( Leo's POV, Outside The Bakery Shop )
Leo and Elena waited patiently for Jacob to show up outside the Bakery Shop, as Leo excitedly heard Elena talk about all of the exciting experiences that she had in the past few months.
"Do you know Leo, Rita is really impressed with you! She thinks you're some super big shot within the gaming world since you're the number two player.
You should have seen her face when she….." Elena said excitedly, the pitch of her voice going up, down, sideways and all around as Leo simply smiled and pretended to nod when he was not really listening to anything.
For Leo, there were only two most important individuals in his life.
The first one was his mother, and the second was his brother.
For him these two came even before his own self and if he needed to sacrifice his own life for theirs he would do it in a heartbeat.
Apart from these two, there was only one individual in the real world that Leo cared for deeply, which was Amanda, while he shared a close bond with Ben in the virtual world.
However, this was it.
Apart from these four individuals Leo did not care about anyone in the universe, and he did not mind backstabbing anyone either.
While without these four, his life felt empty, now that Elena was back in his life, Leo felt like his world was complete once again, as just knowing that he could visit his mother anytime if he really wanted to was enough for Leo to feel content in his heart.
"Oh right! Leo! Rita is a very pretty girl….. Do you want me to introduce you to her? You're at the age where you should start dating girls…. And I approve of Rita–" Elena said, stars sparkling in her eyes, as although she had only met Leo for less than 20 minutes, she already delved into his dating life.
"No– no! There is no need to introduce anyone, I already have a girlfriend–" Leo said, putting his arms up defensively, as a big 'O' formed on Elena's face.
"Oh my god! You have a girlfriend and you haven't told me yet?
Who is she?
Where is she from?
How did you two meet?
Does she have a family on your Arc Ship?
Have you already met her family?
Is she pregnant?
Are you kids using protection?" Elena asked excitedly, bombing Leo with questions after questions which made Leo feel a little overwhelmed.
Leo appreciated Elena's enthusiasm, however, bombarded with so many questions at once made him confused as to where he should even begin from?
"Her name is Amanda…. We met on the Arc Ship, she was my roommate in sector D. She's a nice girl…. I like her a lot and no, we are not having sex, so we are not using protection–" Leo replied with a flushed face as Elena nodded with the utmost attention.
Using her super mom abilities, she scanned every small expression change on Leo's face and in the end concluded that he was smitten with Amanda.
"Oh my god…. Your cheeks flushed when you said her name…. You are so smitten…. It's cute" Elena said, approving of their relationship, which made Leo blush even more.
When he thought about his first re-union with Elena, this was definitely not what he had in mind, however, somehow it still felt warm, as the distance between the two was non-existent.
Although they had not talked to each other much over the past year, their relationship had not changed at all.
From the moment Elena hugged him, they restarted from the same point that they left off from, with Elena still asking him all the most private questions that Leo would dare not respond to, if it were anyone else.
There was no small talk.
There was no awkwardness.
There was no ice to thaw, as the bond between the mother and son remained completely unchanged.
*Cough*
Coughing slightly, Leo was about to try and change the topic, when a manly voice interrupted them.
"Apologies…. I'm slightly late–" a manly voice said, as Jacob Skyshard finally arrived outside the bakery.
"Leo look! Your dad is here!" Elena said in joy, as she felt eager to watch the first interaction between the father and son after several decades of separation.
For a moment, Jacob stood before Elena and Leo, his gaze landing on his son, who stared back at him with defiance.
Despite the tension between them, Leo kept his hostility in check for Elena's sake and politely extended his hand for Jacob to shake as he simply did not wish to ruin his mother's mood.
"Leo," Jacob said curtly, shaking his son's hand as although his heart secretly longed for a hug, he kept his emotions hidden behind a stoic exterior.
"Jacob," Leo replied, his tone smug as although outwardly, he addressed his father by his name, but internally, he called him "Scum."
For a while, Elena waited eagerly for the two to embrace, hoping for a reconciliation. However, after the handshake, the duo stuffed their hands into their pockets, refusing to speak further.
Much to Elena's dismay, the air between the two was thick with unspoken words, leaving her in the midst of a painfully awkward interaction.
"Leo, your father is very proud of your achievements….. Unlike me he is very tech savvy, so he knew about you being the number two player since way back…." Elena said, trying to jump start a conversation between the two, however, Leo only coldly shrugged his shoulders to this comment.
He did not care if Jacob was proud of him or not, as for him, the opinion of that man simply did not matter.
"Just like you…. Your father is also a non-combat class player. He's an architect, he builds weapons and buildings–" Elena said, as at this moment Leo felt his ears starting to ring up.
"Is that so?" Leo asked, a fox-like expression spreading on his face, as in his mind he already painted his father as a lying piece of shit.