Alone at the deck, he didn't know where to fix his eyes. There were two more empty dining tables at the deck and a wall blocked the view to the city, so his eyes reached for the dark, starry sky.
"Hum!" he hummed, finding that there was full moon. "What a coincidence," he thought, shaking his head, "I just saw her today!" and sighed, a little bit of hope filling his heart.
He thinks of her when there's full moon, but today, after running into each other just a few hours ago, he couldn't take her out of his mind. He just couldn't help it, not after what she did; giving him the formula to turn the seven years old body he had this morning into the body of a thirty three years old man again. Besides, he found that same look in her eyes again. For Mainframe, who has been wondering if what her eyes seemed to told him that night, when she infiltrated the GI JOE headquarters, was true or just another of her lies, this brief encounter has deleted all his doubts.
It has been like a secret, imposed torture since the day he met her as Carol, but now the feeling is frustrating. Now that he's completely sure she still feels the same way, it seems that there's nothing left to do.
"Get real," He repeated to himself often. He despised the idea of seeing her again in a battle. He hated the whole situation. He loved her, but he knew, deep inside, that it was impossible for them to be together. He was a Joe, a US soldier and she was a criminal. He had a military career, children to raise and take care of… What can be done? He couldn't risk all that for her. He thought about the possibilities again but they all seemed so hard to come true.
While lost in his thoughts, the music became suddenly louder. Someone had opened the door.
The music got lower again as he turned to see who it was.
"Hello, Mainframe," she said hesitantly. He gulped the beer as his eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped after realizing who she was. Neither the long, blonde wig nor the strapless silver top, black mini skirt and dress boots prevented him from recognizing the young Dreadnok biker.
A slight smile appeared on her face from the satisfaction of being recognized. This gave her some confidence and so she looked intently into his brown eyes.
"Huh," Dumbfounded, he stood up, took a quick look at the door and looked around, as if making sure nobody was looking.
"Nobody knows I'm here," Not showing her nerves, she kept looking at him, holding her breath as she is leaning on him to get near his ear, daring to suggest, "Let's pretend I'm a girl you have just met in a bar. We chat and you get me a beer. That's the deal. You want it?"
He frowned, hesitating. His heart was racing and his knees were getting weak.
"Please say yes," her eyes seemed to say as she waited eagerly for his response. But the implications of her presence couldn't make him react fast. He took a moment to think of what she was doing. As a man who always takes the lead with women, he felt somewhat intimidated. Never, never in his life he had met a woman like this before. If she dared to show up like this, that meant she wanted to take things further. She was willing to take the risk and now it was his turn to choose…
"Wow, you are here…" he trailed off, still pondering if he was willing to risk his career and family for a woman he doesn't really know well.
Disappointed at the expression of doubt on his face, she let the air escape from her lungs and shrugged, "Huh! I don't understand… I thought you wanted me!"
Her words didn't have the effect she expected. He was like paralyzed and she just couldn't have the patience to wait anymore. Feeling humiliated she snapped, upset, "You're a fool!" and stormed out.
"Shit!" He realized how much he ruined everything. The woman he wanted so bad was getting out through the exit. He followed her.
"Wait!" He yelled, but the music was too loud for her to hear. Only when he got outside, she slowed down her steps when she listened to his begs.
"Please, wait," He grabbed her arm just when she was heading to a black convertible rented car at the parking lot. She made no resistance.
"I'm sorry," He apologized, "It's just that I think this is…"
"Insane?" She finished his thought and turned to continue, her eyes bright by the tears she was holding back, "All the way I 've been thinking of not showing up here, thinking that I'm crazy! If my brothers get to know what I'm doing…" She shook her head, as if erasing the thoughts of her brothers mad at her, not sure of what they were capable of. Feeling free to show her feelings, she allowed herself to shed some of the tears and opened up her heart, " Mainframe, when I saw you today I wondered if I could bear another encounter with you while I'm on a mission. Truth is I don't want to hurt you. So, I'm here because I couldn't think of any other way of meeting with you."
There was a moment of silence when he left her arm free, brushed her cheek to wipe out the tears. "I was wrong and I apologized for making you feel so bad. You are risking far more than I do." Gently, he holds her hand, "I do want you and I think we should try."
