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Despite the working airconds of the underground livehouse, Sai could feel beads of sweat flowing down her neck. The heat of the performance got into everyone in the room, and she could feel it rising every second.
The band playing had the guitarist practically screaming into the faces of those in the front row, and she would constantly have to glance at the wires tugging. As a backstage crew, she was in charge of making sure the performances flowed smoothly, although it proved to be a complicated task as the flashing lights blinded her eyes and the heads of the performers blocking her view.
She takes a look at her watch, 9:58 p.m. Two more minutes before her shift ended. There should be someone else covering for her by now, but they were nowhere to be found. She tapped her feet in annoyance, trying to drown out the screams.
The sparks from the on-stage sparklers shot out next to her, making her lose her balance as she held onto the equipment box next to her.
Is this even safe? Sai complained in her head as her hand pulled back her jacket. If it wasn’t because she needed the money, she wouldn’t be stuck in this place.
She took out her phone, typing out a quick ‘where are you’ with an unhealthy amount of question marks.
Sai heard a familiar ding as something heavy seemed to fall on the floor. The person she was waiting for had their knees and palms on the floor, as boxes filled with stage decorations were toppled over.
The person grunted, rubbing their knees from the impact. “Who the hell put that there…”
“Fang! You okay?” Sai rushed towards her.
“Yea, my feet hurt though,” The purple-haired youth readjusted her glasses. “Are they done?”
“Just about.” Sai helped her up. “They’re halfway through their last song.”
“Alright, I’ll take care of the rest. You go ahead, I’ll ask the boss to send you the pay soon.” Fang picked up the fallen box.
“Call me if you need anything else. Just… not tonight. I’m beat.”
“Of course. See you in class.”
They waved each other off, and Fang approached the stage to greet the finished band. Sai headed towards the stairs of the exit, before changing her mind and moving towards the elevator.
The street would be full of people now, and she needed some space to unwind.
The building reached into the 5th floor, tall enough to not be caught in the smoke and dust of the city’s traffic, but not tall enough to overlook past the skyscrapers and towers.
She exited into a small staircase that led to the roof, its rusted railings leading up to a small door. It was slightly crooked, and she would rather not trust that it could support her weight as she climbed up the staircase.
The cold air of the night hit her in the face, and she took in the fresh air. She could see the sky glowing in a muted grey, the lights from the cars and buildings dimming whatever stars that could be seen from this place.
Sai brought herself to the railing overlooking the streets, the sound of honking and distant chatter becoming white noise.
From here, she could see the building where her college would be, the signboard worn out from the years. The sceptre-shaped tower that became one of the symbols of the city glowed bright behind it, its body covered in colourful lights. The contrast between the two buildings were almost symbolic, and if she had her camera right now she would have taken a picture to add to her final year portfolio.
“The view here isn’t half-bad.” A voice piped up from behind her.
She turned to see the silhouette of someone leaning on the wall next to the staircase exit. Their attire was decked in black and a tinge of bright orange, and one of their arms had some sort of floral tattoo. She doesn’t need to even look at their face to know who they were.
“Api,” Sai started, “I thought you went home.”
“I’m not gonna miss out on the rest of our classmates performing.” Api shoved her hands into her pockets, approaching the railing with the sound of her chain bracelets clinking against each other.
“Besides, it's the weekends. I’m not gonna waste it just staying at home waiting for a new day.” She hooked her arms over the chipped-off railings, the iron creaking from the weight. “You got any plans after this?”
“Nah, just stargazing.”
The brunette exhaled a laugh, “What stars are there to see? You’d be lucky to even see the moon under all those clouds.”
“I don’t know. Maybe I am feeling lucky tonight.” Sai glanced at Api’s bold black lipstick, whose edges were slightly smudged.
They stayed like that for a while, with Api resting her head in her arms and Sai pretending she was absolutely not staring.
After a beat, Api piped up, “Let’s go somewhere else.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know. You said you were feeling lucky, so why don’t we put that to the test?”
She grabbed Sai’s hand, and Sai let the brunette drag her through the door. They went straight for the stairs, not even bothering to wait for the elevator.
The skin on Api’s hand was rough, like the surface of a wooden fence. They head out of the buzzing street and weave through crowds of people either coming from the underground performances or the shops lined next to the road.
They jumped inside an open door of a public bus mere seconds before it closed. Api laughed as Sai almost tripped on the way inside, and they both ran up to the second floor of the bus while the motion swung them from side to side.
