(POV: Ethan)
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It started with a simple conversation.
Sophia had brought up an old childhood memory about getting stuck in an elevator once. Ava added her own story about being locked out of her house. I was about to mention the time I got chased by a goose when—
"I had to escape from a dinner once."
We all turned to Leo.
Sophia narrowed her eyes. "Define 'escape.'"
Leo took a sip of his drink. "As in, I had to find a way out without being noticed."
Ava frowned. "Why? Was it a bad date?"
Leo shook his head. "Worse. It was a networking event."
Ethan exhaled. "Oh, God."
Sophia leaned forward. "Alright, you have our attention. Spill."
Leo set his drink down. "I was invited to this business dinner. Thought it'd be small—maybe six, seven people. Turns out, it was a full-blown formal event with assigned seating and a five-course meal."
Ava grimaced. "Yikes."
Leo nodded. "Yeah. And since I was seated near the host, leaving early would've been noticeable."
Sophia tilted her head. "Why didn't you just stay?"
Leo deadpanned. "Because it was three hours of people talking about tax loopholes."
Ethan winced. "Okay, yeah. I would've run too."
Sophia crossed her arms. "So? How'd you escape?"
Leo exhaled. "Strategically."
Silence.
Ava squinted. "You're gonna explain that, right?"
Leo nodded. "First, I had to blend in. Act normal. Eat slowly. Nod when necessary."
Ethan frowned. "That sounds normal so far."
Leo continued. "Then I identified my exits. Main door was too obvious. Side doors were being watched. But there was a hallway leading to the staff area."
Sophia's mouth twitched. "Please tell me you didn't."
Leo took another sip of his drink. "I did."
Ava covered her face. "Leo."
Leo shrugged. "Slipped away during dessert. Walked like I belonged there. If you act like you're supposed to be somewhere, people don't question it."
Ethan stared. "That… actually makes sense."
Sophia groaned. "This is ridiculous. So you just walked out?"
Leo nodded. "Mostly. Had to duck into a storage room once to avoid a waiter."
Ava gasped. "You hid?"
Leo, completely unfazed, nodded. "Yes."
Ethan shook his head. "This is insane."
Sophia sighed. "Please tell me it ended there."
Leo hummed. "Not exactly."
Silence.
Ava's eyes widened. "Oh no."
Leo continued. "As I was walking out through the back, I ran into another guest. He had the same expression I probably did."
Sophia raised an eyebrow. "And?"
Leo smirked slightly. "We exchanged a look. And without saying anything, we just nodded at each other. Like, 'Yeah. I get it.'"
Ethan stared. "Wait. WAIT. You mean to tell me there was another person also escaping?"
Leo nodded. "Apparently, he'd been trapped in a conversation about investment portfolios for an hour."
Sophia burst out laughing. "This is the most cinematic nonsense I've ever heard."
Ava shook her head. "Did you at least introduce yourselves?"
Leo shrugged. "No need. It was an unspoken bond."
Ethan covered his mouth. "So what happened next?"
Leo leaned back. "We just walked out like we owned the place. No one stopped us."
Sophia clapped. "I can't believe you actually pulled that off."
Ava shook her head. "This is ridiculous."
Ethan exhaled. "You're telling me that instead of just saying 'I need to go home,' you went full-on covert operation?"
Leo simply nodded.
Sophia laughed. "That's it. I give up. You're unreal."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "Or just prepared."
Ava crossed her arms. "Or allergic to normal exits."
Then he simply said, "Sometimes, the best exit isn't the most obvious one."
Silence.
Sophia blinked. "That's… actually deep?"
Ethan nodded. "Like, suspiciously deep."
Ava groaned. "Ugh. I hate that he made it sound profound."
Leo just took another sip of his drink.
And for some reason, I couldn't tell if he was messing with us… or if he actually meant it.
___
End of Chapter 17.