After the incident at the orphanage, a few days had passed. Amy had been staying at the orphanage. She would play with the kids, engage them with her magic tricks, and most likely spend the night at the very place with the kids. Even though her main goal was to reach Jay, she had eventually become familiar with the kids, who weren't as shy of her as they were before. They were slowly bonding. Her playful demeanour felt like a miracle.
Even though Jay hadn’t visited much, he did have business to attend to at the orphanage. He would most of the times assign them to Mr. Fukuzawa, but lately, it required his input on the tasks. So he had to visit again. All the time he was in the orphanage, he had made sure to keep his distance from Amy. He wouldn’t step into the same room as Amy and would rather spend his day in the office until Amy left.
As stubborn as Jay had been, Amy was driven by the same madness; though she hadn’t been persistent about making her presence known, she had somehow managed to stay stuck in Jay’s mind. He had rather been thinking about Amy and also had kept track of her every day through CCTV surveillance that he had access to. He had turned into a stalker, a term he wasn’t ready to accept just yet.
It was another night, and Jay had been staying in the office. His plethora of work had been completed long ago, yet he remained in the office staring at the computer’s screen like a hawk for a long time. His blue eyes kept staring at one particular figure on the screen that displayed CCTV surveillance of the very room where Amy was. She had been with the children, watching a movie meant for kids. Never in a year of their relationship had Jay ever imagined Amy in such a stance. Her demeanour around kids changed 360 degrees. If someone had told Jay that Amy was a softy, he would have laughed in their faces. He couldn’t believe his eyes. She had not even snarled or sulked at the tantrums the kids had thrown for days. She wasn’t oozing with her usual cold appearance and iciness that she displayed to make everyone fear her.
She was being different. His eyes trailed on the screen only to see Amy sleeping alone in the room without a care in the world. The children were off to bed long ago. He sighed. Not sure why he was even bothered. But he couldn't keep it in. He stood up from his seat as he left the office, walking briskly through the hallways in the dead of the night. Finally, stopping in front of that one particular room where Amy was sleeping. Like every other night, he stepped in, making sure she was asleep.
She had worn one of her casual shirts and sweatpants. She lay on her left side with her forehead resting on her arm as she drifted off to sleep, facing away from him, sprawled over the floor. Jay gently crouched next to her, his figure hovering above her face, staring at her features while she looked peaceful. It had been days since Jay had kept his distance, and seeing her up close now made his heart beat faster. His fingers reached her bangs that covered her forehead as he slid them away. His eyes trailed to the silver chain on her neck; the rings were out as it rested on her arm, which supported her head.
Jay wondered what her intentions with him were. All the time after he discovered her alive, all she did was hold him and apologize. He couldn't consider it sincere because, in his ideology, he thought of Amy as someone who believed more in ownership than emotions. She would let the world burn, but her pride came first. And now seeing her becoming the total opposite of her personality had made him irked and suspicious about her apologies. And he wouldn’t dare to bring another emotional trauma on himself. But he couldn’t understand; the more he tried to pull away, the more he was stuck with her. And she had entered back into his life in every possible way.
Jay: She always had trouble sleeping. Is she acting? Maybe the kids tired her. Must be the kids.
He mumbled, concluding his doubts by himself.
The next moment, he gathered Amy in his embrace, gently crooning her head to his shoulder, his hands wrapped around her back and thighs, lifting her in his arms as he walked out of the room. He reached the other end of the hallway, entered the room assigned, and made for Amy. He had asked Mr. Fukuzawa for the arrangements, which he gladly made. Even though he wanted to push Amy away from himself, he could not push her away from her childhood memories. The orphanage was hers, and it was the only anchor in his life that kept him going, that kept him away from the brink of insanity. He gently placed Amy on the bed, tucking her under the blanket as he sat on the edge of the bed. His eyes trained back, focusing on her features. The slow rhythm of her breathing didn’t match the pace of his heartbeat. His heart had gone wild, and he could do nothing to contain it.
