I never expected to meet you there, of all places.

It was a tiny bookstore, tucked between a broken laundromat and a bakery that only opened in the mornings. I was only there because I needed to pass time before a meeting. You were crouched near the bottom shelf, flipping through a paperback like it was a secret worth guarding.

You looked up at me once just once and I remember thinking, She’s the kind of girl who doesn’t belong anywhere near someone like me.

But somehow, I kept finding excuses to go back. At first, I only saw you by coincidence. Then I started timing things to make sure I would. You never asked questions, never seemed to notice that I only showed up when the sky was starting to turn orange. That I always wore black. That my phone never rang when I was with you, but vibrated endlessly when I wasn’t.

We started meeting more often. Always at dusk. Always in quiet places, like the alley behind the café, or the parking lot of the old drive-in that had been closed for years. You never pushed. You never asked what I did. And I think that’s what made me stay.

One night, I asked you to meet me on the hill just outside the city. You came, like always. A little out of breath, hair wind-blown, eyes bright like you had no idea who you were really sitting next to.

We sat on a worn wooden bench, watching the lights in the city flicker on one by one as the sun disappeared behind the skyline. It felt like the only place in the world that was still. You leaned your head back and smiled. “Why here?” you asked.

I didn’t answer right away. My hands were locked together, my mind running faster than it ever had in any gunfight or deal gone south. I didn’t know how to tell you. But I had to.

“There’s something I’ve been keeping from you,” I said quietly. You turned to look at me.

“I didn’t want to lie. But I also didn’t want to lose the only piece of peace I’ve had in years.”

Your brows pulled together. “What are you saying?” I exhaled slowly.

“I’m not who you think I am. I’m… involved with things. Dangerous things. I run operations. Quiet ones. Illegal ones. People know me by name in places I hope you never see.”