Can I get to know you?

Fil marched on the sidewalk leisurely, watching her feet swing in front at each step. She pressed her lips into a thin line, smacking them as she inhaled the night breeze. 

[He said he cannot go because he needs to buy his stupid girlfriend some clothes for Grandpa's party. Like seriously! That Filomena is so ugly and weird!]

[She always acts righteous as if she doesn't make mistakes. I hate her! Why did Grandpa want her to come?]

[Also, even if that stupid auntie heard about it, she wouldn't have the heart to tell the truth. She wouldn't want my brother to be in trouble, would she? They might fight, but if she broke up with him, it's still a win.]

A short and weak laugh escaped her lips, shaking her head as she huffed. Fil gazed up at the night sky, catching the moon shining so brightly without any companion. Her steps halted, keeping her eyes on the moon for the next minute. 

"How beautiful," she whispered, smiling subtly. "Can I… shine so beautiful just like you even if I'm alone?"

Thinking of how her routine was for the past years, Fil couldn't deny how wasteful she spent it. Working late hours for a job that wasn't hers, adjusting her boundaries not to offend others, and even giving out a piece of herself for free. She lived for others that she couldn't even look at the moon even for a moment. 

"How soothing." Another whisper slipped past her curled lips. "At least Valerie is unlike Marianne and Vincent. She was rude from the get, and I've always known she doesn't like me."

Probably, it was the reason Fil couldn't feel that much anger. Or maybe she was already filled with rage that Valerie's vicious comments were simply a speck of dust added to the pile of garbage in her life. 

"The only shame is that I actually believed she would get to like me if I just tried," she sighed, resuming her steps back to the apartment building. 

When Fil reached the main entrance of the building, her steps halted. She slowly gazed up at the building, standing motionless in front of it. 

'This is the first time in a long time I'm not dragging myself home,' she thought, not having this impatience and urge to sprint back to her place so she could sleep. If anything, she didn't want to go home yet. She didn't want to be alone for now, afraid she had a lot of time on her hands to think about bad things.

"Right," she murmured. "I left so abruptly earlier, I couldn't thank him enough. I should at least tell him I got home already."

Unaware that Dustin and Kim initially planned to clear the misunderstanding and take her back to the lounge to continue their fun, Fil thought Jackson was aware they went home. It would be more polite to tell the man that she had arrived safely. 

As Fil rang Darling on her phone, she waited for him to pick it up without getting inside the building. When the line connected, she smacked her lips and forced a smile. 

"I'm home now," she whispered. "Thank you for today, Jack. I know just saying thanks feels like it isn't enough, but I hope I can repay you someday. Just not with my body, though."

Jackson laughed from the other end of the line. "When is that someday?"

"Hmm?"

"If thanks feel insufficient and you don't want to pay me with your body, how about an hour of your time? Or maybe two?"

Fil furrowed her brows. "Now?"

"Turn around."

Confused, Fil slowly turned around and froze for a second. There, across the street a few meters in front of the building, was Jackson. He was leaning against the side of the car, holding the phone in his ear while lifting a wine bottle with the other. 

Fil bit her inner bottom lips mildly, smiling at the sight of him. Her eyes softened, nodding.

"Just an hour then," she whispered, watching how the corner of his eyes creased as he smiled brightly. "I'm a very busy person, you know?"

"Why do you always talk to me as if you're doing me a favor? Tsk tsk. The struggles of being the third participant in a relationship. No wonder mistresses always try to be the legal wife. It's such a hassle." Jackson clicked his tongue after his nonsense. "Where do you want to drink this thousand-year-old wine? In your place or your fiance's place?"

Fil chuckled. "Up to you."

Jackson raised his brows and nodded. "Sure."

*

*

*

Fil drew a deep breath, closing her eyes as she let the night breeze brush past her face. Sitting on the hood of the car, she reopened her eyes to see the dark river ahead. Initially, she didn't know where he would take her, but anywhere was fine. 

Who would have thought he would take her in here?

"Why did you come?" she asked, moving her gaze to the man beside her. Unlike her, who was sitting completely on the hood with his jacket over her lap, Jackson was just leaning against the bumper. "Did you leave when I left too?"

Jackson glanced back at her. "I know they would fail in taking you back."

"Huh?"

"Kim and Dustin went to apologize, didn't they?" he remarked, setting his eyes on the calm scenery in front of him. "But knowing you, going back will feel like a step back from your goal."

"Heh. If this is in the past, I wouldn't leave." Fil chuckled, hugging the bottle of wine they had been drinking since arriving here. "I'll be too embarrassed to walk out even when everyone around me shames me in front of everyone. If I do, they'd say it was a joke and that I can't take jokes."

"So much for adjusting my boundaries not to disrespect others, not knowing I am disrespecting myself," she added, lifting the bottle of wine to her mouth. After gulping down a mouthful, she looked at the bottle in front of her. "Is this really a thousand-year-old wine?"

"Does it take bad?"

"It's good." Fil snapped her eyes to him, tilting her head to the side. "I'm curious. Who are you, Jack?"

Jackson slowly looked back at her, facing her squarely. 

"I realized that I just kept talking about myself, Vincent, and everyone," she explained. "But I don't know a thing about you. Can I get to know you?"