Of the Twisted and the Lost

Chapter 22:

"But when I swam up to him, the boy was saying cryptic stuff," Sera continues. "He kept calling me 'Chocolate' even though we literally only met for one day." 

"'Chocolate,'" Junjie murmurs, eyes narrowing slightly. "Hmm, interesting. That information might be important later on." 

"Then he said I was dangerous. That the most dangerous people are the ones that haven't been silenced yet." 

Junjie cocks his head. 

"Sounds very cryptic," he says. "Did he try doing anything?" 

"Well, no," Sera says. "Except for—" 

She stops, cheeks blazing. 

"Yes?" Junjie prompts. 

"Uh, he didn't do anything," Sera lies. "Just talked to me and stuff." 

"Sera." Junjie speaks in a flat tone, a reprimanding shadow to it. "I know when people are lying." 

Sera glares. 

"Fine," she spits out through gritted teeth. "He. Kissed. Me. Is that what you wanted to hear?" 

Junjie seems to freeze before he nods again. 

"Alright," he says. "That also seems like information that can be useful. What else?" 

"What else?" Sera shrieks. "How the hell am I supposed to know?" 

"Are you okay?" Junjie studies her face. "You seem a little tense." 

"Oh, so I'm tense now?" 

The words just keep spilling out of Sera's mouth, almost like a waterfall she couldn't stop, the water slipping through her hands. 

"Did I miss something?" Junjie squints. 

Sera inhales. 

Then exhales. 

Inhales, then exhales. 

"Sera. . ." 

That word. 

All it takes is one word. 

"Oh, what the hell do I have to lose," Sera mumbles under her breath, before exploding. "Look, the thing is, I like you and I sometimes think you might like me but then your mood changes literally confuse me. I sent you letters and you didn't even bother answering and now I'm doubting myself. Then this afternoon, it looked like you might like me and you might kiss me, but you didn't so I'm confused. I just want to ask you a question: do you like me? If you don't, that's totally fine, I'll just leave you alone forever and ever, except in school because we have to see each other." 

Sera inhales sharply. 

"Oh God," she whispers. "I didn't mean to say it like that." 

She stops, as Junjie stares intently at her. "That's a bad idea," he sighs. 

"What do you mean?" Sera stammers. 

"You're like a flower, innocent and bright. I'm the complete opposite. The  closer people get to me, the more they can get hurt." A sad smile flickers on his lips. "That's why you and I aren't friends anymore." 

"What if I don't care?" 

Junjie leans towards her and Sera breathes in his scent. Mint swirls through the air, sending her heartbeat into an erratic pattern. 

"You're asking the wrong questions," Junjie whispers. "You should be wondering what happens when I like you." 

A small gasp escapes Sera, her lips parting. "Do you like me?" she murmurs. 

"Wrong question, again." His blue eyes glitter in the dim moonlight. "Can I kiss you?" 

Her stomach twists, and then Sera says: "Yes." 

Time seems to freeze, as Junjie's lips brush against hers. He's hesitant at first, which makes Sera nervous too, but then he slips his arm around her waist, pressing closer. 

She's going lightheaded because all she tastes is him and it silences all other reasonable thoughts. 

Little tingles of pleasure dance through her and rushes of sensation bursts, like a billion fireworks setting off. 

And then, Junjie moves back, his whole body stiffening. Though his body language remains as casual and confident as usual, it's his eyes that make Sera freeze. 

It's filled with desire. 

For me, Sera thinks.  

"What was that?" Sera whispers. 

"Sorry." Junjie glances away, mouth pursed in what seemed like hesitation. "I just—" 

He clears his throat. 

"Sorry," he says again. 

"You. . ." Sera begins. "You kissed me." 

Junjie looks down. 

"Well?" Sera prompts. 

"Yes, I did." 

Don't squeal. Don't squeal. Don't squeal. 

Sera lets out a squeak. 

"You do?" she asks, congratulating herself for not squealing. 

His cheeks turn pink. "Yes." 

Her grin widens. 

Junjie raises an eyebrow before he reaches into his pocket. "I got these," he says, voice quiet as he shows Sera the letters. 

Sera flushes. 

"Oh," she replies, in an equally hushed tone. "Yeah, um maybe it's best if you don't look at them. Because, like, I wrote super embarrassing stuff in there." 

Junjie offers her a smile. "Too late," Junjie says. "I already read them." 

"Oh." 

A pause. 

"I don't know what to say," Sera blurts. 

Junjie tilts his head to the side. "This is exactly the reason why I tried to get away from my feelings," he mutters. "So complicated and messy." 

"Isn't that the point of feelings? It's kind of like a roller coaster." 

He frowns. "I hate roller coasters." 

"Okay. Well." 

"Well. . ." 

"Well?" 

"What happens to us next?" 

Us. 

Sera's breath shallows. 

"I don't know," she admits, before raising her gaze so that her brown eyes meet his ocean-blue ones. "But isn't that the point of it all? To feel the thrill?" 

A wry chuckle escapes Junjie's lips. 

"Touché, Sera. Very touché." 

Sera returns his smile, something slipping through the air, a little like a warm blanket. Then Junjie snaps back to attention, blue eyes hardening once more. 

"Alright," he says. "Continue?" 

Briefly startled, Sera continues the story. "We saw a bunch of officers storming the area," Sera remembers. "So he told me to hide behind these." 

Sera points out the huge, jaggy rocks. 

"He kept telling me to be quiet — and then right after, he said he was a wanted criminal. But if he's wanted, why didn't I recognize him?" 

"Good question," Junjie murmurs. "But it was dark, wasn't it?" 

"Yeah, I guess so," she admits. "Anyways, I called out to the officers — because, you know, I thought they were trying to help us, being officers and stuff — against the boy's wishes. He didn't want the officers to know he was there, but there were people drowning and I couldn't just leave him!" 

Junjie nods. 

"And then," Sera's voice drops, "he attacked an officer and I saw a tail. Where his legs were supposed to be."