Rosaly opened the door to her little apartment and inspired the freezing morning air. It had snowed the night before, and looking at the outside scenery, she had the impression that the whole world was covered in cotton flakes.

Rosaly had loved winter since she was a child, but since she was born in a tropical country, snow was an almost non-existent item in the place where she lived. She was born in São Paulo, a city in Brazil where there were huge skyscrapers, rain every day and pollution everywhere, due to the large number of cars that circulated around the city. However, despite the large crowd of people who barely had time for a good conversation with their neighbors, São Paulo was an interesting metropolis.

On weekends, there were countless possibilities of entertainment such as theaters, cinemas, restaurants, bars and so many others that could not be counted at your fingertips. Therefore, a city attracted people from all regions of the country, and why not say of the world? Since dates like Carnival and New Year's Eve many foreign tourists, who took advantage of the time to travel to Brazil and get to know the cosmopolitan life that São Paulo had to offer.

Rosaly sighed deeply as she remembered her home, feeling a sharp pain reaching her heart. She had moved to Vancouver, Canada, for a year, leaving all her life and family behind, trying to find there the calm she needed for her heart. She shook her head to put away the memories that mixed with the constant fear that always made her leave home and look at her frightened neighborhood. Could she never have peace? When could she walk the streets without feeling that her whole world was threatened by strange shadows, hidden in every corner of that city?

No, she refused to let the darkness penetrate her soul on this incredible morning. She squeezed her coat closer to her body, wrapped the scarf around her neck, and began to descend the stairs towards the exit of the building. She found the door attendant of the building organizing the garbage of the condominium, and greeted him with a joy that she was far from feeling...:

- Hello\, Mr. Smith. What a magnificent day\, don't you think?

- Good morning\, Miss Rosely. - She had gotten used to the Canadian accent that never pronounced her name with "a" - what a pleasure to see her this morning. We hardly ever met.

- It's true\, my life is crazy. With three jobs I don't have time for anything either.

- Careful\, my daughter. Take the time to have fun. Working so hard is not good for your health.

- But I have fun\, Mr. Smith. My three jobs are fun for me. - It wasn't entirely true\, one of her jobs didn't give her that much pleasure\, but she needed the money\, because life in Vancouver was not cheap at all.

- I'm glad to hear that\, but still\, take some time to have fun with your friends. Good friendships are good for the soul.

- I'll try to take your advice. Have a nice day. -She said goodbye\, leaving for her first job of the day\, where she worked as a language teacher at an influential school in Vancouver called Way Ahead. She had always liked the language\, which she had still learned in Brazil\, but she had never thought that one day she would use it as her live hood.

She arrived at the school and greeted the secretary with her usual smile, then went to the teachers' lounge, which was deserted at that time. She used some coffee from the espresso machine, and sat on a chair near the window leading to the courtyard. As she drank her coffee, she thought about the hours ahead. She checked her watch and realized that her first class was twenty minutes away and sighed discouraged.

She liked to give classes, especially to children, because for them everything was new, and they learned with an impressive speed. The teenagers tested her patience, they seemed to be always with their minds elsewhere. They belonged more to the digital world than to the classes she tried to teach every day. It wasn't easy to get them interested, even if she tried her best, and in the end she ended up exhausted from her frustrated attempts.

In her first week there she had thought about giving up, but they paid well, and she couldn't afford to refuse work, so she ended up staying only for survival, and surviving was one of her specialties, and hiding too, Rosaly thought, feeling a black cloud hovering over her head. She closed her eyes, took three deep breaths, diverting her thoughts from the past that followed her in her worst moments. She got up from her chair, threw the disposable coffee cup in the trash, and headed for the classroom. For the next three hours, she would have to concentrate her energy on the three classes of teenagers she would have that morning, and she already knew that it would be extremely tiring.

When the last class was over, Rosaly gathered her things, organized the room before leaving. Fortunately, it wasn't that hard to teach that day, one of the students asked if they could do a class with music, and Rosaly thought it would be a very interesting activity. Then she asked.

- Do you prefer a particular singer?

- Teacher\, I took the liberty of bringing copies of a very popular singer's song here in Canada. I have the melody on my iPod.

- And who is he?

- His name is Shawn Mendes. Do you know him?

- No\, but since you like him I want to know for sure. - Rosaly felt the atmosphere of the class change. How could she not have thought of that? Music was always a good activity to work in a foreign language. She remembered herself when she was a student\, and how much she loved it when the teacher brought music to her English classes\, and the lively buzz of her students only proved that theory true.

The student who brought the music was called Adrianne, and when she put the music on the school stereo, the whole class was invaded by an extremely pleasant melody. The name of the song was Mercy, and the singer's voice was soft, a little hoarse and sexy. Rosaly didn't know the singer, but she was impressed with the strong lyrics and full of feelings. Her heart identified with each word, and she almost forgot where she was. There was a slight jolt when Adrianne approached her and said:

- Did you like it\, teacher?

- Yes\, this singer is very good. What's his name again?

- Shawn Mendes.

- Shawn Mendes. - Rosaly repeated the name without realizing it.

