It was 6am and Haru was baffled by Mika's abilities. They were playing all night and so far, they have been tied. Every time he thought he defeated Mika; Mika managed to KO him. The fuck?! I am not letting this go. Haru thought determined.
Mika threw the console handle and raised his arms. "I need a break." He said. We pulled an all-nighter.
There were a few people left cheering them on.
Mika stood up and swore at the cramps in his legs from sitting down for too long. "I don't know about you, but I need to get something to eat."
"But… We have to see who wins?!" Haru exclaimed.
Mika waved his hand. "Who gives a shit." He said, walking towards the exit. I spent all night playing and all I can think of right now is that I want to eat.
Haru followed him. "Wait. Wait. Let's have a rematch! I can't leave this unfinished." I have to know who won or I won't be able to sleep.
Mika raised his eyebrow. Now I've got you. "I'll tell you what. Let's go have breakfast then we will have a rematch."
Haru nodded excitedly. "I'll just get my jacket." He said, running back to get it and then met Mika. They walked to a small bakery across the arcade and got a seat. Mika ordered a big breakfast and so did the guy. "Don't you have a day job?" Mika asked.
"I could ask you the same thing, but the answer is no. I only work part-time." Haru answered.
That's news to me. "That's interesting. What do you do?" Mika asked.
"I'm a lab technician. This is my first job, so I conduct experiments, gather data and perform basic investigations. They still don't trust me with the major stuff so I do disinfection and cleaning as well." He explained.
"Sounds interesting." Mika said, biting into his bread.
"What about you?" Haru asked, drinking coffee from a huge mug.
"I'm a school teacher." Mika said automatically. "School's off, so here I am." He lied.
He nodded while he ate his food. He was hungrily eating that he barely made talk so Mika decided to say something.
"Are you at a government lab?" Mika asked. Tell me something useful. Come on!
"No," he answered. "I work for a private lab. They do a lot of weird experiments for medical purposes. I find it a bit off because I work with a lot of poisonous chemicals." He muttered, and then shrugged. "But hey, who cares. The pay is good."
Mika looked curious. I'm onto something. "Can a private lab afford a good pay?" he asked. I wonder what a good pay is.
"Of course." Haru answered. "If the owner is Senior Miguel Caballero Rojo then money is not an issue."
Fuck! Mika thought.
Aya woke up the sound of helicopters. She quickly got off the bed and saw four of them outside the motel through her window. Wow! When you ask Lei for help then he means business. She thought. she quickly got off and realised that she was alone in the room.
She washed up, got dressed and looked into Jordan's room and noticed that he was gone as well. She left the room and found S.W.A.T all over the area barricading it. Where did those two go? She thought, looking around. She finally found Jordan seated by the ambulance helicopter. They were patching him up properly and Fay was talking to Lei. It must be serious if Lei came here personally. Aya walked to Lei and Fay. "How come you didn't wake me up?"
"You looked too beautiful." Fay joked. She was dressed in jeans and a loose white shirt.
Lei looked at them both. "We found out that the roses here are sent to a lab in the city. As beautiful as they look, but they are highly lethal too."
"Poison?" Aya asked. Wow! Who would have thought? "Who told you this?" Aya asked.
Lei removed his sunglasses. "Mika managed to pull out the news from the intern. He did good." He explained, "I'll go check on Jordan." He said, walking towards him. Lei reached Jordan. "I never thought you'd get shot." He said, seeing a nurse adding dressing to his wound.
Jordan stood up and put a shirt on, not buttoning it. "It was either me or the girls." He admitted. "I do feel better." His gaze fell on both women who were talking.
"We are not out of the dark yet. The tenants don't look too happy to see us." Lei said, looking around.
"No, the…"
[BANG]
Everyone ducked as a shot was heard. In a minute…
[RATAT] [RATAT] [RATAT]
Bullets flew everywhere from a machine gun.
"Shit!" Lei snapped. "Everyone takes cover!" he ordered.
The girls ran towards them as Lei saw a huge iron board and moved it in front of them. "Stay behind."
Jordan took out his gun. "Be prepared." He ordered.
Aya and Fay looked around, trying to find the source until Aya pointed at top of a hill. "There!" she said.
Fay looked at the hill, "They haven't given us time to breathe!" she muttered.
"There's no boring moment with you girls." Jordan smirked, standing next to her. He looked at her and the rush got to him again. What happened last night with Fay was crazy but he wasn't sure to address the situation. Then he laughed at himself. This is so not the time to think of last night.
Fay looked at him wryly.
"Jordan, can you run?" Lei asked.
"I can run."
"You go right, and I'll go left. We will let them think that we are aiming for them but let one of the girls shoot." Lei explained quickly, running.
