"Papa, I have a question."

"Yes, Jay, what is it?"

"How do you manage to be kind to everyone? Even when they hurt you, you still make sure your words don't hurt them."

"You'll understand when you're older, son. Just remember, people like to hurt, but they hate being hurt. Let's try to be the ones who break that cycle, and accept that sometimes, hurt can be one-sided."

The dark screen opens, revealing a garden in bright sunlight. The sky had the hues of orange, yellow and blue colours.

"What is happening?"

Jayden's dad appears in front of him.

"Why is my dad looking so young here?"

"Papa! Can you give me a piggyback ride?"

"Sure! Hop on, son!"

"Why does my voice sound like when I was ten?"

"Am I having a flashback?"

All of a sudden, the screen swirls, the daylight darkens, flowers wilt, and a metallic gold coloured curtain appears in front of him. His dad's voice starts fading in the background and becomes inaudible.

"Why can't I wake up?"

The curtains fade away slowly, revealing the same garden but now there's a picnic set up on the grass.

Jayden feels someone tap his shoulder. He turns around.

"It's her! The girl I saw at the park"

Her wavy hair tied into a messy ponytail, a checked dress that sways lightly with the breeze. A soft tint of pink gloss colours her lips. She looks gorgeous. She looks perfect.

She smiles and says something, but her voice is inaudible.

"Why can't I hear her?" Jayden mutters, frustrated.

She turns, walks over to the blanket, and sits down. Then she gestures for him to join her, her mouth moving again, her words lost in the silence.

Jayden steps closer, about to sit, but the world begins to fade again, swirling into a blur of gold.

******______________******

Bright lights strike his eyes, making him close them for a second. A soothing and gentle melody starts playing around him.

He opens his eyes to find himself standing in a grand hall. A huge chandelier hangs above, the light reflecting off the glass. The decorations look old-fashioned.

The hall's doors opened revealing the girl, dressed in a magical, floral ball gown. She holds and lifts the gown slightly for moving around. She sees him and smiles widely and runs towards him, she looked pretty, desperate, and in total love with him. 

She hugs him tightly, the lights in the hall dim, setting the mood for the dance, both start moving to the slow melody.

She looks up, her eyes glowing with affection. Jayden holds her by the waist as her arms circle around his neck.

They stare into each other's eyes. The music changes slightly, and he lifts her hand, guiding her into a gentle twirl.

Both dance slowly and gracefully. He pulls her back to him. 

She bites her lip shyly, her cheeks flushed. Jayden cups her face, brushing his thumb against her lips and freeing the one she was biting.

"I'm Jayden Holmes. What about you?"

She smiles brightly and says her name, but her voice is inaudible. Jayden tries to read her lips, but his vision blurs every time he looks at them, like the dream itself won't let him know who she is.

He gives up asking her name. Both of them dance in silence for a while, enjoying the warmth of their embrace. Jay feels an unfamiliar sensation blooming in his heart.

"I feel like... I want to protect her. I want her to be mine—only mine. I want to be hers. I need her with me. I don't know why I feel this way, but the thought of living without her suffocates me. I don't even know who she is, and yet... all I want is her! Is this lust? Or do I just want her as my friend?"

The chandelier above them starts trembling and the ceiling starts to break. Jayden is pulled away from her by an unknown force.

He tries to reach out, his feet dragging against the marble floor, but he keeps getting pulled farther away.

He sees her mouth moving, her face hinting panic.

"Jayden, don't leave me! Please!"

Still inaudible.

Her hands reach out for him, but the golden light around her starts fading, turning her into a blur.

"Wait! don't go!" Jayden shouts, his voice echoing as the entire hall collapses into darkness.

Jayden jolts awake from the dream he just had. His shirt is drenched in sweat, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He looks down, his pen is still clutched tightly in his hand, the grip so hard it's left a deep, painful mark on his skin.

He winces and drops it onto the notebook.

Turning to the clock on his nightstand, he squints at the glowing digits.

4:00 AM

"Shit," he mutters, rubbing his face. "It's morning already..."

He sits up, sighs, and runs a hand through his messy hair. "Alright... maybe a jog and some exercise will help. Might even give me some motivation for the song."

He gets ready and leaves his flat. He enters the lift and presses the button. 

"Wait for me, please!" A guy rushes to the lift, almost tripping due to the running.

Jay holds the lift for him. He enters the lift.

"Thanks! I'm Adrien Jones! You can call me Adri! What about you?"

"I'm Jayden Holmes, call me Jay"

"Nice meeting you Jayyy!" Adrian cheerfully says.

