Author's Note: The chapter in which Cloud discovers the world's biggest cock blocker. Warning: lots of naughty hormonal-driven stuff.
CHAPTER 16: Buzz Killer
Before the bike lesson, the two teens briefly stopped by Cloud's place. It took Cloud only ten minutes to dump his books, feed Ms. Tinker, and change. He had switched to a pair of faded jeans and a light long-sleeved shirt; comfortable clothing he didn't care to dirty or abuse. On his way out, Cloud slipped on a textile jacket embedded with protective pads for the elbows and shoulders. A pair of matching gloves covered his hands. He stashed his PHS and a motion sickness pill in his pants' pockets. Cloud was ready. Making sure to set his cellphone on vibrate mode, he exited the building through the double doors.
Outside, Jessie sat on a rusted motorcycle with a helmet between her legs. Both hands rested behind her while she leaned back on the seat and waited. A smile quickly graced her face when Cloud passed the gate of his apartment. Cloud waved to her but paused midway in his stride.
His eyes strayed to Jessie's grimy one-piece suit. With the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, it hugged her body tightly, accenting the curves of her hips, breasts, and thighs – everything. The long front zipper of her suit wasn't zipped up to her neck. It only reached to her chest. Any lower and he'd see her bra. The color on Cloud's face flushed fiercely.
Throughout the week, there had been a change in Jessie. They'd gotten to know each other. Because of that, she talked often and looked him in the eye. Rarely did she stutter anymore unless she was nervous. Jessie's personality shined the best whenever they talked about machines and funny gizmos.
Cloud liked her company. As he stood a few feet away from the girl, he took note of her attire again. That terrible teenage needy demand of his… it conjured up a naughty scenario in his head. Cloud idly wondered if Jessie could straddle him as good as she did a bike.
Oblivious to his mental wanderings, Jessie held up a paper bag. "Chow time!"
Cloud was relieved by the sight of grub. He hadn't eaten lunch yet. It was a light meal too, enough to give him energy and, at the same time, not worsen any potential motion sickness symptoms he might encounter today. Jessie scooted back on the bike to offer him a place to sit and eat.
Cloud's brows furrowed. Jessie never moved back before. She always stayed at the front of the bike. Did this mean… she wanted him to ride today?
A grin quickly shaped itself on Cloud's lips. He grabbed the bag of tacos offered to him and planted himself on the bike's helm. Finally! He was given the chance to drive this baby. All this week Jessie had taught him safety measures and standard procedures; boring stuff. Cloud didn't think he'd ride the bike any time soon. Thankfully, Jessie had other plans today.
After gulping down a pill to prepare for today's lesson, Cloud undid the foil of his taco. He took a bite while Jessie chewed on a raspberry-filled treat.
"You ready to own this?" Jessie smacked the side of the bike with a hand.
Jessie's words and slapping action unintentionally summoned another crude image in Cloud's head. He readjusted himself on the bike's seat, grateful to be at the front. "Um. I guess…"
"With this amount of power between your legs, you will become an unstoppable force of nature, Cloud. Trust me. You'll ride this baby all night long in no time!"
Cloud nearly choked on his taco.
Once the two finished their lunch, Jessie handed him the helmet on her lap and grabbed hers from the tail-end of the bike. Then she went over the usual procedures. Cloud knew most of them by heart already. He'd been drilled on it from day one. Of course, knowing the procedures was one thing. Executing them on the spot? That was a whole different story.
Performance anxiety kicked in. Finally put on the spotlight, Cloud feared he'd confuse the brake with the throttle with the clutch with the whatever-the-fuck-that-other-thing-was-called during their bike ride. Even when Jessie constantly reassured him these steps would become second-nature, he could feel a tight knot develop in his stomach. The sweat on his palms accumulated inside the gloves.
"You remember how to engage and disengage with the clutch and brake, right?" Jessie asked.
Cloud took a deep, dried swallow.
"Remember: the blunt of the braking work is in the front handlebar, not the rear gear." Jessie scooted closer to him from behind. She placed her hands on his hips. "And don't forget proper body weight distribution, especially during rough turns at high speeds. If you make a hard left, you need to shift your weight to the right to keep from tipping over. Counter steering, yeah?"