"Roger that." Jordan said, running to the other side.
Fay and Aya looked at each other.
An Hour Later
"Fuck!" Jordan swore, spitting blood.
"Double that." Lei said, sitting on the floor. He crossed his legs and tried to regulate his breathing. They had outrun the intruder and the girls had shot him.
Aya and Fay ran towards them. "You ok?" Fay asked Lei, putting her hand on his shoulder. She was worried about him.
Lei nodded. "I'm good, but check him out. He is bleeding again." He said, pointing at Jordan.
Jordan had his hands on his knees and was trying to breathe. He looked down and noticed that his dressing was soaked in blood again. That's going to be shitty, he thought.
Aya went to Jordan, and helped him stand properly. "Enough being a hero, ok?" she said, taking his arm and putting it around her shoulders.
He didn't remark.
"I'll call the paramedics," Fay said, running ahead. "Lei, come on."
When they were all back at the front of the motel. Lei looked around the mess and saw his team cleaning and scouting the area. He looked at the girls and, "Now what?" Lei said.
Aya put Jordan down on the chair, and saw a gasoline tank on the floor across of them. "Now, we burn this place down." She said looking at Fay who agreed with her. These roses have caused nothing but trouble.
Lei raised his eyebrow. "I'll pretend that I didn't hear that." He said, waving his hand. We don't normally destroy evidence, but I can't have these roses out in the open. "You do what you need to do then come and take the chopper with me and Jordan."
They both nodded. Aya first went to the roses farm, spilled the gasoline everywhere and took a match out. "Burn!" she whispered, watching the whole place ignite.
Fay was awed at the fire and then looked at Lei. "Lei, why did you bring all these helicopters?" Fay asked. It seems more than necessary.
"One of them will bring Jordan's car." He said sarcastically.
Aya burst out laughing.
Jordan just shrugged.
They all got into the chopper after Jordan was patched again. Lei gave them their headsets and then they took off. "Did Mika find out who owns this place?" Aya shouted as it was too noisy.
Lei scowled, "Our good friend Miguel."
Jordan looked surprised. "Seriously?" he asked, then winced. That bastard!
Fay held his arm. "I think you should be out of commission for a while." She said, noticing that he was in more pain than yesterday. She then took a good look at him. That was interesting, she thought. I don't think I've felt like that in a while.
He shoo-ed her hand away. "Yeah. Yeah. But what the fuck? Miguel?!"
Fay looked at Aya. "Is he the pervert you visited?"
"Yep." Aya nodded.
"So, shall we pay him a visit then?" Fay asked, looking at Aya. Maybe we can pull out more information from him.
Lei nodded. "Recoup first then visit him in a couple of days." Lei ordered. "I need you all to take a break. Also, be careful. He won't be happy that his flowers are burnt."
Jordan leaned back and removed the headsets. "That bastard was making us go on a chicken run." He muttered. "Don't go see him without me." He told Aya and Fay. I'm going to kill him. Was all that for nothing?
Noon
Jin was in the office, looking at Josey. "Where is everyone?" he asked, noticing that it was rather empty. After he had dropped Hwoarang off last night, he had gone home and slept. He woke up fresh this morning trying to process all the information that he has. I'll link the clues to Jordan's notes in Fay's office.
He was busy putting notes on the wall when everyone walked in. "You're back early." He remarked, seeing the girls.
Fay quickly told him what happened.
"So where is Jordan?"
"Lei took him to the hospital." Aya answered. "He will be fine." She said looking at the new clues on the wall, "So what's this?" she asked.
Jin sat down, staring at the wall. "I met my father last night." He said, making both Fay and Aya look at him in surprise.
"Wow!" Fay said, "That must have been a shock for you." She remarked. I mean wow!
Aya crossed her arms. "I can't imagine that it was easy."
Jin shrugged. "I got over it." He said, then he explained to them how he met his grandmother and what they had told him.
"Did you believe them?" Aya asked.
"Your father told you that someone was purposely making all the leads, point to your grandmother? How come? I mean…" Fay asked. She frowned trying to make sense of all this. It's a bit dodgy. Is it a trap?
Aya was thinking the same thing.
"I don't know what to believe." He admitted, standing up again. He walked around the room. "The establishment doesn't seem unethical, and he… I don't know. He seemed calmer. I don't think I have ever seen him talk so calmly."
"You think being in jail changed him?" Aya asked. This is all too weird.
"No. Jail wouldn't change him. He is hard headed." Something was off though. I need to clear my mind around this. "It's fine. Let me think about this. I need to do some more digging."
"I'm going to pass by Lei with Mika." Fay said, leaving the office. "I'll catch you later."
Aya was about to leave, but Jin stopped her. "I think you need to check on Red. He totally passed out last night."
