"Ace, hurry your ass up, or we'll miss our flight!" the gray-eyed bear growled from my living room. It was a warm, early afternoon in November. The sky was blue with wisps of pure white clouds, the sun was warm and bright, and even though the air conditioning in the condo was only at medium speed, it was enough to keep to unit chilly. It would have been a pleasant day if it weren't for all the growling.

"We have three hours before our flight, for crying out loud," I complained as I wheeled my luggage out. I made sure I turned off and unplugged all electronic devices, took out the trash, and turned off the water. I would be gone for two weeks, and I didn't want fire or any water leak to wreck my condo while I was away.

We were flying to New York for the opening of another of Jaxx's brother's bars. God knows why he had to open in November when it was freezing. Since we were there, we decided to give ourselves a vacation. Coincidentally, Seb was there for some competition, Val had a Dermatology convention, and Chino decided to take a vacation, too. However, we endlessly teased him that he was there to cheer on his best friend. Even Seb was teasing him.

Cara, well, she's stuck at the hospital for residency training. And even if she weren't, she and Jaxx were still not on talking terms.

"About time," he scoffed, and we both headed to the basement where he parked his car. As I was about to lift the twenty-something kilo bag to his car, he picked up the other end to help.

"Jaxx, thanks, but I'm fine," I chuckled. "The doctors said I could resume lifting a decade ago." He just shut the trunk and didn't say anything—typical Jaxx.

Ten months ago, I had to undergo an emergency surgery when Beau's bullet hit me straight to my chest, missing my heart by a few millimeters. However, it nicked the pericardium, that sac that envelopes the darn thing and keeps it in its place inside the ribcage. It lodged between the heart and one of the vessels necessitating a major surgery to extract it.

I was still lucky it stopped where it did because the trajectory was going straight to my spine. If it continued, it would have severed my spinal cord, and I would have been paralyzed from the chest down.

The only reason why the bullet's velocity significantly slowed down was that it had already passed through Jacob's chest, puncturing his right lung along the way, before exiting in the front and hitting me. And for that, I would forever be indebted to the guy.

Alvaro kept his word. They did not kill Beau immediately. They made his life miserable and quickly acquired all his assets. The CFG group of companies made a lot of announcements on the paper about mergers and acquisitions. After that, I have no idea what happened to the guy. As part of his goal, he also closed down the poker palace though I still do not know the real reason why he hated that place so much.

News also broke out that the admiral was lethally injured when a deal to cover up the crime at The Blitz went south. Scene of the crime officer Lacson and his accomplices were also charged for falsification, tampering with and withholding evidence, nepotism, extortion, kidnapping, frustrated murder, and a whole lot more that resulted in the stripping of their titles, losing their jobs, a huge fine and jail time. During the appeal, the footage was brought to court, and Carlo was subsequently and hastily released from jail. However, he had to be treated for physical injuries and PTSD.

Brigham was released from the hospital after a week of confinement following the warehouse mayhem. The entire duration of his captivity, which was almost two weeks, he was hardly given food or water. He had a lot of physical injuries, but none were so serious as compared to his dehydration. His kidneys were damaged, but the doctors said they could still recover.

The big rat in our IT was intercepted and apprehended when she was about to leave the country. Karen did not think we would find out so soon, so she celebrated her Despedida [going-away] party with friends and family before flying out. Thanks to her lack of education when it came to escaping a crime, we got wind of her intentions through social media, and the police were already waiting for her at her departure gate.

Speaking of departure gates, Jaxx kept cursing me as we ran to our gates. We barely made it on time, and we were surprised to find Chino at the pre-departure area leisurely reading a book with his AirPods on.

"Are you planning on staying here and reading for the next two weeks?" Jaxx pulled out one of the buds, startling Chino.

"A simple 'hey, we're boarding now' would have sufficed," he said, narrowing his eyes at the bear. 

"Stop killing trees. Get the electronic copy." I snatched the graphic novel and flipped the cover, reading the title. "Really? How to Talk to Girls at Parties?"

"It's Gaiman. Stop being a naive idiot. And yes, I still would kill trees for his novels," he added as he grabbed the book and secured it in his carry-on bag.

The flight was long and arduous, no thanks to Miguel Sebastian, who invaded our peace and quiet in Narita when we boarded the connecting flight. I was glad he decided to return to first-class during the last four hours of the flight. At least we got to rest in the last few hours. Otherwise being in business class would have been a waste.