The boy licked the top of his chapped lip. It was hard to pay attention when Jessie pressed herself against him like that. As the sweet citrus scent of her shampoo reached his nose, Cloud inwardly wished he had jacked off before their meeting. He'd come into this lesson with a fully loaded pistol.
Bzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzzz.
A vibration? It was an incoming caller. Cloud briefly checked the number but didn't recognize it. Not wanting to be rude to Jessie, he ignored it and slipped the PHS back inside his pants' pocket.
"Are you ready?" Jessie's voice was muffled by the helmet she now slapped on.
Cloud put on his. "Think so…"
"Good. Let's ride!"
Cloud took a deep breath. It was now or never. Heaven help him.
The first order of business was finding a good spot on the bike. Cloud spent seconds shifting in his seat for a comfortable position. Being in the front felt different; it was both an empowering and intimidating feeling. After a long exhale, he lifted the kickstand off the ground with the side of his boot. The bike's key was already inside the ignition; Gear 1 in place. A green light glowed the moment he turned it. Cloud flicked up a red switch near the right handlebar. It set the bike on run mode and primed the engine. Cautious of his first ride, he pulled in the clutch handle while he changed from Gear 1 to Neutral, his left foot kicking down the gear lever at half a click.
Bingo.
A green light verified the bike was ready for take-off. Breathing out slowly again, Cloud started the bike's engine. A gentle purr from the rusted machine prompted him to smile. He couldn't believe it. After all those years of daydreaming, of riding off to some distant red sunset, this was finally fucking happening. Right here. Right now. Once Jessie gave him the thumbs up, Cloud shifted from Neutral back to Gear 1. His hand slowly let go of the clutch. They started to move.
It being his first ride, Cloud took his time. He had to get over the shock of being in full control of a motorcycle. His entire body vibrated from the engine's persistent purr. Cloud was glad his stomach didn't react to it. His sight also stayed focus on the path ahead without going blurred. Behind him, Jessie remained silent. She did not distract him or interrupt this very pinnacle moment in his life. Cloud was grateful for that. It gave him more courage to release the clutch. He nearly yelped when the bike abruptly stopped.
The engine shut down.
"What the hell? Did I break it?" a panicked voice came out of Cloud's throat. Shit. Only a few seconds of riding and he already murdered his damn bike.
Laughing, Jessie patted him on the back. "Nope, you didn't break it. The bike just shut off because you released the clutch too fast. It happens to everyone, including me sometimes. You just need to ease out of the clutch and find that sweet spot." She squeezed his shoulder for reassurance. "Start again."
Sweet spot, Cloud thought. Okaaaaay…
Sexual innuendos aside, the blond-haired teen forced himself to relax and breath. Restarting the process, he made sure to keep his hand on the clutch bar and gradually release it this time. The bike picked up speed. Cloud kept his hand on the front brake but resisted the temptation to press down on it.
The bike held steady at only six miles-per-hour. The speed of it still freaked Cloud out; he feared they would crash and explode in a million pieces if he went any faster than that. Thankfully, Jessie had no issue with how painfully slow they went. She offered only words of encouragement and held onto him.
"Let's head to the scrap yard," Jessie suggested later above the bike's constant purring.
Cloud licked his dried lips. He knew how to get there, but riding a bike to that location was a different experience than walking to it. Cloud hoped there weren't any children or dogs in his way. He was an unlicensed virgin biker determined to pop his cherry today. Keeping to the speed of six miles-per-hour, he made a slow turn.
Cloud passed by a group of beggars. They all had the good sense to steer clear. Midway to his destination, the PHS vibrated again – Bzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzzz. Cloud was too nervous to bother with it.
Within ten minutes, they arrived at the scrap yard. A place with raw building materials collected from trash, the two were surrounded by piles of scrapped metals and wood that reached several feet high. Not many people came here except those involved in building projects.
It was at this point Jessie spoke again. "I want you to experiment and get used to the bike. Okay?"
Cloud nodded back. His nerves had gradually settled down since they arrived; a result of not getting anyone killed so far. Eager to test out his abilities as a bike rider, he circled the scrap yard.