- Can we use some of his songs in other classes? - Adrianne asked hopefully.

- Of course. Studying with music is always nice.

- Thank you so much\, teacher. -Adrianne said all excited\, making Rosaly happy with herself. She had finally gotten a connection to the class\, and if this Shawn Mendes was a bridge to that\, she would use him in her classes as much as she needed.

Rosaly left school and went to the nearest coffee shop. She wanted to make a snack before going on to her second job that day, as she wouldn't have time for a decent lunch. She entered the cafeteria and ordered a cheese croissant, which she devoured in five minutes with orange juice. Then, it was in towards the juice house called Weekend, where her shift would begin in thirty minutes.

Weekend was on the prime side of Vancouver, and it was the first job Rosaly had gotten when she moved to Canada. A lot of celebrities came along time and time again. This attracted many clients, curious to see how their favorite artists behaved away from the spotlight of fame.

Rosaly thought it was all nonsense, because in her opinion famous artists were people like her, had their problems, their dose of drama in life and she was not impressed by their presence there. She treated them as she would treat any other client, because she didn't think they were different from anyone else just because they had more money or power.

When she was almost there, she stopped in front of an ice skating rink, and admired for a few seconds some people who were skating at that moment. She had always wanted to try, but she had never had enough courage. It was a very difficult activity that required a lot of discipline and balance, and Rosaly didn't know if she had enough skill for it. Maybe one day she'd change her mind about it and if she'd given herself the chance to risk a few falls, she thought it would be fun.

As soon as she stepped on the door of the Weekend, Lexie, one of the girls who worked with her, came toward her smiling and said:

- Good afternoon\, Rosely. John asked me to tell you to go to his office as soon as he arrived. -

- Thank you\, Lexie. I'll talk to him right away.

John was the general manager of Weekend, and since Rosaly had started working there, he had shown some interest in her. He had never openly asked her out, but he was always around, paying special attention to her, but Rosaly pretended not to notice. The other waitresses encouraged her to accept his attention, not believing that she was ditched a man like that.

- Girl\, how can you not fall in love with this Greek god?. - Lexie said distraught\, for John was an extremely handsome man. He was in his thirties\, tall\, dark\, and had incredible green eyes and fleshy lips that when they opened in a smile made him even more charming. His arms were muscular\, denounced by the informal short-sleeved t-shirts he always wore\, suggesting that the rest of his body should follow the same constitution. He was the kind of person who exercised every morning at the gym and ran in the park\, and on weekends he played tennis. Rosaly knew all this because she got tired of hearing the girls at her job talking about her boss while they were eating\, it seemed like they were keeping up to date about all the things he did\, and then they told her to see if Rosaly realized what she was missing. What they didn't understand was that she wasn't interested in any kind of love relationship\, she'd had enough in the past\, now she just wanted peace and quiet in her life.

- Lexie\, I know that John is a great person. He always treats us with consideration and respect\, and working here has been a very good experience. But he's our boss\, and right now that's all he means to me.

- I don't understand you\, Rosely. Any girl would give an arm or a leg to have such a man in their lives\, and you just don't want him. Did you take a vow of chastity or something\, or did you leave a forbidden love in Brazil that you don't want to tell us about?- a shadow passed through Rosaly's eyes\, but she tried to disguise her discomfort.

- It has no romance at all. Stop making up stories. I'm just not ready for it right now. Maybe one day I'll change my mind? -but she knew she was lying. She never wanted to get romantically involved with anyone again. She had open wounds that hadn't healed yet\, and she doubted. a lot that one day would get rid of them. She was definitely dead to love\, she always said to herself.

- I hope this doesn't happen too late\, because as you know\, life goes on \, and I don't think John is the kind of man who waits forever. On hearing that comment\, Rosaly just smiled\, realizing that Lexie and the other girls who worked with her thought that a woman would only be happy if she had a man next door. But she had to confess that she had also thought that way one day\, and her passions took her to a dark side of love that left her with deep\, painful scars\, and so she wanted nothing in her life to have to do with a loving relationship between a man and a woman.

She pushed those thoughts away as soon as he found himself in front of the door of his boss's office. He knocked lightly and heard John's deep, firm, grave voice send her in. As soon as he saw her his eyes sparkled and he said:

- Good afternoon\, Rosaly.

- Good afternoon\, John. Do you want to see me?- Rosaly never felt comfortable using her boss's first name when she had to talk to him for some reason\, because it gave the impression of an intimacy she didn't think was right\, but that was one of his demands when she started working there. John hated it when someone called him Mr. Kent because it made him feel 100 years old\, so he asked all his employees to call him by his first name.

- Yes. - he answered.

-I did something wrong? - she asked with concern, not imagining anything else as a reason to be there in his office.

- Of course not\, Rosely. I've only been getting compliments about your work. At the moment you are our best waitress\, always attentive to customers and efficient in service.

- Thank you. - she answered without continuing to understand why she was there.