"Oh. What happened?" Aya asked curiously.
Jin told her of the events making her eyes widen.
"You allowed someone else to touch my RED?!" she demanded.
Jin laughed. "Hey. It was nothing like that, but go check on him. I think he needs it. I dropped him off at Fay's."
Aya huffed and left. And why the hell are you still sleeping at Fay's!?
"Thanks for picking me up." Fay told Mika. "I had no energy to walk."
Mika put on his sunglasses and drove ahead. "You should have just rested. Lei gave us all a couple of day's off. Why do you need to see him immediately?" he asked curiously as he looked at the streets.
"You'll know when I get there." She responded.
They arrived at the central and walked in. Fay admired Lei's leadership. His office was the first one at the centre. He wanted to always know what's happening and be involved so he made the team make his office downstairs rather than a lot of chief's who preferred to hide on the top floor.
Lei was looking through a file. "I thought I gave you guys the day off."
"When you follow your own advice then we will do that too." Fay told him with a smile.
Mika just waved at him then he looked around Lei's messy office. There were files and papers everywhere. "How's Jordan doing?"
"He's as bad as you two." Lei gave a file to Mika. "He came straight here with me from the hospital." He shook his head, then put everything away. "How can I help?"
Mia pushed Fay forward, "She wanted to see you. I'm just the driver today."
Fay looked at Lei then tried to carefully think of how to say it. Just be honest. "Jordan has been working with us for a while now. You put him on the front side a lot with us. What is it about him?" she asked curiously. What we did was a mistake, but… My heart cannot stop beating every time I think about it.
"I trust him." Lei said seriously.
Fay stood up. "You trusted Lee too," she said in a stern voice. "How is he different than Lee?' she asked, shocking Mika.
Lei looked at the young woman who was looking at him with doubt in her eyes. He knew she wanted answers. After everything that's been going on, they would always be in doubt. 'I never trusted Chaolan Lee, Fay."
Fay blinked in surprise and even Mika showed it.
"Sit down, Fay." He ordered. "I think I owe you both an explanation." He said honestly, walking around his office.
Fay didn't move, but Mika motioned for her to listen. She scoffed and sat down in annoyance. Mika patted her knee, indicating for her to listen. "Tell us, boss." Mika said. Jordan has been working for months with us now, yet, everyone is still uneasy around him.
"Jordan DeMarco comes for an upscale family. He is the youngest son of Marcus DeMarco." Lei began telling the story.
"The DeMarco's from the Fortune 500 company?" Mika asked.
"Yes." Lei answered. "That family is in a class of their own. They even give the Mishima's a run for their money." Lei continued, then he sat down at the edge of his desk. "They're also into politics. Being affiliated as such, Jordan was also put into an arranged marriage at a very young age. His mother thought maybe it will curb his wilder side." He explained, making a quote sign.
Fay was quiet the whole time.
"He worked at his father's company and had a baby girl too. The marriage was a disaster but the girl was his everything. Unfortunately, an accident caused the girl to die at the age of three and he was never the same again."
Fay covered her mouth; I had no idea.
Mika looked sad, "What happened?"
"It was an accident." Lei repeated. "Jordan collapsed and everything his mother didn't want him to do, he did. He was so lost and depressed, that his father came to me and asked me to take him in. His mother never cared for her children and didn't know how to handle them and Marcus knew that the only way for him to get better is to stay away from her."
"You raised him?" Mika asked in disbelief.
Lei chuckled. "You don't raise a twenty-year old. You just keep an eye on them." Lei said, then he looked at Fay. "In a way, Jordan stayed with me for a long time. He learned martial arts and he started asking about the force." Lei continued. "I realised during his stay that he has an excellent memory so I tested him out. Then one day I suggested him to start a degree in crime investigations and he has never looked back since then."
Mika was surprised. He had no idea that Lei had been so involved. Wow.. I'm impressed. You hear about this sort of shit in the movies only! Mika smacked his head. "That's why he keeps saying that he owes you a favour."
Lei looked at Fay. "Are you satisfied now, my dear? I trust that man with everything that I have."
Fay stood up, startling Mika. She walked up to Lei.
Mika thought she was going to hit him, but to his shock, she hugged Lei tightly. "I am sorry I doubted you."
Lei rubbed her back. "I don't blame you." He said. "Frustration builds up and I know it's not easy with everything that has happened." I know it's been tough since the beginning. It doesn't help that Dionne is still in a coma.
"Are you all done probing into my life?" Jordan asked, walking in. He was in black training pants and an open a shirt. He had a dressing on his chest and abdomen. He gave a file to Lei and glared at him.
"Don't bother glaring." He said, looking at the file. "She wanted to know why I kept asking you to help."