It wasn't long until the novice learned the true challenges of riding a motorcycle. His left hand needed to let go of the clutch while his right hand had to press into the throttle; they were two opposing commands. Natural instinct wanted to either press them both down or release at the same time. This produced stalls and awkward jerks. As Cloud picked up speed and practiced on counter steering, they fell at least five times due to improper weight distribution. He'd be sore after this. When it came to slowing down, Cloud had trouble remembering to let go of the throttle or to gently squeeze the clutch. That led to more stalling and more bruising.
At around five o' clock, the Slums got darker and Jessie decided to call it a day. It was a good thing too. Cloud ached everywhere and the wonderful effects of his motion sickness pill had finally worn off. Now his skin felt hot and his stomach twisted and turned. On Jessie's final request, they came to a stop. Cloud applied the front brake handle while his right foot stepped down on the rear lever to stop the back tires. It was a hard brake. The front tire locked up and both of them slid forward from the momentum.
Relieved they were still in one piece, Cloud shut off the engine and set down the kickstand. They removed their helmets. Jessie rubbed one of her scrapped knees with a hand.
"Not bad, Cloud, not bad… You're getting the hang of it. We'll work on shifting next time."
"Shifting…" Cloud repeated very slowly. He recalled the bike's six gears. Today they went over one.
"Yep. It's pretty simple. Basically, you roll on first gear and shift when you're between six-to-four thousand on the meter. Then you kill the throttle and pull the clutch. Click up with the gear lever. Once you've shifted gears, just ease out of the clutch and squeeze the throttle again." Jessie smiled. "Simple. If you want to go down a gear level, repeat the same steps except click down. Got it?"
Silence.
"Also, the higher the gear number, the more speed you have to maintain. Otherwise, you'll kill the engine, just like what happened when you pulled out of the clutch too fast."
Cloud tried to break down what she said, piece by piece. The terminology and methods was lost on him.
Noting his puzzled look, Jessie tightened her ponytail with both hands and said reassuringly, "Don't worry about it. It'll become clearer when you actually do it."
Cloud appreciated Jessie's input and her patience. He wanted to thank her for today's lesson. However, he winced when his stomach still stirred. Both hands rubbed over his rigid abdominal muscles. Feeling dizzy and nauseous, Cloud squeezed his eyes shut and fought back the urge to vomit.
"Let's get you home," Jessie said with a nod.
They switched places and waited until Cloud's stomach settled again before heading off. At this late afternoon hour, there were less people out. Night always came early in the Slums; the winter air grew colder on account of the enveloping darkness. Jessie made sure to go slow and steady. She stopped any time Cloud clutched onto her from behind – a telltale sign he was in distress.
In short time, Jessie parked the bike next to Cloud's building and escorted him up. He was good enough to take the elevator. Even so, Cloud stayed quiet as they ascended together. His hand fidgeted nonstop with the keys inside his jacket's pocket. Aside from his motion sickness, the boy became very aware of Jessie's presence and the fact he hadn't brought a girl up to his apartment in months. This was the first time she visited it. Cloud wished he had tidied up his place earlier.
Within seconds, the elevator squeaked to a halt on his floor level. Cloud pushed the large gate to the side and let Jessie out first. Then he led her to his apartment. He offered an embarrassing smile as he struggled with his disjointed door. It finally opened after ten tries. The two made their way inside his apartment. Cloud locked the door after them and tossed the keys on a pile of books nearby. Immediately, Ms. Tinker appeared from a corner and barked at the stranger.
"Sorry, it's a mess," Cloud warned Jessie. He squatted down and rubbed Ms. Tinker's belly to calm her.
"It's okay." Jessie stared at Cloud. She looked ready to say something else but paused. Her eyes roamed about the apartment, taking everything in. Finally, she asked, "Um… M-mind if I use your bathroom?"
"It's to your left."
Jessie quickly followed his directions and disappeared in the bathroom.
Cloud stood at full height again and scanned his apartment. God. There were books everywhere, along with discarded clothes and dishware. The whole place reeked of Chocobo Chow grease and dog piss too. Cursing to himself, Cloud grabbed a can of fragrant spray and shot the air a few times with it. If Jessie didn't live in similar poor conditions, he would've pretended he lost his key and directed her home.
Hastily, Cloud gathered abandoned cups and plates he came across and dumped them in the sink. With no furniture, there was nowhere for his guest to sit, except on the bed and floor. He tried to improvise by stacking a couple of boxes on top of each other. A roach scuttled out from one of them. Cloud growled and tried to squash it. Close by, Ms. Tinker sat on her hind legs and silently observed her owner. Her head moved up and down each time Cloud stomped at the ground with his feet. Again and again.
