Chapter 3 Love, Darren

• The next day was spent sleeplessly, my eyes glued to my cell phone, anxiety running through my body.
• Every sound and message made me run after the phone, waiting for his return, his call, his address. But instead, his absence was the only thing I received.
• Hector was clinging to the hope of knowing nothing more about Darren, the mobster he had talked so much about, and I, dying of curiosity and longing for the truth, needed an answer with all my being.
• Instead, that day was empty and desolate, even Hector himself never heard from him.
• Darren, the dreaded fellow, had disappeared.
• I wanted to blame Hector, maybe I'd made him run away, maybe he'd said something inappropriate, or maybe he'd realized that deep down he wasn't as cool as he seemed.
• So, after spending the day at the office and giving up, I went home, took off my boots, threw my body on the bed, and closed my eyes for a few seconds.
• I stretched my body until it felt light, clearing not only my mind but my whole being.
• As I was about to fall asleep, I heard the distant sound of a door being knocked.
• I would open my eyes blankly, stare intently at the ceiling, and turn around to look for the sound behind the door.
• A loud would alarm me even more.
• I ran over, the cold floor beneath my feet and my fear growing in my chest.
• Could it be him, had this all been a trap?
• Then, life giving me warning signs, I stopped my pace and looked out the window to see who was there.
• A young man in a gray postal uniform looked tired, held white flowers in his hands, insisted on opening the door, and repeated my name carelessly.
• I ran to the door again and opened it, shocked at what I saw.
• It was a bouquet of white roses, something I had almost never seen in person.
• The man looked me up and down, smiled sideways, and repeated my name. "Leia? Are you Miss Leia?" he asked.
• "Yes, I am. Tell me," I said, a little confused.
• Just like that, she stretched the bouquet of roses until she placed it in my arms, reached for an envelope in a small bag, and handed me a wooden board with a small registration daughter.
• "Please fill in your information. That way I can make sure I've given everything to the right person," she instructed. "Don't forget the envelope, apparently you have a nice admirer," she finished. "Have fun, Miss Leia."
• And without further ado, he turned and walked out.
• I stood still as I watched her again, looking at the street in front of me and taking in that sweet gesture with all my might.
• It couldn't possibly be from him, maybe someone else had sent it, maybe Hector had realized she was a great employee, it was his way of saying sorry, but no.
• Once inside the house, the door closed behind me, I put the flowers aside and opened the small envelope.
• The first thing I noticed was an almost perfect cursive handwriting that impressed me. My name written like that was simply unique.
• Inside, a small note would catch my attention.
• You know that the law and I are not on the best of terms right now, so I am leaving my safety and yours in your hands. No cops, no law, just you and me, one last conversation before I'm released. It's the end of my time, Miss Leia, I've had everything and nothing.
• You will understand that for my own safety I cannot give you an address, just as I have come to you through this bouquet of roses, I hope to come to you to look for you. Don't expect me to be too anxious, I will come any day. Especially the weekend.
• Don't worry, I'll take care of you.
• Love, Darren.
• Right there, at those words, my body shuddered without thinking. My fear, my curiosity, and my danger signals went into overdrive.
• It was true, Darren was a mysterious man, but also quite dangerous.
• His words made me understand the risk I was taking and the fear Hector was expressing.
• I was facing the most dangerous and intelligent man in the city, something that made him an unpredictable time bomb. And the same one who had triumphantly escaped from the
• law without much effort.
• One sentence in particular caught my attention.
• Why give up in the middle of his ascent? What made him give up? Why give up after running away so many times?
• I guess those were the questions that kept me awake the most, and they were the ones that motivated me to keep going, even when I was dying of fear.
• I didn't have the same thoughts as Hector, I didn't want to turn him in, I didn't even want to judge him for now, I just wanted to get into his mind, his thoughts, his world. Only then would I understand his actions and why he did what he did.
• Darren had the same opportunities as the others, maybe a little less. But he was always resourceful, and even when the world was falling apart, he knew his way around the streets. And a few bad friendships, bad decisions, and few choices would put him where he was: the most feared, but also the most wanted.
• I couldn't help but think about him picking out that bouquet of flowers, or maybe he knew about me.
• I didn't know if the next thing to do was to tell Hector everything, or to leave him out of everything, which would be my own takeoff.