The Mystery Writer

The Mystery Writer

Once Darcy was settled comfortably on the toilet, Mrs. James exited while Chloe stayed put. Darcy gasped in relief, not realizing how full her bladder had actually become. When she was finished, she glanced up at Chloe with the desire to thank her for her help. She wasn't expecting the glare of hatred she received and the cold shoulder Leo's sister was offering to her.

“Not everyone is fooled by your act of innocence and self-pity. I knew something like this was going to happen. My brother is better off if you and all of you other reporters would just leave him alone.” Darcy did her best to lift herself off the seat, managing it after several attempts. She knew only too well how true Chloe's statement was and could only nod in response.

Darcy's body felt like an empty pit with only despair and hopelessness filling her up inside. Saliva moistened her mouth and she was able to turn just in time to be sick over the bowl of the toilet. The bathroom door burst open soon after with Mrs. James and Leo hurrying inside. Darcy continued to dry heave though nothing but bile rose from her stomach.

“You need more rest and to get something in your stomach.” Mrs. James commented as Leo returned Darcy to her bed. Leo remained with her, holding her hand while Chloe and Mrs. James left them alone.

When Mrs. James returned, she came with a bowl of hot soup and forced Leo to go get rest and cleaned up as well. Soon after she was finished eating, Darcy fell into a more restful slumber.

After several hours, Darcy sat at the foot of her bed and stared at the necklace in her hands. The small, opal pendant dangled back and forth nearly putting her in a trance of sorts. It was the first time in hours that she felt some sort of peace and relief. No one had checked on her in some time and it was nice to be able to collect her thoughts and to slowly pick up the pieces of what was left.

When her door opened, Darcy found Leo's silhouette blocking the light from the hallway. She watched him look to her bed and when he didn't find her, he searched the room till they found her. A glimmer of relief filled his eyes before he closed the door behind him. He made his way to her, soundlessly sitting beside her. She wasn't sure how much time passed as they sat in silence. They both stared at the necklace dangling from her fingertips.

When Darcy finally got her nerve, she turned to Leo. “There is something I have to tell you.” Her voice was a whisper at first but she was determined to make it strong and full of authority. “I plan on quitting. Not only this assignment but I will resign from Channel 4 as soon as possible.”

“No Darcy.” It wasn't a question, but rather a demand.

“It is the only way, Leo. You can return to your normal life. You can return to the way things were before cameras were constantly in your face and dictating your life. Don't you want that?” She shook her head and attempted to plead with him. She needed to make him understand that this was the only solution.

“I don't care about any of that.” Leo's voice was calm as his eyes met hers. She shook her head again.

“I don't want my life on display anymore. I'm not strong enough for this. I'm not strong like you. I feel like I'm going crazy.” A sob escaped her but she quickly swallowed it down. She didn't want to feel as weak as she did.

“If you quit now, you are telling me that you really want to date JT. That you have a relationship and you want to scream it to the entire world.” Leo's voice was low, deep and it seemed to reverberate through her entire being.

“No! I don't want you to misunderstand. I detest JT more than you know. You don't understand.”

“Then explain it to me! I want to understand everything that you are feelings and that you are dealing with so I can help you!”

Darcy inhaled sharply, returning Leo's stare. She knew their discussion would lead to this as much as she hoped it wouldn't. She never thought they'd discuss it so quickly after everything occurred.

“On my day off I went to my apartment early. My key didn't work and my landlord...ex-landlord now I guess, he told me I didn't live there anymore. He said that JT had bought out my lease and he had moved all of my belongings to his place. I went there only to confront him about what he had done. That is when he opened the door dressed like that and well, he set it all up. Then I went into my apartment to get this, my mother's necklace.” Darcy lifted the opal pendant, glancing at it quickly. “It is the only thing I needed back.”

She scrutinized the look in Leo's eyes and when he noticed, he quickly looked away.