The sound of a running faucet instantly alerted the blond-haired boy that Jessie was almost done. Stopping in his tracks, he heard the pipes whine while she washed her hands. Cloud ran a hand through his hair. Giving up his pursuit of the cockroach, he removed his gloves and unzipped the jacket. Both fell on the bed. Cloud took a deep breath and watched the mechanic step out of the bathroom.
"Thanks, Cloud." The smile on Jessie's face disappeared when Ms. Tinker barked at her again. Then she noticed Cloud's flushed face. She frowned. "Are you okay? Still feeling sick from the bike ride?"
Cloud hesitated. His stomach no longer caused a problem. But he opted to go along with that excuse anyway since he felt flustered at the moment. "Y-yeah…"
"You want me to get you anything from the Pharmacy?"
"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." Cloud's eyes drifted to some empty space on the floor. When Ms. Tinker barked again, he opened the window to let her out.
"You did great today, by the way," Jessie said later, changing the subject. "You'll have your bike license in no time." The mechanic sounded like she wanted to cheer him up. She looked around Cloud's apartment again. With a laugh, she mentioned, "Your place looks nicer than Wedge's and Biggs'. Their homes are littered with everything, you can't see the floor."
Cloud snickered, quietly agreeing with that sentiment.
Jessie briefly turned away. "I-I have to admit, Cloud… I'm kinda nervous right now."
"Why?" Surprised, Cloud looked back at her.
"It's not often I visit a guy's den."
"You've been at Biggs' place several times though."
"It's, um… different. He's like a brother to me." When Jessie met Cloud's face again, her cheeks flared with color. "It's weird. I expected a lot of typical boy things from your place, like in Biggs'. Pizza boxes, beer bottles, and stacks of porn magazines. But there's none of that here."
Cloud shrugged his shoulders and joked, "Guess I'm better at concealing those types of things."
Jessie took a small step forward. She kept her head down when she asked, "You, uh, like that too?"
"Like what?"
"Pizza, beer, and… porn."
Cloud was glad he had taken off his jacket earlier since the air felt terribly warm. It had nothing to do with the space heater though. He stared at her and retorted, "I dunno. Do you like that kind of stuff?"
Jessie still had trouble meeting his gaze. However, in the moment she glanced up, she muttered with a small smile, "Yeah, maybe…"
Cloud's mouth slightly parted. Apparently, he wasn't the only one in this room with sex on the mind.
It couldn't be helped. They had spent a lot of time together this week because of the bike lessons. It was natural they'd grow sexually curious of the other. Both enjoyed each other's company and both had compatible parts designed to attach together. Cloud admittedly welcomed those fleeting moments of raw heat between them –those times when they made physical contact during a bike lesson. It had to do with that talk he shared with Kyle ages ago, something about pent-up sexual frustration. He had a lot of that these days.
"Unfortunately, I don't have any pizza or beer here at the moment," Cloud finally notified.
Jessie slowly looked up. She stared directly at him this time. "…What about the other thing?"
She didn't say anything else or give him a chance to respond. Instead, the girl wandered over to his bed and carefully removed her boots one by one, soon setting them aside. The bed squeaked when she sat on it and scooted up until her back pushed against a wall.
Surprised by Jessie's actions, Cloud kept quiet. He wasn't sure if he heard her right. Girls were funny mysterious creatures sometimes. He had trouble reading them, especially when they said one thing but meant the other. As Jessie waited for him on the bed, though, Cloud saw her cheeks flush again. She didn't move from her spot. Things became clear to him at that point. He realized the mechanic hadn't come up to his place solely just to check on him.
Cloud's heart thumped faster as he grabbed his laptop and finally joined Jessie. They sat side-by-side on the bed, pressed against the wall with a giant TSVIETS poster on it. A part of Cloud was tempted to ask Jessie if she really meant what she said. It wasn't often a girl openly admitted to liking naughty online videos, let alone, wanting to watch them with him; a wild child definitely lay dormant underneath that grimy one-piece suit. Cloud had trouble working his mouth to say anything though. He decided to play it safe and keep to his side of the bed, inches away from Jessie. The laptop was placed between them.
