The Last Embrace

She went to the restaurant where he last saw Jagger washing plates, but she didn"t see him there.

Where is he now?

Maybe he was still in the motel and not working today?

She went to the wet market section and finally saw Jagger talking to his two friends.

It looks like they were getting out of the market and already dressed up, probably they are going home after a day of working hard.

Jessy simply walked towards them and greeted Jagger with a full smile. "Hi, Alex!"

Jagger"s eyes widened in total surprise.

Wow! It"s Jessy!

He never expected to see her today.

Jagger"s companion appraised Jessy from head to toe.

"Who is this beautiful lady, bro?" said the guy.

Jagger smiled broadly. "Ah, she"s the love of my life. She"s the woman I told you before, the woman I"m planning to marry and eventually become my wife," he winked mischievously at her.

Jessy"s face darkened instantly, she lifted an eyebrow showing him that she doesn"t like where his statement was going.

"I"m just joking guys. Everyone, please...meet Jessy...she is a dear friend of mine. Jessy...meet my friends...this is Peter and Harvey," Jagger immediately introduces his friends to her fearing that she will get angry and left.

"h.e.l.lo guys, nice meeting you all!" Jessy showered them with her friendly smile.

"h.e.l.lo Jess," the two guys uttered in unison.

"Done work? Are you going home now?" she asked.

"Yes, we are," Jagger smiled.

"I would like to treat the three of you to a drink somewhere. Is there a nice place here?" she said.

"Ah, there"s a nice bar with amazing live music a few meters away from here," one of the men suggested.

"Okay, let"s go there!" Jessy said.

Awe transformed Jagger"s face. Is this the real Jessy? Why she become over-friendly today? What"s gotten in her head? He never expected that this day would come that she would invite him to a bar together with his newfound friends.

Unbelievable!

Jessy looked at them after noticing that they were still not moving. "Are you guys hesitating to come with me? Come on, I will treat you guys tonight!" she said confidently.

Jagger and his friends looked at each other. Jagger was hinting to his friends that they should leave now because he wanted to spend alone moments with Jessy. Unfortunately, the two guys didn"t get his hints, they began walking towards the venue. Jagger and Jessy were following them from behind.

He glanced at her.

She smiled at him.

Jagger can feel his heart-melting. Dang! Her smile was like pure heaven to him. He swears to himself that he could spend his entire day just looking at her smile.

"How are you?" Jessy asked him simply.

"I"m good, thanks to you," he answered.

"I"m glad you are doing fine here in the city. Do you like your new job?" she inquired.

Jagger chuckled.

"Washing plates, gla.s.ses, fork and spoon and other kitchen utensils are fine. Carrying those heavy fish basins is fun as well. Those types of jobs don"t require me to be a professional individual with a four-year college degree course under my belt. So, yeah...I"m having fun so far. But, I will try to find a more suitable job for my skill and my looks," he winked at her.

Jessy"s brows furrowed. Oh, what his planning?

"Huh? What do you mean by your skill?" she asked him. "Are you planning to...to..." she was not able to finish her sentence.

"We"re here!" the other guy said.

They finally arrived at the bar. They went inside and chose a table for four.

Jagger ordered a ladies drink for Jessy and whiskey for him and his friends.

They listened to the live band playing slow rock music in the center stage.

After two shots, the two men bid their goodbyes.

"Where are you going, guys?" she asked wondering why they leave so early.

"We"re going home, our wife wants us to go home early," Peter said.

"You take care of each other. Enjoy the night," Harvey smiled.

"Okay, thanks for your company," Jessy said.

"See you tomorrow, guys!" Jagger smiled and waved at him as they moved towards the main entrance of the bar.

Jessy looked at Jagger. "They seemed to look like good fellas to me," she commented.

"Ah, those two, they are a bunch of good people. They are the first people who accepted me into their midst despite my lack of formal education," he explained.

"Okay, good for you. Regarding your statement earlier, what do you mean that you will try to find a job that will suit your looks and skill? Are you planning to do something bad?" she asked in a hardened voice. She was suspicious of his statement.

Jagger chuckled. "No. You misunderstood me, Jess. It"s not exactly what you have in mind, my love," he said endearingly to her ears.

Jessy throws him a dagger look, she edges away from him. She doesn"t like him whispering sweet nothings into her ears.

Jagger smirked. "I"m planning to apply as a macho dancer because I think I"m highly qualified. Did you see my chiseled abs and my good looks? Ladies love my physique...so yeah...I"m planning to apply as a macho dancer one of these days," his eyes sparkled in merriment.

Jessy erupted into a fit of laughter after hearing that he was looking serious in planning to apply as a macho dancer.

Jagger loves it when Jessy broke into a peal of laughter. Her eyes sparkled and her charm magnified.

She stopped laughing and stared at his face closely. "How did you know? I mean have you been inside a club hiring people with that kind of profession?" she asked curiously.

Jagger grinned. "My dear, I can go anywhere in this city, no one can stop me. That shouldn"t surprise you at all since we both know the capabilities of each other," he replied.

Jessy"s face turned dark.

"Hey, Jess, don"t be stingy, okay? I promised you that I won"t do anything stupid to the people of this city. Don"t worry, I will behave because you want me to and I will be a good boy. I will never destroy your trust in me," he a.s.sured her in a serious tone.

"Nice to hear that!" she digs deeper into his eyes, he seemed to be telling the truth. She rose to her feet. "I"m leaving now," she informed him in a somber voice. She took money from her sling bag and gave it to him. "If you still need to drink, then continue. I"m going home now," she said walking towards the door.

"Hey, wait! Can you walk me towards the motel? You can teleport there inside my room," he said in a pleading voice.

She stared at him for a few minutes. "Okay, as you wish," she relented.

They exited the music bar and walked side by side on the sidewalk. Many times Jagger glances at his pretty companion wanting badly to hold her hand so that they can walk holding hands like lovers always do.

"Jess, can I hold your hand?" he pleaded.

Jessy snorted. "Never!" she rolled her eyes and put her hands on the pocket of her jacket.

"Okay, I give up, you can never be mine. We will never be together in this lifetime," he said forlornly. Jagger shrugged his shoulders in defeat, his voice carries a tone of sadness.

After a few minutes of walking, they finally arrived at the Budget Wise Motel.

Jagger allowed her to enter inside first then they climb the stairs towards the second floor.

Jagger inserted the key to his room and they went inside.

Inside the room, he went to the cabinet and picked up the money from his bag and handed it to Jessy. "Here"s the money you had given me. I"m returning them to you intact since I"m already earning my salary. I will take charge of my life from now on. Don"t worry I will behave properly like a decent human being so that you can be proud of me," he said.

Jessy stared at the money in her hand for a few minutes. Then she put it down in the bed. "No, I won"t get it back. I already have given it to you, it"s yours. Just keep it, you might need it someday," she said in a firm voice. "I"m leaving now..."

Before Jagger can say anything, she already disappeared from his sight.

Dang!

Jagger released a deep sigh, dammit! He was not able to say goodbye to her.

He sank into the bed in frustration.