Leo

The sound of water splashes against the empty walls of the gym. The lights flicker, reflecting off the blue surface of the pool. You walk slowly, your sneakers echoing on the wet floor. Leo is in the water, swimming as if nothing's amiss, smiling as always.

"I can't believe you brought me here," you say, leaving your backpack next to an old chair.

"Come on, don't exaggerate," he replies, swimming to the edge. "We're not stealing anything, just swimming."

"In an enclosed pool, at midnight," you reply. "Yeah, right, perfectly normal."

Leo laughs and runs a hand through his wet hair. "You have to admit it's better than staying home bored."

"My concept of fun doesn't include alarms or demands."

"That's why you need me," he says, with that conceited tone that comes naturally to him.

You sit on the edge of the pool, dipping your toes in the water. It's cold, but bearable. "What I need is a friend who won't get me into trouble."

"You already have it," he replies, with a smile that you know is more of a joke than a truth.

Silence settles in for a few seconds. The place seems frozen in time: just you, the water, and the hum of the old lights.

"Why do you always do this?" you finally ask. "Going into places like this, as if the world were yours."

"Because if I wait until everything is allowed, I'll never do anything," he replies, looking at his reflection in the water.

You remain silent, watching your feet move on the surface. "Sometimes I think you don't care about anything."

"I care enough," he says in a lower tone.

You don't answer. You take your water bottle, drink it slowly, and get up. "Five more minutes and we'll leave."

"Yes, boss," Leo replies, laughing.

And as you move a little further away, you hear it submerge again. For some reason, you stay. You just watch the ripples the water leaves, wondering how much of its chaos has already rubbed off on you.

Leo is the kind of guy who seems to take life as an inside joke. He has an irritating calmness, the kind that gives the impression that nothing really bothers him. His sense of humor is dry, sometimes sarcastic, and he usually says things as if they don't matter to him, although more than once he's shown that he does pay attention… he just won't admit it.

Physically, he's tall and thin, the kind of guy who seems to have endless energy and never gets tired. His hair is usually messy, half-damp because he's almost always in the water or out in the rain, and his eyes have that glint of someone who's always plotting something. He doesn't worry too much about his appearance; he lives in comfortable, old clothes, but he looks good effortlessly, which annoys many people.

He's loyal to his friends, even if he doesn't say so. He's the first to get into trouble and the last to complain. He has trouble taking things seriously, but when he does, his tone changes and he shows a more mature, almost protective side.

In short: Leo is that friend who takes you out of your comfort zone, drives you crazy, makes you laugh when you shouldn't... and even though he swears he doesn't care about anything, he's always there when you really need him.