"Nice meeting you too, Adri."

"So, what's your flat number? Mine's #210!"

"Wow, we're neighbours I guess so. Mine's #211"

"Oh my god! We live opposite each other!" Adrien beams in joy.

The contrast between Adrien's cheerful personality and Jay's introvert nature makes the conversation surprisingly smooth and comfortable.

******______________******

They get off the lift and walk out, still chatting. Jayden gets startled by the receptionist glaring at him.

They get out of the apartment. Adrian stretches his arms and turns to Jay.

"Well, where are you headed to, Jay?

"I'm going for a jog in the park"

"Wow, Me too!" Adrian exclaims. "You know what? If you don't mind, can I join you?"

"Well, yeah I don't mind."

"Yay! So let's get started!" They start jogging towards the park.

Once they reach the park, Adrien, all of a sudden starts running around the park like a maniac.

"ADRI! WHY ARE YOU RUNNING?!" Jayden yells, completely bamboozled.

"I GOT A SUDDEN MOTIVATION, BRO! WANNA COMPETE WITH ME?!" Adrien shouts between heavy breaths, still sprinting like his life depends on it.

By the end of the second lap, his speed drops drastically. He slows to a wobble, nearly tripping over his own feet. Jayden, startled, rushes toward him.

"Adri! Are you okay?!" he asks in a panicked tone, gripping his shoulder.

Adrien bends forward, gasping for air. "I... (breathe)... want to... (breathe)... uhhm..." he trails off dramatically.

Jayden frowns, confused and worried. "What do you want!?"

Adrien suddenly looks up with sparkling eyes and blurts out, "I want to eat noodles—spoicy ones!!"

"WHAT DA FUDGE!"

Jayden just stares at him, speechless, as Adrien dramatically collapses onto the grass, panting and grinning like he just won a marathon, completely ignoring the death stare from Jay.

Just then Adrien's phone rings, the same melody from Jay's dream, where he danced with the girl in the ballroom.

The moment the tune reaches his ears, Jay freezes. His heart starts pounding painfully, and the melody echoes louder and louder inside his head. He clutches his temples, shutting his eyes tightly.

"Jay, what's wrong?" Adrien asks, his voice filled with concern.

Jay forces out, "Nothing... I just need a bottle of water. Can you get one for me?"

"Yeah! Wait here, I'll be right back!" Adrien says quickly. He helps Jay sit down on a nearby bench before sprinting toward the grocery store.

Jay slowly regains consciousness after Adrien runs off. He leans back, breathing steadily, waiting for him to return.

"Hey bro, here's your water! How're you feeling now?" Adrien asks, handing him the bottle.

"I'm feeling better now, dude. No need to worry about me," Jay says with a faint smile.

"Okay, shall we head back then?"

Jay raises a brow. "Didn't you want to eat noodles—specifically spicy ones? I'm hungry too."

Adrien's eyes light up instantly. "Okay! Spicy noodles it is! Let's go, bro!"

******______________******

After eating, both of them head back to their apartment, still chatting along the way.

"By the way, Jay, where do you study?" Adrien asks, slurping the last bit of his drink.

"I study at Clueless Caffeine Community College, dude," Jay replies casually.

Adrien stops mid-step. "Dude!"

Jay blinks. "Dude?"

"I study in the same college too! What's your major?"

"Engineering, dude."

Adrien's eyes widen. "I took engineering too!! What course?"

"Electrical and Electronics."

"HOLY SHEEP, BRO! Me too! Which year?"

"After vacation, I'll be in my second year."

Adrien gasps dramatically. "DUDE!"

Jay raises an eyebrow. "Dude?!"

"We're literally in the same class and we never met?!"

"Wait, what?!"

"Are you in the second batch?!"

"Yes. The second batch starts from my name."

Adrien snaps his fingers. "That's why we never met!" he exclaims dramatically.

"You're in the first batch, right? Your name starts with A."

"Yeah! By the way, I heard most students failed the year-end exams, so we'll likely be merged into one batch this year since your name's at the start of the second list."

Jay chuckles. "That actually sounds nice."

"Yeah, and it was really nice meeting you, dude. You can head back by yourself, right? I gotta grab some groceries for cooking. Talk to you later! See ya!"

"Bye, dude!"

"Bye!"

Adrien waves cheerfully before running off toward the Soobermarget Grocery Store, Jayden watches him disappear and heads back to the apartment. 

- To Be Continued

YOU ARE READING: Heartstrings!