- I wanted to know if everything was okay with you. I've noticed that at times you seem exhausted and tense. Is there something going on that I should know about? Rosaly felt her heart squeeze. How did he notice? Ever since she came to work at Weekend\, she'd been careful to keep her personal life away from the professional\, because she didn't want anyone to know why she'd moved so far from home\, but it seemed she hadn't been able to disguise her dark mood so well. It was either that or John had been watching her more than she would have liked.

- No\, there's no problem. It's just that besides this one\, I have two other jobs\, as you know\, and it's not always easy for me to reconcile all three. - She said\, hoping that he would believe it.

- If you want\, I can help you. You know you can trust me. -John looked at her more intensely\, and Rosaly felt her stomach shrink inside. She remembered another look like that\, and almost ran out of the office\, but she controlled herself in time to respond to the comment he had made.

- Thanks\, John\, but it's okay\, don't worry. I'll try to make sure my tiredness doesn't interfere with my performance here.

- Don't get me wrong\, Rosaly. I wasn't criticizing you. I was just worried about you.

- I understood John\, and I appreciate your concern. But I think I should get back to work now\, because Weekend is really busy today and I need to help the other girls with their requests.

- Sure. You're dismissed. Anything else come talk to me. - John smiled at her and Rosaly smiled back politely.

- Thank you. - She left the office closing the door behind her\, slowly letting go of the breath she had held the moment John started talking to her. her. She had noticed his interest and it made her uncomfortable. In reality she felt this way every time a man showed that he wanted more than friendship with her\, and this had lasted a year\, exactly since she had put an end to the nightmare she was living in Brazil\, and had traveled to Canada to try to paste the pieces of her broken heart\, and start a new life. Would she ever be happy again?

She still thought about it when she arrived at the employees' dressing room. She wore the elegant navy blue uniform that all waitresses were obliged to wear, tied her long brown hair in a pretty hairdo, and put her badge attached to the top of the uniform, retouched the light makeup he wore and headed for the cafeteria.

- So? What did he want?- Lexie came to ask her as soon as she saw her.

- Nothing important\, just things about the job\," Rosaly replied\, noting the disappointment marking the expression on her friend's face.

- That's it?-Lexie had asked;

- That's it. Stop inventing romance where it doesn't exist\, Lexie. Let's get to work\, because it's crowded here today. - Rosaly responded by ending the conversation.

For the next few hours, she was relieved to be so overwhelmed with work that Lexie no longer had time to torment her with that story. She served countless tables, just stopping by to make a snack right there in the cafeteria. As she ate standing at the cashier's counter, she watched a boy sitting alone at a corner table in the juice house. He wore sunglasses that hid his eyes, a baseball cap, pants, and brand-name black jacket that should be worth a fortune, denouncing his economic condition. The position in which he was sitting showed that he seemed relaxed, since one arm rested indifferently on the table, and the other was on the chair next door. He had a phone in his ears connected to a cell phone that was in his hands, and the music he played seemed to please him, because he set the pace with his feet that were worn by Italian leather shoes.

Rosaly usually felt restless when new or strange people showed up at the Weekend, but the image of that lonely boy sitting there only caused her curiosity. He turned to Kathy who was working at the cashier that afternoon and asked:

- Who is he? -Kathy looked in the direction that Rosaly was discreetly pointing and answered:

- To tell you the truth\, I don't know. I've seen him sitting at this very table many times\, but I've never found out who he is.

- Does he always come here by himself?- Rosaly tried to remember if she'd ever seen him there before\, but she couldn't.

- Yes\, he always orders the same thing\, a hamburger with pineapple juice. Then he sits in the same position for hours\, gets up\, pays the bill with a master credit card and leaves.

- How strange. - Rosaly said to herself. He was supposed to be a businessman or an actor\, or maybe a singer from a rising pop band\, because the clothes and shoes he wore suggested that he had a lot of money. What made her more intrigued was that he always came there unaccompanied\, because most tycoons or rock stars who appeared there\, always had a glamorous woman next door\, and that boy seemed to be feeling comfortable without any socialite in his company.

Rosaly wanted to get closer to see him more closely, to make sure she didn't actually know him, but she knew she couldn't do that, because there was a rule that all employees should follow to the letter in Weekend. No one would go near a celebrity if they didn't ask to be there. of an attendant or waitress, and if they disobeyed, they'd be out in the same minute.

Rosaly looked at her watch and saw that her break was over, so she went back to work and no longer thought of the stranger who had aroused her curiosity. At five o'clock sharp she finished her work there, but that would continue in her third job of the day. She enjoyed it because it was about dancing, something she had loved to do since she was a child.

She was a belly dancing teacher at an academy across town, and had classes every day from 6:30 in the afternoon to 8:30 in the evening. Rosaly had been interested in that dance when she was twelve years old, and her mother had put her in class because she realized that she no longer wanted to go to ballet and jazz classes that she practiced from an early age, and how important she thought it was for her daughter to learn some kind of dance, she had immediately enrolled her, and Rosaly had identified herself so much with the winding and sensual movements that in a short time she was dancing perfectly. It was fortunate to find an academy there in Canada that taught this dance, and when Rosaly began to attend it, her precise and graceful movements caught the attention of the teacher and also owner of the academy, who had invited her to teach classes every day at night.

