Jai
I casually sipped on my Coke as I reclined as best I could in the cheap plastic chairs. I looked across the room and wrinkled my nose in disgust. Leon, adorned in an off white lab coat, was bent over examining a microscope, while Petra Columbus leaned next to him, head in her hands expectantly. Leon looked up from his microscope and said something that Petra apparently found hilarious. How funny can a microscope really be? I thought, trying not to shoot daggers in their direction. I turned back to my notebook and continued recording.
Three years ago, Leon and I had been working on breakthrough alien technology. But as we progressed, Leon became less and less enthused by what we were doing. He would attempt to change our course, sometimes averting focus altogether. We ended up fighting a lot, and I had no idea why he didn't want new of our discovery to reach Hydra's authorities. But eventually, Leon promised me to drop the experiment all together. I tried to convince him otherwise, but Leon was my best friend, and if he didn't believe in something, I had to trust him. It broke my heart, and Leon knew it. We stayed friends, but nothing was really the same. We had been one in the same, but after that Leon started dating around, and I saw less and less of him.
His newest fling was Petra Columbus, an engineer whose outfits didn't quite fit right up top. She wore her hair in girlish, golden ponytails, and she chomped on bubble gum and she giggled. I rolled my eyes and turned back to my notebook.
Dr. Whitehall had been killed about a week ago. Mr. Bakshi and Agent 33 had been missing ever since. Everyone was worried, but nobody seemed to be attempting to search for them. Leon would ask me why I was worrying, after all, neither of them were ever very nice to me. But I couldn't help it. And it wasn't necessarily true, they both had their nice moments. Agents 33 would half smile at me everytime it was my Friday to bring make cookies, and Mr. Bakshi even returned my hello the morning before he had gone missing, I almost couldn't believe it.
Leon stopped his engaging conversation with Petra and walked over to my desk, peering over my shoulder. He made a sound of disapproval. I turned and looked at him incredulously.
He frowned, "your equation is all wrong."
My eyes grew wide and they darted to my paper. I heard stifled laughter, and I punched Leon in the rib. "Don't scare me like that."
"Lighten up, Jai," he laughed. "You and I both know you'd never have a wrong equation. You're too much of a perfectionist."
"I just want everything to be orderly," I explained, sitting back in my chair. "I want the heads of Hydra to know I'm doing a good job."
"You are," he encouraged. "But you should take a break." He put his hand on my shoulder and I felt a jello sensation in my stomach. "Come get drinks with Petra and I."
My smile fell. "I'd hate to be a bother on your date."
"Jai, you're never a bother," he stressed. "Besides, she has a friend who's looking for someone to show him around. A relocated Hydra agent."
I raised an eyebrow. "You're setting me up on a date," I sighed in realization. Leon nodded stupidly.
My mouth forcefully curled into a wide smile. "Why not?" I said. "I need to get out of this lab."
"Great!" Leon's face lit up. "We're leaving in ten minutes." He rushed off to tell Petra and I slumped in defeat. If Leon was suggesting him, he had to be a decent enough of a man. And the way his face lit up when I said I was going would carry me for days. I sighed dreamily, not realizing I was subconsciously drawing a heart on my notebook.
I had plenty of time to think as I rode in Petra's car to a nearby pub. I spent most of the ride trying not to focus on Petra's obvious flirting with Leon. I wished I had worn something a little more presentable to work today. Pulled a loose thread off of my pastel pink sweater and tried to throw it, but it ended up landing on my navy skinny jeans. I looked up and saw Petra's golden curls whip back as she laugh and I immediately felt self-conscious of my long, wiry black hair. I tried to brush through it with my fingers quickly before we pulled up to the pub, which opened to a side street. Petra and Leon entered holding hands, and I hovered awkwardly behind, searching for my blind date.
"Jai!" called Leon, over the noise of the eatery. "This is Grant." He gestured to a tall, built man with short black hair. He smiled a no-tooth smile and me and shook my hand.
"Hi," I greeted, getting caught up in his kind, brown, eyes.
"Nice to meet you," he smiled. I blushed.
Petra found us a table and we all sat down. I quickly sat next to Leon, even though I received a glare from Petra, and Grant sat across from me. He immediately picked up a menu and began to study it.
"The Trigger Burger's looking good," he said. His eyes caught mine; I looked behind me.
"Oh, me," I muttered embarrassingly, whipping my head back around to see Grant laughing quietly at me. "Um yeah...burger."
"Or the Jalapeno chips," he suggested.
I wrinkled my nose, "I can't stand spicy food. One time when I was four, my Uncle gave me a fire pepper and told me it was candy. My mom gave me some milk, but my Uncle made me laugh and it ended up coming out of my nose. I've had trust issues ever since." I laughed to myself, but suddenly fell silent as I look at Petra and Leon staring at my, disgusted.
"Ew," muttered Petra, turning back to her menu.
Grant laughed. "I've had my share of nose and milk incidents." He smiled a me, and I immediately forgot about Petra and Leon. I smiled back.
"Sounds like a crazy Uncle," Grant continued playfully.
I nodded vigorously. "The kind you only have around at Christmas, but ends up passed out on the couch."
"My mom always said it was better that way." We both laughed. Maybe this night wasn't going to be as much of a disaster as I thought.
The rest of the evening went off without a hitch. Grant had me mesmerized; he was funny, relatable, and just plain charming. I got so excited when exchanging stories about our favorite movies, Leon had to tell me to calm down. When he wasn't looking though, Grant and I exchanged looks like he was crazy. We enjoyed our meal, and Grant paid for my meal chivalrously.
"I hope I can see you again," he said, as we were exiting.
"You've hoped correct," I smiled, handing him a napkin with my number. Soon I was in the car with Petra and Leon again, sighing dreamily the whole way back to the facility.
It was then I noticed that not a word was said between Petra and Leon the whole ride home. Actually, now that I thought about it, I didn't remember them speaking very much for the entire dinner. Petra's once-bouncy curls had grown graven, and Leon looked boredly out the window. When we got back to the facility, Leon pulled me aside.
"I have to say, Leon," I confessed, "I wasn't too thrilled about going out. But I actually had a great time!"
Leon's eyebrows raised. "Are you kidding? It was a disaster!" The wide saucers of my eyes waited with concern for an explanation. "The food was burnt, the waiter was slow, and don't get me started on Grant-"
"What about him?" I asked angrily.
Leon looked at me like I was a stranger. "Don't tell me you actually liked him?"
"Of course I did!"
He scoffed. "He was just showing off. He's way too cocky."
"He was charming and very nice," I countered. "And we are going on another date."
Leon was taken aback. "You are?"
"What did you think? That I was going to wait around in our lab until I was an old maid?"
He shook his head, his temper calming. "Still, I don't think this is a good idea."
I groaned. "I'm not discussing this with you." I turned and walked away. I didn't stop my wide strides until I got to my one room apartment in the facility. I took a warm shower, still smiling at the thought of Grant and his warm smile. I drew hearts out of the condensation on the shower wall. Again and again. Then I wrote our names.
Jai Xu + Grant Ward.
Mmm yea so that's what Ward has been up too. Anyways hope you guys enjoy this switching between characters and all, I've never done it before. I'm working on the next chapter right now so it should be out within the week!