Kisses after midnight (WICKED #0) | ✓

30

MATEO FELT LIKE HE was floating on air. Though he normally was quite focused on Gabriela, now he couldn't keep his eyes off her. The world kept spinning but at the same time it had stopped and hidden itself in her skin instead. He couldn't keep himself from gravitating towards her.

Once they had gotten back to their tent Sahar had pulled Gabriela aside for what he guessed were the details and had left him and Jay by the trees. There, his friend had turned towards him, patted him awkwardly on the shoulder and hadn't pried any further. Mateo however had still told him everything, too happy to contain it. He was dating Gabriela now and he wanted everyone to know.

"I'm glad for you," Jay said.

"Jay-Jay," Mateo said, his voice touched and his hand placed over his heart," you do care for me."

"If you continue acting like this I won't."

Mateo chuckled, before his eyes wandered to where the girls were standing, Sahar's eyes sparkling as she listened intently to Gabriela. "How about you and Sahar? We both know you like her."

Jay followed his gaze, his expression not betraying any emotions. "I do," he admitted," but she deserves better. I have nothing to offer her."

"What are you talking about?" Mateo frowned," you don't need to offer her anything. This is love, not a transaction."

Jay blinked at that, perplexed, and something undecipherable flashed across his eyes as he looked at Mateo.

"We come from a different world, you and I," he said, the words creating more distance than movements ever could.

"Then come and live in mine," Mateo said without skipping a beat," there's always room for you."

At that Jay smiled, a tentative curling of his lips which seemed foreign on him. Over the last weeks he had softened somewhat, walls crumbling with every step he took closer. Mateo couldn't help but grin at that, his mood becoming even better. It was like he was looking at himself every time he looked at Jay, at the internalized grief and externalized anger. In a way, they were both merely ghosts of men, carrying graveyards on their tongues and faded memories in their pockets.

Or at least, they used to be. He hadn't felt like he was seven feet under for a very long time and today it felt like Gabriela had finally seen that, finally seen him. That alone was enough to let him square his shoulders, the weight of the world rolling off them when he laughed.

"What are you laughing so loudly about?"

Gabriela had a faint smile on her lips as she and Sahar walked towards them, Sahar's arm hooked through hers. She tried to get her to skip along with her, but wasn't succeeding. A chuckle left his lips at that, but when her eyes met his that all faded away, until there was nothing there but those sun-saturated eyes and his beating heart.

His girlfriend. He was looking at his girlfriend.

"You're staring, Mateo," she said.

"Am I not allowed to?" he grinned.

She let her eyes wander across his face like a caress, but turned around then, silent permission granted. They all started walking back to the clearing then and Jay leaned towards Mateo, his whisper soft enough so that the girls in front of them wouldn't catch it.

"Gabriela is terrifying, man," he said," try not to piss her off and get killed."

"What are you talking about?" Mateo said fondly," she's adorable."

Jay looked at him with a confused expression, but then just shook his head. "It's too late for you, I see."

"There you two are!"