Jett

50

7 years later

"Are you sure we can't just take him out now?" Jett muttered into her comms as she made her way out of the bank.

As she casually pushed her hair back behind her ear— using the gesture to hide the fact that she was adjusting the volume of her comms in the bustling place— she cursed Jinx for talking her into the tight pencil skirt and chafing heels. Her blue haired friend had found, what she deemed, "the most business like attire known to mankind," but what Jett instead argued could most likely be the most uncomfortable assortment of items the world had ever seen.

"We need him alive for now," Jinx's amused voice filled her ears, "you know Naziah left strict instructions not to kill him. In fact, she pulled me aside before we left and said, 'whatever you do make sure Jett doesn't take him out yet,' and then she did that thing that she does where she squints at you with her eyebrows raised. I'm pretty sure she thinks it's threatening or something."

"She's become a lot bossier since she got that promotion." Jett mused teasingly, lips twitching slightly as she imagined the indignant response a remark like that would get her from Naziah. She may not have been part of their little team— 'Or, I guess it's more of a duo nowadays,'— but she normally hung around when they reviewed whatever it was they recorded over the comms in order to pick up on things they may have missed on the field.

"Is someone jealous?"

Jett scoffed at that, the both of them knowing full well that she had never had her eyes set on climbing ranks. Though, the words died on her lips before she could even think of something to counter that with, her attention caught by something else. 

Stepping out of the bank's revolving doors, only 2 or so metres away, was a suited man who seemed vaguely familiar. He was staring down at something on his phone, meaning she couldn't quite clearly decipher his facial features but she felt as if she was almost certain of his identity.

He looked up before her brain could remind her to disappear from his line of sight. Gaze searching over the crowd as if he could feel her burning stare.

It didn't take long for him to find her.

Familiar blue eyes connected with her dark ones. For a brief moment, his eyebrows crinkled together in confusion before raising themselves in shocked recognition.

"Jett?" His lips were slightly parted in a way that showed he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing but they were slowly spreading out into a grin.

"Oh my god, Jett, is that who I think it is?"

He hadn't changed a bit. Perhaps he'd gotten a little bulkier and changed his hairstyle but everything else was just how she remembered it. 

"Kayden," she replied, hiding her own shock, as she watched him close the distance between them. She took an extra second to remind herself that she had to manoeuvre the following conversation quite carefully, "it has certainly been a while."

"Holy shit, it's really him."

Jett moved her hair back over her ear, in the same motion effectively muting Jinx's enthusiastic commentary. Her mind was racing as it went over the best way to proceed in the interaction. She'd need to find a way to politely excuse herself. It had been nice seeing Kayden once more— something she had never thought would happen— but talking to him wasn't worth the hounding she would get from those higher up. Especially, the lecture she could see herself getting from Naziah.

For a few seconds they just stared at each other.

Then Kayden blinked, snapping out of it, "I'm sorry. I just can't believe it's you. How've you been?"

"Alright," she answered vaguely, her eyes travelling away from him and towards the exit, mind already warning her to just leave. "I actually have somewhere to be right now," she found herself saying and even though she had muted her comms she could practically feel Jinx's huff of disapproval, "you've managed to catch me right in the middle of something."

"Oh," Kayden hadn't been expecting that, though he covered up the disappointment with an apologetic smile. "Right, sorry, I'm sure you're a very busy person. You always were." He stepped out of her path with an all too familiar sheepish smile, "it was nice to see you again, though."

"It was nice to see you too, Kayden," as she replied, she caught the way her tone had softened and found that she was telling the truth. It actually was a relief to see him alive and, if the expensive looking suit was any indication, doing well for himself.

She moved to step away but his voice stopped her.

'Just keep walking, you can pretend you didn't hear him.' His words had been quiet, almost uncertain, in the bustle of the place. It would have been easy to just brush them off and disappear as she should have. Instead, she turned around, brow raised carefully.

"Have dinner with me."

He seemed just as surprised as she was that the words had escaped his mouth.

'He never did have a filter,' she thought at the same time she let out a slightly confused, "what?"

"Just to catch up," he amended with a hopeful grin. Upon seeing her hesitate, he added, "come on Jett, Hasta la muerte, todo es vida, live a little."

She tensed the moment the Spanish words left his mouth with an ease that indicated he had spoken them many times in the past.

"Did you just say 'until death it is all life' in Spanish?" She questioned cautiously. He shouldn't have remembered that. And if he had, that meant he also had a chance of remembering—

Kayden shrugged, "I read it somewhere as a teenager, I can't for the life of me remember where but I just couldn't get it out of my head. As if this small part of my brain just found it really important and refused to forget it."

At that Jett relaxed a little, a fond smile twitching at the corners of her lips as Kayden continued to ramble.

"It's become my motto of sorts and I'm not really sure whether or not I'm using it correctly but I really like the way it sounds. Wow, that didn't sound as dumb in my head—"

"I get it," Jett interrupted, if she hadn't stopped him then she wasn't quite sure when it was that he would stop talking, "I like the way it sounds too."

"So does that mean you'll come?" Kayden questioned, steering the conversation back to its original path. Punctuating the words with a flirty smile she had almost forgotten.

Jett considered it before realising that, if she wanted to get out of there, she only had one answer. "Sure."

Kayden grinned, "Perfect. Meet me tonight at 6 at that fancy five star restaurant at the end of this street," he gestured to his left in the vague direction of the place. "I can't remember what it's called but you know the one, it has those hideously coloured umbrellas out front but the food is amazing."

Luckily, Jett did know what he was talking about.

"I'll see you at 6," she said before she turned and left, not giving him another chance to rope her into staying longer. 

'I could just not show up,' she considered as she moved further and further away from the bank and towards the car Jinx was waiting for her in. 'It would be reckless to risk triggering his memory.'

Though, she'd be lying if she said she didn't indulge in the possibility of attending.   

_____

I guess it's all up to you, dear reader, to decide for yourself whether or not Jett turns up.