Once the twins arrived home, they greeted their parents before helping their mom to set up the table for dinner. As always, they enjoyed the meal as a family. With the lights dimmed down, the parents sang happy birthday to the twins. In unison, they both blew the candles on the cake as the parents clapped happily. 

“Happy birthday. You may not want to hear it, but know that we will always love you,” Lilly hugged the twins lovingly. “My babies are all grown up now.”

“Thank you, mom,” Lesley and Malak answered together. 

“Let’s celebrate with a drink!” their father exclaimed happily with two cans of beer in his hands. 

Shocked, the older woman slapped her husband on the shoulder. “What are you doing? They may be eighteen, but it doesn’t mean that they can become alcoholics!”

The husband rubbed the sore spot with a grimace. “They are going to a bar and then a nightclub tonight. One beer won’t change much,” he defended his point. 

She sighed before glaring at the twins. “We allowed you to go, but it doesn’t mean you can come back home drunk and naked with a girl or a boy under your arm.” 

“Also, make sure to keep your cup with you at all times. If you lose sight of it for a moment, do not drink it,” their dad warned while giving them a cup of beer each. 

“Don’t worry, we will be all right,” Lesley answered to reassure them. 

“We will be careful,” Malak added as both adults nodded in satisfaction. 

Soon after, they went to their respective room to prepare themselves for the event. As their dad mentioned earlier, they will first go to a bar before going to a nightclub later on. This will be their first experience in places like these. They were excited but also nervous. It helped to know that they won’t be going alone. In fact, some of them had gone to those places multiple times already. 

With both of them wearing their new outfit, their dad agreed to give them a lift to the bar. On their way there, Frank used this occasion to give them a lecture on how dangerous the world could be and not trust strangers blindly. They were the first ones to arrive at the bar. Their dad proposed to stay in the car until the others reached the destination, but they refused. Although they were a bit early, it was late, and they didn't want to impose on their father, who had to get up early for an important meeting tomorrow. It was one of the rare days when he had to work on a Saturday. 

“Have fun, but drink moderately,” the adult man waved as the twins waved back. 

They both watched the car until it disappeared at the corner of the street. Although it was already quite advanced in the night, this part of the city was reputed for its bars, nightclubs, strip clubs, and drag queen shows. All the neon lights shone brightly and illuminated the streets. There was something for everyone, and people of all ages filled the road, searching for entertainment. 

Fortunately for the twins, they didn’t have to wait long before their friends arrived one after the other. Together, they headed toward the bar of their choice. As soon as they enter an establishment, a hostess greets us politely before giving us a table for six near the window.

“Welcome to Clever Lantern! Here are the menus, your waiter will be here shortly,” she explains with a practised smile as the young adults thanked her. 

As promised, the waiter arrived soon after with a glass of water for each of them.

“Welcome, did you have a chance to look at the menu?” When they all shook their head negatively, the waiter professionally smiled. “Then, did you decide on your drinks?”

“I’ll have a Watermelon Monsoon,” Genesis started while flapping her eyelashes at the male waiter, who ignored her by busying himself by writing the order down. 

“A cranberry tonic for me,” Kayla, who was sitting on the next seat, ordered next, unaware of the glare Genesis was giving her. Her chance to flirt with the staff had gone to the drain.  

The waiter left them alone after everyone had ordered. They now took the chance to look at the menu and order some snacks to share when the server came back with their alcoholic drinks. With a slight buzz going on, they cheerfully chatted. 

“So, is anyone in a relationship right now?” Enrico asked as he played with the straw in his drink. 

Everyone shook their head negatively except for one person. “I am,” Bella shyly raised her hand as Lesley and Genesis gasped. 

“How come we didn’t know!” they both exclaimed at the same time as other customers sitting around them turned around to see what was happening. 

Lesley cleared her throat in embarrassment. “I mean, you never mentioned it before.” 

Bella blushed while playing with the coloured paper umbrella that came with her Piña colada. “We want to stay discreet about it. It will almost be a year that we are dating.” 

“There must be a reason why you two want to keep it a secret,” Genesis mumbled her thoughts with her fingers on her chin. “Tell me, is he a delinquent or maybe an older man?” 

As Bella seemed uncomfortable with her friend’s question, Kayla stabbed her finger on the cherry blond-haired girl’s ribs. 

She yelped loudly before glaring at the culprit. “What was that for?” 

“It’s alright. I’ll tell you guys but don’t spread it around, please.” Everyone promised her not to tell a soul about this. “He wants to finish his transition before we go public.” 

