“When we bumped, your touch made me feel like we aren’t strangers but one body 2 souls.”
Part 2
As he stepped out of the café, Jay said, huffing, “I’ll check this camera for you. Can you wait till I finish it? We will be in touch; I will call you.” They greeted each other goodbye and parted on their ways.
Elion was moving around, but still he was dazed, thinking of the owner of the café. He was so confused why he feels like he knows him so much, but he didn’t get the answer. The sensation was creepy; a half-forgotten dream suspended on the threshold of reality. He was so aloof and annoyed by the thoughts that he wanted to investigate the café owner. He came home and took out his phone and searched for Ethen Mirage, yet there was no sign that he sought. Rubbing his cheek in wonder, “Why is he so tight-lipped about his identity? Why is there no sign of him?
Elion thought about this. Elion was so interested in knowing the owner that he considered finding out more about him from his staff tomorrow. He showered, and still the question gnawed at him: “Who is Ethen Mirage? Once he came out of the shower, he just came out half dressed with a towel wrapped around his waist. He was drying his hair using a second towel; he walked to his apartment window where the café is in view, so he was gazing.
He saw Ethen. He was radiant as if carved from moon and shadows. Elion lost sight of Ethen. His eyes lingered for an instant, tracing the lines of Ethen’s shape, the manner in which the light danced across his skin. He was so entranced by gazing at Ethen’s body that he did not recall anything else. The world became fuzzy, and Ethen alone remained. He was surprised out of his daydreaming when Ethen looked up as if he were looking into his eyes. Elion’s breathing got stuck. He felt that Ethen could see him, and he immediately hid behind the curtain, his heart beating one beat less. Elion put his hand over his heart, grumbling, “Stop! Why are you racing so wildly? What is wrong with you?” He put his hands on his cheeks; they seemed to be burning like boiling water. He went to the restroom to wash his face to cool down, but even the cold water couldn’t extinguish the heat that had bloomed inside him. He went to sleep, but he still felt sleepless. His heart was so flattered that he still felt hot on his body, like Ethen’s gaze had left a mark on his skin. He hardly falls asleep.
The next day, Elion slowly awakened, still blanketed in the fog of sleep. But then, out of the blue, like a stroke of lightning, a thought struck him: today was the day he would begin his investigation on Ethen Mirage. He jumped up from bed, nearly falling on the blanket as he rushed out. Rushing through a quick shower, he walked to the window and peered out to check if the café opposite the street had yet opened. It remained closed. A rush of relief coursed through him. He prepared a simple breakfast and pushed his table to the window, dead set on staking out. As he ate, his eyes stayed fixed on the café, hope building with every minute that passed. Then, finally, a gleaming luxury car appeared before the café. Elion leaned forward, heart thumping. A man walked out, his back turned towards Elion’s apartment. Elion squinted, whispering to himself, “Turn around… turn around…” And he did. Elion’s eyes widened. It was him. Ethen Mirage. He jumped up from his chair, ran down the stairs, and weaved behind the buildings, his eyes fixed on Ethen. He watched and waited as Ethen opened the café and slipped inside.
Elion imagined he walked in first as a customer, calm and cool. But his fantasy fell apart as a crowd of girls elbowed him aside, screaming and dashing into the café. Dazed, Elion stumbled and fell to the ground. As he struggled to get up, a hand reached out to him. He looked up and saw Jay. Elion blinked, then smiled and took Jay’s hand. Jay pulled him up so hard that Elion fell into his arms. For a moment, everything paused. Elion’s breath was stolen as he hugged in Jay’s arms. He smiled softly, hugging Jay tightly. “Thank you so much; without you, I’d be nothing but dust on the ground beneath those girls.” Jay’s hand rested against Elion’s waist, then slowly slid around him, holding him close. His touch was gentle, lingering as if he didn’t want to let him go. But Elion stepped back, “Thanks. Can you help me with something?” Jay was staring at him, completely mesmerized. Elion’s ruffled hair, the shine in his eye, and the way he spoke were more than Jay could take. Jay did not want to blink or risk missing something. Elion kept talking, but Jay was dazed. “Hello?” Elion waved a hand in front of Jay’s face. “Are you listening?” Jay just smiled, dazed. Elion let out a gust of air. “If you’d rather not, I’ll go myself and do an investigation of my own,” he said.
He turned to leave, but Jay’s hand shot out, catching his wrist. “Wait… wait. I’ll help you.” Elion turned, his eyes relaxing. “Come with me to my apartment. I’ll tell you what I need.” Jay nodded and went with him quietly. Clothes were scattered around on the floor, and dirty dishes sat on the table. Jay stayed back by the door, drinking in the chaos. But Elion snatched his hand and pulled him in. Jay’s heart stumbled not at the mess but at being this close to Elion. The warmth of his hand, the way he moved, the way he trusted him—it was all too real. And somewhere in that messy apartment, between the mystery of Ethen Mirage and the quiet tension between them, something beautiful was beginning to bloom.