He stared at her, feeling like a creep. Not sure if he should slap some sense into himself or rather let himself lose control of whatever he was left with and fall freely into whatever trap, spell, or charm Amy had whiplashed on him. And after battling his urges for another 30 minutes, he finally gave in. Getting rid of his shoes, he slowly lay beside Amy on the bed, making sure not to wake her up. His fingers itched to reach her and draw her to his arms, hold her to himself and caress her waist, and feel her breath that felt like music, helping him to sleep.
He stayed on the other side of the bed, wondering if he was in a dream to have Amy alive after going through 2 years of nightmares. His gaze wandered again to the rings that were hooked to the silver chain; his breaths were calm, but his racing heartbeat had another story to tell. He soon drifted off to sleep, waking up early and leaving the bed before Amy could wake up.
Next Day
Jay had wandered around as if he was oblivious of any happenings, while Amy had found herself mysteriously landing in her room, her brain turning gears for all possible happenings, but not able to pinpoint any. She finally concluded that she may have been sleepwalking.
‘Miss.’
The kid before her caught her attention as her gaze shifted to the drawing the little girl had made. A rose. Even though it was not perfect, the shades of red and pink were smeared out of the outlines, but it provided warmth; it held the girl’s heart. She adored her drawing and was excited to show it to Amy. Amy couldn't understand what to feel. A few days had passed, and she spent almost all her time in the orphanage with the kids. And the overflow of such warmth and sweetness was something foreign to her. She didn't know how to react to, accept, or receive affection. All she did was stare.
The 4-year-old girl had a sweet smile plastered on her lips, her eyes bright with all the light in the world, sparkling at Amy in hopes of a positive affirmation and compliment, but all Amy did was stare. There was a moment of silence. The little girl’s eyes welled up with tears, almost on the verge of crying, until Amy cracked a small smile.
Amy: It's pretty.
The smile that was almost disappearing from the girl’s face came back as she stood up with small steps and sat on Amy's lap, who had been sitting cross-legged on the floor.
The little girl had become comfortable. And Amy was yet to figure out how to behave around kids. The flood of foreign emotions seeps into her veins, making her insides churn. All her life, she had resorted to violence and manipulation. Life had thrown difficult battles. She always had to choose the option that was less evil than the other. She tried her best, and while she survived those, she had lost the warmth of home.
The little girl giggled at her lap, playing with the holy cross necklace dangling on her wrist.
‘Jesus, is pretty.’
She fiddled with the holy cross, babbling about it and looking at it closely. And Amy let her be. The kid continued with her energetic blabbering as Amy sat amused.
The moment was caught by Jay, who stood at the door at a distance, not invading Amy's space. He glanced back at the camera in his hands that had captured a perfect picture; he was going to keep it a secret. Hiding the camera, he finally walked inside as a clueless guy followed behind him.
A young 19-year-old boy, who was excited to volunteer as an art teacher to the kids. But now he stood clueless in the room of kids who were way younger than he intended. Yet he kept a small, polite smile on his lips as he greeted the kids.
‘Hi everyone, I’m Brian, your new art teacher.’
The kids were still silent as they kept observing the new guy. While Amy, who was sitting backfacing the guy, didn’t react one bit, the little girl in her lap played with the other toy she found at the table, and she had no intention of leaving the comfortable lap of Amy’s. Brian stood behind Amy a few feet away. He clutched the bag strap while he threw a quick, awkward glance at Jay. He wasn’t sure if he was offended or angry at the lack of response from the guy in front of him. He hoped that people were good at heart at the orphanage. The said guy in front of him had ignored him; he surely felt the oozing arrogance from the carefree posture.
But Brian didn’t give up. He cleared his throat a little too loudly as he marched ahead, stopping right before Amy. His figure towered beside her, eyes peering down at her, demanding attention.
Brian: Hi, Mister. I’m Brian. I hope we can be a good company for each other.
That seemed to have caught Amy’s attention. Her eyes snapped to the owner of the voice. She sat with a little girl on her lap, her spine leaning back on the support of her hands behind her on the floor. Her head tilted as she finally looked at the guy with slight amusement.
