Half-confession

"This is a good turn of events... I guess," Harleen muttered, setting plates on the table in the dining room.

"Yeah... It is," Jacob replied. He was sitting in the dining already, seemingly lost in thought

Harleen noticed this and smiled. "Are you worried?" she asked, snapping Jacob out of his thoughts.

"Um... No! Not at all... It's just that now that he's an evolved, i fear his life would become more complicated," he replied with a wry smile, trying to hide his worried look

"Dear, everyone's life is bound to become complicated at some point, what matters is the people who stay by your side during these times. Besides he's a teenager, that's quite a complication on it's own," Harleen said with a chuckle.

Jacob nodded. "You're right, i just hope everything goes well for him... And our daughters too," he muttered with a silent prayer.

"Good! Now stop worrying and help me finish setting the table, I have to get the turkey," Harleen stated before she walked over to Jacob and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Sure," Jacob smiled.

Jayden sat on the balcony of his room, his gaze transfixed on the half moon that hung low in the night sky. The soft, silvery light cast an ethereal glow on his face, illuminating the contours of his features. As he stared at the moon, his mind began to wander, lost in a sea of thoughts.

He thought about the vastness of the universe, the infinite possibilities that lay beyond the reaches of their small town. He pondered the mysteries of the cosmos, the secrets that the moon and the stars held within their ancient, celestial hearts.

"Mum, I'm here... again," Jayden said, his gaze still fixed on the moon. "I thought i would die for sure, thought i would never see the moon again... never see you again. But in the end, it was your teachings that saved me, if I didn't have that necklace on when lightning struck me... I would have died," he muttered with a sorrowful voice.

"But here I am, not just alive but also given a strange power from the very same necklace. I don't know if you had something to do with it, but I promise you... I will use it well," Jayden said clenching his fist

"If you are truly here with me mother, and you can truly hear me, then know... I will avenge you, the EVA will fall," he declared, staring at the moon and wondering what connection it had with his family anyways.

"But first I need to know what my ability even..."

"Jayden," He was interrupted by a knock on the door to his room, coupled by a soft and gentle voice, but Jayden could still hear it clearly, like it was right in front of him.

"One sec," he muttered and went back into the room before opening the door to a familiar sweet brunette smiling awkwardly in front of him.

"Uhm... Sorry i couldn't welcome you earlier, i was... busy," Tasha began, with a general awkward and shy expression.

Jayden simply nodded but what he did next shocked both Tasha and himself. "Would you like to come in?" he asked, moving out of the way, motioning for Tasha to come in.

"Huh? I mean, yeah... Sure," she muttered and slowly walked in. She had not expected Jayden to suddenly welcome her into his room... Or rather she wanted to be the one to ask to be let in because Jayden didn't look like the type of person who would welcome anyone, anywhere.

He directed her to a chair and she took her seat, while he sat opposite her, making the situation even more awkward for her.

Tasha wanted to say something but she couldn't utter a single word as Jayden's piercing gaze was too intimidating, and the worse part was that he didn't look like he would take his eyes off her anytime soon.

"Well," he said, having decided to be the one to start. "I believe you didn't only come here to say sorry? If you have some things to say, then say it. I won't judge," Jayden muttered with a gentle smile, shocking Tasha yet again.

"Oh my God! He's smiling... Is it because of me? And since when did he become so... forward," she pondered in her mind while Jayden maintained the smile which only melted her heart even further.

But she didn't know that Jayden was

only trying to make her comfortable. After noticing her awkwardness earlier, he knew that she had some things to say but was too shy to begin, and if he also didn't say anything, the situation would only become more awkward and therefore time would be wasted.

To put it simply, he tried to make Tasha comfortable with him so she can say whatever was on her mind and leave, he had things to do. And it seemed to have worked.

"Yeah actually I had somethings to say and I was going to say it but... Now that i think of it, i feel stupid," she stated calmly having seemed to have been cured of her awkwardness.

Jayden raised an eyebrow and smiled. He leaned forward and looked into Tasha's eyes, causing her to jerk back slightly. Their faces were only a few inches away from each other.

"You're not stupid, you're the most respected student in the school. And for that i admire you and i know that whatever you say can never be stupid," he whispered, maintaining eye contact with her.

This caused Tasha's heart to flutter, her cheeks flushed red and a smile grew on her lips. "I didn't know he could be so good with words, and so... Comforting," she thought

"Well... I just wanted to say that I'm glad you're back and... I want to apologize for not being there for you at the time the incident happened, i should have been there and i should have helped instead of you," she voiced out with a bitter expression

Jayden smiled, he could see the remorse in her eyes, she felt guilty. "It's fine, none of it was your fault. And i survived didn't i?" he chuckled, causing Tasha to brighten up a bit.

"Yeah, i guess. So this means you are not angry with me?" she asked

"If I were, I won't be smiling because of you," Jayden replied with a loving smile.

Tasha was stunned, she was heating up and her mind was disoriented. "Is this a dream? Did he just flirt with me? And does that mean I truly make him smile?"

It was all too surreal, the cold and uncaring beastboy had just indirectly told a girl that she made him smile, and the said girl was about to pass out from blushing.

"Um... Tha... that's great, it means we're friends now?" she asked and Jayden nodded, his face still very close to hers.

"Great! I will also have to make it up to you sometime, is... Is that okay?" she added, getting nervous. The conversation was moving really fast and their faces were only inches away from touching.

"Sure," Jayden replied still looking into Tasha's eye as if searching for something.

Tasha was conflicted, her mind was in turmoil. "What's happening to me? No... What's happening to him? Should I take the opportunity to tell him now, but what if... what if he doesn't... But he admires me and said I make him smile so maybe..."

"Natasha," She was interrupted by a sweet voice from a sweet boy sitting in front of her. Jayden had snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Huh? He called me by my full name?" she thought in confusion. "Wait! He called me by my full name!" she exclaimed, this time with shock.

"Only dad and Jessie calls me by my full name. Dear God, I'm so confused, why did he call me that? Does he actually... Like me?" she muttered to herself and looked into Jayden's eyes. Their gaze now locked unto one another, soothing romantic music began playing from nowhere, and time seemed to rapidly slow down.

"Yes," she responded and moved her face forward. She didn't seem to be in control of her body anymore, as her lips began moving towards his, her eyes slowly closing.

Tasha had given in to the moment and succumbed to the arrows of eros, she stared at Jayden's beautiful eyes and anticipated a feeling of bliss and warmth, but it never came. Instead what happened next was very shocking, unexpected and mouth widening, literally.

"Um... Tasha, hold on," Jayden said, his voice firm but gentle.