Seeing that it didn't provoke me as intended, he ends up putting it back in his pocket, only very slowly, making sure that I don't miss a thing.
> I think I got the message. No need to add to it...
Daryl > You never know, a little reminder doesn't hurt from time to time. All right. Except for the race in four days, I don't have anything else. I tried to sort something out, but nothing. And right now, I don't see many other options...
I nod and stare at him. Even if I think he might change his mind, I don't want to show him that I'm at his mercy. Jason's counting on me. I can't make any more mistakes. I've screwed up enough as it is. So I listen carefully to what he has to offer.
Daryl > I think there are ways to negotiate.
> Negotiate? Are you kidding me? Maccini will never.
Daryl > I'll talk to him. Maccini is a powerful man, but he's not stupid. All he wants is his dough.
> I hadn't noticed!
Daryl > If I do it right, I might be able to reason with him.
> If you say so, then I believe you. You'll no doubt succeed in convincing him to stop threatening my brother.
Daryl bursts out laughing, and I lose some of my poise. It seems I told the joke of the century.
> Did I miss an episode or something? What are you laughing at?
Daryl > You're naive if you think I can go very far reasoning with Maccini!
All right, okay. I set the bar too high. I didn't believe any of it at first, but nothing ventured nothing gained!
Daryl > I was thinking more about extending the deadline.
> Good idea. Assuming he accepts, how long do you plan to propose?
Daryl > Well, first I should check with him...
Daryl crosses the living room before reaching the stairs. I follow in his footsteps, and we go upstairs.
Once upstairs, he goes up to a closed door, which he unlocks before going in. I decide to stay in the hallway, but peek in anyway.
I stand in the doorway and notice a big office room, soberly furnished with a large shelf and impeccably tidy furniture. This is a far cry from the usual mess that reigns in his brother's workspace! Unlike Matt, Daryl seems to be quite organized.
> Well... you should give your brother some tidying up lessons. His office is Baghdad compared to yours!
Daryl > You know, Matt lives his life and I live mine.
Daryl looks at me, then opens a drawer to take out a notebook.
Daryl > I need arguments to convince Maccini to give us a little more time.
> Good luck with that! Personally, I don't see any reason for him to be more flexible.
Daryl > Don't worry, I got it covered.
He comes back up to me and shakes my hand briefly, which surprises me.
Daryl > Trust me, okay? I'm going to do everything I can to help your brother. Can I count on you?
I draw from his eyes the strength to promise not to give up on him again. I want to have confidence, I have to.
> You can count on me, don't worry.
I dare to hope that he believes me this time because I intend to prove to him that I am trustworthy, despite what happened before.
Daryl > Don't mess up again, and everything will be fine between us. Are you down with that?
I accept the fact that he's not sure. After all, I haven't exactly played fair since we met.
> It's okay, Daryl. You can trust me.
Daryl > Perfect. I'll contact Maccini and call you back to keep you updated, okay?
> That's fine by me, let's do it like that!
When I leave Daryl, I feel like I'm in a daze. I've decided to trust him one hundred percent and stop trying to deal with it on my own. For one thing, it doesn't get me anywhere, and two, without Daryl, I definitely can't get out of this mess.
I close the door of the villa behind me and wander around amongst the people partying. The music is in full swing, people are dancing, brushing against each other, and laughter is flowing. I'm a thousand miles away from all these people. They seem so carefree. Like everything in their lives is beautiful. I would like to say the same about mine. I avoid a couple who are dancing very explicitly and find myself alongside the pool.
The music suddenly changes, and I look towards the turntables, hoping to find Joe there with his team. After scanning around, I notice him. He's abandoned the turntables and is walking among the party people. After a few handshakes, he casually walks towards me.
Joe > I thought you were going to leave without telling me.
I laugh mockingly before blushing under his insistent gaze.
> I wouldn't dare, come on!
Joe > I saw you were looking for me. So I came along.
> You did good!
I clear my throat and look away. I know I owe Joe a lot. Without his intervention, Daryl would have kicked me out without any scruples. And yet, I find it difficult to express my gratitude to him. I don't know how to show him that he touched me tonight and that I'm grateful. I finally look up at him, letting myself get caught up in his gaze. So different from Daryl's mischievous, playful look. His is soft and tender, with particular brilliance. Feeling awkward, I express some thanks for the kindness he has shown me this evening.
> Thank you for everything, really.
Joe's eyes shine a little brighter, and his lips curl into a beaming smile.
Joe > Bah! It's nothing!
> On the contrary, Joe. It's everything.
