I sat at the café, swirling the remnants of my coffee around in the cup, staring out the window as the city buzzed past me. People in suits rushed by, a flurry of movement and noise. It was normal, predictable. My life, however, felt anything but.And it was all because of him.Leon. Even his name felt dangerous on my tongue. I hadn’t known someone like him could exist outside of movies—the kind of guy who walked through life like he owned the ground beneath his feet. From the moment we met, I had been drawn to him in a way that both excited and terrified me. The first time we locked eyes, I should have known better. There was something in those dark, mischievous eyes—something wild, untamed, like he had seen too much of the world and wasn’t afraid to take what he wanted.Our relationship, if you could call it that, had started off... unconventional, to say the least. He’d crashed my best friend’s wedding—literally. Rode in on a motorcycle, leather jacket, sunglasses, the whole nine yards, announcing he was there for the champagne and cake. It was supposed to be a classy event, and suddenly, here comes this stranger who looked like he’d stepped out of a bad-boy romance novel.And then he winked at me."Who even does that?" I muttered under my breath, still feeling the heat rising to my cheeks at the memory. As if my body hadn’t gotten the memo that this was a terrible idea.My phone buzzed, jolting me from my thoughts. It was a message from him.Leon: Dinner tonight? Don’t run this time.I couldn’t help but laugh. His sense of humor was dark but charming. The first time he asked me out, I had actually run—not away from him, just to my car—because I knew if I stayed longer than necessary, I would’ve said yes. And I wasn’t sure I was ready for everything that came with saying yes to a man like Leon.But I couldn’t keep running. Part of me didn’t even want to.Me: You never play by the rules, do you?His reply was instant.Leon: What fun would that be? Pick you up at 8.I sighed, a mix of exasperation and excitement bubbling up inside me. That was the thing with Leon—he brought chaos, but in the most addictive way. One minute, he was making me laugh so hard I had tears in my eyes, and the next, he was whispering things in my ear that sent shivers down my spine. I had never met anyone who could make me feel so much at once.As I got ready for dinner that night, I found myself wondering why I was doing this. The smart thing would have been to avoid him, to walk away before I got in too deep. But with Leon, the smart thing was rarely the right thing. He was unpredictable, yes, but that was part of his charm. And every time I thought I had him figured out, he’d surprise me all over again.At 8 sharp, I heard the roar of his motorcycle pulling up outside. I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop the smile tugging at my lips. Who still picked up their date on a motorcycle in the middle of the city? Apparently, Leon did.When I stepped outside, he was waiting for me, leaning against the bike with that devil-may-care grin that always made my heart skip a beat. “Ready to go?” he asked, holding out a helmet.“Do I have a choice?” I teased, taking it from him.“Not if you want to live a little,” he shot back.I rolled my eyes again but climbed on behind him. As we sped through the city streets, the wind whipping through my hair, I couldn’t help but laugh. This wasn’t my usual scene. I was a girl who preferred books and wine to motorcycles and danger, but with Leon, it was like I became someone else—someone freer, more alive.We ended up at this little Italian place tucked away in an alley, the kind of spot you’d never find unless you knew exactly where to look. It was dimly lit, intimate, with the smell of garlic and fresh bread filling the air. We slipped into a booth in the corner, and for a moment, I almost forgot about the edge of danger that always seemed to follow him. Almost.“What’s the look for?” he asked, smirking as he poured me a glass of wine.I blinked, shaking my head. “Nothing. Just... wondering what the catch is with you.”He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”“You know,” I said, leaning forward, lowering my voice. “You’re all mystery and dark secrets. You ride in on a motorcycle, crash weddings, and make me feel like I’m living in some kind of whirlwind romance. But eventually, all that’s got to come crashing down, right?”His smirk faded slightly, and for the first time since I’d met him, I saw something else in his eyes. Vulnerability? Regret? Whatever it was, it was fleeting, gone as quickly as it appeared.“Maybe,” he said quietly.
“But what if it doesn’t?”I looked at him, really looked at him, and for the first time, I realized that maybe Leon wasn’t just the wild, reckless guy I had pegged him to be. Maybe there was more beneath the surface, something deeper. Something that scared him just as much as it scared me.“You don’t have to keep running, you know,” he said after a moment. “Not from me.”His words hung in the air between us, heavy with meaning. And for the first time, I felt myself wondering if I had been wrong about him all along.
Maybe this wasn’t some dark fling destined to end in disaster. Maybe this was the start of something real, something I hadn’t expected but found myself wanting more than anything.I reached across the table, taking his hand in mine. “Maybe I don’t,” I whispered.His smile returned, softer this time.
“So you’re in?”I squeezed his hand, feeling a strange sense of peace settle over me. “I’m in.”And just like that, the shadows didn’t seem so dark anymore. Maybe, with Leon, I could find a way to live in the light after all—even if the ride there was a little wild.
