A New Life - Page 6

Tyler quickly whipped the wine bottle (and her symbiotized hand) behind her back, laughing out loud to cover the act.

”Wow, guys, you really got me there!”

It was a real surprise. Tyler’s actual birthday was several days away, and Alex had told her she would be working overtime. Seeing her here and now holding a cake meant that Alex was likely the one that planned all this.

“I know it’s a bit early, but that’s how surprises work!”, Alex declared, “Plus it’s hard to match all our schedules, but we’re all free tonight!”

“Yeah, let’s get this party started!”, Rick cheered, already on his second can of beer.

* * *

It was a small party, just Tyler, Alex, Rick, Amelie, and another colleague from the PD, but in her small apartment, it was crowded enough. They had pizza and beer for the main course, with dessert being the birthday cake (chocolate layer cake with peanut-butter cream) made by Alex.

While they chatted over dinner, Tyler turned the conversation towards the Black Devil, just to gauge their feelings on the mysterious vigilante.

“Oh! 100%!” Rick said, “She got my back, makes catching criminals a whole lot easier.”

“I disagree,” Amelia countered, “No one should act above the law, plus our Chief’s order was to apprehend her if possible. However, it is true all she did has been a big help to us.”

“I don’t know, she seems ok but feels a little bit sus,” Alex offered her opinion, “She seems like someone with a superpower, but we don’t know whether she’s truly a hero or a villain.”

Tyler felt a little stung from that, coming from Alex, but she had herself to blame for keeping her vigilantism a secret. The conversation soon drifted to other topics, and Tyler decided to put aside that thought for now and enjoy the night.

* * *

After a few rounds of beer/wine and an unlucky streak on the card game in the living room, Tyler excused herself to enjoy the night air on her balcony.

The warm buzz from the wine left her in a good mood. Deep in her mind, she can sense Tylix also having a good time getting drunk. At least her new symbiote body is still capable of enjoying alcohol.

“Hey, Tyler…”, Alex approached from behind, her face similarly flushed from all the drinking. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you …”

“Yes…?”, Tyler was feeling very receptive, even Tylix also perked up on Alex’s appearance.

“I …”, Alex started, but the words seemed caught up in her throat. Instead, she suddenly lunged forward, grabbing onto Tyler in a tight hug.

“Don’t you dare leave me again, you hear me!” Alex cried into Tyler’s chest. “It was horrible when you were missing, taken away by that monster! *”

Tyler awkwardly returned the hug, surprised by her outburst.

“When you were gone, it felt like there was a hole in me”, Alex continued, “and I realized you’re an important part of my life, more than a friend!”

“Tyler, I love you!”

Artist’s Note:

First time I’m writing romance in a story, hope you don’t mind the cheesy lines.

*To explain her “kidnapping”, Tyler came up with a cover story, after she learned that the Federal agents almost took her away. She said that the creature that ran away from her apartment was Cynaith, a foreign agent in a black suit that kidnapped her in order to learn more about the city. The Feds then wanted to keep things secret to avoid international outcry on the foreign spy.