"Strycherin! I should've known. How did I miss it?!"

Miguel announced in the group chat. The lab results were back about Dean's fluid samples, along with the food of the bakery.

"It's in one of the documents, isn't it?" Molly typed in.

"Well, yes, of course it is!"

There was a pause before he responded, "I am sorry. My brain is on an override and I can't process this information."

"How could this have happened?" Mr. Bingo asked.

"This poisonous substance comes from Lorenzé region that's south to Chicago suburb. What is surprising is, since it was often used on the sheep, and inadvertently, the plants, the sugar that did come from those farms might be the reason. But it's even more surprising that it largely only affects the wolves — not people. Why do we have medical cases left and right?!"

"Anything that affects animals eventually would have an effect on us."

Molly explained as she let out a sigh. "As to why we have so many cases — wait, how many cases do we have?"

"We're speaking in two out of every ten to fifteen people. Don't count on it, the numbers would likely increase. There's already so many troubles to look into and this adds to the storm!"

"Is the region of Lorenzé scrutinized? Figure out why this is happening?"

"What page no did you find it on Miguel? I am looking at the documents." Mr. Bingo interrupted.

"Uh... probably thirty five in article 206." Miguel answered.

"At least you are observing, unlike someone here..." Molly teased as she looked at Mr. Bingo.

"Hey!" Mr. Bingo protested as he tried to brush off the virtual insult.

Miguel shot his text. "Coming back to the point, yes, Lorenzé is being scrutinized and this is going to be a long case."

"Someone decided to take the wolves and make a run for the hills. Sigh. I will relay this message to Lisa. I haven't had the slightest chance to contact her about the updates."

"Oh, is all the research jargon that's holding you down?"

"Kind of, yes. Our focus was largely on sucrose but you tell me its entirely different now."

"Its not off the rails entirely! Look into the article that I mentioned. You'll find some details. It was only mentioned in a sentence. However, I don't have too much knowledge on further details either."

"Alright, thanks Miguel!"

Molly closed her eyes and let out a sigh as she tried to piece the puzzle pieces together.

Eventually she dialed Lisa's number which went to the voicemail.

She decided to text her. "Hey Lisa! Call me when you can."

The message was delivered but not seen. She put her phone down and looked at Mr. Bingo.

He was busy typing away on his computer and from a quick glance it looked like some sort of code.

She rolled her eyes thinking he was back to his dating app idea and got up from her seat to head downstairs.

Julia had left for her afternoon classes and her mom was seated on the sofa placed in the hall and scrolled through her phone.

Molly smiled when she looked at her and proceeded to kitchen to make herself a lemonade.

When she finally returned to her seat, Mr. Bingo gave her a huge grin that shined with satisfaction on its corners.

"Are you done with your drama llama app?" She asked, exasperated from the ordeal.

"I did, actually!" Mr. Bingo continued donning his smile and pressed run on his computer.

The result was different than what she initially expected.

It wasn't a dating app, not even for llamas. It instead look like a chatbot designed to solve your issues, except, she observed, the internet was off.

"Really? You just pulled out the screen of a helpful assistant and assumed I would believe it? You were clearly working on something else before."

"And I haven't changed my code! Well— I did. Okay, I did change my code but that was to rectify errors. I haven't made any major changes."

"So, this is how your dating app for llamas is looking like. In what world do you think llamas would be able to type?"

"Dating app for llamas? No, no cherie, this is not for llamas, this is for us." He made a dramatic declaration.

"Cherie?! Goodness, the amount of nicknames you come up for me!" Molly argued.

"Aww you don't like them?" Mr. Bingo asked, trying his best to mimic the pleading eyes expression but failed miserably.

"No. And you look terrifying with that face, please don't ever try that again. Now don't let your heart sink already, we have to go out in the evening."

Mr. Bingo sniffed into his handkerchief like a kid trying to console himself after being scolded.

"Dramatic much?"

He nodded in response making Molly roll her eyes in response and punched him in the arms.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"For being dramatic and—" She zipped her mouth into a thin line.

No, she couldn't embarrass herself in front of him like this.

"And?"

"Never mind." She huffed out.

"Tell me!!" He protested like a child, complete with throwing his hands into the air.

"For calling me Juliet." She winced, biting down on her lips.

It had to work. She was mad about that, too.

But, currently the color of her cheeks gave her away. It was flushed pink with a blush.

"Do you think ours will be a tragedy like the two? Oh, my sweet maiden! Fear not, when your knight in shining armor is here!"

Her eyes widened in surprise at his Shakespeare flair, "You can't be serious."

"I am milady! Just give me your hand and we shall walk together hand in hand through eternity."

"Oh what a pleasure!" She snapped at him, playfully tugging at his arms. "I will never have to worry about the world again."

