This was a difficult moment.
Not because the question was difficult—the question was actually very simple.
“Do you need help?” Four words.
The answer was either yes or no.
The problem was that both answers were bad.
“No” meant he would remain in an unfamiliar street with nothing useful until he found a solution on his own—which was a respectable and reasonable choice under other circumstances.
“Yes” meant he would be trusting someone he didn’t know in a city he didn’t know, and considering how incredibly lucky he had been so far, it would be wonderful if she wasn’t a human trafficker.
His mind said no.
His caution said absolutely not.
His pride said no, thank you.
His empty stomach said, Take anything this girl is offering you right now.
Unfortunately, his stomach was the loudest.
“Maybe,” he finally said.
Marinette blinked.
“Maybe?”
“Yes.
Maybe I need a little help.”
She looked at him with the expression of someone trying to decide whether what she was hearing made any sense.
“What kind of ‘little help’ do you need?”
Leo thought for a moment about the best way to explain his situation without actually explaining his situation.
“I…
I’m new to Paris.
I left my bag somewhere and couldn’t find it.” He paused.
“It has everything in it.”
That wasn’t entirely a lie.
His bag was in his room.
His room was somewhere.
That place wasn’t Paris.
But the exact details weren’t necessary right now.
Marinette narrowed her eyes slightly.
Leo knew that expression.
It was the expression of someone examining the nonsense you were saying and trying to determine whether any of it made sense.
“Your bag,” she repeated.
“And it has everything.”
“Everything.”
A brief silence.
“Your phone included?”
“My phone included.”
“And your money.”
“My money.”
“Your identification documents.”
Leo’s mouth twitched.
“…Yes.”
She stared at him for a long second.
Then she sighed like someone who had decided to give this nonsense a chance.
“Alright.
Come with me.”
She walked quickly without looking back to make sure he was following.
Leo followed her.
Not because he had decided to trust her.
His options were simply very limited at the moment, and his stomach hadn’t stopped reminding him of that.
“My name is Marinette,” she said as she walked without looking back.
“Leo.”
“Where are you from, Leo?”
He stopped walking for a moment, then caught up with her.
“Far away.”
“How far?”
“Very far.”
This time, she turned to look at him while walking—a quick glance before turning her attention back to the road.
“You don’t answer questions directly.”
“I do.
I just practice a little economy with the details.”
There was a brief silence.
Then—for the first time—he heard something resembling a quiet laugh from her.
“Economy with the details,” she repeated as if tasting the phrase.
“Okay.”
She led him through two streets and a narrow alley before stopping in front of a warmly colored building with a sign above it—a bakery of some kind, judging by the smell that escaped when she opened the door. Get faster updates on novelping . com.
The smell of fresh bread.
Leo’s stomach reacted to the smell in a somewhat embarrassing way.
Marinette entered and placed her heavy bag on a nearby table with obvious relief before turning toward him.
“This is my family’s bakery.
Sit down.”
Leo looked around the place.
Warm.
Quiet.
It smelled really good.
And there were chairs.
Looks like I’m not so unlucky after all.
“Thank you,” he said sincerely.
He sat on a chair in the corner while Marinette went into the kitchen.
He heard faint sounds—French conversation with someone else—then she returned a few minutes later carrying a small plate and a cup.
She placed them in front of him on the table.
Bread, cheese, and a glass of orange juice.
“This is all I could find quickly,” she said as she sat down in the chair opposite him.
Leo looked at the plate.
Then at her.
“Why are you helping me?”
A direct question.
Perhaps more direct than it should have been.
But Leo wanted to understand—because people didn’t usually help strangers on the street without a reason.
Marinette didn’t hesitate.
“Because you looked like you needed help,” she said simply.
“And that’s enough.”
Leo looked at her for a second.
Then he looked at the plate.
Then he ate.
He decided he would think about the rest of his problems after his stomach stopped complaining.
One step at a time.
End of Chapter Six