Cloud hoped his mother didn't choose this time to contact him via voice chat. He had promised to call her sometime today. No doubt, she'd be pissed if she learned why he chose not to right now.
The laptop's bright screen showed the default homepage of the search engine, Moogle. An animated Mog smiled. It happily waited for them to type in a word, as if their intended digital destination was innocent and full of pure pom-pom thoughts. Both teens stared at the furry creature, frozen in place.
"We don't have to do anything, you know…" Cloud murmured, breaking the long awkward silence.
Jessie said nothing. Sitting still at her side of the bed, the mechanic continued looking at the computer screen with wide opened eyes. She appeared just as anxious as he was about this. Her chest visibly rose up and down while she took deep short breaths. Even so, Jessie glared at the Moogle in front of her, as if to challenge it. She leaned forward and typed in a four-lettered word in the search box. The arrow onscreen clicked on a link Cloud was very familiar with during many lonely late-night binges.
The silence between them remained while multiple naked bodies intertwined in various positions onscreen now. From the speakers, there were the constant slapping sounds of rough skin contact followed by low-pitched moans. Cloud felt awkward. This type of online activity had always been a private affair for him, too embarrassing to reveal to anyone. He feared his half-aroused state would put Jessie off. Instead, the corners of her mouth tugged slightly up when she noticed it.
"You know… the first time I made out with a guy was at my place," she quietly confessed above the loud panting sounds. "He was from the Plate but wanted to get his car fixed for a cheap price. We got along well. Then one night he took me out for drinks. We got tipsy. It was the biggest mistake of my life…"
Cloud tilted his head. "Why?"
"As we were getting it on, he asked me if I had lube. I told him it was on my dresser." Jessie turned to Cloud with a frown on her face. "You've been to my place before, remember? You know it's filled with all sorts of stuff related to my pet projects. It wasn't a surprise, then, when the drunken fool mistook a tube of superglue for lube."
Understanding the situation better, Cloud snorted out loud. "Oh god…"
"It took the doctors an entire day to detach his hand from his penis. I never saw him again." Jessie shook her head but showed a toothy grin.
The two shared a laugh at the silly ordeal. Cloud was inspired enough to expose his own first-time horror story, of the time he'd been so nervous and impatient that he hadn't fully washed his hands after eating super-hot Chocobo tenders that night. The woman he fingered couldn't stop complaining about a burning sensation between her thighs.
It was only when they exchanged their humiliating stories that the nerves loosened. With the tensed atmosphere lifted, Cloud leaned forward and shared a long but very wet kiss with Jessie. He could taste the raspberry treat she'd eaten earlier from her lips. Their teeth occasionally clicked whenever they pressed their mouths together too aggressively. After both pulled away to catch their breaths, they took turns picking the next lewd film to watch, sometimes making fun of the cheesy dialogue and terrible acting. For Cloud, this unexpected event proved more relaxing than a standard date.
Bzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzzz. The back of Cloud's pants vibrated again. His PHS. It was another incoming call. He decided to ignore it and keep watching the crude scene on his computer with Jessie.
There was a woman with long hair positioned on all fours. A bulky dark skinned man mounted her from behind. As he pounded into the beauty like a rabid animal in heat, the camera zoomed in for a close-up shot of their perverse connection. The woman reminded Cloud of the Blessed Mother –not quite as exotic, but slender and beautiful nonetheless.
Mindfully, he wondered if the silver-haired female had been taken similarly. Did she cling to the bed sheets with her nails? Part her legs wider to grasp more of her lover? Moan like a filthy whore? Those possibilities filled Cloud with resentment and arousal. It shaped his member fully upright.
Next to him, Jessie softly grunted. It was a barely audible sound that Cloud might've missed if he hadn't paid attention. He saw the girl repeatedly press and grind her thighs together. One of her hands rested on her lap, dangerously close to her groin. Jessie's eyes burned with the same intensity Cloud shared.
No words were exchanged as they sat side-by-side on the bed, leaned against the wall. Their hands slowly reached over to the other's lap. Fingers drifted to the warmest regions of their bodies. They kept their clothes on; both teens unsure of how far they should go in their first make-out session. Eventually, Jessie unzipped the front of her one-piece suit. She revealed a white bra with matching panties. The cotton fabric of her underwear felt warm and damped at the spot Cloud repeatedly rubbed. Jessie shuddered next to him. Her own hand explored the shape of his elongated muscle concealed by his light-washed jeans. Jessie soon looked at him with a questionable look on her face.