“I need to apologize to you. I shouldn't have acted like that at the office building and I should have defended you against him. I just-”

“This isn't your fault and you know I'd never blame you. Everything happened because JT planned it out this way.”

Leo looked back at her, inhaling sharply. “I know it isn't my place and I shouldn't ask, but why did you two break up?”

Darcy exhaled and lowered her head. Unwanted memories popped into her thoughts as she thought about the history JT and she had.

“I really liked him when I agreed to start dating him. We were in the same social group with a lot of the same interests. It was after I started dating him that I saw how controlling and jealous he was. He thought my world should revolve and end around him. I didn't like that side of him and I'm rather independent anyway. I broke it off.” She shrugged her shoulders uncomfortably.

“He definitely didn't appreciate your independence or the thought that you could have a good time without him. He demeaned your integrity. This could just be my career and history talking, but I respect anyone who can handle being independent. In today's society, it seems quite rare. I'm often too busy to go on dates or to entertain often. It's nice when someone I'm interested in has her own hobbies or anything that occupies her time. Usually it starts out that they can manage, but then they cannot handle my work schedule or how much I travel for work. Relationships quickly unravel within a couple of months.” Darcy locked eyes with Leo as he spoke. For the first time she was hearing about his relationships outside of his family.

“I understand that, though. Anyone who has the pleasure of knowing what you are really like behind the camera would easily fall for your real personality.” Darcy snapped her teeth together and looked away from him. What was she saying? “You should know that being celebrity paparazzi has never been my goal. I applied for the job to receive experience, but now it has become quite useless to my career.”

Darcy let her voice fade as she changed the subject.

“What is your end game, then?” She glanced back at Leo, not expecting him to care what her goals or aspirations were.

“There is this organization called Mystery Writers United.” She watched as Leo's eyebrows lifted up in what she thought was surprise. “If I am accepted into their organization I can become a published author. They say I don't have enough experience; that I may never have the experience needed to become part of their organization.”

“Prove them wrong, then. Start your own organization or find ways to release your creations. Everyone has social media accounts. Base an account off of your writing. Do what ever you need to do and don't let a large corporation tell you to quit on your dreams. You just have to think outside the box.

As Leo spoke, Darcy began to smile. She knew instantly that he was right and understood why he was such a popular, respected celebrity. He thought in ways and created new ideas that not everyone was capable of. An idea began to form and she began to shake just thinking of it.

“Darcy.”

“Leo, I have an idea. Would you be willing to help me put it into motion? This would have to remain a secret, just between the both of us.”

They stared at each other, the grin on Leo's face spreading across his face before he nodded at her. Darcy smiled back. A wide, fulfilling smile that began to lift her spirits more than ever. She wasn't expecting the feel of his lips against hers or the warmth of his hand to spread across her cheek. She tensed with fear and uncertainty. However, every time his lips brushed against hers she found that chucks of uncertainty began to melt away until she found herself returning the kiss. Only when they were both in need of air did they break apart.

“Leo, I-”

“We will figure everything out. Just between us. Remember?”

 _________________

“Dear reader, you may have heard this past week that a certain celebrity news reporter became entangled in news that she is dating her boss, John Thomas of Channel 4 news. However, there has been word that this may just be a lie.” Leo James paced around his own living room and shot mischievous glances towards Darcy as he read from his phone. “According to sources close to the reporter, they had never heard of any love interest from the reporter. John Thomas and Darcy Wren have been asked to respond to the accusation but neither has yet made further comment.”

It had taken several days before Darcy felt strong enough to leave the bedroom. She had worked hard on her new project while trying to recover which probably made the process take longer than it should have. During her bed rest, she would monitor the live feed and see the demeaning and hurtful comments even after news broke that she was dating JT. She became so angry and frustrated that there was more than one time Leo had to take her laptop from her.

As the days passed, Darcy found that she had more and more respect for Leo. He was gentle in the way he coached her through this unknown territory and supported her through her latest project. And as days passed, more and more of these anonymous social media posts became public. As each new post came out to the public, the more recognition the anonymous poster received. It seemed overnight that the handle of Mystery Writer became famous and the number of followers only seemed to increase by the second.