Fay looked embarrassed.
Jordan raised an eyebrow, and looked at Fay. "Well, I trust that you're satisfied now?" he asked sarcastically. I think I know where this is coming from.
Mika chuckled while Fay's eyes flickered in anger. "Don't give us attitude." She snapped at him. "I had the right to ask."
"Just say it! You asked because you don't trust me!" he snapped back.
"Of course, I didn't." she said heatedly, standing up to him. "and we have the right to ask and know. You practically live with us now so we wanted to make sure that we don't have to always watch our backs!"
"Che!" he muttered, then swore. "I saved your ass back there! If I wanted to stab you, then I would have left them to kill you." He said, glaring back at her.
"You…"
"Okay! That's enough." Lei said, standing in between both. "Mika, help me with this." Lei ordered giving Mika the file Jordan had given him, "and you two, leave please. You have a day off. Get out of this building."
"I am not …" Fay began, but Lei gave her a look telling her not to complete the sentence.
"I said leave." Lei repeated.
Jordan swore out loud and left.
Fay looked at Lei and Mika. Then she turned around and left. She walked to the reception and didn't find him anywhere. She did feel bad but she had the right to know. Anyone working with them now had to be checked. Did Lee screw with us that much that I am having trust issues now? She thought, walking out of the place and heading back home.
Aya rang Fay's bell several times until the door opened. It was Hwoarang, only wearing boxers. He rubbed his hair and looked at her. 'Yo."
Aya poked him in the ribs.
"Hey! Ow!"
"How dare you open the door only in boxers! And in Fay's apartment?!" she demanded jealously. "You think I have no feelings." She said heatedly. And why is it that all I can think of is how hot he looks?!
Hwoarang held her hands. "She is not even here. I just woke up from last night."
Aya glared at him. "Red! I miss you!?" she exclaimed. "You have been away for too long. Don't tell me that you are still mad?"
"I'm not mad!" he muttered. "I'm just…"
"I want you." She said, putting her arms around his neck. "Don't you too?"
Hwoarang captured her lips in a fierce kiss. He slipped his tongue in Aya's mouth and explored her hot cavern thoroughly before he sucked on her tongue possessively. His hands went to her waist and held her tight. He pulled her closer, and closed the apartment door.
Aya's body shivered at the aggressiveness of his kiss but enjoyed it fully. A moaned escaped her lips the moment he pulled away from her mouth and sucked on her lower lip. She opened her eyes slowly and looked at him through glazed eyes.
He lifted her up and walked to the sofa. Hwoarang moved one of his hands and placed his elbow on the sofa while he rested his head on the palm of his hand looking down at Aya. He chuckled and moved his other hand caressing slowly her skin until he reached the first button of the shirt that separated her bare skin from his fingers.
He leaned his head and placed a light kiss under her ear. "I want you even more," he whispered seductively.
"Then show me."
Later
Fay was just about to enter her apartment when, "Fay!"
She turned to see Mika running towards her.
"You disappeared." He told her. After he finished with Lei, he went looking for Jordan and Fay but couldn't find any. He then decided to go to her apartment and found her.
Fay turned the key and opened the door. She walked in and found Hwoarang standing by the kitchen, holding a cup of coffee only in his boxers and Aya was sitting in the sofa only in her shirt. They were both glowing and… "Hi…." She said, then she realised something. "EW! Did you guys have sex in here?!" she demanded.
Aya giggled while Mika supressed his laughter. Hwoarang was busy ignoring everyone, and drinking his coffee.
"Don't laugh!" Fay snapped at Mika. "I mean EW! And on MY sofa!" My God! Now I have to throw the sofa away!?
Aya gave her a sheepish look, but she did not look apologetic at all.
"Disgusting." Fay muttered, throwing her keys on the table and hanging her coat on the wall. "Please, get out! All of you. I want to be alone."
"Oh." Aya said, "How come?" What ticked her off? She thought, curiously, looking at Mika.
Mika knew what she was thinking. "She had a huge argument with Jordan in Lei's office, and he threw them both out of his office."
"Its nobody's business." Fay said, taking off her shoes. Why are they still here?
"What happened?" Hwoarang asked, walking into the living room.
"It's nobody's business!" Fay repeated.
Mika totally ignored her and told them what happened.
Aya looked disapprovingly at Fay. "I think you should go and apologise."
"Over my dead body." Fay said, opening the fridge door to get something to drink. I am not apologising.
Mika rubbed the back of his head. "I was actually going to suggest the same thing. That's why I came here looking for you." Mika told Fay.
She looked at him in confusion. "But I didn't do anything wrong." She said in denial.
"You did." Aya acknowledged. "Go and apologise. We will all come with you. I have a nice idea to thank him for what he has done for us until now."
