Fatal Attraction - 9

As soon as the words came out, he was embarrassed. I could tell that much. Blood pooled in his cheeks and sent off warmth in my direction, and his beautiful eyes would not meet mine.
To change the subject away from us directly, I said,
"So what are we going to do?"
Alex's head rose and his gaze finally met mine. The knot in my stomach caught in my throat - I was re-reminding myself of how beautiful he was, and that was very. Beautiful, I mean.
"I'm going to get you out of here. Of course." He said surely, shifting in his seat on the floor and smiling grimly. "I am an undercover agent after all - I have the gadgets, the access, the everything. As long as your friend Jay is going to help us."
His face screwed up when he said Jay's name, as if the word put a bad taste in his mouth. I laughed (I couldn't help it) and cocked my head to the side.
"Jay will help. He'll always be my friend. To him, I may just be a person he was friendly with, but to me, he'll always be the guy that showed the first bit of kindness to me after so long. He'll help, and I'll love him for it. You have to accept that." I said, scolding gently, pressing my hand to the glass again and wishing I could stroke his cheek.
He looked beautiful sat there; even in the harsh light of the lab, with his face thrown into all these different angles and planes. His eyes stared back at me, such a vibrant green that I could almost imagine a tiny emerald flame sitting in each iris. The thought made me shiver, and the shiver made me want him to hold me, but at that moment, it was impossible.
"You'll have to ask him." Alex grumbled, and I wanted him in my arms at that moment more than any else.
"Alex." I whispered softly. My voice was hoarse and shaky, trembling with want. "Alex." And a big, fat tear trickled out of my eye and onto my cheek. It was hot against my cool skin, and Alex's hand rose up; I knew he was itching to wipe it away.
Then, again realizing that the glass wall divided us, his fingers curled back into a fist and his arm dropped down into his lap. I brushed the tear away myself, with the back of my hand.
"Ebony. I love you so much." He said instead, his voice shaking with something.
"I suppose I love you too." I replied, smiling at him, and he smiled back. And then Jay walked in.
"Ebony." He repeated, and his voice was stiffer than before. I realized he had given us more than one minute, and was grateful for that.
"Jay, hi. I need to talk to you." I replied, smiling coyly, trying to get him on my good side with a bit of womanly charm. I stood up and brushed the seat of my grubby sweats off - the scientists had allowed me a wash but not a change of clothes. I hated them for it.
"All right." Jay said cautiously, and Alex took that as a cue to stand up, turn round and walk out.
Jay walked over to me and curled up in his place. I could almost smell the distaste radiating off him, and felt a protective burst of hostility toward him for Alex. But then I shook my head, fixed a smile on my face and regarded him friendly.
"Jay, I've got something to ask." I began, taking in his instantly suspicious expression. I thundered on without pausing for breath. "Could you help me and Alex break out of here? You're the only one who has access to the labs that might want to help me - could you please help us?" I asked in a rush, my words tumbling over each other and becoming almost garbled in the process.
Jay's face, after I'd talked, was wonderfully composed. He raised an eyebrow and lent back on his hands, resting his weight on his arms. His opened his mouth twice after hesitating, and then finally said,
"Are you with Alex?" It wasn't the question I was expecting, and I was slightly taken aback from it. I shuffled further away from the glass and looked at the floor, suddenly nervous. I don't know why Jay's opinion on the subject mattered, but it did.
Then I realized it.
Jay mattered because he was a friend. And once I've made friends, I never break them.
"Uh huh. He explained and..." I risked a glance up, and then down again, "...I forgave him. He was only doing his job."
There was this long, stony silence after I'd said it, and I thought with a sinking heart about how mad Jay was that I had given in. How mad he was that I was going against the law. And, of course, I'd told him that I didn't want to break free because I'd live life on the run.
Now, with Alex on the scene though, the thought seemed wonderfully delicious.
"I thought you could break out without any help. I thought you didn't need anybody." He said quietly, his expression set in a weird kind of emotion that I couldn't comprehend.
