"Something is off." I said "Everyone here is trying to hide themselves."
"It's nothing." he said while offering me red wine in a wine glass.I took a sip.
The wine spread slowly across my tongue velvety and warm leaving a faint sweetness mixed with something sharp.
I scan the area. Everyone here looks deadly mysterious and strange, but why?
The room glittered with New Year decorations, but nothing felt joyful. Laughter sounded forced, smiles lingered too long, and conversations disappeared the moment I looked over. Something about this party felt wrong - I couldn't tell what. This wasn't a celebration at all; it was as if.... everyone is waiting for something or someone which isn't ordinary.
My gaze shifted, scanning the room again.
"Xey...?"A soft ,yet powerful voice called out sending a chill down my spine.
I looked at him, confusion written across my face.
"...Yeah?"I replied
A tiny curve appeared on his pinkish lips as I met his gaze.
"Is something bothering you?" He asked, his voice calm - but searching.
"Eh...no.."
He slowly looked away, and my gaze followed his without thinking once. But before I could fully follow him, a soft voice called out.
"Long time no see."
A warm smile curved his lips."I was kinda busy."
He offered her a handshake and arranged chairs for us to sit.
I was looking at both of them, wondering why the party felt so different - and who this women was.
"Xey... She's my friend." He said softly, his gaze lingering on me a second to long.
I gazed at her, quietly noting every deatail. She wrote a scarlet, fitted dress with black trims, sharp as warning. Her ink- black hair was tied in a half ponytail, giving her a commanding, almost predatory air, yet her almond-shaped eyes held no trace of innocence or mercy-only a quite, unreadable confidence. She looked at me, said nothing, but the weight of her gaze was deliberate, almost teasing.
I cleanly said,"Hi,I am Xayer."my voice steady and measured. I didn't force a smile, didn't try to charm-my presence was enough. Polite, reserved, yet confident, I let my gaze meet her without flinching, showing her I was attentive, present, but not the type of overshare.
"Hi. I'm Clera. Nice to meet you, Xeyer," she said calmly as her eyes found mine.
But something changed—her way of speaking, her tone. The politeness stayed, yet it felt measured, deliberate. Her gaze lingered on me, sharp and knowing, as if she were weighing something unspoken.
She was sweet like honey to him, but for me, her words carried an edge—sharp as a dagger. Not hostile, not loud… just enough to feel like a warning. As if she were telling me, without saying it out loud, that I was standing too close to something dangerous.
"Here, have some wine," he said, holding a glass of red wine he had taken as the waiter passed by.
He offered it to her with a faint smile, and for a brief moment, their eyes met.
She accepted it and glanced at me, as if giving a silent signal. I looked at him in return. He lifted his glass, waiting.
"Cheers," we said together, raising our glasses and taking a sip.
A quiet sense of relief settled in as the wine touched my tongue.
"Anyway, how are you doing?" she asked, breaking the silence that had begun to stretch between us.