"Now that... I can't promise."

Molly let him go and he tumbled to his fall. She chuckled at his plight.

"Who needs a prince charming when you can be your own knight in—"

"Shining light, complete with a sweet tango with the love of your life."

"I told you I am not too sure about your tango idea!"

"And I won't budge till you agree!" Mr. Bingo protested, "Okay, you know what? Let's deal with this. Let a game of rock paper scissors decide our fate!"

Molly mumbled under her breath. All these important matters at hand and this is what he decided required most of our attention.

And somehow, even if she was annoyed at him for doing so, she couldn't help but play along.

She decided to win the game just so he could drop the whole idea.

Deep down she knew she wanted to dance, to learn, to express and maybe, just maybe, hold her own heart out like he had held his.

She agreed at last.

"Now that's what we call friendship. Come on, let's go!"

They sat in front of each other, their tables merged to create their battleground.

If they had to agree on something that they both had in common, it would to be about being grand and probably dramatic. They enjoyed it regardless.

"The one who wins gets to decide the outfit." Mr. Bingo declared.

Molly countered as she put her fists on the table. "And the whole mess that is tango itself. I won't be convinced easily."

"I never said I chased the weak heart." He winked at her and she raised her brows but shook her head, trying to hide her smile.

Molly started the game so they could finally get over the banter, "Rock, Paper, Scissors, GO!"

Mr. Bingo was attuned to the game. He brought forth scissors. Molly's was a rock.

"Gotcha!" Molly smiled pridefully, hitting at his hand-formed scissors. "That's what you get for messing with me. Now watch as I win this game."

"Wait, do we have a paper?" Mr. Bingo asked in a serious tone.

Molly quipped, "Why would you need an actual paper in this game?"

"Oh, you know, create a shield around my heart. I am sure I will win but you have a strong game. I need something to rely on if you decide to crush my heart with that rock."

Molly's hands were still in the rock formation and she donned a smile.

"Is someone scared of a heartbreak here?"

"Not me!" He declared dramatically, "Maybe you."

"Not me either. Let's get back to the game."

They played a few more times.

Molly won the first round and she was ready to do a happy dance in the privacy of her room to celebrate her win but Mr. Bingo drowned her ideas when he suggested a second game.

"Why would you crush my dreams like that?" Molly asked playfully putting her hands on her hips.

"Because I—" He paused and cleared his throat. He had to be careful. "I love to trouble you."

Molly narrowed her eyes at him. "Of course you do."

The game went on for a few more rounds.

They were currently on the last tie-breaker round.

"Rock. Paper, Scissors, GO!"

Molly almost made a scissors with her hands but decided to stick to her rock. When she looked at Mr. Bingo's hands, it was the same too.

'Shoot. Not again.'

"Another round!" Mr. Bingo demanded.

Molly countered, placing both her hands on the table, "If this was a game of candies for a kid at the candy store, I'd say the kid has had enough."

"And I'd say the kid wants one more. No, the kid needs one more to finally go home."

"Final round. If I win, I am never agreeing to your ideas."

"We'll see about that." He smirked.

Mr. Bingo won this time. Scissors to paper.

"No, this can't be."

"Yes, it can. I have finally donned my win!"

Molly let herself get dragged as he looked at the dresses to choose from the closet.

He threw a bunch of clothes on the bed and when he was satisfied with his choices, he looked at her.

"It will suit you."

She observed the selection of choices — an off white shirt, a black formal pant, an overall with a deep V line.

She decided to wear the shirt and match it with the overall. It matched more like sweater than a fashion statement.

'And wait, was that a... tie?'

Picking up the tie, she looked at him, "Seriously?"

"I wanted to choose something more fancy but we're not at the liberty to do that. This should do. It may look like a bunch of misfit, but I am sure, together it'd look amazing."

"I don't trust your fashion choices."

"Considering the number of times I went shopping with Lena, I would reconsider your statement."

"How do you think this will suit me?!"

"If you never try, you never know."

Molly gave him a deadpan look, refusing to buy into his idea.

"Do you want to add anything extra? Maybe a cape?"

She huffed. "The only thing that's going to go caped would be your head if you add anything more absurd to the mix."

"Alright, please get ready milady. We have more important things to do."

A while later they both decided to meet in the common room on their floor.

Molly was clad in an ensemble of unexpected contrasts. Her crisp, off-white shirt provided the perfect canvas for her bold statement piece: an edgy, black overall that clung to her figure, its straps crisscrossing at the back like a subtle challenge.

Mr. Bingo stood before Molly, a vision of easy elegance and sharp sophistication. His cream-colored trousers hung smoothly from his frame, tailored to perfection, and his beige shirt, worn open at the collar, hinted at a hint of the roguish charm beneath his polished exterior.

