Page 28 of Spark

“Uh-huh.”

He chuckled, “Mia, I don't want to scare you off. But, you have the right to know.”

The bench was steadily getting closer and closer, and so far, he had said nothing to convince her to sit and listen.

“I work for a man who sells high-end cars. He sells them all over the world.” Mia had to look up at his face; he was at least a foot taller than her. “The means by which we get the cars... is not always legal,” Aurelio finished.

Mia gasped as confirmation hit her like a ton of bricks.

“You do steal cars!” she practically yelled.

“Shh, please!” he urged, looking around. The bench was right in front of them, far from the most crowded areas. “Please, be quiet.”

“Oh, I'm sorry!” she huffed, moving out from under his arm, the chill of the night settling over her again. “The shock of your occupation startled me a little, I guess?!” [SS4]

“Will you sit and let me explain, please?” He motioned to the bench again. Mia was still torn, but she knew she had to understand. Because, on some level, there was something here.

“Fine.”

Aurelio let out the breath he had been holding in anticipation.

“I don't know why, but I need to understand.”

“It's the spark,” he said, giving her a wink. Despite the situation, Mia found herself smiling. She sat on the chilly concrete bench with Aurelio next to her, his thigh warm against hers. A shiver skated over her body. He must have felt it, too, because he tucked her under his arm again.

“Let me keep you warm.”

She found herself looking at his lips, wanting to kiss and taste them, but she stopped herself. “You were saying?”

“Yeah...” His voice was rougher, not as smooth as it had been. “So, this guy, we just call him 'Boss,' calls the shots. A few years ago, I was in a lot of debt. I was street racing for cash, hustling where I could.” He sighed as if the memories hurt him, and Mia felt a surge of regret at forcing him to drag it up.

“Well... Boss bought my debts. He said he saw a promising young kid and told me if I worked for him for five years, my debts would be erased. I could walk away.” Aurelio straightened his back, his eyes searching the crowd a good distance from them. “For five years, I did just that. I boosted cars, ran his chop shops, and worked my way to the top of the food chain. When the last day came, he found a way to keep me in.”

“How?” Mia asked. The whole tale was crazy, like a parallel world.

“Well, that doesn't matter right now. I will tell you all about it another time, I promise. What you need to know is that the last time I had to extend my 'service,’ was for two years. And those two years are almost up.”

“How long have you been doing this? How long ago did you first get caught up in it?”

“Nine years, almost ten.” He sighed, his body relaxing like a burden had been released. “I'm almost out now with nothing else to pull me back in. Freedom.”

“So, you have how much time left?” Mia asked. He refused to make eye contact, keeping his gaze firmly on the ground at his feet.

“Three months.”

Mia sighed; her emotions tumbled in her chest like a washer on the spin cycle. She felt him tense a little and let out a long breath.

“Three months, and I am out. That is why I started talking to you. I want to move on with my life and start a relationship; be free to do what I want, without fear.” As he spoke, his eyes met hers with honesty and past hurt shining deep in them. Mia was lost, anchored at his side, as she searched for the right words. Did she want to get involved? Heart hammering in her chest, she thought of those weeks of radio silence, the way he had ghosted her

“Aurelio,” she started. “I don't know about… any of this.” She gestured to the cars that she realized were probably stolen. She felt him tense up next to her.

“Things were going so well…”She started.

“And I fucked it up.” He didn’t look at her as he spoke, the words not meant for her anyway.

“When you disappeared,” she took a deep breath in. “I was broken.” She felt the pain shift in her chest. “I was so angry at you, at myself. I had opened up; I was ready to do this.” She gestured around, Aurelio’s eyes searching hers as she gripped his hand. “I don’t know where this is going to go.” She locked eyes with him and leaned closer.

“But I want to know you.” His lips parted as she spoke softly.

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