This mystery writer strangely new facts about Darcy Wren, Leo James, John Thomas, and Channel 4 News that no one else seemingly knew. The posts ranged from truths about Leo James' personality to the obscene things Channel 4 News forced its employees to do. With each post there seemed to be more outrage or interest among fans and even those who usually didn't follow celebrity news. This provided more views to the live feed than ever before.

By day, and to the public, Leo and Darcy acted normal with each other to the extent of bordering on indifferent. At night, they'd find a way to go for a walk or talk for hours on end in her bedroom or anywhere out of hearing distance from the cameras. Their relationship along with the trust they had for each other only seemed to grow with every day that passed.

Darcy's good mood took a steep dive when JT decided to make a visit to Leo's house. She purposely stayed within view of the cameras and kept her distance from her boss.

“I came to remind you about your album release gala tomorrow.” JT sat on Leo's sofa, across from Darcy, though he hadn't been invited to. Darcy looked to Leo, watching his jaw tick in annoyance.

“And I believe I told you, John, that we haven't decided if we were going to continue to hold the release party.” Leo gritted out the words, his eyes narrowing at the man now sitting on his sofa before glancing at Malakai.

“In that case, there is another press conference I need Darcy to attend. As my girlfriend, you have been specifically requested. I'll have my secretary send over a dress. Oh! We will have to schedule a crew to replace your spot here.” JT glanced up, his eyes searching the ceiling as if he were bored.

Leo looked angrier than ever and behind him, Malakai seemed to mirror that same anger. Darcy raised her fingers to her temple, massaging her head as pain formed behind her eyes. It was her first time hearing about the album release party and now JT expected her to appear at a press conference.

“I'm not sure Darcy is up to any kind of event.” Leo made a point as he walked slowly around the arranged sofas. She made a point to wobble and sway on her feet. She was so enthralled with her act that she hadn't noticed JT stand from the couch and approach her. Only when Leo stepped in front of her did she realize what had happened.

“Darcy. I brought this back for you.” She peered around Leo's back to find that JT was holding her phone. Anger pulsed through her. Why had he waited so long to return it to her? Leo swiped it from JT's hold before handing it back to her.

“Is that everything you wanted to discuss?” Leo questioned. JT grinned back before nodding his head and turning towards the door.

“I'll see you tomorrow, Darcy. I'll call you later.” JT made a point of making his voice loud and clear for the cameras to pick up. Darcy rolled her eyes, wishing she could say what she wanted to the hateful man that was now walking out the door. However, with his departure she felt like she could breath again and she collapsed gently on the couch.

Leo sat beside her, his entire body turned towards her in worry. She grinned slyly at him before shaking her head.

“I'm fine, just a bit tired.”

“This is why I didn't tell you about the release party. I didn't want you to feel stressed or feel like you had the need to attend. You're still recovering, after all.” Leo relaxed a little and sat back in the sofa. “I think I have decided though. We will go through with the release party after all.”

Leo's eyes twinkled towards her and she grinned back, almost wanting to laugh with glee. This would give her the perfect reason to not attend the press release.

“Well, I have work I need to do.” Darcy announced and retired to her bedroom. Leo waited a little while before appearing in her doorway.

“Darcy, if possible try not to be alone with JT. If I'm not around try to make sure someone is around you at all times. Ok?”

She gave him a curious look before agreeing with a nod.

Did anyone else see how awkward the meeting between reporter Darcy and, so called, boyfriend John Thomas was? Doesn't seem like a very loving relationship, does it? Anyone else think it is odd?

Also, wasn't reporter D.W. In a dangerous situation just a few days ago? Don't you think she would have been safer if she had her cell phone? Why did John Thomas have her phone and only show up days later with it? Very curious, isn't it?

-Mystery Writer