(POV: Ethan)
Look, at this point, we should've been used to Leo's completely ridiculous yet somehow real experiences. But no. Every time we thought we had reached the peak of absurdity, he just casually revealed something that sent us spiraling into existential crisis again.
This time, it all started with a completely normal conversation.
It was just another afternoon at our usual café, with me, Ava, and Sophia scrolling through our phones while Leo drank his coffee like he had no worries in life.
Sophia was checking some travel deals, and out of nowhere, she sighed dramatically. "Man, I wish airport food wasn't so overpriced."
Leo, without looking up, "Just eat in the lounge."
…We all turned to him.
Ava tilted her head. "You mean those fancy airport lounges? The VIP ones?"
Leo nodded, sipping his coffee. "Yeah. The food there is free."
Silence.
Then Sophia narrowed her eyes. "…Leo. You do realize those lounges are for business class passengers and VIP members, right?"
Leo blinked. "Yeah."
Another silence.
Ava leaned forward. "…Have you… been inside one?"
Leo shrugged. "A few times."
We ALL lost it.
"WHY? HOW? WHEN?!" I half-shouted.
Leo, ever calm, just tilted his head slightly. "I was invited."
"BY WHO?!" Sophia demanded.
Leo scratched his cheek, looking like he was trying to remember. "…Different people?"
___
Leo explained it like it was no big deal.
One time, he was at the airport, waiting for a flight, when he ran into an old man struggling with his suitcase. The guy had dropped his boarding pass while trying to balance everything, so Leo just… picked it up and handed it to him.
"Thanks, son," the old man had said. "You traveling alone?"
Leo nodded.
"Come with me."
Leo, with no reason to refuse, just followed.
Turns out, this guy was a VIP member.
Before Leo even processed what was happening, he had been escorted into the private lounge.
And because Leo was Leo, instead of questioning how absurd this was, he just sat down and started eating free snacks like it was completely normal.
"You WHAT?" Ava stared at him in disbelief.
Leo blinked. "I had time before my flight."
Sophia pinched the bridge of her nose. "So let me get this straight. You just helped some random old guy, and he just—what—adopted you into the VIP lounge?!"
Leo nodded. "Pretty much."
I buried my face in my hands. "Leo. This is not normal behavior."
"Well, it worked out."
___
The worst part?
THIS WASN'T EVEN A ONE-TIME THING.
The next time he traveled, he somehow ended up inside the VIP lounge again. But not because of an old man this time. Because of a celebrity.
Leo had been standing in line at security, when someone behind him recognized him.
Ava nearly choked. "WAIT. BACK UP. SOMEONE RECOGNIZED YOU?!"
Leo, completely unfazed: "Yeah."
Sophia's eyes went wide. "Who?!"
Leo actually had the audacity to take a sip of coffee before answering. "…A singer, I think."
We all just stared at him in mute horror.
"AND YOU DON'T REMEMBER WHO?!" I yelled.
Leo shrugged. "She had sunglasses on."
Ava looked ready to flip the table. "LEO, IF A CELEBRITY RECOGNIZES YOU, YOU SHOULD AT LEAST REMEMBER THEIR NAME!"
Leo looked completely unbothered. "She said hi, we talked for a bit, and then she told me to wait for her after security."
Sophia looked physically in pain. "…And you just. Did it? Like a lost puppy?"
Leo nodded. "Well, I wasn't in a rush."
OF COURSE HE WASN'T.
So after getting through security, the mystery celebrity just casually dragged him into the VIP lounge with her.
Sophia slapped the table. "WHAT IS YOUR LIFE?!"
Leo, calmly sipping his coffee: "Convenient?"
I groaned. "Leo, do you even realize how insane this sounds?"
Leo tilted his head slightly. "…It's not that weird."
I pointed at him. "NO. NO, SEE, THAT'S THE PROBLEM. IT IS THAT WEIRD. But because it happened to you, it somehow feels like it makes sense."
Ava rubbed her temples. "At this point, I feel like if we just go to an airport and wait long enough, we'll see Leo casually getting pulled into first class by royalty."
Leo took another sip of coffee. "…That has not happened."
Sophia immediately caught onto his wording. "Not happened yet, you mean."
Leo, with an infuriatingly neutral expression: "…Perhaps."
I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. "I'm done. I give up. I refuse to believe you're a regular human being anymore."
Ava sighed. "We need to keep a list of these incidents."
Sophia pulled out her phone and opened a note labeled: 'Leo's Nonsense List.'
She typed:
- Accidentally VIP access to airport lounges (multiple times).
Then she paused and looked up at Leo. "…There aren't any other weird travel stories you're hiding, right?"
Leo blinked.
Then he looked slightly to the side, as if debating whether to say something.
Ava noticed IMMEDIATELY. She smacked the table. "LEO."
Leo, after a brief pause:
"…Define weird."
All three of us screamed.
---
End of Chapter 5.