Rosaly loved her work there because dancing was a pleasure, and she was able to disconnect from everything and concentrate only on the music she heard and the movements she was supposed to perform. Whenever she went home, she felt calm and relaxed, so for her that was the best part of her day.

She took the bus to get there, because the gym was far from Weekend and walking there would be extremely exhausting. She arrived at the gym after thirty minutes, wore the clothes she wore to teach and found her students waiting for her in the studio. They were rehearsing a new choreography, because they would make a presentation next weekend at a dinner for executives, who hired the academy to entertain the guests. Rosaly had accepted the invitation because in addition to receiving extra money, it would give more notoriety to the academy, and this was always welcomed. After going through the same steps several times, the class was over and Rosaly was finally able to go home.

Normally she would go to her apartment walking, because the gym was only three blocks from where she lived, but that night she decided to take a taxi because she was feeling strangely threatened, and didn't know exactly why. During the journey in the car, she went through all the events of the day, while watching the lights of the city that passed by her at an incredible speed. She went down in front of the set of apartments where she lived, passed by the gate greeting the night watchman and went to her apartment. She opened the door and threw herself on the sofa, exhausted. What a day !She had worked so hard that she knew she would faint in bed as soon as he fell into it, because his body was sore and sensitive to the excess of activities she had done throughout the day. Working in three jobs almost every day exhausted all his strength, but he knew she would have to continue if he wanted to maintain the life she had in Canada.

The phone rang and Rosaly got up in a jolt. Who could have been calling her at that time of night? Scared, she thought she wouldn't answer, but then she changed her mind thinking that maybe it was something important.

- Hello? - said with a dry mouth and a racing heart.

- Rosaly\, where were you until this time of night?-your mother's voice made you breathe in relief. There was a time difference\, and his mother always consulted him before calling her\, knowing exactly what time it would be in Canada.

- I was at work\, Mom. - Rosaly answered.

- Until now? - her mother asked incredulously.

- You know I have three jobs. - Rosaly explained patiently.

- Why haven't you called? I haven't heard from you in weeks. I was worried about you. - Rosaly felt a pinch of guilt for neglecting to call her mother\, because when she had traveled\, she had promised to call all her friends weeks. At first she had kept to the schedule\, but then her life had been so busy that the phone calls were spaced out.

- I'm sorry\, Mom\, but I've been very busy.

¬ When are you coming home? It's been a year, Rosaly. Don't you think that's enough?

- Mom\, you know I can't. - she hated hearing Mom's crying voice on the phone\, she didn't want to hurt her\, but I had no choice.

- I want to tell you something. Gaius looked for Danielle the other day. - Rosaly felt the floor open like she was going to swallow it when she heard the name of her ex-boyfriend.

- What did he want?- she asked nervously.

- He wanted to know where you were. Danielle said he grabbed her arm\, shook her\, tried to take the information from her by force\, and only stopped when she threatened to call the police.

- My God\, poor Daniele. I didn't want to involve her in this. - Rosaly was sorry. Daniele was her best friend and hadn't seen her since she came to Canada. One more thing that Caio had taken from her.

- Don't worry. She didn't say anything to him. But she asked me to warn you that he said he won't give up and will look for her until the end of the world. Why don't you come home\, Rosaly:? Here at least we can protect you. I can't stand the thought of you being in a foreign country\, away from your family putting your life at risk.

- Don't worry\, Mom. He won't find me here. - She said it more to reassure her mother than to really believe her own words. She knew that Caio could find her there\, because he had the means. She would have to redouble her care from then on.

- Do as you wish\, but be careful. - Her mother told her resigned when she realized that Rosaly wouldn't change her mind.

- . Don't worry\, I'm safe here.

- I love you daughter.

- I love you too. - Rosaly said\, hanging up the phone.

Her mother's words affected her more than she wanted to admit, but under no circumstances would she return to Brazil. Even with that imminent threat on her head, Rosaly felt she should stay where she was, because in Vancouver few people knew her, and even if Caio thought of looking for her in Canada, he would have a huge job to find her, and at least in that, she knew she had an advantage.

She went to the window, and observed the city outside, suggesting a calm that she couldn't feel in her heart. When would she stop running? Looking at the darkness she did not find the answer.

.

Hello, guys. I'm posting another story about Shawn Mendes. I count on you to tell me what you thought about it. Kisses, Rosana.

It was the third time in the week that he showed up there, because that was the only place where he felt at peace. He could sit for hours in the same place and would only be bothered if he wanted to, because he knew the rules of the Weekend on the celebrities. Nobody could get close to the famous customers who appeared there every day in search of a little peace, unless one of them wanted to make a request, this rule applied to fans who were kept outside by a strong security system, and this made him feel almost normal again.

Shawn looked around discreetly, and behind his sunglasses, he could see that there were several important people out there. He saw some familiar faces, accompanied by glamorous women, but he did not want to remember who they were. His gaze shifted to a table in front of him where a businessperson from the movie world was sitting. On his side, a platinum blonde pretended to pay attention to everything he said, but Shawn could see the look of boredom stamped on her face. She realized that Shawn was watching her and gave him an insinuating look. From where he could see that she was beautiful, the gym's spotted body exhibited turbocharged breasts and provocative legs that her micro skirt showed. Maybe once, he was interested, but now in her eyes she was just another fortune hunter.

