"At least our paths have crossed"-j.b.
Darkness was falling and Lilianne and Bruno were driving along the streets of New York. The girl began to get used to this city. She watched people and more and more skyscrapers leaning over the horizon. Driving always calmed her down. It gave her time to gather her thoughts. The man sitting next to her broke her out of her thoughts. Lilianne couldn't understand how the man who had been ready to kill her a moment ago now talks to her normally. He is alive, driving a car, and laughing like any other human being.
"Grumpy Jasey is going to kill us!" The man laughed as he stuffed another French fries into his mouth.
"First he will make a face like: why are you bothering me, I have a lot of things to do. Then he gets angry and asks what took us so long. Then he'll give a lecture on the dangers looming over me in New York as if he were at least my father. Then he will sigh and sit down and change the mood 180 degrees"
"I'm impressed. As for a few meetings, you've figured out his whole nature!"
"I tried and it was not difficult. Despite this, I know practically nothing about him" The girl sighed and looked out the car window.
There was a silence in the car that seemed to last forever. Bruno gulped and began to speak:
"Listen up. Jason's past is not something that anyone knows, and he would probably kill me if I mentioned anything about it."
"Who said he had to know about it?" Lilianne replied, hoping she would get any information from the man.
She looked at the man pleadingly which made him smile
"You're too persuasive, and I'm too much of a gossip." He sighed and continued "His mother mysteriously disappeared. Nobody knows what happened to her, while his father ... He's not the person you want to meet. Jason's childhood was not an easy one. At 18, he took over his father's entire gang when he disappeared. He had to hide. Until now, no one knows where he is. He grew up in the Bronx with a sister who cut him off after he joined a gang. She lives happily with her boyfriend far away. She does not keep in touch with anyone in the family"
Everything started to fall into a logical whole. Jason didn't become a criminal because he wanted to. He became one because he had to.
"And what's your story?" This is one of the few times a girl has learned anything about Jason and now she wanted to know something about the gang members. She took advantage of the boy's talkativeness.
"I met Jason through Chaz. The easy money was what I needed most at the time, and I didn't give it a second thought. I became Jason's left hand, Chaz is of course the right hand." The man laughed and added quickly "That's it."
The girl looked at him suspiciously, knowing that she won't be able to get out of him. Even so, she felt satisfied.
It started to rain, raindrops beating rhythmically off the glass as they drove up to Jason's house. A tall, well-built man greeted them at the gate. They had to get out of the car so he could search them. It seemed absurd to Lilianne, but then she realized it was probably a security issue. After all, the most wanted criminal lives in this house.
They got out of the car and ran home as quickly as possible. The door opened suddenly and Lilianne slipped which caused her to fall into Jason's arms.
They stood there for a moment until Bruno screamed "Can you look at yourself inside the house? I'm a little wet and I'm fucking cold"
Lilianne free herself from Jason's shoulders and entered the house.
The door closed and Jason sat on the couch, starting his monologue
"As you know, I have a lot of things to do and you are bothering me! By the way, what took you so long? And you, Lilianne what are you doing alone in the park in the middle of the night?"
There was silence, Jason stared once at Bruno, once at Lilianne. He demanded an explanation to his surprise after a while the girl and boy burst out laughing.
He looked at them questioningly and asked "What the hell was funny about it?"
Bruno laughed so much that his face turned red and then he answered Jason's question "While we were driving, Lil predicted exactly what you would say when we arrive."
Lilianne nodded and added, "You are so predictable it was not difficult."
Jason walked over to Lilianne, grabbing her chin tightly. Lilianne turned pale, she didn't think a little meaningless joke would make Jason furious.
"Man, come on. It wasn't serious" Bruno said, grabbing Jason's arm.
The man pushed him away and screamed "If I were you, I wouldn't be fucking with things that don't concern you. Get out of my house, your job is over."
Lilianne hoped Bruno wouldn't leave. She looked at him pleadingly.
"Can't you see she's scared of you? She's scared of you like everyone on this earth?"
Jason's grip still hadn't loosened. He seemed not to hear what his friend was saying to him. He stared at a blind spot on the wall. He did not like someone disrespecting him and laughing at him. There was no room for sensitivity in his life. If it were, he would not be where he is now.
Lilianne knew she wasn't in a safe position, but she began to speak anyway "Hey, Jason. I know you're out there somewhere. Now I'm talking to Jason, with whom I was exploring New York, not to the one who wants to show at all costs that he has no emotions." She gulped and continued "We didn't make fun of you, we wanted to laugh with you. Plus, you've known Bruno longer than I have, and you know he's a terrible gossip who can't keep quiet. You don't know me, but I'm also a terrible gossip who can't keep quiet." She said laughing nervously.
Jason took his hand off her chin and took three steps back.
Lilianne, breathing heavily, went towards the balcony. She sat down on the chair and lit a cigarette. She inhaled the smoke, still unable to believe what had happened.
"Do I want my life to be like this?" She asked herself.
Hearing footsteps behind her, the girl sighed and said "It's okay Bruno, I'm fine"
Jason took three breaths before he said "I'm not Bruno. Can I?" He asked, pointing to the chair next to Lilianne.
"It's your chair"
Lilianne shrugged. Jason watched her, trying to put into words what he wanted to say. Whatever he said would not change what happened. He was also not sure that something like this would not happen in the future.
Finally, he summoned his courage and said "I can't apologize, so I won't apologize, I can't say something like this will never happen because I get angry easily and I get furious. All I can say is, I don't want you to cross me off."
"My first real boyfriend beat me up and at that point, I said that I would never let somebody treat me like I'm shit"
After the last sentence, a tear ran down her cheek.
Anger began to accumulate in Jason, he decided that after he found out the whole story, he would find the person who had harmed Lilianne.
He took a breath and said "You tell me about that I tell you what you want to know about me"
***
A/N
You will learn a little more about Jason's past in the next chapter. What surprised you the most?
Take care!
V.
YOU ARE READING
Return to the roots
Romance"They called him dangerous, but he was her safe" After a few years, Lilianne has to go back to her roots and start all over again in a city that she vaguely remembers. What if one day her paths cross with the ruthless criminal?
