XY XX

TOM AND JERRY

"Morning, Gregory."

"Jaila."

They climbed into the lift, Jaila observed Gregory intensely.

"What's wrong?"

"You had sex with someone," the woman said.

"Good lord, Jaila," Gregory replied, taken aback by the remark said out loud in a public space.

Someone cleared their throat. The two remained silent until everyone got off.

Jaila nudged him, "you slept with her, didn't you?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," Gregory replied.

"You have dilated eyes; you've touched your upper lip twice since we got in this lift."

"Jaila, stop it."

"Just tell me," Jaila continued.

"Okay, yes, I did, happy?" Gregory said with glaring eyes.

"Surprised, you never do this kind of thing," Jaila crossed her arms while nodding.

"It's a shock for me too, believe me," Gregory replied as he stepped out of the elevator.

"How about her?"

"I don't know. I have no news," Gregory said as they walked into Wendon's office.

XX XY

In the meantime, the subject of Gregory's conversation searched for advice.

"Xenia, what are you doing here?"

"Niki, I need your help," Xenia's eyes darted like those of a convict on the run.

"What's wrong? What's with the long face? Did something happened to Sia or Oasis?"

"No, Niki."

"Then what? You never come to my office."

"Niki."

"Spite it," the blonde woman said, exasperated by her friend's hesitation.

"I slept with Gregory."

Niki covered her ears, "oh, boy, my ears aren't worthy of this. Can you repeat, please?"

"I slept with Gregory. Niki, I don't know what to do. I mean, I work with him," Xenia said under Niki's gaze, who watched her friend walk back and forth in front of her office, holding her forehead.

"I work with Malik people at work sleep together; it's almost an immutable law since the beginning of time. Was it that bad?"

"No, it was that good. After almost three years of abstinence, I didn't know I was that hungry, and you know how it is. You are hungry, and you eat till your full, and you don't want any more dessert, but I was like keep it coming, that how good it was."

Niki winked at her, "damn girl, then why the drama?"

"My mom found us."

"Oh my goodness, Ann-Catherine, her holiness was there," Niki said as she linked her hands in a let's pray motion.

"Yeah, and she rumbled."

"So, now you feel guilty, and you want to push him away."

Xenia nodded, "you know, my mom says a lot of useless stuff, but some things were quite relevant."

"So, what's your plan?"

"I don't know," Xenia replied with a frown.

"Well, everything will be okay as long as you don't send a soppy message where you write: It was good. Let's be friends," Niki said, laughing.

"Niki."

"Don't, don't do that face, Xenia, no, don't tell me you did it."

Xenia nodded like a three-year-old admitting the crime of having drawn on a wall with red crayons.

"Xeeeeee, that is a fundamental no-no. How could you? Didn't I teach you better?

"Sorry, oh Niki Love Guru, I think I missed that lesson."

Niki shook her dead in disapproval, "I can't do anything for you now, just sink."

"Niki," Xenia pleaded while holding her friend's hand and stamping her feet.

"What? I can see you're regretting it, but the trouble with messages is you can't take them back. It's carved on the device; the man will look at it all day. I told you Gregory had no intention to mess around."

"How do you know?"

Niki's eyes grew wide, "his eyes, Xenia."

XX XY

Back in Wendon's office, the auditor was going through a full interrogation, "okay, Gregory, you are not wearing a tie. You didn't comb your hair to accommodate a military beret. Spite it, who is it?" Wendon said.

"What?"

"Listen, I've known you for twenty years. I know everything about you. I mean, I could probably give you the exact count of your nostril hairs.

"You are gross," Jaila interjected.

"So, who is it?"

"What is up with you two? Are you preparing an entrance exam for Interpol?"

"I tried, and I got accepted," answered Jaila. The two men turned and looked at her in disbelief before pursuing.

"Gregory, don't leave me out," Wendon whined.

"Knock it off, Wendon. He doesn't want to talk," Jaila said.

"Jaila, you know? Gregory, why do you always tell her?" Wendon said, making puppy eyes.

"I didn't tell her anything, don't forget she a Major."

"Thank you, captain," Jaila said.

Wendon was right, Gregory gave Jaila a lot of respect, one of the rare women in the army to have such a position, but she didn't hesitate to follow him into civilian life. Gregory felt lucky to have such good friends.

Gregory's phone vibrated in his pocket. He took a look and furrowed his eyebrows, it was an email, but there was also an unread message he got when he arrived.

"Gregory, what's wrong?"

"Darn woman," Gregory said.

Wendon and Jaila exchanged looks.

"Wendon."

"Yes."

"Have you got a tie in your dressing?"

"It was her, right?" Jaila asked.

"Yes," Gregory replied.

"What did she say?" Wendon pursued.

"Let's get to work, shall we," Gregory said to avoid answering.

Jaila gave Wendon a he-got-ditched look.

Wendon returned the lets-diss-him stare.

Jaila returned her you-do-that-and-I'll kill-you cocked an eyebrow.

Wendon replied with his yes-mam-stare.

Meeting in Astoria was rare since Gregory no longer worked in Xenia's department but not inevitable as Xenia discovered. The woman dodged and hid like a high schooler. Gregory usually found the behavior tiresome and immature. Thus he made sure never to encounter these species of women.

Now facing one, he found it amusing. Xenia always did things that never seemed to in accord with herself; her messages said no, and her actions showed Gregory, otherwise urging him to play too.

And so three days of the cat and mouse game started.