"Alex wants to be part of it." I shrugged uneasily. Jay's face stayed the same, and he didn't explode at me like I thought he would.
"He puts his part in it before your safety?" he asked, and I was suddenly annoyed.
"He wants to keep me safe, that's why he wants a part in it!" I yelled back, and then was instantly sorry. I knew, of course, why I was so tense. Death's shadow played on my face, and I could smell the pungent scent of white lilies everywhere I went. White lilies - the flower of death. "Hey, I'm sorry." I said back softly, ashamed at my uncontrolled behavior.
I made a decision then.
I decided to get out now. Alex was here, Jay was here, it was late so everyone else had gone home. I could hear nothing except for the two men's even breathing and steady heartbeats. I could hear nothing except for them.
And then, with my face set into an expression of determination, I said to Jay,
"Get out."
He was taken aback for a moment - he didn't quite get it. I smiled inwardly, but my mind was already all concentrated on my Energy. It was buzzing and excited with the thought of release.
When Jay hesitated and didn't move, I yelled at him.
"Jay, get out! You can come back in a minute!" My voice, though louder, was friendlier, and this time, Jay turned and walked swiftly out of the laboratory. I briefly heard some consultation between the two men, and then Alex poked his head around the door. "Out!" I yelled at him, too, and with a last glance, he was gone.
And then I was alone.
Concentrating hard, I balled up all the little electrical crackling throughout my body and mind and bundled them up in a place just below my heart. And, with a deafening crash and a painful shout from me, the bluish purple light filled the whole room and shattered my imprisoning cage.
Alex was in like a shot, and Jay followed shortly after.
"Ebony..." Alex's voice was soft and hoarse as he looked at me. Jay was surveying the damage around us, but Alex was striding purposefully towards me.
Emerald green met sapphire blue and the whole world seemed to stop. Our surroundings darkened and time was just a nothing.
And then, with a groan, Alex grabbed me and pulled me tight into him, not kissing me at first, just hugging me right off the ground and not letting me go. I was glad - I was weak and would have collapsed otherwise. One arm was tight around my back, the other behind my head as he pressed me into his shoulder and chest.
"Ebony." He said my name, my simple name, and my whole world (which had seemed off tilt before) righted itself.
And then his mouth was pressed firmly on mine and I was gasping with his sudden closeness, his sudden need. He tasted as warm and sweet and totally intoxicating as the first time we kissed, and I was happy: happy to have him here, happy to be alive, happy to be kissing the man I love.
My common sense was doing cartwheels and I had that feeling - that deliciously frightening feeling of rushing down a particularly big dip in a roller coaster - playing in my stomach. Sleepy butterflies opened their long closed wings and began to flutter excitedly inside of me.
"Ahem."
Jay, although annoyed, looked smilingly back at us as I dragged myself away from Alex's lips. I took his hand instead, grinning sheepishly and apologetically at my new friend, and laced my fingers through his strong ones.
Calmly, so not to draw attention to ourselves, we walked out of the lab together as a three. The rain was pouring thunderously onto the ground, and there was the distinct danger of a flood. I didn't care. I knew it was the Energy's release.
Looking up at my boyfriend, I found he was looking down at me too. Jay was a few steps ahead so we paused, and he pushed my wet fringe from my face. I tangled my hands into the back of his own soaking black hair and brought his head down to my face. I hovered for the shortest of milliseconds, a smile playing on both of our faces, before crushing him to me, locking my arms around his neck so he could lift me off the ground, gripping my waist, and twirl me around. He put me down again and - reluctant to let go - laced an arm around my waist.
Jay glanced back and smiled.
"Come on you two!" he yelled laughingly, making a pretend uninterested faces. Alex chuckled, all hostility gone, and I ran to fall into step with my friend. My boyfriend followed, and soon, we were all stalking across the parking lot at exactly the same time. It was cool - it was good - it was funny. We made steady progress across the tarmac to Jay's car, chatting and laughing all the way.
And then we were gone.