Somewhere Else
"Hey…"
Jin turned around from his bed and looked utterly shocked to see Dionne there sitting on a chair. She was dressed in a white dress, looking at him lovingly. He sat up abruptly from the bed, "When did you get out of the hospital?"
Dionne watched him, and gave him a sweet smile.
He rubbed his face. Am I still asleep? He thought. Am I? Am I?
"How come you never told me?" She asked.
Jin was trying to get his head around everything that's been happening. "Told you what?"
Dionne held his hand. "That you have feelings for me." She said emotionally. "I do too. I love you. Christina loves you."
"I…"
Dionne had a tear run down her eye. "Take care of her for me, ok? I don't trust anyone else but you to raise her."
Wait a minute, he thought confused as hell.
She stood up and kissed his lips lightly. "Thank you, Jin." She said, turning to leave.
"Hey, wait…." He began.
Jin jolted from his sleep, covered completely in sweat. He was breathing hard. He looked around his dark room and started shaking. He jumped out of his bed and went to the bathroom. He splashed his face with water several times and tried to shake himself back to reality.
He couldn't stop his hands from trembling as he dried his face. What the fuck was that? Fuck! Fuck! He came out of the bathroom when his phone rang. He looked at the number and his heart made a huge thump when he noticed that it was the hospital calling him.
He gritted his teeth, and picked it up. "Hello?"
Later in the Evening
Jordan was in the shower, allowing the cool water to flow when his doorbell rang. He continued showering when it rang again. Who could it be? He thought. He quickly rinsed himself, and wrapped a towel around his waist. He put another on his shoulders and walked out of the bathroom to the door. He opened it, and looked staggered when he found Fay and Aya in front of him. "What's going on?" he asked. Is everything ok?
Aya grinned. "Do you always answer the door like that?" Yummy in my tummy, she thought then she bit her tongue, remembering Hwoarang.
Jordan looked at them cynically, and opened the door wider. "I wasn't expecting anyone." He said, motioning for them to come in. "Wait here." He told them as he left them and walked into one of the rooms.
"There should be a law against him for not wearing a shirt." Aya murmured. How come we are always surrounded by men with gorgeous bodies.
Fay chuckled. "Same can be said for Jin and Hwoarang." She said, playfully. "He is good to look at." She admitted. Then she suddenly got butterflies in her stomach when she remembered what happened at the motel.
Jordan came back out, wearing a pair of Adidas black shorts with white stripes on one side and a black t-shirt. He was also wearing black sandals. His hair was still wet from the shower. "How can I help my uninvited guests." He said sarcastically, looking at them.
The girls looked at each other, then back at him. "I came to apologise," Fay said embarrassingly. She showed him a grocery bag that she was holding. "We also came to treat you to a home cooked meal." She added. "That's if you will accept my apology."
"Hey, is this the place?" Mika asked, walking in.
Jordan looked behind where the girls were standing as Mika and Hwoarang walked in.
"We invited them too." Aya said in a tease. "So, can we stay?"
Fay remained quiet.
"It's not like I am given a choice. I'm not an ass either." Jordan said, looking at them. "Come." He said, leading the girls to a beautiful designed and crafty kitchen. It was top of the range built and looked quite simply. "This is the kitchen, help yourselves." He said. "I'll come back." He said, leaving them.
Fay looked at Aya. "It's a complete mess." She said, looking at the sink distastefully.
"I guess we have to clean up first." Aya said, pulling out some stuff from the sink. This will take some time.
They cleaned up for a while until Jordan came back again. "Excuse the mess. My maid comes in once a week." Jordan said. "I let the boy's go to the game room."
Fay looked around and really liked the interior. It was minimalism white with interior wood, and very light furniture. Every piece was top notch. He lived on the penthouse of the building. The top floor. She didn't say anything to him. She was actually embarrassed of how she acted earlier.
Aya felt the awkwardness between them. "Just show us where everything is and then we can take over."
Jordan explained where everything was, then he opened the fridge door and pulled out some sodas. He placed them on the kitchen counter. He took out some boards and plates, and placed it there as well. "This might help." He told Aya.
Aya thanked him and put the grocery bags on the counter. "Let's see what we got." She said pulling the items out. "Are you planning to help?" Aya asked Jordan. She noticed that he was still lingering around. Hmm… Just maybe.
"I can boil water." He joked, making her laugh.
Fay walked over to them. She pushed her hair behind her ear and took the vegetables. "I'll take these." She said, then she looked at Jordan. "By the way, don't let her make you think she knows her stuff in here. She can't cook if her life depended on it."
"Oh, come on!" Aya exclaimed. "I cook! I boil pasta! I make rice!"