As Bella nibbled on her lips nervously, some of her friends frowned, not understanding what she meant by the transition. It was only when she explained that they finally understood. Bella’s boyfriend was biologically born as a girl, but he’s going through a complicated process to become a man. The reaction at the table was a mix of shock and understanding. 

They soon changed the subject, and the mood became lighter. Once they filled their stomach, they parted the bill in six and left the bar. Next, they waited in line to get into the nightclub. Fortunately for them, they didn’t have to wait long, and as they rapidly approached the entrance, the beat of the music got louder and louder. For those who were going to a place like this for the first time, it was an overwhelming experience for their ears. Once inside, it was like going to an alternative world. The room was dark except for the moving neon-coloured flashlights.

While everyone quickly got in the mood and went to the dance floor, Malak found himself out of place. He somehow didn’t feel comfortable being in a situation like this. With how packed the place was, it was boiling and enclosed. He felt trapped. This wasn’t really how he thought his birthday party would feel like. Malak rapidly spotted the emptiest corner of the sardine can and found refuge there. More or less isolated from the sweaty crowd, he finally let out a relieved sigh. 

“Not enjoying the night?” a man standing not too far from Malak asked with a drink in his hand. 

Startled, the teenager nervously laughed to shake it off. “You could say that,” he answered honestly.

“Haha, it’s my first time here too. It wasn’t quite what I imagined.” There was silence between them. “Where are my manners? I’m Kian Osman.” 

“Malak Elsan,” he answered as both of them exchanged a polite handshake. 

At first, he didn’t want to give the stranger his name, but he felt it would be rude to ignore him when he had already presented himself. 

“Do you want to go outside?” Kian suggested as Malak hesitated. “You can tell your friends first. I’ll wait here,” he smiled. 

Malak walked away from him and was once more swallowed by the crowd. Once he couldn’t see the stranger anymore, the claustrophobia immediately came back. Trying to suppress his panic, he decided to find his sister and friends as fast as possible. However, it didn’t go as planned. The club was massive, and so was the number of people inside. Therefore, Malak ended up outside the nightclub and texted his friends his whereabouts. 

“Good thing to see you here,” the stranger exclaimed in happiness as he surprised the teenager. 

“Could you not appear out of nowhere every time?” Malak scolded with a hand on his chest. 

“Sorry,” the man smiled sheepishly as an apology before handing Malak an unopened bottle of icy water. “Do you want one?” 

“Thank you,” he accepted the bottle since it was unopened and cold.  

They stood next to each other, saying nothing for a moment. They were enjoying the light cold breeze of the night. While Kian was looking ahead, contemplating the sparkling lights of the city, Malak had difficulties keeping his eyes away from the man beside him. At first glance, he looked young, maybe around the late twenties. But sometimes, he seemed more mature. It was as if he had seen everything life offered. Almost like an elderly starring afar while remembering the nostalgic times with the ghost of a smile on their lips. 

Malak was confident that it was his first time meeting this man. However, he seemed so familiar. At first, he thought he resembled a classmate or a teacher, but the more he observed Kian’s features, the more he was convinced that he saw him somewhere else. He was a lot taller than Malak and had dark brown hair, almost like dark chocolate with brown eyes. 

“Do I have something on my face?” Kian asked when he caught Malak, staring at him. At the same time, a car drove by them, and the lights of the vehicle highlighted the man’s eyes. For the first time, Malak saw Kian’s eyes glow in a shiny copper hue. The teenager blushed and looked down at his feet, hoping that his dark blond hair would hide most of his face. He was afraid to disgust him. 

“Sorry, you looked familiar,” the boy paused, realizing how embarrassing the situation was. 

“We met before,” Kian commented after an endless pause. “Although it was a very long time ago.” 

Malak frowned and cutely tilted his head to the side. “You don’t seem much older than me.” 

The man only smiled but offered no answer or explanation. “Your friends are looking for you, and here’s a little gift. I hope you’ll like it,” Kian said while pushing a little box into Malak’s hands before walking away and disappearing in the night's darkness.

Still confused about what happened, the hazel-eyed boy stared at the little box in curiosity. He didn’t hesitate before opening the object. Inside, the first thing he saw was a little piece of paper with what looked like his cellphone number written on it. Underneath it, there was a small brooch pin of a golden bird with a gemstone as a body. Malak couldn’t take his eyes away from the delicate-looking jewellery, especially at the familiar coloured ruby red stone.