Amy: Sure, Mr. Brian. I must appreciate the quiet judgment you’ve thrown at me.
As the words escaped Amy’s lips, Brian froze. Awestruck by her deep velvety voice and embarrassed to quickly anticipate that she was a man. But who couldn’t misunderstand Amy’s tall height and dressing, and short hair that gave the appearance of a man if not looked at closely?
After a few seconds of silence, Amy had a slight smirk as she saw Brian having lifetime issues with his perceptions. Gaining his composure back after the second-hand embarrassment, he cleared his throat again.
Brian: I’m sorry, Miss. But may I know your name?
Amy: Maria.
She mentioned her new name to him, as she did to everyone except Jay, who knew the truth.
Brian: I see.
His eyes twinkled with admiration this time as he couldn’t draw away from Amy’s beautiful features. Her brown eyes had him whipsawed.
With the brief introduction, he quickly went to greet Jay again, who had certainly smiled at him, hiding his growing irritation and annoyance towards Brian, who kept gazing at Amy once every few minutes; the lingering stare wasn’t unknown to Amy, even though she was backfacing them now.
For the next few days, Jay’s mood had been a contrast between the serene calm water and the bursting volcano. There was no mode variation set in between. Brian had kept flirting and hitting on Amy after his first day. He made advances as he stayed with her throughout the day, along with teaching the kids. Jay had wanted to pull Brian away by his blonde hair and throw him out. But he was hopeless and helpless in the situation. All he could do was watch the flirtatious glances and outdated pick-up lines Brian threw at Amy. While Amy had stayed calm, acting unaware of any of his advances, even though she was well aware of the kid’s intention.
She had known Jay had been watching her. And she was testing the waters all this time. She wanted to make him reach the breaking point. But the goal was yet very far, and she was a stubborn bitch.
Jay had been trying his best to act like a saint and ignore all the bullshit occurring in front of him. He wandered around the patio of the building, eyes unfocused as he greeted the volunteers that came his way with a slight nod, not paying heed to their words. He heard a loud giggle at a distance coming from the nearby lawn. His eyes snapped to the source of the sound, only to find that annoying brat giggling. He wasn’t alone. He had been painting one of Amy’s arms. Both of them sat under the shade of a tree; it didn’t look less than a romantic movie. Amy sat near the tree, her back supported by the tree’s bark. She looked ethereal in a white tank top, with an off-white shirt that covered one of her arms as the other arm was being painted by Brian, who had excitedly held his brush, smearing colour on her bare skin.
The sight had made Jay’s blood boil; never had he felt so annoyed by a high school kid. His jaw tightened, his fists clenching and unclenching as he tried his best to maintain composure as he looked away from the sight. He knew it was going to be a long day. A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he finally looked again at them, only to find Amy directly staring at him, her lips curving up into a slight smirk, but her gaze had said it all. She was challenging him. Tilting her head slightly, she kept him pinned by her gaze, while Brian had been too lost in chattering and painting Amy’s arm to notice the interaction.
All Jay could do was heave a sigh and sulk all day about Brian’s nerves. The day went past as the sky darkened, the kids had been tucked into their beds, and like any other day, Jay found Amy dozing off in the kids' room after watching cartoons, but this time she wasn’t alone; Brian had been with her throughout the day. He had been leaving at 8 all these days, and now it was 11 at night, which was unnecessary. Jay had been death-glaring at the surveillance in his cabin, his eyes pinned on the monitor’s screen in front of him. He found Brian sitting near Amy’s sleeping figure as he stared at her, and it made Jay burn with jealousy. He had had enough of Brian’s antics; they had crossed the limits, while the poor boy had been oblivious of the relationship Amy and Jay shared.
Jay rose from his chair as he marched towards the children’s playroom; he didn’t knock on the door, barging in without any prior notice. Brian froze as his head snapped towards Jay, his hand still hovering midair that was about to touch Amy.
Jay: Hi, I didn’t know you were here, Mr. Brian.
Jay spoke, his tone clipped as his gaze snapped to Brian’s hand that had been still midair. Brian, realizing his actions, quickly drew his hand away, embarrassment rushing to his face as it flushed red.