A silence settles between us. I see Joe's lips open slightly as if he wanted to add something, but he says nothing. I raise my eyebrows slightly, hoping to encourage him to carry on but he leaves it at that so I turn to head towards the gate.
Joe > Are you taking off, is that it?
> Yeah. To be honest, I've had enough for one day. And anyway, all this, here...
I indicate the party that's in full swing.
> It's not... I'm not in the mood for that right now.
Joe endorses that without a word, looking suddenly serious again.
Joe > Yeah, I understand... Your brother...
> Yeah, that's right. I don't feel like having fun, while he's freaking out on his hospital bed, you know.
Joe > It's obvious. Family is the only real thing!
I nod gloomily and take my cell phone out of my pocket.
> All right, I'll call a cab and go home! Thanks again, Joe.
I start dialling the number, when Joe's hand lands on mine, interrupting me.
Joe > Leave it, I'll take you home.
I look up at him, surprised. Looks like he's serious.
> Are you sure you don't mind?
Joe > No, I wouldn't propose if I didn't feel like it. I'll get my things, and we'll go.
I barely have time to thank him that he's already off through the crowd. I put my phone back in my pocket and slowly walk to the gate. I'm not sure how to interpret Joe's kindness. He doesn't know me, and yet already seems to think highly of me. That is, when I talk about thinking highly of me, I mean that he seems to like me. I don't know, it's strange. Is he a player like Daryl? Or is he really doing this out of sheer kindness?
When I see him coming towards me, with a leather jacket in his hand, I get a strange feeling.
Joe > You ready?
> You bet!
Joe > So let's go. I'm parked not far away.
We leave the property and the music behind. As we head down the street, I suddenly stop dead, making Joe look at me, puzzled.
Joe > Are you all right? Is something the matter?
> I just realized you left the party, leaving everyone stranded, without your music.
Joe > Don't worry about that. My team will take care of playing my albums.
> Your albums?
I'm impressed. I expected him to have done one or two songs, but to have recorded albums... I raise an intrigued eyebrow while waiting for him to answer me.
Joe > Yeah, I made a few.
Joe stops in front of an imposing black SUV. I suddenly go cross-eyed at the vehicle and move forward to admire it more closely.
> Cadillac Escalade... Why doesn't that surprise me?
Amused by my remark, Joe turns to me, ready to respond.
Joe > Because it's common knowledge that all rappers own one!
I shake my head and start laughing. He's getting to know me. I have nothing to say, except maybe that... I want to know more about him. I'll og quiz Matt about him since they've known each other for a long time...
Joe > I hope my car lives up to your expectations, miss Expert.
> It'll do for tonight.
We both giggle, and I settle in the passenger seat. As Joe walks towards the driver's side, I start examining the inside of the car. The wood is hazelnut, the seats and steering wheel Mulan leather, and the dashboard has a large LCD display. This vehicle exudes absolute luxury!
Joe > So? It rocks, doesn't it?
I tear myself away from contemplating the car and turn to Joe. He's observing me, one hand on the ignition key.
> It's classy, I have to admit.
Under Joe's watchful eye, I settle into the seat and buckle up. After a few seconds spent contemplating me, he does the same and starts the engine.
> V6, I assume?
Joe > You assume wrong. It's a V8! I thought you were an expert...
> I'm better with sports cars. They're more aggressive, and that's what I like.
Joe > This car can compete, you know? Wait, let me show you...
He presses the pedal to rev up. The engine starts roaring under the hood, leaving me gobsmacked. I didn't expect an SUV to be that powerful. Now I'd love to try it and see for myself! But on reflection, I give up that idea. I bet Joe won't let me drive either... Joe drops the handbrake and reverses to get out. One turn of the wheel and we're out of Daryl's street.
We drive for a while in silence, until Joe enters the fast lane, having turned on the sound. The music soars from both the rear and side speakers. Which has the merit of waking me up a little. This is a long way from the ego trip song earlier on. The instrumental is slightly melancholic and dark. The violin that accompanies the deep and masculine voice captivates me. I listen to the music for a moment, soaking up the lyrics. I recognize Joe's voice right away.
> In the megalomaniac realm, you're king. But I must admit, I like your music.
A smile appears on his lips. He doesn't say anything but doesn't seem to have taken it the wrong way. I don't pay him any more attention and concentrate on the road. I can feel Joe glancing at me, which is particularly amusing.
Joe > Actually, I don't usually listen to that. But since you seem to be enjoying my music...
> In any case, you're pretty good at what you do!
Joe > Is that true? It's a connoisseur kind of rap. It's not for school girls if you know what I mean...
> Well I'm not one, you see.
Joe > Expert in this field too?