"Wait – you haven't eaten any spicy Chocobo tenders today. Right?"
"Not that I can recollect," Cloud joked back with an easy smile.
The two teens laughed while simultaneously pleasuring each other from their seated positions. Their hand motions were experimental and clumsy at best, but neither of them minded it. Jessie's legs trembled as Cloud ran his hand down her smooth belly and under the elastic waistband of her underwear. His fingers brushed against the moist lip of her vulva.
"You got a rubber?" Jessie breathlessly asked and gripped the cock in her hand tighter.
"No," Cloud reported, surprised by the question. They definitely needed one at this rate. A smirk developed on his features as he pointed out, "Isn't it bad to kiss on the first date though? Hell, we haven't even had our first date yet."
"Sheeeit, screw that. I'm horny," Jessie playfully blurted out and gently squeezed the tip of him.
Cloud had to laugh; relieved this nerdy tomboy was as much a victim to raging hormones as he was. He kissed her again. Then he softly ordered into her ear, "Take a deep breath."
Jessie obeyed. She closed her eyes and inhaled sharply as he slipped a long finger inside. Her thighs squeezed together. Pressing the foreign digit deeper into her, she muttered, "Damn…"
Cloud regretted not buying a pack of condoms like he told himself to today. He would for tomorrow's date. Definitely. Still, he enjoyed watching all the tiny facial reactions Jessie made to his touches; the eyes rolled back and mouth hot with saliva. It kept him hard.
Bzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzzz.
That damn buzzing sound. It caused the girl to pause and look at Cloud. "What is that?"
"Mmm, caller…" he mumbled back. Cloud dismissed it and gently stuck another finger in Jessie instead. She instantly gasped.
Teenage sexual demands were the stuff of neediness, impatience, and ultimate gratification. It didn't take long for Jessie to grind against the two digits embedded in her. The mattress squeaked as she picked up speed. Cloud watched her skin turn brighter and gloss with sweat. She looked incredible. He hoped after he got Jessie off she would do the same for him. Perhaps with a good mouth job.
Bzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzzz.
Jessie's sweat-coated face slowly drew into a frown. As the PHS continued to buzz, she caught her breath and demanded, "Who keeps calling you?"
Jessie sounded annoyed by the persistent calls. She'd no doubt felt the phone buzz throughout their bike lesson earlier. Cloud sighed. With his free hand, he grabbed his PHS and checked the ID.
It was the same caller with the unrecognizable number. Strange. Being the anti-social butterfly that he was, Cloud didn't share his number outside of his small inner circle. He hoped this wasn't his stupid boss calling him from another phone, asking him to come into work on his day off. Cloud was tempted to ignore the caller if that turned out to be the case. Then he realized the nonstop buzzing was killing the mood for Jessie. She rubbed her slimy crotch against the tips of his fingers but hesitated to do anything else now. At this rate, she'd never come. And neither would he. Deciding to put an end to this nuisance once and for all, Cloud flipped opened his PHS with his free hand.
"What the hell do you want?" he instantly barked, expecting either Mr. Mukki or a telemarketer.
"Hello to you too, Strife," a deep and smooth voice came from the other line. It belonged to a man. A soft-sounding chuckle followed after. "Caught you in a bad time, have I?"
Cloud instantly froze. His skin crawled with a thousand tiny bumps. That voice… He heard that voice before. Cloud's own sound was no more than a whisper when he uttered back, "…Who are you?"
"Don't you know? You sought me out."
Blinking only once, Cloud felt like he should know. He'd heard this man's voice before but didn't know from where. For whatever reason, he thought about starry green eyes.
"Essai provided me your information," continued the man. "You are a hard man to reach, Strife."
Essai. That name rang a bell. Cloud finally recalled it from the website had visited earlier today. LOVELESS. This explained how the caller got his number. The man on the phone was likely a Host then.
