The second I saw him laugh, I stopped caring about who he was, or if I was actually in danger just by being next to him. Jay could smile after all, and laugh, and have fun. He was nothing like his other half, the Dark Jay. That was the first thing that passed through my mind back then. The second point was that I kinda liked him more when he smiled.

The ‘Phosphorus’ bar was one of those places where everything was designed to make you have fun. Virtual reality games, a bar on the back, restaurant on the upper floor, and many, good looking people, dressed with the latest word in fashion. But, that wasn’t the reason why I decided to get him here.

It was really late, and the lights had been lowered to create an atmosphere. Surely, if your thing was loud, mellow music, a bunch of couples dancing in the middle of the room, and doing drugs in the toilets, then okay, ‘Phosphorus’ was perfect for you.

“What is this place? The music’s too loud in here,” Jay screamed to me so that I could hear him.

“Be patient. We’re almost there,” I replied to him.

I moved towards the bar and made a signal for him to wait.

If I’m lucky, then…

“Jessie!!!”

“Oh. My. God. Eladia? What the fuck are you doing here? I thought you would be on a faraway planet by now, getting crazy with all those Great Mystery buds.”

Jessie was one of my colleagues back in my studying days, back when I spent most of my time taking care of my silhouette and fixing my makeup. But Jay didn’t have to know about that part of my life now. My trustworthy ponytail was the only grooming I needed nowadays.

“Hey, don’t be harsh. You’re a Researcher, and I’m a Mystery girl. It’s not my fault I can’t resist a good treasure hunt!” I replied to her.

We had to talk loud at one another, ending up with my voice sounding hoarse and ugly. But Jessie, with her enigmatic, black eyes and golden hair, made it seem like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Tell me, who is this stud you have with you? I’ve never seen anyone with skin so white. Is he okay?”

Luckily, the place was badly lit and she couldn’t spot his eyes. She must have thought he was just a huge human with extremely pale skin, but if she knew the truth, then I would have to spend the rest of the night explaining everything to her.

“He’s just a friend coming to Mosa for the first time, so I thought of giving him the proper tour of the city. Hey, Jessie, you know, I have something to ask you. Can I get him upstairs?”

Jessie, the usually wild girl, seemed to think twice before nodding to me. She passed the door key to me with a smooth handshake. I wanted to thank her, but she shook her head. Before I turned my back, she threw me a slight grin.

Well, there they go Eladia. Your student years. This is probably the last time she lets you get up there and have some fun. It figures. After all those times she had to come and pick me up from up there, while I was drunk.

Nevertheless, I would have never come back here if it wasn’t for Jay. I wanted him to see the coolest view of the city at night. However, when I turned my head expecting to find him at exactly the same place I had left him, he was nowhere to be found.

I swore behind my teeth, but in a room as small as this, I quickly saw him in the middle of the dance floor. A young brunette was trying to seduce him by dancing around him with her clothes almost off. A skinny, good-looking girl that she could have had every man she wanted. Instead, she chose the one least suitable for her.

She moved her hands around him, touched his abs, then headed up through his arms, pushing her pelvis sensually against his dick, and then she started all over again. It certainly didn’t help that the music was slow and sensual at the time. It was like she had asked for that particular song.

By the time I arrived, Jay was already talking to her, and for a moment I thought of storming out of the room myself, to take a page out of Jay’s book, but I didn’t. I was sure Jay wouldn’t follow me anyway.

“Hey. We have to get going, Jay.”

Immediately, the young girl turned and looked at me straight in the eyes.

“Hey, lady. Who are you? I’m sure Jasih wants to stay with me. Am I right boy?”

Okay, now she can pronounce his name as well? Shit.

Jay didn’t talk. Instead, he pushed her aside and stood right beside me.

“I asked you to stop ten times already human. Maybe if the music wasn’t so loud, you would have heard me the first time I told you so.”

