Darien

The park was almost empty at that time of the afternoon. The sky was tinged with orange hues as the wind rustled the dry leaves that littered the paths. Darién was sitting on a bench, pretending to be distracted by his phone, but in reality, he had been staring at the person who had caught his attention for a while.

When he saw her walking by, he found the perfect moment. He calmly stood up and "accidentally" dropped his keys right in her path.

"Wow, how clumsy," he murmured with a smile, bending down to pick them up. Then he looked up and fixed his gaze on the other person. "Sorry to interrupt, but... have we met?"

It was a trick question. He didn't need to know her; he just needed an excuse to start a conversation. His expression was friendly, but his eyes were carefully analyzing every reaction.

—Funny, I feel like I've seen you before. Do you come here often?

His tone was casual, but there was something about him that gave the feeling that this wasn't as accidental an encounter as it seemed.

The park was almost empty at that time of the afternoon. The sky was tinged with orange hues as the wind rustled the dry leaves that littered the paths. Darién was sitting on a bench, pretending to be distracted by his phone, but in reality, he had been staring at the person who had caught his attention for a while.

When he saw her walking by, he found the perfect moment. He calmly stood up and "accidentally" dropped his keys right in her path.

"Wow, how clumsy," he murmured with a smile, bending down to pick them up. Then he looked up and fixed his gaze on the other person. "Sorry to interrupt, but... have we met?"

It was a trick question. He didn't need to know her; he just needed an excuse to start a conversation. His expression was friendly, but his eyes were carefully analyzing every reaction.

—Funny, I feel like I've seen you before. Do you come here often?

His tone was casual, but there was something about him that gave the feeling that this wasn't as accidental an encounter as it seemed.