He turned his attention to the music that was played on his headset and began to set the pace by tapping his fingers lightly on the table. He loved that song as much as the band that sang it. Under pressure in his opinion, was one of the best songs recorded by the Queen band. He had even recorded it on one of his CDs, but without claiming to equal Fred Mercury, who had been considered one of the best singers in the world, and who even after his death was loved by his fans.

As the music continued to play, Shawn thought about his life and his face got a little stiffer. He avoided letting such thoughts get in the way of his resting moment, but sometimes they just invaded his thoughts unexpectedly.

His image had always been important to him, and he had always believed that the way he saw himself was the same as the way other people saw him, but with the time and experience in that crazy world of showbiz, he had discovered that he was wrong.

He knew what people had to think of him when they saw him at the hottest parties in the world, accompanied by girls who looked like too painted barbies to his eyes. And there were many of them, thousands of them who approached him like flies attracted by honey, seduced by his money, fame, and his good-guy image, but he never found a single girl who was worth remembering the name of the next day;

For many, he was the rich playboy that pretended to be a pop singer, who used his money and influence as a decoy for whoever or whatever interested him. In addition, it was true that he had a lot of money, more than he would like, and having money gave him advantages that he wouldn't have if he were an ordinary boy, and that almost always gave him the feeling that he should apologize for having become famous so soon, as many fought all their life for a crumb of what he had achieved.

However, in spite of that, there was one thing he loved and that the disappointment of his dreams had not taken away from him. Shawn loved cars, and his favorite hobby was collecting them. He had several different brands, colors and models, but his favorite was a red Ferrari that he bought as soon as he became famous.

He loved the freedom that the car gave him, and loved even more to feel the wind in his face, the adrenaline of speed that made him feel so powerful that he would be able to fly. He could be himself, could go wherever he wanted, disappear in the anonymity of a privacy that he did not know what it was long ago.

He missed walking down the street just for the pleasure of seeing things happening around him, feel the rain wet his face, skate on ice, play football with friends, go to the beach without his presence causing such a stir that he needed the presence of a security guard, which took away the grace of doing anything. That was what the world of fame and celebrities had taken away from him, as well as his right to be who he was without having to explain himself to anyone.

But he couldn't deny that at first it was fun. The drunkenness of fame had caught him without him waiting or being prepared for it. Moreover, he had plunged into it like an alcoholic who sought his pleasure in a bottle of booze and drowned in its contagious effect. Suddenly, he was no longer the shy, quiet little Shawn who hated to stand out and get anyone's attention. He was the pop music star, idolized by fans, a beautiful face printed on magazine covers, the advertising boy who paraded the best brands in the world, the icon of a youth who urgently needed someone to be inspired by.

But in the same way that success had brought him extraordinary things, it had also charged him too high a price. When the magic began to fall apart, the charges came, the lack of privacy, the feeling of being suffocated, the loss of his identity. Being famous had left him vulnerable to criticism, to the loss of his friends who had left because they no longer recognized little Shawn in that glamour mask.

The tabloids constantly talked about him between one line and another as if they owned his life, giving names to girlfriends that he never had, putting words in his mouth that he had never said, only for the pleasure of notoriety. And he had suffered and been hurt, had gotten a lot, but he had lost what mattered most to him, which was his connection with himself.

His father used to say that he was too sensitive for the world of fame, and that if he didn't harden his heart a little, he would get hurt even more. Moreover, he had tried for a long time, and even managed to show the image of a good boy who passed and walked through life, as if it were the easiest thing in the world. As if, everything was coming towards him effortlessly. As if, his talent was just a mere lucky break. However, he had soon succumbed to the negative feelings that filled his soul, and he left aside the illusion that everything would change, and that he would once again be just the Shawn Mendes of his childhood.

What nobody knew and could never guess was that the boy with almond brown eyes, sweet face and curly hair when he was safe within the four walls of his room, fought exhausting battles with himself, thought of giving up all that madness, running away to a place where nobody knew who he was, living his life as anybody, having a normal life just for a change, being able to look at himself and not feel so empty. He was exhausted from pretending to be who he wasn't, he urgently needed to find out what he wanted, and what was still worth. He desperately needed to find someone to love; someone who understood his essence, to help him find the real Shawn Mendes that existed beneath that showbiz's star cloak.

But finding love wasn't so easy for him. Although he talked about it all the time in his songs, he had almost no hope of ever experiencing it. Of course, he had fallen in love, between one disappointment and another, he discovered too soon that real love was not for him, so he lived it through his music, sang it, composed about fictitious feelings that he had never really felt. He had learned that true love was rare, and in the world to which he belonged it was now almost extinct. It was left aside by the false aura of power that fame showed, and it was exchanged for the false perception that money bought everything, even happiness.