Nick's bar was somewhere in Lenox Hill, but we booked a hotel in Midtown South. We could always take the subway or a cab or walk if worse comes to worst. We spent the first few days snoozing and sightseeing again. We made new memories of the usual touristy sights we went to as kids with our families now that we were revisiting them as adults and with good friends.

Even as a kid, I already loved New York, even if it did not have any beaches. It was a concrete jungle that opened my small, marveling eyes to the possibilities brought about by technology and information system. 

From the simple music and light coordination in one of those museums to the programming of the traffic lights, to the more complex information and data exchange in the flight control deck.

While the other kids were excitedly looking at sights through the telescope on the Empire State Building, I was busy observing and timing the shifting of the traffic lights below, both for the pedestrians and the automobiles. While the audience enjoyed the amazing light show in the museum, I imagined how awesome it was to be the one to have conceptualized that program to sync the music with the lights. And don't get me started with the air traffic control.

"You're such a weirdo," Val laughed after I told her why I thought New York was awesome. 

A draught of cold wind blew our way, sweeping the leaves from Central Park across the pavement. She tightened her coat, and I put my arm around her. We were walking towards the subway to get to Nick's bar, Minus 17. The weather was cold with a constantly blowing breeze adding some chill.

"Hey, let's take a selfie for Cara," Chino interjected. We posed with the beautifully lighted Central Park behind us. After which, he fell a few steps behind us while busy with his phone.

"Was Jacob a weirdo too?" she snuggled closer and looked at me teasingly.

"I don't know, Marge. A little, maybe? We did not really get to spend time getting to know each other beyond work." I tucked her under my arm, needing someone to hug.

I haven't called her by her first name for a long time, and it felt strange, though familiar on my tongue. We used our first names for more serious conversations, like when your parents call you by your full name. When that happens, you know you're in serious shit.

"Are you sad about that?" she prodded. I shrugged in reply.

It was unfortunate, but maybe it was for the best. At least I was able to handle my broken heart when I lost him. If I knew him more, if our connection were deeper, maybe I would still be a walking zombie for the years to come.

When I came out of the sedation, I knew there would be a gaping hole in my heart no matter how good they had fixed it because I didn't see Jacob. But I had already accepted it. The whole time I was unconscious, I was having nightmares. The shots rang in my head, the admiral's blank eyes stared at me, and the worst was the last moment where I drowned in the rough waters of his deep blue eyes.

The whole firm felt his absence, especially IT and Bart. For a while, the atmosphere at his department was morose, but just like a graceful Japanese maple tree, we had to move on and let go of our ever-changing leaves in order to grow and make way for the new ones.

When we got to the bar, the party was already in full swing. Jaxx was supposed to be a guest, but he was now behind the bar mixing drinks and serving them. His sleeves were rolled to his forearms, and he was pouring a drink from the shaker when we walked in. Seb was on one side of the counter talking animatedly and laughing with other patrons, sweater sleeves also pushed up to his elbows, revealing his new ink.

The interiors were a modern industrial look with bare pipes visible overhead, large windows that were frosted at the moment, and the heating system was artistically blended with the theme. Warm yellow and orange filament bulbs gave the place subtle lighting. There were a few booths on the side, but most of the tables were made of wood slabs and steel frames or pipes. The highlight was the bar.

"A strawberry mojito, please," I called Jaxx, ordering his ex's favorite drink. He hasn't forgotten and I doubt he ever would. Jaxx's eyes narrowed, but he grinned and went off to make me a drink. When he returned, he handed me an Old Fashioned and a different cocktail for Val.

"Oh, yum, this is good! What's it called?" Val smacked her lips.

"First, Fuck Me," Jaxx smirked. Val's mouth dropped before she laughed in understanding.

"Next time, though, let me order from that hottie over there," she wiggled her eyebrows, eyeing the tattooed bartender at the opposite end.

Jaxx introduced us to some of his friends from Pennsylvania who were now in New York. We met Wesley, his lawyer flatmate, a few days ago and he was here again with other lawyer friends. Tonight, Jaxx promised to introduce us to David and Cassandra, two of the UPenn students who frequented Nick's other bar in Philadelphia.

While Chino engaged in lawyer talk with Wesley, Val and I kept to ourselves. I was not in the mood to socialize, but I also did not want to spoil the night.

"Hey, I'll be fine. You go on and mingle. I know your dying to get the number of that tatted barman." I nudged her arm.

"Maybe later. I'm not drunk yet. God, your hair is messy." I was slightly taken aback when she suddenly combed her fingers through my hair. "How are you supposed to find someone tonight looking like that?"

