(POV: Ethan)
Leo Arclight was sitting at his desk, minding his own business, completely unaware that his three best friends were marching toward him like detectives about to crack a high-profile case.
Ava was leading the charge, eyes blazing. Sophia was gripping her phone so tightly it looked like she wanted to slam it into his face. I was just hoping none of us would get arrested for public disturbance.
We stopped right in front of him.
"Leo." Ava crossed her arms.
He looked up lazily. "Yeah?"
Sophia thrust her phone onto his desk. "Explain."
Leo glanced at it.
Pause.
Blink.
"Oh," he muttered, completely unfazed. "That got posted already?"
Ava's jaw dropped.
"THAT'S YOUR REACTION?!" she shrieked, gripping the edge of his desk. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'THAT GOT POSTED ALREADY'?! YOU KNEW THIS WAS COMING?!"
Leo yawned. "Lena did mention she was posting café pictures soon. Didn't know I was in them."
I placed a hand on my forehead. "So you DID go to a café with Lena Hartley?"
Leo nodded.
"Casually?" I asked.
"Yeah."
Sophia snapped.
She pointed aggressively at her phone. "SO YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT YOU JUST CASUALLY HAD COFFEE WITH A WORLD-FAMOUS ACTRESS???"
Leo blinked. "Yeah."
Ava started pacing. "I can't. I can't. This makes zero sense. We see you every day. We've known you for YEARS. And not once did you ever mention that you know Lena freaking Hartley?!"
Leo shrugged. "It never came up."
"It NEVER CAME UP?!"
Ava looked like she was about to throw something.
Sophia inhaled deeply, trying to regain control of her sanity. "Okay. Okay. Let's put that aside for a second. Let's talk about THIS."
She scrolled down and tapped the comments.
I leaned in.
Fan: "Wait, so you KNOW him??"
Lena Hartley: "Of course! We go way back."
Leo looked at the screen.
"Yeah, that sounds about right."
Ava slapped my arm. "Did you hear that?! DID YOU HEAR THAT?!"
"Unfortunately, yes."
Sophia clenched her fists. "Leo. Define 'going way back.'"
Leo scratched his head. "Met her a few years ago. We got along. Stayed in touch. That's all."
I squinted. "...How did you meet?"
Leo paused.
Then he sighed, as if answering basic questions about his own life was somehow exhausting.
"There was this event," he started. "A private one. Got invited through an acquaintance."
I narrowed my eyes. "What kind of event?"
Leo waved vaguely. "One of those 'fancy rich people' things."
Sophia groaned. "Leo. We need more details than that."
"…A gala, I think? Or a charity auction? Something like that."
I almost dropped my phone. "YOU THINK?!"
Leo ignored me and continued. "Anyway, I was there, Lena was there, we got introduced, and then we just talked for a bit."
Ava rubbed her temples. "And that led to casual coffee hangouts years later?!"
"Yeah."
"HOW?!"
Leo looked at her, confused. "How what?"
"How do you just randomly become friends with a famous actress?"
Leo shrugged. "She's nice. We clicked. She said I was interesting."
Sophia held up a finger. "Stop. Right. There."
She turned to me. "Did he just say he's 'interesting'?"
I nodded slowly. "I believe he did."
Sophia pointed at Leo. "YOU'RE NOT INTERESTING!"
Leo raised an eyebrow. "Huh."
"You don't talk to people. You barely react to anything. You spend half your time looking like you'd rather be somewhere else!"
Leo tilted his head. "And?"
Ava threw her hands up. "AND THAT'S NOT INTERESTING!"
Leo blinked. "...Some disagree."
Sophia asked. "And who are they?"
Leo simply stated. "Just know Lena's included."
Ava looked like she had taken psychic damage.
I decided to steer things back before she actually exploded. "Alright. Let's move past that. What about the airport?"
Leo sighed again.
"That was an accident."
We waited.
"...And?" I prompted.
Leo tapped his desk. "It was a misunderstanding. Got mistaken for someone else, ended up at the wrong gate, and before I knew it, I was already boarding."
Silence.
"...You're joking," Sophia whispered.
Leo shrugged. "It happens."
"IT HAPPENS?!" Ava repeated, her voice breaking.
Leo blinked. "Yeah."
Sophia grabbed Ethan's arm. "Ethan. He's lost his mind. He's ACTUALLY lost his mind."
I ran a hand down my face. "Wait, wait, hold on. You're telling me you accidentally ended up on an international flight with a famous actress, and instead of freaking out, you just…went with it?"
Leo nodded. "Yeah. No point making a scene. Plus, they had nice in-flight meals."
Sophia turned around and covered her face. "I— I can't. I need a moment."
Ava slumped into a chair, completely drained. "Why…why is this our life?"
Leo looked at us like we were the weird ones.
"You guys are overreacting. And btw that's my life."
Sophia turned back around, her eye twitching. "Leo. You are telling us—right now—that you, a completely normal college student, somehow got mistaken for someone else, boarded an international flight, and ended up traveling with a celebrity, and you think WE'RE OVERREACTING?!"
Leo stared at her blankly.
Then he nodded. "Yeah."
Sophia inhaled sharply, then turned to me. "Ethan. Say something."
I rubbed my temples, trying to process everything. "...Leo."
"Yeah?"
I looked him dead in the eye.
"Who even ARE you?"
Leo blinked once.
Then, with complete sincerity, he replied:
"Leo Arclight."
Ava banged her head against the desk.
Sophia screamed into her hands.
And I… I simply accepted my fate.
Because at this point, I had a feeling that this was just the beginning.
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End of Chapter 2.