With a flick of her long hair, she turned her back on us and walked away. For a second, I was glad Jay had chosen me instead of her, although checking down towards his penis, I could see that something was stretching.

I wanted to slap my face to stop thinking about Jay in that way, but I couldn’t stop. His statuesque build, his perfect face, his rough skin, everything about him drew me closer. I sighed and lowered my head while we walked towards the end of the room.

There were two doors, one leading to the restaurant upstairs and the other to the roof. We followed the second one, but Jay stopped behind me, confused.

“Aren’t we going to get something to eat first?”

I sighed. He was as thick as always. “Trust me. We can have something to eat later. Now you have to follow me.”

He didn’t seem to understand, but I didn’t want him to understand. Right now, I just wanted to get as far away as possible from that girl, and Jessie, and anyone. Honestly, I didn’t think I wanted to climb all these stairs just for Jay anymore.

The way up seemed endless and sometime later, I could almost hear Jay’s disapproval. Well, he didn’t say anything but it was the way he breathed in and out and his attitude. It was like he was expecting me to go faster, or he even sometimes stretched his hand to help me. We stopped a couple floors before reaching the roof, taking a short break to catch our breath—well, so that I could catch my breath—when Jay started talking.

“I thought you were upset earlier. Did something happen down there?” He still talked a bit loud, probably his ears were buzzing from the loud music.

“No! I just want to get up there and show you something. That’s all!”

“You don’t seem okay with it. It’s like you don’t want to be up here,” he suddenly said.

“I do want to be here more that I want to be down there with that girl that tried to seduce you!”

The words left my mouth before I had the time to stop. For a moment there, I hoped he hadn’t heard me, or he hadn’t understood what I said, but then he went on and said it.

“Were you jealous?”

Shit. Now I’ve done it. Well, you know what they say. Offense is the best defense.

“Who? Me? Of her? Of course not. I just don’t like being around many people, that’s all. Now, are we going?”

And before I had the chance move, his hand jolted forward and grabbed mine.

“I don’t understand you, humans. Outside you were laughing and having fun, and inside you seem worse than me. If there’s a problem, please say something.”

“No, of course there isn't a problem. I’m just head over heels in love with you and you don’t seem to have a clue.”

Okay, Eladia, tell me you didn’t just say that. Oh, my god, I did say it.

It was one of those times that my mouth ran faster than my head, and I said things I didn’t mean. But I kinda ended up saying them after all because they sounded better in my head at the time.

Damn, damn, damn. I have no idea what I’m doing.

He still held my hand, only this time, the heat from his skin traveled all the way to my face. I wished he would come up with a witty comment, and then we could keep going up to the roof where the wind could wash away all my thoughts.

Instead, he stared deep into my eyes, searching for something. I realized I stared back at him. My hand hurt now, and my heart had stopped beating. I breathed but only mechanically. Time had frozen, and I could do nothing but wait.

Only that I couldn’t stop talking.

“Please say something. I know it’s not like you, but please say something.”

“When did this happen?”

You’re kidding me, right?

“I don’t know. It just sort of happened. Six months of traveling with you, never saying anything, always fighting you. I don’t know. Maybe that night, when you saved me and brought me to that lake? Yeah, that was the first time I felt more intimate towards you. And now I can’t stop talking.”

I pulled my hand free and ran upstairs. I wanted to stop and see if he followed me, but I didn’t. Tears ran down my eyes, and I walked the last few steps blindly. I opened the door to the roof and the wind burst in behind me. My tears dried in moments, but I couldn’t stop my heart from racing.

When I opened my eyes, the world was under my feet. I kinda thought the tragic irony of this place. Being so high yet so low right now. Something I had never accepted before was finally out in the open. I was in love with him, and now he knew it as well.

So, when he walked behind me and grabbed my shoulders, I couldn’t feel anything but embarrassed. However, Jay had something else in his mind. He pushed me around gently, and he raised my chin with his free hand. In a moment’s notice, his head lowered, and he got closer and closer until his lips touched mine.