Shawn had sought love many times. At first he refused to give up, always thinking that one day he would find it on the next corner, at a party full of people, or even in the movie theater, but all he could find was the certainty that if love once existed, now it was dead.

He had met a girl once. . Her name was Kathy, and she looked like an angel with blond hair, green eyes and striking features. At first, she thought she was different, that she liked him sincerely, but he slowly realized that she was with him just because of the popularity Shawn gave her. She was a model, and being in the company of the star of the moment got her exclusive works, and so he had left her without giving her the second chance she had asked for. Since then, he had no longer shared his heart. He had more dates than he could count, and sex had become something banal for him, it was just a necessity and no longer the celebration of love he sang in his songs.

Shawn pushed the troubled thoughts away from his mind and looked at his gold watch on his wrist; and. saw that it was time to go. He had to be in the recording studio in an hour for the preparation of the next cd. He got up, and as he walked to the cashier, he felt someone pass him by very quickly, leaving behind it a delicious woody smell of cologne. He looked away in time to see just a piece of a navy blue dress disappearing through the front door. He followed it trying to see who owned the perfume that had caught his attention, but it had already disappeared without giving him time to absorb any more details of the person who wore it. Therefore, he paid the bill without smiling back that the attendant threw at him, went out the front door, and went towards the black Ferrari, which was standing in a parking spot in the Weekend.

As soon as he got into the car, his cell phone started ringing. He looked at the screen and saw that it was Brian, one of his few childhood friends who had not abandoned him when the weight of success had become a huge burden to bear.

- Hello\, Shawn. Are you all right?-he heard his friend's vibrant voice on the other end of the line.

- I am all right\, what about you? Have you been up to a lot of trouble lately?- Shawn said smiling.

- You know how it is. Old habits die hard- Brian laughed at the humor of his words\, and Shawn remembered that his friend was always like this.it seemed like nothing affected him\, it was as if life was a party for him.

- What's up\, man? - Shawn asked\, as he increased the speed of his car\, passing the other vehicle in front of him\, leaving a trail of smoke that made the other driver swear angry as he saw Shawn's Ferrari disappear at the next turn.

- Do you remember my father's business dinner on Saturday? - Brian asked.

Yeah, it's been on my schedule for a month.

- That's great. He just asked me to remind you that your presence is very important for this event.

Shawn smiled ironically when he heard his friend say that. He knew very well why Brian's father wanted him at his party. Once again, fame weighed on his shoulders, making him feel like he was a product that would be sold to the highest bidder.

Michael Fox, Brian's father, was one of the most important men in the fashion industry in Canada. Shawn had already used his brands on several occasions, more because of his friendship with Brian than out of consideration for his father.

In fact, he didn't like the man at all. He was always smiling, like Brian, but unlike his friend, it was a false smile, hiding behind him a hard man who cared only for the millions he earned every year, reserving little or no attention for his family. Shawn knew that Brian suffered from his father's detachment, and that he clung to Mr. Mendes, Shawn's father as if he were his own, for he treated him with more consideration than his father had ever done before.

- It's all right\, Brian. Tell your father that I will be there.

- Shawn\, I'm sorry\, I know how much you hate the spotlight\, but you know my father. Brian apologized.

- Never mind\, Brian. You know I'm doing this for you...

- I thought it was for the beautiful girls who are going to be there. -Brian said by provoking him.

- Clown. - Shawn had replied.

- See you later\, buddy. I'll see you Saturday. Brian said goodbye.

- See you later. Take care of yourself.

Shawn slowed down. He was about to arrive at the recording studio, and felt the old anxiety hit his stomach like a Ping-Pong ball. He always felt that way when he recorded a new song, because he didn't know the repercussion it would have. And waiting for the result, after the music released in the media, made him apprehensive.

The moment he locked the car door, his cell phone started ringing again. He looked at the number that appeared on the screen, and cursed softly. Kathy! He hadn't spoken to her in months, and he didn't want to talk to her now, but just out of curiosity she answered.

- Hello. - he said leaning against the hood of the car\, and immediately heard her voice sound sweet and hoarse\, just as he spoke when she woke up in his bed in the morning in the past.

- Hi love\, you haven't called me lately

- I've been busy. - Shawn answered in a dry tone\, but she didn't seem to notice it\, for she continued to speak in his sweetened voice that made him feel sick just listening to her.

- I miss you\, baby. - Shawn ignored the insinuating tone she used to talk to him\, and all he wanted was to end that conversation as soon as possible. So he asked:

- What do you want?

- I want to see you. Can we meet?

- Kathy\, tell me what you want right away. I haven't got all day. - he was getting impatient and almost hung up on her face.

- What is it\, honey? Are you in a bad mood? She woke up missing my kisses.

- Your time is running out\, Kathy. - He warned her.

- Are you going to Mr. Michael Fox's party this weekend? - then that's it\, Shawn thought\, It had to be.

- Yes.

Do you have a date yet?

- No.

- Can I go with you?

- No. Why don't you call Brian and ask for an invitation. You have his number.

- You know very well that Brian doesn't like me\, and he would never give me an invitation to anything.- her voice had completely changed from sweet to angry.

