"The delivery men will be here in about three hours," Evelyn said, checking her watch. "That gives us time for lunch before they arrive."
Leo nodded. His stomach growled on cue, his body demanding fuel after the morning's exertion. Even simple walking had taxed this neglected meat suit beyond its pathetic limits.
"I could eat," he said.
Evelyn led him into the cool interior of the house. The temperature difference hit like a slap, sweat instantly cooling on his skin. He followed her through the marble foyer toward the kitchen, their footsteps echoing in the empty house.
"Where is everybody?" Leo asked.
"Victoria's at work until tonight. Noel sleeps until noon, then vanishes until dinner. Chloe has volleyball practice after school." Evelyn set her shopping bags on the kitchen counter. "It's usually just me here during the day."
Leo watched her move around the kitchen, her practiced motions betraying years of domestic choreography. There was something almost balletic about the way she retrieved ingredients from the refrigerator, her body remembering paths worn through this space over decades.
"Must get lonely," he said.
Evelyn's hands paused for a fraction of a second before resuming their work. "I keep busy."
She pulled out bread, turkey, avocado, and an array of condiments. Leo leaned against the counter, watching her slice the avocado with practiced efficiency. Her knife moved in quick, confident strokes at odds with her hesitant personality.
"I can make my own sandwich," he said.
Evelyn looked up, surprise visible on her face. "Oh. Of course, if you'd prefer..."
"No, I mean... you don't have to wait on me. I'm capable of basic functions." Leo pushed off from the counter and moved beside her. "Let me help."
He reached for a knife from the block, and their hands brushed again. This time, Evelyn didn't jump away. Progress.
"What are you making for yourself?" he asked.
"Just a small salad. I'm not very hungry."
Leo frowned. "You didn't eat breakfast either."
"I rarely do. Old habits." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.
Leo considered pushing, then decided against it. The woman's eating habits weren't his problem. He turned his attention to constructing a sandwich that would actually provide the protein his rebuilding project required.
They worked side by side in silence. Leo layered turkey onto whole grain bread, adding avocado, mustard, and a sprinkle of pepper. He cut the sandwich diagonally, a habit from his previous life. Boxers ate constantly but cleanly, no crumbs or messes allowed in the gym.
"That looks good," Evelyn commented as they sat at the island. "You seem to know what you're doing."
Leo took a bite before answering. "Basic nutrition isn't complicated. Protein, healthy fats, complex carbs."
Evelyn's eyebrows rose slightly. "That's... a change from your usual diet of pizza pockets and energy drinks."
"Like I said. Everything changes now." He took another bite, chewing methodically. "This body is garbage, but I can fix it."
"Leo!" Evelyn looked genuinely distressed. "Don't talk about yourself that way."
"Why not? It's the truth." He gestured to his considerable bulk. "This isn't me. It's just where I'm starting."
Evelyn picked at her salad, moving pieces of lettuce around without eating them. "I've never heard you talk like this before. It's like you're... I don't know, someone else entirely."
If only you knew, lady.
"Fever revelation," he said instead. "Sometimes you need to hit bottom before you can push up."
She nodded slowly. "I understand that feeling."
Something in her tone made him look up from his sandwich.
"Do you?" he asked.
Evelyn's cheeks colored slightly. "I just meant... we all have moments of clarity sometimes."
"And what was yours?"
Before Evelyn could answer, the front door banged open.
"Mom? You home?" a female voice called from the foyer.
Evelyn straightened immediately, her face shifting into a pleasant mask so quickly it was almost disturbing.
"In the kitchen, Chloe!" she called back.
Footsteps approached, and a moment later, a blonde girl appeared in the doorway. She was dressed in volleyball practice clothes, a purple Fresno State t-shirt and black athletic shorts. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, and her face was flushed from exertion.
"Hey, I'm starving. Coach ran us ragged today and..." She trailed off as her eyes landed on Leo. "Oh. You're out of your room."
Leo remembered her from last night's kitchen encounter. Chloe. The youngest Fitzgerald daughter. He nodded in greeting, continuing to eat his sandwich.
"Leo and I went shopping this morning," Evelyn explained. "He's getting new furniture delivered today."
Chloe dropped her gym bag and approached the kitchen island. "Seriously? What brought this on?"
Before Evelyn could answer for him, Leo spoke. "Got tired of living in my own filth."
Chloe's eyes widened at his bluntness. Then, unexpectedly, she laughed. "Fair enough. It was pretty gross in there."
"Chloe!" Evelyn scolded.
"What? He said it first." Chloe grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and bit into it with a crisp crunch. "So you're, like, turning over a new leaf or something?"
Leo shrugged. "Something like that."
Chloe studied him with open curiosity, none of Noel's hostility or Evelyn's caution in her gaze. Just straightforward teenage assessment.
