On target

Àlgebra

As Aiden drives to Burok's house, he continues to reflect on the mission and the pain he feels in his chest. The idea of attacking Juliett, the same young woman who spoke to him that evening and killed the loneliness in his house, the one who smiled at him with such gratitude and kindness. When he arrives at his destination, Burok welcomes him with enthusiasm, as he has already drawn up a plan to keep an eye on the target. However, every word Burok utters increases the agony in Aiden's chest. Aiden remains silent as he examines Burok's unrefined drawing, which shows the positions for the operation. He listens attentively to the details of the plan, although his appearance clearly shows his discomfort. The silence does not go unnoticed by Burok, who decides to question Aiden about the reason for his disturbance. Aiden, reluctant to share his thoughts, lies to his colleague, saying he's just tired. Burok realizes that something is wrong, but chooses to postpone the discussion until another time, recognizing Aiden's need to rest. He gives Aiden the drawing sheets and the coordinates of Juliett's house, allowing him to go ahead with the mission, even if the emotional burden continues to weigh on his shoulders.

Aiden returns to his house in total silence, his mind empty and his emotions in turmoil. When he arrives at the house, he closes the door calmly and, in a gesture of letting off steam, throws the papers handed to him by his colleague against the wall. He then sits down on the floor, leaning against the front door of his house, confused and distressed. With only the faint light of the moon illuminating his living room, Aiden observes the light of dawn as it timidly begins to penetrate his surroundings. The imminent warmth of the sun touches his face, revealing deep circles under his eyes that indicate that he has spent the night in darkness, immersed in conflicting and emotional thoughts. The dilemma between fulfilling his mission and the growing connection with Juliett torments him, and he finds himself in a moment of intense reflection about his future and his choices.

The silence in Aiden's house is suddenly interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. He gets up, quickly washes his face in the kitchen tap and, after drying his face, opens the door slightly. To his surprise, he finds Juliett standing outside. He asks her why she is in front of his house. Juliett replies with a smile and explains that she has come to thank him for his help with a basket of vegetables and fruit picked from his garden, courtesy of his faithful gardener friend. Aiden accepts the basket, which smells delicious before he can thank her for the gesture. He remembers Burok's surveillance plan and, in a desperate act to hide his connection with Juliett, invites her in. She happily accepts, entering Aiden's house. Before closing the door, Aiden looks around carefully, making sure he isn't being watched by Burok, who could discover his small connection with the target...

After arriving at the front door, Juliett asks Aiden if he plays the violin. Aiden, who was putting the basket on the kitchen worktop, looks in the corner of his bedroom door where he can see a violin on the bed. He replies that he doesn't, but that he would love to learn, although he doesn't have time to hire a teacher or attend music lessons. Juliett, curious, asks where Aiden works, and he replies that he teaches philosophy. The young woman mentions that it's her best subject, even if it's not her favorite. The two exchange a few minutes of conversation, and Aiden can't help but notice Juliett's maturity and politeness. 

The man asks the girl what she had planned to do that Sunday, and she replies that she had planned to deliver the basket to Aiden in the morning and escape Àlgebra class because she hated it.

Aiden asks if it was the fact that the subject was boring or if there was another reason. Juliett remains silent for a while and with a defensive and anxious posture says that the tutor is awkward and makes her uncomfortable with a lot of physical contact, the young woman says that she has tried to report these situations to her parents but they just tell her to ignore it because he is the best tutor in the state. With the anger evident in her words, Juliett conveys exactly to Aiden the clear situation of her relationship with her parents.

Aiden gets up and reaches for something on an old but elegant bookshelf. Juliett looks curiously at the man's movements. He takes an Àlgebra book from the shelf and places it on the table in front of Juliett. Standing up, Aiden asks if this is the textbook she uses to study. Juliett answers in the affirmative, and Aiden explains that years ago, at the beginning of his career in education, he started as an Àlgebra and language tutor. Excited, Juliett happily asks if he's going to start tutoring her. The young woman's impulsive attitude surprises Aiden, as his initial aim was simply to hand over all her records and textbooks so that she could progress in her studies, thus dispensing with the need for a tutor. Aiden awkwardly tries to explain, but when he realizes he's disappointing Juliett, he quickly corrects himself and makes the Àlgebra lessons official. Juliett's expression returns to one of excitement and gratitude, thanking the man. Aiden, still a little incredulous about his own decision, feels a mixture of apprehension and happiness at the thought of spending more time with Juliette.

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Determined to organize her future classes, Juliett asks Aiden if they can exchange phone numbers so that they can always be in touch. The man agrees, and they exchange numbers, creating contacts on each other's phones. 

Aiden nervously points to his number on Juliett's phone:

Name: Prf. Aiden

Contact: *** *** ***

Juliett does the same:

Name: Juliett <3

Contact: *** *** ***

The pair exchange phones again, and Juliett smiles as she looks at the screen of her device, finding the man's formality amusing. For his part, Aiden tries to figure out in his mind what the "<3" in front of the contact's name is. Juliett notices the man's look of confusion and asks if there's something wrong. Aiden, a little shy, confesses that he doesn't understand the equation in the young woman's name in his contact. Juliett approaches him and points to the "<3", explaining that it's a heart made only with the functions of the keyboard, since the teacher's device, because it's not modern, doesn't have emojis to use. Aiden thinks it's funny, and realizing the man's interest, Juliett teaches him various faces made with ":" and "( )". The man asks for his contact details on the young woman's phone again and changes it, making the young woman laugh along with her new tutor.

"  * Prf. Aiden ;) "

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A few hours pass that morning, and Juliett says goodbye to Aiden, thanking him for everything. The man asks her if she has anywhere to eat and if she wants anything to take with her. The young woman says she's going to eat at a childhood friend's house, which she always does every Sunday lunch, and thanks the man for his gesture. 

They both said goodbye, and Aiden waved discreetly to the young woman before closing the door of his house and collapsing in questions.

It seemed that, without Juliett's company and energy, all the weight of the mission had returned to his mind at lightning speed. The man dropped his body onto the sofa and put a pillow over his face. His moment of reflection was interrupted by a vibration running through his body. It was a message from Juliett.

Juliett <3- Thanks for the company :)

Aiden stares at the message as time passes, his phone's battery gradually draining until the device goes dead, revealing to him the complete darkness of his home. His thoughts were racing as he stared at his new and only contact on the phone he had never used, except to answer emails from work. The man opens his living room window and lets the cold night wind in, drying the sweat that is running down his body from nervousness.

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