A flowing coat of silken fabric cascaded down his torso, the intricate stitchwork of its design belying the craftsmanship that had gone into its creation.

"Wait what? Where's my nerd-turned-mad-scientist Mr. Bingo? And who is this stylish, devil-may-care dude rocking a coat and an orange-creamish cap?"

He stood there, looking all smug and mysterious, holding a devious smile, "You like what you see?"

She nodded. "You look breathtaking."

"So do you." Mr. Bingo said as he crossed the distance and placed one of his fingers under her chin to lift it up to his face.

There were no words exchanged. A silent admiration for each others presence while their hearts berated to be let out of their cages.

He whispered. "Let's go. I can't wait to get this party started."

※※※

"Woah! Where are you both headed, dressed so fancy like that?" Selene asked in surprise as she scrutinized their outfits.

"On a date!" Mr. Bingo said sheepishly.

"Wait, date? Molly, you didn't tell me about it?"

"This is a dare. We were playing rock-paper-scissors when we took a break from work and he decided that the one who wins get to decide the outfit and now this is a date that i am dragged along to against my wishes."

She put an emphasis on date and let out an exasperated breath.

"But you agreed regardless," Selene commented, "Either ways, have fun!"

She didn't completely buy into the idea that it was a dare but she let them go, deciding to get the truth out later.

Mr. Bingo and Molly quickly exited through the doors, lest they should face some more questions or awkwardness.

The bus ride from their place to Amelia park was around half an hour and currently they were seated besides each other, with Mr. Bingo busy on his phone, grinning ear to ear.

"What's got you so busy and smiling, Mr. Charming?"

I am looking at these scores here. These were for Reader's Choices Awards hosted by our author." He explained with a childlike enthusiasm.

"And what's got you so invested about it? I am sure you weren't nom—"

"I was nominated and I won the third place."

"What?!" Molly blinked a few times. "I swear to god this author is a bit too much. What category were you nominated for?"

Of course she had to criticize me, she wouldn't have it any other way.

"Best Antagonist and I won by 11 votes — hey look, we're in chapter 11!"

"I am surprised she didn't make you a villain by now and killed you off already. At least then I wouldn't have had to deal with your shenanigans."

"You're too tough for your own good, Molly." I sigh. "You as well know why and—"

"Yes now please let's get back to the story." Molly interrupted me and turned to Mr. Bingo, "I hate you."

"I thought we were being romantic!" He protested by throwing his hands into the air.

"YOU are being romantic. I am just tagging along because you dragged me to your mess."

"Oh my broken heart!" He feigned pain by placing a hand over his heart to which she elbowed him and he winced in pain.

"You're being mean!"

"And you're being dramatic. I can't wait for this to get over with."

Mr. Bingo looked at her in disbelief and after a momentary silence, they both chuckled at the situation.

The arrived at their destination and got down from the bus.

In the dappled sunshine among the boughs and firmly raised roots, Amelia Park's energy weaves itself into nature, making you feel as one with this place and all of its life for the time being.It told the story of the seasons, one fresh page each day.

There were people seated on the comfortable benches, some kids were running through the lanes while chasing their friends and some teenagers were busy on their phones.

They looked around the majestic park. It took them by surprise that it wasn't named woods yet.

Perhaps that was because of the inclusion of the exercise equipment and human accommodation that took some of its spots.

Walking towards the heart of the place, they discovered a spot that was secluded from most public.

Deciding to use that space, they put their carry-ons on the side and stood beside each other, just marveling at the beauty of the place — the cry of the birds, the conversations of people that reaching them in pieces and some insects that made their presence known to the public eyes, daring to venture into the unknown.

Molly whispered, her voice barely above a breath, "Its so beautiful here." She was afraid of breaking the magic that they walked into the center of.

Mr. Bingo said, "When I was working at my previous role, I would sometimes skip lunch or bring it to the park that was nearby and eat it there. The magic of nature never fades."

Molly mumbled. "I could stay here the whole day and not be tired."

"Ah-hah. Unless you have the patience of a saint, being in a place surrounded by lush trees is difficult because of the insects and everything else that you can be at the risk of."

"I can handle that. It may take some time, yes. But I do hope someday when I am older and when my kids have left from home to pursue their mighty dreams, I hope to be able to live in the heart of a forest someday."

She finally turned to Mr. Bingo and told him, "This is the perfect spot for what's about to unfold."

"You are ready for this?" He asked quietly.

She nodded in response. He continued, "If there is one thing you should absolutely know about tango, is that its a form of art, just like all the other dance forms. An expression of the soul, if you will. It's not about two people simply dancing in to the sway of music. Its much slower, much passionate. There's a reason why people hesitate to do it."