Jordan didn't remark. He watched her as she walked over to the sink and started washing the vegetables. Mistake? Or … he thought. There was something about her that he couldn't shake. He then looked at Aya who had noticed him eyeing Fay. He just gave her a side smile, and then left with the sodas in his hands.
"I'll go check on the boys." Aya said, leaving the kitchen.
Thanks for the help, Fay muttered.
Aya was admiring Jordan's game room. It was equipped with a ping pong set, arcades and a large screen with video game consoles. "You know Mika will never leave this room." Aya joked, looking at Jordan.
He smirked. "Let him do what he wants. Its been a while since anybody used these. I've been so busy that I hadn't had the time."
"KO!" Mika exclaimed, looking victoriously at Hwoarang. "I kicked your ass! Again!" he said in triumph.
Aya laughed. "I better save Mika before Red pounds him." She told Jordan.
Jordan chuckled at the sight in front of him. It's been a while since people came over here. He thought. He picked up the empty cans of soda and walked out of the room while Aya was trying to stop Hwoarang from choking Mika.
He walked back to the kitchen and found Fay sitting on the kitchen counter, scrolling through her phone. There were three pots on the stove, and something was baking in the oven. He threw the empty soda cans in the garbage.
The sound made Fay look up. She gave him a light smile and resume back to her phone.
Jordan was about to walk out of the kitchen when he stopped. He turned back and faced her, his hands in his pockets. "Why?"
She looked up from her phone. "Excuse me?"
He eyed her carefully and admired her. She was very carefree and he had to admit, beautiful. She was wearing a Sylvia off shoulder mini dress in white blue water colour. Her hair was let loose flowing casually on her shoulders. "Why go to all this trouble?"
She put her phone away. "I felt bad." She answered. "You've done so much for us but we always had a tiny bit of doubt about you." She admitted. Then she hesitated a bit. "I'm sorry for earlier too." She said, not looking at him. "And sorry for the intrusion. They all tagged along." She said with a chuckle.
"It's fine." He said. "Company is always nice." He walked closer to her, and stood next to where she sat. "And now? You're doubt free?"
Fay's breath caught in her throat at how close he was standing. His face was on the same level as hers. He really is tall, she noticed because she was seated on the kitchen counter. She pushed her hair back nervously. "and now you need to move away a bit," she said softly.
Jordan looked at her seriously. "We never talked about what happened." He said, referring to the time at the motel.
Fay hesitated. "Do you think we should?"
He studied the situation. She was right there in front of him, looking all adorable. He never thought he'd want someone like this. He decided to do something audacious and lean forward. He angled his head to kiss her. Their lips met briefly when...
"Jordan! Can I get a glass?!"
Jordan moved away from Fay as Mika walked into the kitchen.
Mika didn't sense anything was wrong, "Yo. What's up?" he asked Fay.
Fay chuckled embarrassingly. She felt like a schoolgirl. She covered her mouth and couldn't stop chuckling at the situation. She could tell that Jordan was irritated at being interrupted.
"What's so funny?" Mika asked.
Fay jumped down from the counter, and shook her head. "I just remembered something," she said, opening the top cabinet. She pulled out a glass, and handed it to him. "Here."
"Thanks." Mika said, leaving the kitchen.
Fay watched Mika leave, and walked over to Jordan. Stop brooding over the past and live in the moment. That's what Di would say… she thought sadly thinking of her.
"Jordan." She said, holding his arm. She leaned forward and kissed him, surprising him. After a few seconds, he leaned down further and kissed her sensuously. He moved from her lips to her neck, and then returned to her lips as he began backing her against the kitchen counter. He caressed her back as they kissed fervently, then placed his hands on her waist and put her on top of the kitchen counter making her sit, his lip never leaving hers. Fay wrapped her arms around his neck bringing him close to deepen the kiss. They were so absorbed that they didn't realise someone was already in the kitchen.
"Ahem!"
Fay pulled away from Jordan when she saw Aya by the kitchen door. She unwrapped her arms from around his neck, and looked at him. She gave a light chuckle, feeling embarrassed as she tried to hide her smile.
"Can't someone get a moment's privacy." Jordan muttered, removing his hands from Fay's waist. He moved away from her and looked at Aya. "Can we help you?" he asked, as he put his hands on his jaw.
Fay covered her mouth and climbed down the counter. "Come and help me, Aya. Dinner is almost ready." She said, walking over to the stove and lifting the lids to check on the food. She glanced at Jordan and couldn't help but titter at the situation. She opened the cabinet, took out some plates and walked over to him, "I'll talk to you later." She whispered in his ears, as she handed him the plates. "Go and set the table."
He just gave her a look, took the plates and left the kitchen.