Brian: I am really liking it here with the kids.
He threw an awkward smile at Jay that spelled ‘white lie.’ Jay broke into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
Jay: I think it’s quite late; you should leave for the day and get some rest. It must have been tiresome with the kids, right?
Jay spoke in a polite yet clipped tone.
Brian: True that!
He giggled while Jay pushed a curt nod, struggling to hold up his fake smile.
Jay: I think you should rest tomorrow; today must have been a long day with the art workshop. My driver will drop you home. Good night!
To which Brian nodded in response as Jay finally made him leave the room; that took a lot more coaxing and convincing. His mission was successful; his eyes were boring holes into his back with his death stares as Brian left the room.
Jay huffed in relief, relaxing his shoulders, cracking his neck with slight but strong snaps. Turning around from the door, he was now facing Amy, who had startled him. She was awake, staring at him with his signature smug look as she still lay on the floor, her palm supporting her head as her elbow stayed to the floor, her body tilting to the side facing Jay.
Amy: I see it now—who had been disposing me to the bed all these days.
She snickered with a playful tone. Which made Jay gulp as his throat bobbed up and down while the blood rushed to his cheeks and ears. Yet he kept his composure. He didn’t meet her eyes; instead, he walked past her towards the window, staring at the sky as if it was the most attractive thing at the moment.
Jay: I thought being in the mafia made people alert to dangers, but here you are dozing off in a strangers presence, who could have been a potential danger to you.
Jay muttered in jealousy as he indirectly mentioned Brian as a stranger. He heard Amy chuckle; he couldn’t lie if he felt offended at Amy’s reaction.
Jay: Maybe you trust him. You let him paint on you…
He muttered like a child complaining to his parents.
Amy: I didn’t doze off because I trust that stranger.
Jay’s ears perked at her words while he kept staring outside the window, not looking back at Amy. He couldn’t turn back.
Amy: Because I knew you were watching me every day, all the time, and you won’t let anything happen to me.
He felt her voice coming closer. The next moment Amy wrapped her hands around him, her front touching his back as he stilled, a silent gasp escaping past his lips. One of her palms slid to his chest, stopping above his wild heartbeats as the other rested around his torso. She leaned in, resting her head on his back.
His breaths grew erratic as his heartbeats raced even wilder.
Amy: I am correct, aren’t I? I can hear your heartbeats from the back and feel it thumping right under my palm. Breathe. Doctor.
She whispered near his ear, and Jay could feel her smirk at the words.
The moment stilled. Closing his eyes, Jay had managed to control his breath; his heart had betrayed him—it was out of his control. Amy kept caressing his chest as if trying to calm his heart, yet all she managed to do was the opposite.
Amy: Why don’t you just give me a chance? Quit ignoring me. Please.
Amy pleaded in a small voice as she rested her head on his broad back, her ears sticking to his back, hearing the drumming heartbeats.
Amy: Let me repent for the hurt I gave you. You can punish me all you want, but not this. Don’t push me away. Please.
She requested again.
Jay’s eyes remained closed as he listened to Amy, feeling the slow caress of her palms on his body. Warmth crept up his neck, his resolution being thrown out the window yet again. He cursed himself.
Jay: Why? What if I don’t want you back in my life? Just leave me alone. It will hurt us less.
Jay spoke in a broken whisper. Amy didn’t move as they remained still for the next few minutes; neither did Jay try to push her away. He craved her touch even more. As the minutes passed, Amy finally pulled away as Jay slowly turned back to look at her. He could read the guilt that dwelled in her brown irises, gleaming under the moonlight passing through the windows.
Amy: Okay, let’s keep a challenge. If I win, I get whatever I ask from you; if you win, I’ll do whatever you ask. Sounds fair?
Amy spoke in a tone that came in a low, monotonous tone, and it didn't reveal any of her emotions. It was her signature business tone, which only meant she was on the winning edge. Jay could see the hidden gears of her brain churning, and he was sure it was not so fair as it sounded.
Jay: We’ll see….