She sighed, smiling with great relief as he continued, cheering her up, "Let's start again. This time, you and I will have dinner, we'll talk and your brothers won't ruin it."
"Okay," She accepted, seeing the same cute smile she always remembers from when he invited her to have dinner at Joe's Diner.
Holding hands, they headed back to their spot. The music was still playing.
"So, how did you find me?" Mainframe asked curiously.
"I heard you when you told your friends you would stay in California with your children."
"You didn't escape when you gave me the formula?"
"No, I wanted to make sure the formula worked out."
"So," Zarana continued her tale, "I knew this is your favorite spot while you are in the neighborhood, so I waited," she confessed.
"You have been here?" We looked surprised, since he didn't notice her presence when he got there.
"I've been watching you from the mezzanine."
"You know my favorite spot, you know where I live… and now I don't mean to offend you, but have you been…?"
"You told me, remember?" Zarana reminded him at his suspicions, "On the way back to headquarters, after the Dreadnoks wreck the diner, you told me almost everything about you."
"Oh yeah," he started to remember. Under the full moon, he openly told her his past, he invited her to his place and told her his address… he even showed her the walled size portraits of his five year old son and the eight years old daughter he always carry with him.
"I thought you didn't care," He came to this conclusion that same night, at the infirmary, when he thought that she just used him.
"I thought that too, but at the end, I realized that I care," She clarified, fixing her green eyes on his, "I remember everything that we said to each other that day. I can't… I don't want to forget it."
"Anything else, Blaine ,?" Isis broke the moment, looking intrigued at Zarana. She noticed that the blonde has been there for hours.
"Two beers and I'll have a burger and fries," Mainframe ordered.
"Same," Zarana shot Isis a stern look.
"Your waiter will be back in a few minutes," Isis reacted with the same gravity.
"Why does she call you by your first name?" Mainframe noticed a bit of jealousy on her question.
"She's an old friend and she owns this place. I met her when I moved here," He grinned, amused by this sign, "But you can call also call me Blaine."
"Ok, Blaine," Her expression softened.
"Speaking of names, what's yours?" He asked the question that intrigued him the most.
"Uh…" Zarana pause to think. Her name was not so important. "Zarana" has been her name since she joined Zartan and the Dreadnoks.
Mainframe noticed she was reluctant to answer. However, the response came after the waiter brought the beers.
"I want you to keep calling me Zarana." She started to drink.
"So, this is how it will be?" He stared at her, not content with her reply, "You knowing everything about me but me knowing nothing about you?"
Not ready yet for getting him into her personal life, she looked down at the bottle of beer she had in front.
"You know what? I tried to get info on you," She face him, frowning, "Yeah. We have little info on your brother, but on you… we've got nothing. I tried the Interpol, Scotland Yard, FBI, CIA…they got nothing."
Her expression changed to a triumphant, proud one.
"This is important for me," Mainframe kept staring determinedly at her, "I really want to know you."
"Burgers and fries," The waiter placed the food in front of them.
Zarana continued when the waiter left, "Don't get mad at me, sweetheart," her tone becoming softer, her words straight and honest, "Since I met you, I thought I knew myself, but I was wrong. So, let's say you are getting to know another part of me and honestly… I've never shown what I'm showing you." With that, she lifted the bottle, smiling, "Cheers".
Realizing that there was no way to refute her last statement; he lifted the bottle and made peace.
"Bon apetite," she wished him and wanted to start a conversation, but the crowd inside got suddenly excited when the band started playing a popular rock song.
"I love that song!" She exclaimed, while starting to move on her seat, singing the tune like the others.
Mainframe was surprised. She looked happy… playful… flirty.
"What?" She asked laughing while eating her fries, curious as to what he must be thinking of her "You don't like rock music?"
"Oldies, I guess," he replied, finding her even more beautiful.
"Oh come on, I guess there are only twelve years of difference between us," she winked.
"Twelve years!" A little bit shocked, he made mental calculation… "I thought you were..." He was about to say "older", but as the gentleman he is, then just occurred to him to say this, relieved, "Ok, so… you are just old enough to drink!"
"Bingo!" She chuckled, amused at him for being so naïve. He blushed… and looked irresistibly cute.
"You were right," the thought escaped from his mouth, wondering if more surprises were yet to come, "I'm really getting to know you!"