From what Essai mentioned, Sephiroth was slated to contact him within twenty-four hours. The person Cloud spoke to right now, however, wasn't the child. Did Essai mix up the Hosts and give his information to the wrong one? This still didn't explain why the voice on the line sounded so familiar though…
Beside Cloud, Jessie noticed the abrupt change in his demeanor and placed a hand on his cheek. Her face contorted into a puzzled expression. He noticed it and offered an awkward reassuring smile. While Cloud was eager to know who the man on the other line was, he also did not want to be an asshole to Jessie. He kissed the side of her neck; his palm lightly rubbing the mound between her legs. The mechanic briefly closed her eyes and hummed to herself. It was clear she still wanted to fool around. So did him. When Jessie opened her eyes again, though, she got off the bed and headed to the bathroom to wash up, giving him and the caller space.
"I still don't know who you are…" Cloud quietly admitted to the caller after she left. He numbly stared at his fingers, all coated with Jessie's juices. "I recognize your voice but…" His voice drifted to silence.
"Very curious," remarked the other man, "I cannot say I am not disappointed by that."
"What do you mean?"
"We've met in person." There was a pause. "Several times, in fact."
"When? Where?" Cloud wiped his fingers against his jeans. "How do I know you?"
"You really don't remember me. Do you, boy?"
Again, that sense of familiarity hit Cloud like a boulder. It came when the man in question referred to him as boy. Green eyes hidden by meshed black fabric suddenly flickered on and off again at the back of Cloud's mind. His flustered self stiffened at the mental image of it. Those green eyes… They were a fragment of some bizarre dream; a dream he could not recall or understand.
Amusement and mild annoyance played in the man's voice as he said, "I should not be surprised. Your levels of intoxication were exponentially high that night. You likely suffered some memory loss."
Cloud pushed off the wall he'd leaned against and sat straighter; fully alert now. Memory loss? At first, he had no idea what this man was talking about. But then he realized… "My birthday. You're talking about the night of my birthday?"
"That is correct, Strife."
Cloud held the phone closer to his ear. The man was there? At his birthday celebration? This just got even more interesting. He recalled how drunk he was; how he had passed out after the party. But to this day, he could not recollect what he did beyond dancing with Ele' and blowing out his candles. Cloud had a strong feeling he'd met the man on the phone though. It would explain why he sounded recognizable. But then… why couldn't he put a face to the man's voice? Each time Cloud tried, he drew a blank. He saw only black.
"I passed out, you know," the boy later confessed, feeling the need to explain himself to a man who somehow knew his last name. "I, uh, don't remember much. Did you hang out with me that night?"
At first, the line went silent. Cloud hoped to gather more clues about last weekend from this guy. Something major had happened that night; something incredible. But he couldn't remember what it was. It annoyed Cloud not to know. As he waited for the man to speak again, the silence lingered on for too damn long. Cloud thought his PHS might have lost the signal. Before he could check his phone, a soft laugh soon emerged from the other line. Its lovely low-pitched baritone sound reached deep into his ears. Cloud held his breath and felt his skin go warm.
"Ah, this all makes sense now," the man expressed at last, "You must've blacked out after the fight. Hm, that does make our arrangement even more… intriguing."
"Our arrangement?" Both brows pulled downward when Cloud suddenly added, "Wait a minute – fight? You know about the fight I got into that night?"
Consequently, Cloud's encounter with the silver-haired child yesterday regained some memories of the disastrous events that followed after his birthday party. He was positive there was no one else present during his scuffle. It was only him, the child, the old man, and the two goons. Of course, there remained a few mental gaps in his head. Someone else could have theoretically been present. But he doubted it.
"I want to see you tonight, boy; right now," was all the caller said, ignoring his questions. "By then, things should become clearer to you."
This man conveyed enough directness in his words that it left no room for debate. Cloud sucked in air. He admittedly wanted the same thing. This guy knew what had happened last weekend. His alluring voice also inspired all sorts of strange feelings within Cloud, feelings he couldn't place, yet grew curious over. There was no question about it: he needed to meet him. If anything, he wanted to see his face.
"Arrive at Gate 2 of Sector 3's train platform by seven. I will arrange for transportation to pick you up from there."
"W-wait," Cloud began, "Tonight? You want to meet tonight?"
"Will that be a problem?"
The sharp tone in the man's question was not lost on Cloud. He frowned. "No, but… Who are you? You still haven't told me your name."
"A petty query, boy. You've already figured out the answer to that riddle."
