She pouted, crossing her arms. "Nooo… I just want the fun part. I don't want to study boring theory."
Leo laughed quietly, shaking his head as he reached over to pinch her cheek gently. "You're lazy like a panda."
Bella puffed her cheeks. "I'm not lazy… just efficient."
"Efficiently avoiding work," he teased, and she swatted his arm, her pout deepening.
Still smiling, Leo turned back to his screen, but his eyes softened when he caught her reflection on the monitor—her hair falling forward as she leaned curiously toward the blueprint, her lips still slightly pouted.
Suddenly, Bella sat up straighter, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her sleeves as a nervous thought crept back in. She had almost forgotten her mission—almost escaped it—but Jay's dramatic "I will cry" still echoed in her mind.
"Leo?"
He hummed quietly, his voice calm and low. "Hmm?"
"Jay Jay is pitiful, right?" she began carefully.
"One could say… a little bit," he replied without looking up.
