Rena's eyes opened just a few hours later.
She turned her head slightly and found Darien, smiling sweetly at her.
"Hey."
"Hey." She beamed at him and felt herself flush for some reason.
She looked away from his penetrating gaze.
"What time is it?"
"Almost four in the morning." He answered.
"Sorry." She suddenly said, glancing around at their untimely position.
"For?" He raised a curious brow.
"You must've been uncomfortable all night because of me..." She explained, her face flushing with guilt.
She felt him lean closer and whisper,
"You're wrong Irene. This might be the most comfortable I've felt in a long while."
Rena sighed in relief.
"Does this mean you won't avoid me anymore?"
At this, his smile faded.
"Forgive me if I made you feel dejected. I just..."
"Wanted to protect me?" She asked and felt him nod.
"But you know your attitude then may have caused me more pain than touching you would've..." She confessed.
"And why is that?"
"Because... I care for you greatly Darien."
His brows raised in feigned confusion. "Really?"
Her eyes rolled. "Stop acting like you didn't know..."
"I did. I just wanted to hear it from you, dearest wife."
Her heart rate spiked at his words. Why did he suddenly call her that?
"Well?" Rena questioned as she regained her composure.
A few seconds of silence later, he answered, "I may care about you too I suppose."
"May?!" She puffed, sounding more annoyed than she'd wanted to.
At this he laughed happily; a pleasant, spellbinding sound. Rena turned, she couldn't forgive herself if she missed that rare and ravishing sight.
She found herself unable to look away, even when he stopped laughing and looked fondly at her.
"I also care deeply for you Irene."
The silence in the room was feigned in comparison to the unsaid words their gazes on each other showed.
She felt the warmth from his hand as he ran it over her cheek, not touching her directly, but touching her in the most important place;
Her heart.
Rena looked away, realizing she would break if she continued to get lost in those eyes.
"All those times our paths crossed, was it... all Xander's doing?" She asked, her heart still in a fret.
"Most of the time, yes." He gazing down at her affectionately.
"And all those times you annoyed me to death?" She asked teasingly.
"I wanted to get you to... Despise me, so you'd avoid me. But, my efforts seemed pointless against Xander's. He always found a way to... Bring us together."
"Mmh... And that time you offered to be my husband? Had you changed your mind?"
"No, that was all mother's convincing. She thought it best to have you close since we'd already met again." His voice took on a sarcastic tone.
"And Xander, like the thoughtful person he is, decided to help."
Rena thought back to the nightmares she'd had.
"His way of helping was a bit..."
"Antagonizing?"
"Yeah." She chuckled.
Rena still had a lot she wanted to know, but for the moment, she decided to just enjoy this very rare moment with him.
When morning came, she would have to go check on Sandra and Vinnie.
"How did you feel when we met again, knowing I... Couldn't remember you?"
"I felt a lot of things... I was of course anguished, but, more than that, I was glad to see you safe and sound."
"You scared the hell out of me you know." Rena smiled recalling that fateful night.
•••
It was a little past seven o'clock, but the streets were as empty and foggy.
"Aah!" Rena screamed in fear as a dark shadow appeared before her.
"D— don't come any closer! I have a... Knife." She inwardly scolded herself at how non-threatening she sounded. She only had a can of pepper spray in the first place.
The figure imposingly walked toward her, but she stood her ground. The moonlight caught his face, revealing his sharp and alluring features...
Rena caught herself. How could she consider his good looks when he could potentially be a murderer?!
She clutched the pepper spray in her hand, ready to attack if necessary.
Unexpectedly, he walked past Rena, as if she'd never been his main focus to begin with.
Curiously, she quietly followed him as he stopped under a large tree. As she got closer, she could hear the whimper of a... Puppy?!
From her point of view, the guy was hovering over the animal, moving his hands over it mysteriously, causing the poor thing to whimper in pain.
She instantly ran over, taking out her pepper spray. "Hey! STOP! What do you think you're—"
Rena stopped in her tracks. By the time she'd arrived, the little puppy was jumping around happily, licking the stranger affectionately.
As much as her heart melted, she couldn't help but wonder what had just happened.
"What did you just do?" She inquired, gazing suspiciously at him.
"None of your business, young Miss." He answered calmly, and she couldn't tell if he was being rude or polite.
He picked up the small white puppy and began to leave.
"Hey, where are you taking him?!" She asked.
"To hell."
Rena's thoughts halted.
"What...?"
Had she heard him right?
She was left there, speechless, and sort of irked.
•••
"Xander used my kindness against me," Darien smirked, shaking his head knowingly.
"A devil for sure."
"But he's on our side though, right?" Rena inquired, already knowing the answer.
Darien gave a soft smile.
"Of course. And though he refuses to admit it, he's also a really good friend."
"Why does he refuse to admit it though?"
"He says it betrays his whole existence."
"Mmh... I see."
All of a sudden, Rena felt a drastic change in Darien's aura. He instantly got up and kneeled at her level.
"Wait for me, I'll be right back. Alright?" He gave her a meaningful gaze.
"Alright..." She answered unsurely.
A second after he'd left, Rena stood, and walked to the large windows, the blanket around her dropping gently to the floor.
It was as if she wasn't in control of her body. She opened the human-sized windows, and stood on the balcony.
Suddenly, the railing on the balcony turned to black dust. Not a trace of it was left behind, and Rena felt herself begin to slowly walk forward.
From below her, familiar sight greeted her already dazed eyes.
"Come to me."
He mouthed to her, a serene smile on his pale face.
Recognition flashed on her face.
"Leo...?"
...
