Javi stared at the ceiling of the bedroom. He would not dare move. He couldn't believe what he saw, didn't know if it was true, or if he was having a nightmare.

Earlier that day, he was covering for his co-worker who had caught the flu and couldn't work for the day. So he worked two shifts.

Leia, a regular customer, came at the wrong hour. She usually came by at 2 p.m., she was rather early today.

Javi wasn't a stranger to Leia. They would exchange greetings in the afternoon, when Javi had just arrived for his shift, and Leia would have been on her way out. Javi have always wished she would come around his shift.

But Leia was far too early today. And Javi noticed it.

Javi came by her table, fidgeting with his fingers behind his back. He was nervous. It was his first time taking her order and he didn't want to mess up. He wanted to impress her.

"I'm not ready to order yet," Leia smiled at him. "I'm waiting for someone."

With this, Javi continued on serving other tables. It took 2 hours of building up his courage to talk to Leia again.

She said the same thing.

Another hour had passed and Javi came by her table again. He got the same answer. This time, he knew better than leaving her alone.

"Is there something wrong?" Javi asked after she had said she wasn't ready to order.

Leia didn't talk at first. It gave Javi enough time to study her. She had porcelain skin, and gray eyes shaped like almonds. Her lips were dry and chappy. She had a choker on her neck–too tight that it looked like a tattoo. He wondered if it was there all this time, for he hadn't seen it before.

"Do you want to hang out later? My place?" She asked with such confidence. As if someone asking her friend to come over. He couldn't say no.

Leia finally ordered puttanesca and stayed a little longer, exchanging glances with Javi every now and then while he worked. The place was especially hectic today.

In the occasion of a slow hour, he watched her play with her food, seemingly disinterested with it. He could've sworn he saw her play with her nails, and pulling it off completely. But maybe it was his imagination.

When it was closing time, Javi was quick to change clothes, and the first one to leave work. He was excited to spend the night at Leia's. He thought it was going to be a great night.

Leia's house was huge and sophisticated. The columns were big and thick with Corinthian details. The kitchen island, where Javi and Leia were having pizza, was made of solid marble.

The night drew on with sharing of stories and confessions. There was an undeniable chemistry between them, but they both knew what they wanted tonight. And just before midnight, they were getting busy in the bedroom.

Javi woke up in the middle of the night with a cold feeling in his stomach. He stood up and looked for his clothes. He navigated around the room with only the moonlight to help him.

Beside the bed, on Leia's side, was his shirt. As he bent to pick it up, he noticed the choker around her neck. She never took it off.

In his curiosity, he touched it gently. His fingers slid over it and found the ends. Slowly, he started to unravel the choker from her neck. Like ribbon from a gift.

As soon as the choker came off, Leia's head rolled.

Until it reached his feet.