"But you mean to say that, despite people labelling it as meant for lovers or couples, it can be for everyone?"

"Precisely. If its done correctly, it can open doors to a deep connection — one that's filled with trust, respect and communication. Respect should be the center of every relationship, there's no point of entertaining anyone in your life unless they do that first."

Molly processed the information and then hesitantly asked, "But, why me?"

"Why do I want to dance with you? Is that your question?" She nodded. "Oh love, that's because I want to be more open with you. We have a shaken up past. I don't want it to tear us down entirely. There are rifts and cracks that we always avoid and if we do cross them, nursing them in private is our only go." He chuckled dryly. "Perhaps its our ego, but I feel like its more than just that. I want to take this step with you, as your dear friend, and bridge those gaps. God forbid if we should ever part ways." He looked in the other direction, trying to hide his pain. "But if it should ever happen, I want us to share a camaraderie that's full of love, trust and respect in the meantime."

"I guess I'd want to have a phrase to call each other, like an endearment. But we can only use it under the wraps, hidden from everyone else and at a time one of us or probably both of us might be vulnerable."

"That sounds delightful, what do you have in mind?"

"You can choose one. How about hiraeth?"

Mr. Bingo was stunned into silence as his nerves pulsed with a raging speed.

He closed his eyes and opened them after a few moments, Molly's eyes seemed to reflect the same vulnerability.

"My heart can't catch a breath when its around you. That's so beautiful."

"Beautiful yet tragic. A home you can never return to. We carry it within us, yet never truly carrying it. Its music only sung by our hearts."

"Hiraeth." He let the name roll of his tongue for a few times before he realized that his lips inadvertently form into a smile every time he says it.

He clutches at the term like its a vow, a secrecy, a chant only meant for his heart.

For Molly, it had always been a significant word, one that held as much depth as much power.

His repeated chant of the word only seemed to bring the magic alive in her heart.

It was like stepping into a secret garden, the doors to which were only unlocked through the other's heart.

"You can hear it, can't you?" Molly probed his world gently, not wanting to damage it in the process.

"My hiraeth, why not this world?"

She promptly shook her head, "I can't risk it here."

He didn't respond. And for a while, none of them spoke.

In an alternate universe i am holding your hands and when we face each other, our lips never part, my hands are through your hair and yours are through mine.

In an alternate universe i am removing my tie and you're removing yours too.

Surprisingly, you think a black tie with white strips makes a wonderful touch for me.

We bind our hands together with this tie, but is it really just our hands that we're tying?

My dear hiraeth, we're tying our hearts and souls into one, engraving each other's name on it, to forever remember our names.

In an alternate universe, our love blooms into the gardens of Eden and it will be everlasting.

It will stand tall and upright. Nay, it shall not be broken. It shall stand unapologetic.

Hiraeth - the song of our hearts and the kindle of our souls, a home we now reside in, yet forever forlorn.

Please don't leave me. It almost sounds like a prayer and there's no one else to answer it except ourselves.

So answer me by your call, my hiraeth. Have you truly offered yourself to me?

He spoke out loud this time, "Yes, yes, yes a thousand times yes. Please take my offerings, my prayers, my being... I am at your mercy."

"And I have offered mine." Molly offered, steadily.

"May I?" Mr. Bingo asked as he put one of his hands behind him and extended the other to reach out to her.

She readily accepted his hands and they stood, so close to each other yet in their hearts, they were already one.

He steadied his gaze and looked into her eyes. She was enchanted by his black eyes and couldn't break contact even if she wanted to.

The moments easily flowed, some of them were awkward, making them giggle. Yet some others were so natural, it was like they had stepped into another world.

The tango in itself is filled with stops and starts, its moments of grace and its moments of stumbling. But they're willing to keep dancing, to keep exploring each other's hearts, even when it's not perfect.

And when he turned her around for the final time, the words flowed without a pause, "My hiraeth. A tragedy of my heart yet a siren's call I cannot ignore."

"That's the beauty of a bond like ours. You're mine to keep, hiraeth."

"And so are you mine." He put his hands on her cheeks gently, "Even if we must part someday, know that I will always carry you."

※※※

a/n: *drops the pen*

shoot. how was the chapter?

this comes from a close personal experience, very similar to this one, but i am so out of tune with that entirety yet, when i write through my heart, the music flows. that's probably why it makes sense to me but, it might not make a sense to you.

and yes, i actually made him a sticker for best antagonist. this man wouldn't let me live in peace otherwise.

if you ever need to stalk him, here's his info:

hope you enjoyed the chapter! this is probably the closest to a love scene we'll encounter between them and i like to keep it that way. do note that even with all the love references, they're still friends. friendship beyond everything is what'd truly resonate with them, long after their story ends.

cheers,

Sara