> A little, yeah. I like to listen to all styles of music. It makes a good conversation subject sometimes...
Joe > I see. I didn't expect a girl like you to enjoy music like mine. It makes me happy! Especially since I'm the one behind the instrumentals... I produce them.
I turn to him, raising my eyebrows. Joe is apparently more famous than he lets on, this guy is a mystery, I have to know more about him. But, for the moment, I'll just make do with talking about music and tell him exactly what I think.
> You know your stuff when it comes down to harmonizing instruments together. I like the violin... it's really original.
Joe > If there's one thing I can't stand, it's being like everyone else. The violin wasn't supposed to be on the track at first.
> Here, here! The world is full of people with no personality, why be like everyone else when you can innovate?!
Joe > I'll tell you something else: I don't care what people think. I do what I have to do, and if people like it, that's great, if they don't, then it doesn't matter.
> Do you really believe that? Without the people that follow you, you might not be where you are today...
Joe's gaze lingers on the road. He seems thoughtful. Wonder if I didn't go too far.
> I shouldn't have said it like that... sorry.
Joe > Argh, no worries. You said what you thought, I'm not gonna blame you for being honest with me. It's a pretty rare quality these days.
> You said it! Still, I love your music, so don't change a thing, OK?
Joe > I'll never give up, hon. Thank you for your support.
> It's amazing how different you and Daryl are... I mean, you seem so much more sensitive and compassionate than him!
Joe looks at me circumspect as he drives into my street, and looks for a space to park. He pulls up and cuts the engine off then turns to me carefully.
Joe > I take it you're talking about his behaviour concerning your brother, right?
> Not only... but partly, yes.
Joe shakes his head, looking half-chagrined, half-amused as he leans closer to me.
Joe > Don't you get it? That's the first impression he gives, but it's not the right one.
> I do get it, don't worry. It's just that his attitude is really destabilizing.
Joe > You know, Daryl's just behaving like he knows how but that doesn't mean he doesn't sympathize.
> Well, it doesn't show!
Joe > And yet, it's true! I told you not to trust appearances...
> Oh, come on, spare me! He's as cold as an ice pick. I still wonder how his heart can possibly beat.
Joe > Ooh, that's tough! Look, I don't know your life or what you've been through, but life hasn't always been kind on Daryl.
> I'm not saying the contrary, but that's no reason to behave like he does!
Joe > Maybe one day, you'll see things differently... In the meantime, I can assure you that what you're going through with your brother doesn't leave Daryl indifferent.
> I don't know... When I talk to him about Jason and the risk looming over him, it's like it was just a detail to him...
I look up at Joe feeling jaded, the situation seems so desperate. I wish I could understand Daryl, but I don't have time for that. My brother takes up all my thoughts. Just talking about him makes me feel depressed. My stomach's in knots.
> My little brother's life is on the line because he screwed up when that moron flirts by the pool! I've never seen anything like it! He doesn't understand that I'm worried sick about it all, I haven't slept for days. I'm constantly on the alert. I picked my brain for days on end, trying to find a solution to help Jason, but nothing.
I clench my fists with rage, trying to contain the tears that are burning my eyes.
> I even considered giving everything up: my job, my life, my friends... and run away with Jason, never come back... I'd do anything to keep him safe! So, sorry, but when I see Daryl going all Don Juan with his hoes, yes, I get angry!
Joe > I understand that it hurts you, but...
> Yes, it hurts me! Who wouldn't feel hurt, damn it!
Joe reaches his hand out and suddenly strokes my cheek. Surprised, I move back slightly but soon relax. He just wanted to wipe a tear that I didn't manage to hold back. I swallow, a little embarrassed, then look down, trying to avoid his gaze.
Joe > It's obvious you care about your brother. And believe me, Daryl knows more than anyone how you feel...
I move my face away from his hand and shake my head. Joe's really cute, but he shouldn't take advantage of my moment of weakness to seduce me...
> If you say so...
Joe > I'm telling you this because he's been through the same thing. He knows what it feels like.
I lift my head fast and catch his eye. My heart tightens in my chest, so that's it...
> You mean with Matt?
Joe > Yeah. They have been through a lot. One day, Matt almost got killed, and it really shook Daryl up. It destroyed him. It's all in the past now, but Daryl knows what you're going through, take my word for it.
So that's it! How could I have known he'd been through the same thing? Matt never told me about it...
> I had no idea, you know us girls, we need to be reassured continuously...
Joe > Yeah, I know... a girl thing!
> Ah, you see! You get it!
We both start laughing, and the atmosphere lightens suddenly. This little interlude with Joe helped me put things into perspective.