"Cool," she said finally. "Prove it by coming to movie night instead of hiding in your cave."
"Chloe, don't pressure him," Evelyn said quickly. "Leo's still recovering from his fever."
"I'm fine," Leo said. "And yeah, I'll be there for movie night."
Chloe's smile was immediate and genuine. "Awesome! I'm picking the movie, by the way. Noel's taste is trash."
She grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator and headed toward the doorway, pausing briefly. "Oh, Leo? If you're really serious about getting your shit together, we have a gym in the guest house. Just FYI."
With that, she disappeared up the stairs, leaving Leo and Evelyn alone again.
"She seems nice," Leo commented.
"Chloe's always been the easiest," Evelyn said, a fond smile softening her features. "Good grades, lots of friends, no drama. The opposite of..." She trailed off, then sighed. "Well, you know Noel."
Oh, he knew Noel. The memory fragments from the old Leo painted a clear picture: a cruel, entitled girl who'd made the former occupant of this body her personal punching bag for years.
"She doesn't scare me," Leo said.
Evelyn looked surprised. "I didn't suggest she did."
"You didn't have to." Leo finished his sandwich and stood. "You mentioned a gym?"
"Yes, in the guest house. Arthur had it converted years ago when he..." She hesitated.
"Well, he doesn't use it much anymore. Victoria goes out there sometimes, but it's mostly empty."
Leo nodded. "Show me after the delivery guys come."
"Of course." Evelyn hesitated, then asked, "Leo, can I ask you something?"
"You just did."
She smiled slightly. "I suppose I did. But seriously... what are you planning to do? About Arthur's ultimatum, I mean."
Leo stared at her blankly. "What ultimatum?"
Evelyn's face paled. "Oh. I thought... I assumed you remembered that part." She took a deep breath. "Arthur told you that you have three months to either get a job or enroll in college. Otherwise..."
"Otherwise what?"
"Otherwise he can't continue supporting you," she said softly. "You'd have to leave."
Leo absorbed this information, adding it to his mental map of this new life's terrain. So the old man wanted to kick him out. Interesting.
"How long do I have left on this countdown?"
"About two months now. Arthur made it clear in November, right before your birthday."
"Not a problem," he said.
Evelyn's eyebrows rose. "You're not concerned?"
"Why would I be? I told you, I'm getting a job. And I'll look into Fresno State. Either way, I'll meet his deadline."
She studied his face, confusion evident in her eyes. "You're just... fine with it?"
Leo nodded. "Arthur's ultimatum isn't a problem, it's an opportunity."
"An opportunity?" Evelyn repeated incredulously.
"To stop being a parasite and start being a person." Leo held her gaze steadily. "Isn't that what you've always wanted for me?"
The question seemed to catch her off-guard. "I... of course I want you to thrive, Leo. I just never expected such a dramatic change overnight."
"Sometimes change is fast." Leo glanced at the clock on the microwave. "The delivery guys will be here soon. I should finish clearing space in my room."
He turned to leave, but Evelyn's voice stopped him.
"Leo?"
He looked back. She stood there in her kitchen, sunlight streaming through the windows behind her, highlighting the honey-gold of her hair. Something in her posture had changed, a slight straightening of the spine, a lift of the chin.
"I believe you can do it," she said. "Whatever this change is, I'm glad for it."
Leo nodded once, then left the kitchen. As he walked back to his room, his mind raced with calculations. Two months wasn't much time, but it was enough. He'd need to accelerate his plan, find employment quickly, establish financial independence.
The college option was promising too—a student ID would provide access to resources, to people, to a world beyond this gilded cage.
But was it what he really wanted…?
His room looked better in daylight, the surfaces scrubbed clean, the floor visible. The stained mattress leaned against one wall, awaiting removal. The old Leo's life had been swept away, bagged up, discarded.
Leo moved to the window and looked out at the grounds. From this angle, he could just see the edge of a smaller building past the pool. The guest house gym. His next target.
"Two months," he murmured to himself. "To become someone worth being."
His heart beat steadily in his chest, strong and reliable. No flutters, no warnings, no monitor beeps tracking every spike with medical concern. Just the reliable pump of blood through a body that, for all its flaws, wasn't trying to kill him.
For that alone, he owed it transformation.
He heard a car pull into the driveway. The delivery truck. Leo took a last look around the empty room, mentally mapping where everything would go. The California King would dominate the space, a statement piece declaring that this wasn't a guest room or a charity case's closet. It was his territory now.
And territories could be defended. Expanded. Conquered.
The doorbell rang, and Leo headed back through the house. Two months to rewrite the story of Leo Sterling.
The clock was ticking.
Good thing he'd always performed best with his back against the ropes.