- So\, you're on your own. - Shawn said\, hanging up the phone\, and put it in silent mode. He didn't want to be disturbed by people like Kathy anymore\, he'd already had enough of it for a day.

He walked into the studio, greeted everyone and went to the recording booth, listening carefully to all his manager's instructions before he started.

Within five minutes he had forgotten everything that had happened to him that day. He felt transported to another level, where only the magic of music could make him feel as if the whole world was beautiful and nothing else could hurt him.

After three hours of work, he returned home, remembering the party he would have to go to. He wished he hadn't agreed to do that, but now it was too late to go back on it. Besides, he wouldn't do that to Brian. However, for some reason, he felt such a great anguish, and an enormous desire to cry. He took a deep breath, waited for that unpleasant sensation to pass, and entered the house, wondering mentally what was waiting for him that weekend, or that was to say, what did he expect from that weekend? He didn't know the how to answer to it.

-

Hello, guys. I hope you like this chapter. I'm waiting for the comments. Kisses, Rosana.

ROSALY

Rosaly checked the clock again, and sighed to see it was time to go to work. She left her breakfast untouched on the kitchen sink, picked up the bag she had left on the living room couch the night before, and left the house.

The cold air hit her in full, making her tremble. She closed her eyes for a moment wishing she didn't have to work that day, but she knew she couldn't skip that. She hadn't slept well in days, accumulating so much tension over several days, that on that Saturday she ended up waking up grumpy and exhausted.

Since her mother had warned her about Caio, her night terrors had begun again. She had nightmares, woke up startled with her heart jumping and her face bathed in tears, she could no longer go back to sleep and spent the rest of the night sitting on the sofa in the room, embracing her own knees.

She did not want to think about Caio, but her mind betrayed her, and the image of his face appeared in her head without her wanting it. But this memory was not caused by the love she had once felt for him, but by the force of fear that now surrounded her life, and had settled in her heart for so long that she no longer knew if she would ever be able to free herself from the bonds imposed by her past.

Rosaly felt the tears cloud her vision, and shook her head to push them away as she walked to the bus stop. She had stopped taking her morning walks to work in those days, as she was afraid of what she would find on the way. Anyone would say she was exaggerating if she didn't know the horror she carried inside her. She looked at the people who were passing by her, and wondered if Caio was hiding among them, observing her secretly. Such a thought made her panic, but Rosaly tried to calm herself down by saying to herself, "Don't be paranoid, he doesn't know you're here, at least not yet.

The bus arrived and Rosaly sighed relieved, passed all the benches, going to sit on the last one, in an attempt to go unnoticed. As the bus made its usual way, passing through streets, avenues and entire neighborhoods, she thought about the events of last week.

Her language school classes had improved considerably, thanks to Mr. Mendes, as she started calling her students' favorite singer. They carried out several activities using his music, making the students, especially the girls, more interested in the classes, because they still had the look of a teenager in love with their idol. Rosaly remembered herself at that same age, and she remembered that she was also like that. How many times had she saved up to the last coin of the allowance, just to buy the ticket for the show of her favorite artist?

Despite all her concern about what was yet to come, the classes were fun, and although she wasn't as focused as she should have been, Rosaly realized with satisfaction that she had made some progress with the class. She even got from Adrianne gave a CD recorded with the best songs of Mr. Mendes, that she played every night on the stereo in her apartment, and the student also showed her a picture of him, but she had not paid much attention, because she had other things in mind at that time. Rosaly even liked the style, but the singer himself intrigued her, because the voice that sang about broken hearts, overwhelming passions and goodbyes seemed too young to know the meaning of such feelings, but she could not say anything about it, because she herself was only twenty years old and for all that had happened, seemed to have lived a lifetime.

Rosaly saw the bus make a turn to the right, and the next stop would be hers. She rang the bell of the bus, and got off it, straighten her wool hat that protected her head from the cold breeze that blew at that moment. When she was two meters from the Weekend, she noticed a boy leaning against a pole, wearing a black hooded blouse that looked directly at her. Her heart froze and Rosaly rushed her steps, fearing that he would follow her. She arrived at the entrance to her work and looked back, she saw that the boy had disappeared and she breathed a sigh of relief, trying to straighten the red scarf around her neck.

Since a year ago he had been living this way, running away, hiding from everything and everyone. Rarely did she leave home, and the few friends she had made were limited to the girls who worked with her. Differently, in Brazil, she had a very busy social life, had thousands of friends, and for being so popular, Rosaly received invitations to parties almost every weekend. But, all this was over when she had met Caio and her world so well structured had begun to collapse unexpectedly.

Thinking about the past made her depressed, so she tried to keep such thoughts away, because she would have a full day at the Weekend, and would still have to prepare for her presentation at night.

She entered the cafeteria and headed for the locker room. She was still restless, but she disguised her nervousness as best as she could, because she didn't want them to notice her real state of mind and start speculating about her private life. She got dressed quickly, and looked in the mirror, observing small dark spots under her eyes, denouncing her sleepless nights. She put on more makeup than she used to, trying to hide them, then she held back her hair and went to her work area. On the way, he met John who came from his office with his hands full of books and invoices. When he saw her he smiled relieved to see that she had arrived, soothing the lines of concern on his forehead.