Aya gave Fay a mischievous look. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry for interrupting." She squealed in excitement.
Fay felt her heart beating fast. "In a way I am glad that you interrupted. I wasn't sure what was going to happen."
Aya looked at her. "Has this been going on for a while?"
Fay shook her head, as she took a hand warmer and picked up the pot. "Not at all." She said. "Actually…" She said embarrassingly. "This is the second time he kissed me. The first time was at the motel."
"What?! When?! I was there the whole time." Aya shouted. I don't remember leaving them alone. I was with him alone more than Fay.
Fay laughed and explained the situation. "He would've kissed you if I wasn't there." Then she just shrugged. "Don't read too much into it. It was spur of the moment." She said, putting the Chinese rice she made into a bowl.
Aya helped Fay place the other stuff into serving plates. "I think…. I think he is a good fit for you." She added. "I like him. I've spent a good time with him, and I think he can calm you down."
"I'm not thinking of getting involved with anyone right now. Plus, we are too alike. Its suicide." My heart can't stop beating. Fay thought, clutching her dress.
Aya mixed the salad dressing, and looked at Fay's face. "But you're already so smitten." She said, making Fay gasp.
"Hey, need help?" Hwoarang asked, walking in. "What's going on?"
"Jordan kissing Fay." Aya smirked, pushing her tongue out. She handed Hwoarang the rice bowl. "Go put it on the table."
"Hey!" Fay snapped.
"It's only Red." Aya said, holding his arm. "We have no secretes."
Hwoarang looked at Aya amusingly then at Fay. "I'm not going to comment."
Fay glared at Aya who was busy ignoring her.
Close to Dinner Time
Jordan was playing a ping pong set with Hwoarang while Mika was still hooked onto the videogames. The doorbell rang and Jordan raised his hand for Hwoarang. "Give me a second." He said, walking to the door. He opened it and saw Lei Wuloung at the door.
Lei held a bottle of champagne and looked at him. "The girls invited me."
Jordan shook his hand, "By all means come in." he said, inviting him in. He led him to the game room, and then went to the kitchen. "Are we eating anytime soon?" he asked. "Lei's here."
"Just one minute," Fay said, taking out the baked pasta from the oven. "I'm glad that he was able to make it."
"Yep." Aya agreed.
Jordan took out some glasses, "He came bringing Champagne." He said, leaving the kitchen. He placed the glasses on the table. Just then Fay walked out too. "This is the last dish." Fay said, holding the sautéed chicken in a plate and putting it on the dining table. She looked at the table setting. It was set nicely for six. Dinner was Chinese rice, sautéed chicken, baked pasta and a salad. "You can call the guys."
"Yes ma'am." He said.
Later.
"I can't breathe." Mia whispered. "That was damn good."
"I agree." Lei said, raising his Champagne glass.
Fay sipped her own glass and nodded. She ate her food in silence as everyone chatted. Aya and Hwoarang were sitting next to her. She had purposely chosen not to sit next to Jordan. The feelings scared her. She knew he was eyeing her from time to time. There was chemistry. She was sure of it, but she wasn't prepared to get involved so fast.
Jordan poured another glass and drank it. He was sitting next to Lei, eating as well.
"You should ease up on the champagne." Aya remarked, looking at Jordan. I think that's his second glass.
"I don't normally drink." He said. "But I'm making an exception for getting shot." He finished his glass and picked up his plate. I think I over ate too. He thought, taking his plate to the kitchen. He placed it in the sink then went back to the others.
"Come on, Mika! You're hot." Aya said. "Are you telling me that you don't have someone special?"
Hwoarang smirked. Looks like Jordan wasn't the only one who's drank more than one glass.
Fay looked at Mika. "I'm curious too."
Lei didn't comment. Kids will be kids. I do feel old here.
"After my ex-fiancée I honestly have sworn off women." Mika said, folding his napkin. "It's easier not to be committed. It was too much to handle so I am happier like this."
Aya put her hand on Hwoarang's shoulder. "But what about your needs?'
Lei almost choked on his drink while Jordan stifled a laughter. Fay covered her mouth, looking at Jordan. He casually winked at her, making her blush.
Mika grinned and put his hands behind his head. "I have a friend who takes care of that." He said smugly.
Aya grinned back. "Ooh, friends with benefits? How does that work?"
"Okay," Lei said, standing up. "That's enough kids talk." He joked, picking up his plate. He went to the kitchen and placed it in the sink. He turned and saw Fay coming in. "You're blushing boss." She teased.
Lei chuckled. "I'm too old for this kind of talk." He admitted. "Thanks for the food. I don't think I've had a home cooked meal in a very long time."
"You're welcome." She said, going to the sink. She started washing the plates while Hwoarang and Jordan came carrying the other dirty plates in too.