"I… did?"
"Seven o' clock at Gate 2," the man only confirmed back, "I will see you soon." Click.
A dead dial-tone rang.
This felt… surreal. Breathing slowly, Cloud rose to his feet from the bed and blankly stared at his PHS. He couldn't make sense of the man's words. The only riddle he solved was the name of the silver-haired boy. As Cloud thought about him, he noted an uncanny similarity between the child and the man on the phone, particularly their mannerisms. Both operated under the same direct enigmatic approach, neither saying more than necessary.
Shutting his phone, the anxious teen checked his watch. He needed to make it to the Plate by seven. However, his eyes widened when his clock showed 6:35PM on the face. He had just ten minutes to catch his train in order to make it on time for the meeting. This didn't leave him room to shower and change. Shit.
Grabbing the jacket he'd ditched on the bed and closing his laptop, Cloud hurried to leave. He was too distracted by the train's schedule that he nearly missed the girl that emerged from his bathroom.
Jessie stepped out, zipped up. A fresh smile settled across her face but soon vanished when she found Cloud slipping on his jacket and gloves. "H-hey, is everything okay?"
Cloud stopped on his tracks, suddenly remembering he still had a girl in his apartment. That nagging inner voice of conscience scolded him. It immediately wanted to slap him for forgetting about Jessie. Cloud's shoulders slightly slouched. His fingers idly played with the zipper of his jacket while he worked his mouth to speak again.
"I, uh, need to go right now… Something came up."
Jessie took another step forward. "What's wrong?"
Cloud paused. He debated on whether to tell her the truth. Even when Hosts freely operated in Midgar, it was still considered a social taboo to see one. It reeked of desperation and naughtiness. Cloud didn't want Jessie to get any funny ideas if she found out about him visiting a Host tonight – a male one at that. It wasn't like he sought the company of a hired boyfriend over her anyway. He simply wanted to meet this man and know what had happened at his birthday party last weekend.
"That asshole, Mr. Mukki, wants me to come in," Cloud finally muttered. His eyes lingered to some random object in view; anything to avoid meeting Jessie's gaze.
The mechanic slowly nodded in understanding. Her head cocked to one side as she later asked, "Aren't you going to change into your uniform?"
Cloud winced, feeling put on the spotlight again. He deflected with another excuse. "There's no time to change. I got less than ten minutes to catch my train. I have a spare uniform in my locker anyway."
"I can drop you off at the Plate through the service tunnel," Jessie offered.
"Actually, um, if you can drop me off at the train station here that would be great." Cloud's eyes barely reached hers when he said that. He didn't want her to drop him above the Plate and learn he wasn't actually headed to work. Shaking his head, Cloud sighed and quickly added, "Sorry this came up… I wouldn't go if this wasn't important. I'll make it up to you."
The next step Jessie took brought their faces inches closer. She reached out and intertwined two fingers with a lock of blond hair. "We'll continue where we left off tomorrow, right?"
Cloud licked his lips and nodded. This time he looked Jessie right in the eye. "Yeah."
It was a promise. Cloud didn't plan for today's events to happen this way. Nonetheless, he wanted to take responsibility and make things right for Jessie. He would try to show her a good time tomorrow during their date. Everything was already set, from where they'd eat dinner to the tickets. It was going to be a fun night of LOVELESS potentially followed by another raunchy make-out session. Gods willing.
Cloud actually looked forward to it. For the unruly country boy of Nibelheim, it was a good thing this was happening with a girl and not a guy. Kyle had filled his head with all sorts of strange thoughts and sensations for the past week or so. Cloud had nothing against it. The thought of being with a guy wasn't as bad as he thought it would be either. But he still didn't think it was for him. The time he spent with Jessie today rekindled his desire for a woman. That would be enough for him.
Right?
Ultimately, Cloud passed off any sexual curiosities he shared over the past week as a weird experimental phase in his life. It was typical for boys his age anyway. As Jessie followed him out the door, Cloud kept this in mind. He told himself the Host he was going to see was nothing more than a hired boyfriend – a man who made his living faking love. The Host apparently knew him but might attempt to use knowledge of his birthday event to sucker Gil him out of him. Cloud was determined not to fall for it. He would not be like those countless idiots who were stupid enough to fall in love with a Host.