- How nice of you to arrive! Lexie is sick and could not come today. We're full of clients\, and requests. I don't know what happened\, but it seems that all the celebrities decided to come Weekend today\, that leaves us with a lot of work to do. Do you think you can handle it? - he smiled at her.

- I'll do the best I can. - she said without smiling.

- Is everything all right with you? - John asked her.

- Yes\, why?

- You seem nervous.

- It's your impression. I'm fine\, don't worry. - she ended the conversation and went to the cafeteria. As soon as she came in\, Sarah\, one of the waitresses\, came to meet her almost running.

- Hi\, Rosely. I'm glad you're here. I was almost going crazy with so many requests.

-Take easy, Sarah. I'll help you. – Rosaly smiled at the girl, who seemed lost in the middle of so many famous faces.

She worked for about half an hour when Joseph, the boy who took the orders, told her the number of the next table to be served.

- Table five.

- I'm going there. - Rosely took her notebook and went towards the table he had told her. As she was approaching\, she saw who the client was and raised a surprised eyebrow. There was Dr. Mystery\, wearing the same sunglasses and baseball cap as the other day. Rosaly had nicknamed him that because no one had known who he was\, so it had become almost a private joke that she only shared with herself.

She came close to the table, feeling strangely nervous, she picked up her pen and said without looking at him:

- What would you like to order? – she knew intuitively what he would order \, even before he said it.

- Hamburger and pineapple juice. - his voice was firm\, a little hoarse and very pleasant to hear\, and the way he did it had a curious effect on Rosaly. Her heart jumped\, as if she had been moved by those five words that came out of his mouth. "Stop it\, Rosaly\, he's just a customer like any other\," she said to herself. She was on her way out to get the order when she heard him grumbling something. She lifted her eyes from her notepad\, looked at him and almost had a fright. The boy looked like he was staring at her behind his sunglasses\, but she couldn't be sure\, since she couldn't see through that mirror glass.

- Can I get you anything else?

- No\, that's enough. - She had the same feeling again\, so she tried to get out of there before she made a fool of herself. The she returned with the food and drink he had ordered. She put everything on the table carefully\, but when she turned around to go out\, she tripped at the foot of the table and would have fallen if strong hands had not held her wrist\, preventing her from standing on the floor. Because of the quick movement he had made while holding her\, Dr. Mystery pulled her up against his chest\, letting his right hand rest on her waist\, keeping her firmly attached to his body. Rosaly was so surprised by the gesture that for a moment she found nothing to say. But she soon recovered\, and said in his arms:

- Thank you.

- For nothing. - and then he smiled softly\, as if he was having fun with the situation\, making Rosaly feel a sudden heat spread across his spine.

- I think you can let me go now. - She said when she saw that he didn't seem to intend to let her go.

- I'm sorry. - he said simply\, releasing her immediately.

Rosaly turned and walked towards another client who signaled to her, but all the time she felt like she was being watched, and every time she did, there was Dr. Mystery staring at her from behind those annoying glasses. At five o'clock her shift ended and before she went to the locker room, she looked at table five, but Dr. Mystery was no longer there, leaving her disappointed.

- What was that about table five? - Anna\, the cashier at the diner asked him.

- Nothing much happened. - Rosaly tried to talk her way out of it.

- But a lot happened to me. - Anna gave her a naughty little smile.

- It was just an accident\, Anna\, don't exaggerate.

- Girl\, you're really lucky. He's hot.

- You can't tell behind those sunglasses.

- So\, I guess you didn't look right\, I'd do anything to kiss that mouth. - Anna said malicious.

- Anna\, you are a bad girl. Does your fiancé know about your fetish for strangers in sunglasses?

- That's something I never tell him\, honey\, because I know he must have his too. - Rosaly laughed at her friend's comment\, relaxing completely. It was the first real smile she gave that day\, relieving her tension.

- Well\, I have to go now or I'll be late for my appointment.

- . See you on Monday.

- See you\, Anna.

Rosely dressed as fast as she could. She needed to get to the studio in forty minutes, take a shower, and meet with the girls who would dance with her that night. The businessperson who had hired them would send them a car to pick them up and take them to the event, because the place where the dinner would take place was a little far from downtown and for Rosaly, it was a relief not to have to worry about how to get to a place she barely knew.

By 7:30, all the girls had arrived and were looking forward to the presentation. It was the first time they had participated in something so important and wanted it to be perfect. The chauffeur-driven car arrived on time, and Rosaly and the other girls were surprised that not just any vehicle was sent to them, but a limousine with all the comfort they could expect from such a car, proving that the event they were going to was far more important than they had thought at first.

While settling inside that huge car, Rosaly could only think about how much it meant to her, because the dance was always her passport to freedom, leaving her so happy that she forgot everything bad that existed outside, and this nobody could take from her that night.

hello, guys. i hope you like this chapter. I'm waiting for the comments. Kisses, Rosana.