They made a plan to investigate, and Jay will help him with whatever he can. He will do anything for Elion. While they were making a plan, Elion inched closer and waved his hand to inch closer to Jay. Jay bends his head towards Elion with a blushing smile, and it flatters his heart. Some of what he hears, but some of what he utters, goes over his head because he is too busy admiring Elion’s looks.
Jay’s inner reflection: “He’s so freaking cute. I wish time would just freeze here so I can just keep looking at him for moments like this. His eyes are so damn beautiful. He has such kissable lips I cannot…control myself” (he bites his lips); “they look so soft and rosy like a flower.”
Elion finished talking and looked over at Jay and asked if he had any confusion on the investigation plan. Jay just shook his head to show that he understood, so Elion said that he was going to take a quick shower since he was tired of all the planning and plotting.
Elion has finished bathing, and his nose is so happy with the good smell. He just closes his eyes, and smelling the scent, he leaves the bathroom. He has just sniffed for a long time; this good smell is in his room. He opens his eyes; his eyes are wide and shining since his room is clean and in order. At first, he was shocked that that was his room but was happy. He notices another smell reaching his nose; it is that of his kitchen. He bows his head and tries to peep in but nearly falls. Jay came out with tasty foods; he placed the food neatly and came out to go get plates, but in doing the turn, he spotted Elion standing directly in front of him half-naked, only covering his lower waist with a towel.
Jay’s heart blushed to see Elion in that state. He is staring at him like he was about to eat him alive. Elion slid by Jay’s side, walked right into the food, and settled in a seat. He sat down to eat food, but Jay was so shocked to see him half naked. He asks to put on clothes, but Elion says that he is too hungry after having smelled and tasted the foods.
“You are distracting me,” Jay mumbled.
He is asked to join by Elion, but he is shy and says, “I’m not hungry you go ahead.” But Elion insists that he eat, and when Elion forces Jay to eat, his towel slips off but he is too cool to mind that Jay is a boy and definitely he is so there is nobody to be shy about. So, he runs around freely and eats in full.” That time when Jay almost had a heart attack.
Elion told him that it was evening already, and Jay should simply remain in his apartment, but Jay was so traumatized by his fine body that he didn’t accept the chance of staying at his darling Elion’s. Jay quickly takes his bag and goes back to his house. Jay gets hot on his return home simply remembering the hot figure of Elion. His whole body is aflame, so upon reaching home, he heads straight for a cold shower. The body temperature won’t settle down, so he finds helping himself.
Elion had tried to ask about Ethen, but every time he did, he was pushed back by the crowd of his fan girls. It was a week he tried to enter the café but couldn’t because of the endless crowd. On the weekend, on Sunday, while watching from his window, he saw the café being opened by workers. That was his chance. Ethen was not at the café, thus there would be no fan girl group. He rushed to the café. He went in the staff welcomed him with a smile. He chose the table next to the counter, near enough to obtain information from the staff easily.
“Today isn’t too crowdy here?” he asked, flashing a warm smile. The staff nodded in yes. Elion leaned in a little, his voice smooth. He made small talk with the staff, commenting on how beautiful the day was, letting his words linger just a little longer than they needed to. They started talking more. He let his charm flow unchecked, eyes glinting with interest and a touch of mischief, subtly drawing the lady staff into conversation. His tone was light, teasing, but beneath it was a clear eagerness he wasn’t just here for coffee.
From the lady staff, he got a small piece of information, but that was enough to keep him hopeful. It would help him obtain information about Ethen. He told himself, “Something is better than nothing.” She told him that Ethen was from this Garden City, but she did not have his exact address. Elion was walking out of the café, jotting down notes on Ethen on his phone, when he bumped into someone at the door. His phone fell from his hands. He looked up. It was Ethen! Something stirred inside Elion; his eyes brimmed. It was as if he had found something he’d been searching for his whole life. Tears were not from the bump but from the profound happiness that swelled in his heart. His chest thudded powerfully, butterflies fluttered inside his belly, and then, blackout. When he opened his eyes, he was somewhere else. The door creaked open. It was the lady staff from the café. She told him that he was in the restroom of the café. He first checked for his phone. She gave him softly. He looked at her with a shaking voice and asked, “Who brought me here?” She raised a smile. “Ethen carried you.” Elion had come straight from the bed as though lightning had struck him. “Where is he now? Can I see him? Uh… uh…” Elion’s voice shook. “I want to thank him in person… I want to see him.” But she told him Ethen had left for the café already; it was already evening. Elion was taken aback. He had slept unconscious from noon until evening. He thanked the lady staff and promised to meet her again. Immediately he stormed home and went straight to hit the bed. He was thinking about the Ethen touch. His mind is echoing, “When we bumped, your touch made me feel like we aren’t strangers but one body, 2 souls,” afterward when he falls asleep blushing.
The next morning, Elion woke up, took a shower and stood in front of the mirror. When he looked at his reflection, something surprised him. His towel dropped, unnoticed. He gently touched his face.
A smile formed on his lips.
“He looks…beautifully handsome,” he whispered. “Thank you so much.”
More from writer Monika Sunuwar
