the confidence that this time she wouldn't let Leon too disappointed.

There she let the water first boil before putting the spaghetti into it and began chopping ingredients like carrots and onions. She uncontrollably let her mind wandered back to the little conversation she has had with Leon, and couldn't help smiling at the corner of her lips. She was preparing a dinner for Leon! That was totally off the plan which the original plan was-

Angela.

Claire startled as she finally remembered what enthusiasm and anxiety covered it. Angela told her to call off the date and sent Leon home... but she didn't do so, and let him stay instead. She tried, really, but when Leon was about to set off and leave, Claire couldn't help asking him to stay. Oh...Would Angela be mad at her after knowing it?

No, she wouldn't. Definitely not. Claire told herself, trying to think more calmly. It was nothing at all but a dinner between old friends. It would be just a simple meal and buddy chat, then Leon would return home and get the date with Angela the next day he woke up. Then everything would follow Angela's (new) plan again!

Claire forced a smile to herself, when she founded the boiling water started to splash out from the pot.

A/N: This is a really late update. I've been changing the dialogues all the time as they didn't really show up what I originally have had in my mind. I should have finished the whole story by this chapter, but I've changed my mind and now I think I would need 2 to 3 chapters before I could finish the whole story. Please continue to reading the later chapters! Thank you!