"Fay, can you handle the cleaning up? I'm going to take Aya back home. She's had too much to drink and can barely hold herself together." Hwoarang told her.
"Yeah, but please go back to your own place." She muttered. That was EW! She thought shuddering. I should kill them for pulling such a stunt.
"Yeah. Yeah." He said, leaving.
Fay kept cleaning up and finally put the last dish away. I'm always proud of a clean kitchen, she thought. She dried the dishes and put everything in the cabinet. That's the way I like it. Spotless! She walked out of the kitchen and saw Jordan closing the apartment door. "Did everyone leave?" she asked, not seeing anyone else around.
"Yeah. Hwoarang carried Aya out while Mika just left. Lei had gone earlier. He really thanks you." He answered.
"Then I should leave too." She said, going to the living room where her bag was. It was an open space that was in the central of everything in the penthouse. She loved the open space. It was luxuriously beautiful.
"Thanks for dinner." He said, sitting on the sofa watching her as she picked up her bag. He patted the seat next to him. "Don't leave yet. Sit down and let's talk."
Fay ignored the gesture, and sat across him and crossed her legs. "We don't need to talk about it." She said, feeling her heart beating fast. Leave Fay. You need to leave, but she couldn't find the heart to move.
"You're right. Maybe we shouldn't." He said. He looked at her and really admired her. All this time he had worked with her, he knew she was different but that night triggered something. He knew what types of girls he normally attracted, but he liked that she didn't give a shit about his money or anything else. Tough girl… "Why don't you come here and sit next to me?" he said quietly, but in a solemn tone.
Fay stood up slowly, brushing her thighs. "and this is where I leave, DeMarco." She said with a smile. "The last time I came close, it went a little bit crazy."
He eyed her carefully. "and is crazy bad?"
"Good night." She said, walking to the door. Just as she was about to open the door, a hand stopped the door from opening. Fay froze as she felt him stand behind her.
"Look…" he began.
She turned around and found him standing right in front of her.
"Crazy should not be a bad thing. We click. I am sure you felt something.
"It will get really complicated and we cannot afford that right now." She said, not convinced of her own words and her heart was really thumping loudly.
He backed her further against the door, and looked at her.
She looked back at him, not backing down. "You need to move." Fay said, not comfortable with how close he was standing.
He looked at her and rubbed her lower lip with his thumb. He slightly took her hand, pulling her close and placed his lips on hers. "We kept getting interrupted." He said between kisses. "Let's try this without any disruptions."
She allowed the lips to settle lightly on hers, and then she flattened her hands across his chest and pushed him a bit. "Are you planning to force yourself on me, DeMarco?"
"Of course not," he answered, cupping her face. "I'm going to make you want me," he said, angling his head so he could claim her lips fully.
Fay flattened her hands again to push him, but hesitated as he started giving her baby kisses. Instead, he held her wrists lightly and moved to kiss her neck. He began trailing there softly, making her shiver. He then moved from her neck to her collarbone.
Fay shivered, trying to push him away half-heartedly. She had returned the kisses but knew it wouldn't end there. Is this what you want, Fay? she thought, searching his face as he had stopped kissing her when she broke free from him.
He bent forward and placed his hands on the door, caging her between his arms. "You've been sort of driving me crazy since the motel."
It had been a long time since she felt like this. She hated seeing Lee. She hated feeling vulnerable. She hesitated, but cupped his face. She pulled him closer and kissed him. He moved his arms around her while she moved her hands to his shoulders. They kissed for a good time until Fay moved away to breathe. Jordan moved his hands across her arms and began kissing her below the ear. She quivered at the sensation and felt her legs go weak, so she leaned against the door while he continued.
He moved back to her lips to kiss her more thoroughly. Fay moved her hands to his shoulders, then circled his neck as he pulled her closer. Without thinking, she took off his t-shirt and began trailing kisses across his chest. She then moved to his lips again.
As he kissed her hungrily, she felt a cold gush of air as the hem of her dress was being lifted. He then leaned down and tore her panties, moving his lips there. Fay gasped, clutching his hair. "Shit…" She whispered at the tickling sensation. "Shit. Shit…" she breathed, and then stopped him.
She made him stand up as he wiped his mouth, and he kissed her again. As they kissed, she rubbed his back gently allowing her hands to move down until she pulled his shorts loosely down.
He was still kissing her when he moved his hands under her buttocks and lifted her slowly. She was kissing him back when she stopped for a second against his mouth as she felt him while he supported her against the door.
Jordan paused, trying to catch his breathe. He placed his forehead on hers and looked at her. "I think…" he said breathless, "We can handle crazy."
"Shut up." she muttered, circling her legs around his waist.