Chapter 39: Toy Solitary

The dim amber glow of the streetlamp cut through the quiet evening twilight, casting long, fragile shadows across the empty pedestrian concrete. Nicole stood completely locked in her tracks, her dark navy bag slipping slightly over her bare shoulder. Her hand flew instantly to her mouth, her fingers trembling violently as she tried to stifle a sudden, breathless gasp. Her striking violet eyes were wide, glistening beneath the damp air, and heavy, silent tears began to rapidly roll down her beautifully blushing cheeks.

Nicky.

Hearing that private childhood name slip from Leo's deep masculine lips shattered her proud, haughty tsundere defenses into absolute dust. Leo stepped closer beneath the streetlamp, his dark-grey eyes locking dead onto her emotional face.

.....

Nine years ago, the summer estate had been filled with the endless, golden warmth of afternoon sunlight. A ten-year-old Leo, sporting messy brown hair and a dirt-smudged chin, was frantically running across the open clover grass fields, chasing after an energetic, chestnut golden-haired eleven-year-old Nicole. They were completely untroubled by the world, their parents' old corporate partnerships keeping their families locked together in a shared paradise block.

"You're too slow, Leo!" a young, haughty Nicole laughed out loud, turning around on her heel near a massive oak tree to stick her tongue out at him. "If you can't even catch me during tag, how are you ever going to protect me when we grow up?"

"I am catching up!" a young Leo barked back, his chest heaving as he finally sprinted forward, his small hands lightly tagging her shoulder vest. "See? Caught you, Nicky!"

Nicole's young face instantly flushed a beautiful, innocent shade of pink. She sat flat on the clover grass, her fingers nervously twirling a loose strand of her hair as she looked up at him with a sudden, pure sincerity. "Hey... Leo? When we get super big and graduate from the university... promise me we will get married, okay? That way, you'll have to stay by my side forever and you can't ever ignore my requests."

Young Leo blinked his big dark eyes, a bright, completely innocent smile coloring his face as he confidently held out his pinky finger. "I promise! Once we are grown up, I'll definitely marry you, Nicky!"

But the fragile summer timeline didn't last forever. A year later, a sudden family relocation notice tore their worlds completely apart.

The afternoon of their separation was cold, gray, and heavy with rain. They stood near the black metal gates of the estate, their eyes completely swollen from crying as the packing trucks rumbled in the background. Nicole was trembling, her small fists clutching her luggage straps as she stared at the ground.

"Don't cry, Nicky," young Leo whispered, his voice cracking as he reached deep into his pocket and pulled out a small, heavily scratched plastic toy soldier, his most prized, dear childhood possession that he carried everywhere. He gently pressed the toy straight into her trembling palms. "Take this with you to the new city. Whenever you look at it, you'll know I'm still keeping our promise."

Nicole tightly clutched the plastic toy against her chest, her tears spilling over as she was forcefully pulled toward the back seat of her family's sedan. Leo stood perfectly still on the gravel driveway, frantically waving his small hand under the rain, his eyes tracking the vehicle until the red taillights completely disappeared beyond the winding mountain road grid.

.....

The sudden, sharp rustle of the evening wind violently snapped Leo right back into the present timeline. He took a slow, deliberate step forward across the pavement, his eyes tracking the beautiful, mature curves of the woman standing before him under the streetlamp.

But as he moved his large hand out to comfort her, his glance suddenly caught on a small object dangling from the zipper of her dark navy shoulder bag.

It was a keychain. Heavy, faded, and covered in tiny scuff marks, the miniature plastic toy soldier he had given her almost a decade ago was securely mounted right to the brass ring of her purse. She had kept it with her through all those years, across different cities, entirely preserved.

Leo's eyes widened, and he automatically raised a finger to point at the dangling trinket. "Nicky... that keychain... you still have it?"

Nicole’s eyes snapped down to her bag. Realizing her absolute secret had been caught red-handed, an intense, white-hot crimson blush violently painted her entire face all the way down to her crop top. She frantically yanked her bag behind her back, her tsundere pride exploding into a complete, panicking frenzy.

"Y-You're an absolute idiot, Dummy-Leo!" Nicole screamed out flusteredly, using the exact mean childhood nickname she used to yell at him whenever she was embarrassed. "Stop looking at my personal accessories! You're completely stupid!"

Before Leo could stop her, Nicole turned sharply on her heel and sprinted down the sidewalk at absolute flash-speed, her long legs blurring as her light blue jeans disappeared around a busy commercial corner partition.

"Nicole! Wait!" Leo shouted, running after her. But between her massive head start and the sudden crowd of people exiting the subway station, she completely vanished. She was gone.

Leo stopped near the entrance, rubbing his temples in deep frustration as his system clock kept ticking down. I have less than two days to secure this date or I'm dead.

'System,' Leo grumbled internally, his tone thoroughly annoyed. 'She just ran away in a total panic. Give me a hand or tell me where she went right now.'

Ding!

The digital golden screen popped up with a sudden, sassy chime.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: QUEST COMPLIANCE]

[ALERT: USER SHOULD NOT BE EXTREMELY LAZY]

[STATUS: RELATIONSHIPS REQUIRE REAL-WORLD EFFORT. PLEASE USE YOUR LEGS AND START WALKING, DUMMY-USER]

"A dummy-user? You're getting entirely too comfortable with these boxes," Leo muttered, completely irritated as the sassy screen disappeared. Defeated by the interface, he turned around and began the long, quiet walk back toward his studio apartment.

.....

Meanwhile, across the city, the scene shifted to the inside of a neat, modern bedroom.

Nicole slammed her bedroom door shut, locking it with a loud click before throwing herself flat across her bed. She buried her face deep into her soft white pillows, her entire body shaking as an unstoppable blush burned across her face.

"Ahhhhh! Oh my god!" Nicole screamed into the fabric, frantically kicking her legs against the sheets in absolute embarrassment. "He remembered! He actually called me Nicky! Why did I call him a dummy and run away like a total coward?! I'm so incredibly stupid!"

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Her bedroom door softly groaned as her mother knocked from the hallway. "Nicole? Is everything alright in there? I heard screaming."

Nicole instantly bolted upright on the mattress, her violet eyes wide with panic as she smoothed down her white crop top, forcing her voice into a calm tone. "Y-Yes, Mom! I'm completely fine! I just... I accidentally stubbed my toe against the desk while studying! I'm totally okay!"

"Alright dear, don't study too hard," the footsteps faded down the hall.

Nicole let out a long, breathless sigh, collapsing back against her pillows as her fingers lightly traced the tiny plastic toy soldier keychain resting on her nightstand. A soft, beautifully sweet smile traced her lips.

... I can't wait for our date.

She bit her lower lip, her heart hammering with a sudden wave of determined pride. She reached out her hand, picked up her phone from the desk, and rapidly dialed a private number, her violet eyes locking onto the screen.