"Looking like what?" I wasn't sure how I looked, but unpleasant would be a good guess.

"Like your cat just died. Come on, Ace. Let's have a little fun. Loosen up," she entreated. She took my empty glass and asked, "Would you like another one?"

"All right. But just for the record, I'm not looking for anyone tonight. I would rather go home alone," I declared before she thought of anything crazy.

"Trust me, you won't." She winked and left. She flirted with the barman shamelessly, even Jaxx had to interrupt them. I laughed to myself watching Val slap Jaxx's arm to send him away. Whoever she would end up with would have to have an unending supply of patience because he would have a hard time taming this wild card.

I moved away from the bar and just walked around when a playful voice called for my attention.

"Well, hello there, stranger," she smiled coyly. For a moment, I was startled when I met her eyes, but they were not as breathtaking. Her blue eyes, though sparkling, were pale. She also had blonde hair, which looked soft and silky, and flowed down her shoulders. Her grin showed most of her perfect teeth.

But I did not want perfect teeth. I wanted them a little crooked. I did not want pale blues eyes; I wanted deep blue ones that I could drown in. I could list what I wanted that wasn't here, but I stopped and thought the better. I was about to walk away with a polite smile, but a small voice in my head told me to loosen up and be nice.

"Hey," I replied and joined them. "Enjoying your night so far?"

"I wasn't until now," her openly gay companion stared right into my eyes. "I've never really understood how deep, black eyes were so alluring until tonight," he said, his eyes not losing focus. I suddenly felt my cheeks heat up. He laughed, pleased in making me feel awkward.

"I'm Dave. This is Cassie," he introduced the blond.

"Cass," she corrected. "Cassie sounds like a six year old's name." 

"Ace," I shook Dave's hand, but Cass pulled me in for a cheek kiss.

"Very pleased to meet you, Ace," she purred. "So, who are you friends with? I heard this was a private opening. Only friends of friends of friends were invited."

"That's not so exclusive now, is it?" I chuckled.

"I know. But then, I was only making that up, too," she giggled. "I have a little trivia: which alcohol has the freezing point of minus seventeen degrees?"

"Whiskey," I smirked and cocked a brow. "Though, would you know if that was in Fahrenheit or Celsius?"

That was the beginning of a good round of what ended up as trivia night on our table. They were an absolute breath of fresh air, just the kind I needed to ease my guard. We had unpretentious and wholesome conversations, even with their blatant flirting. It was all amusing though I was not sure whether Cass was playing or she was serious. Any other day a year and a half ago, I would have taken her bait, but I just wasn't interested that night.

After an hour and countless rounds for them, they were already laughing uncontrollably. It was a relief that they were happy drunks. As for me, I still could count my drinks with one hand.

"So, Ace, I don't see anyone with you. Can those endless onyxes be set on me tonight?" Dave's eyes were alternating wide open and half-drooping.

"Yeah, they're set on you alright, making sure you don't fall off that chair," I said. He slapped my arm and pouted.

"Cass, Dave, I see you've met my best friend," Jaxx said and put an arm around my shoulder.

"Oh, we've not only met him, Jackson. We already had fun with him." Dave winked before giving him a brief hug. He raked his eyes over the Jaxx. "Is it just me, or are you more fit? Cass?"

"Oh yeah, definitely. Who are you working out for, blue lily?" she teased. Jaxx pursed his lips and just shook his head. She burst out laughing. "He's still sore about it! Move on, man, or do something about it!"

"Watch me move on and learn." She fixed her attention back at me and batted her eyelashes, clearly a little more than tipsy. "So, Ace, are you going to be free later? Cause I am."

Val loudly cleared her throat. Cass jumped on her seat, startled. I didn't even see Val there.

"Oh, dear. I am so sorry! Are you together?" For the first time that evening, Cass was seriously sorry and embarrassed.

"No, but he is spoken for," Val replied a little possessively. My eyebrows rose even higher. I had no idea what she was talking about. I turned to Seb for answers, but he just shrugged his shoulders and gave me a 'don't ask me' face.

"I am?" I asked, still confused.

"Yes, you are," she smiled, but she clearly wanted to kill me. I gave her an incredulous look. I don't remember being spoken for. Was she trying to protect me from Cass? Wasn't she the one who said I should loosen up and have fun?

"Hey, look who I found wandering in the streets," Chino called from behind me. I downed the last mouthful of my watered-down whiskey before turning around.

"Sorry, I'm late."

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