Instead of picking a seat, Api chose to stand by the window, pointing out into the stuff people do on the streets and the sights of cramped-up stalls in alleys.
The bus stopped at a red light, and Api tugged at her sleeve, “Look, there’s a cat fight!”
“Wanna bet who’s winning?”
“I call dibs on the black one.”
They did not get to see the outcome as the bus continued moving. It pulled into a flyover that passed through a shopping district, and colourful lights washed over them. The colours bounced off Api’s hair and clothes, and Sai noted how the studded leather made kaleidoscopes on Api’s cheeks.
Once the bus slowed down into a street full of vendors selling knock-off merchandise, Sai was once again dragged down the bus and into a horde of people exiting. The air smelled of tar and shoes and car exhaust, but throughout the journey their hands stayed interlocked.
They went into a small entrance where people in nicely-fitted clothes and designer coats pooled out, and sharp cold air tugged on her skin. She was greeted with the sight of a large, blinding white mall, each store having items worth more than her entire college bills. They ran up two flights of escalators before heading out onto a hanging balcony where small waterfalls and gardens overlooked the rest of the city.
They sat down panting on a marble bench, and the sights of posh-looking people and tourists made Sai wonder if they were even allowed at a place like this.
“Look,” Api nudged her, and she looked up to see the full moon peeking out of grey clouds.
“I thought it’d be raining by now, but looks like your luck hasn’t run out.”
Sure enough, she could see the flashes of lightning and the distant rumbling of thunder on one side of the city, the side they had come from. But in the garden, the sky above was clear, and there were blinking lights that either came from a passing satellite or a faraway star. The moon with its craters light up the sky, bright enough to rival the glow of the city itself.
“Really wished you brought your camera, huh?” Api stated.
“You think in all my life I’d never photographed the moon?” Sai responded instead, trying not to notice how their fingers were still intertwined. From this close, she could finally see what Api’s tattoos were; an array of teardrop-shaped flames like the ones you’d see in those festivals of lights.
“Not with me in the picture.” Api smiled. “I always took pictures of you under the moon, you know.”
“Oh? Show me, then.”
“Mm, that’s part of my final year photography project. It’s a surprise.” Api stood up and left her on the bench, and she was already missing the warmth of the other’s hand.
“Even without your equipment, I’m sure you can do me justice.” There was a skip in her steps as she stood with her back against the edge of the balcony. Her figure seemed to emit a soft glow as the moonlight bounced against her skin.
Sai took out her phone, a slightly older model that she’d bought for its in-built camera. Although it could never beat the camera she used for her works, it functioned well-enough to get a clear shot of Api and the moon. The reflected lights gave her a smoky visage, and the distant lightning became a unique prop.
A strong wind blew over them, and she snapped a picture just in time to have the wind framed Api’s face in such a way that made her seem ethereal.
Sai gestured at her phone, “You wanna see?”
“Nah, keep it for our next encounter.” Api pushed back her hair, pinning some of it behind her ear. “Come here.” She put out her hand.
Sai received it, and they walked to a canopy walkway framed with flowers and vines. The crowd of people thinned out the deeper they went, until they came across a small waterfall.
Fairy lights were tied around posts and fences, and they could see small fishes swimming around in the pond under the waterfall.
Api turned to face her, and wrapped her hands around her neck. They swayed to the background tune of some violin, possibly coming from one of the high-end restaurants nearby.
Sai had one of her hands around Api’s waist, and she could feel her mind relaxing the longer she looked into the other’s eyes. Which was a stark contrast to when they had first met, where even the sight of Api had made all the air in her lungs disappear.
The image of the brunette amongst a crowd of students in the halls and in rooms where the sunset would shine through like a divine revelation filled her mind, and she remembered how there was never the time for them to meet and talk in the classroom as Api always seemed to have somewhere else to go.
It was only under moonlit nights that they could see each other.
“I have to go.” Api voiced out after a few minutes of them basking in the silence, although she almost seemed choked up from her words.
“Go where?”
“Home. I need to get home before the sunrise.”
“I see.” She released her grip, but still felt Api’s arms around her neck.
“I’ll be back again.” She whispered, before placing a kiss at the edge of the other’s lip. Api turned to go back to where they came from, before Sai grabbed her sleeve. “Will I see you in class?” She asked.
Api seemed to hesitate, before giving her a smile. “Yes. You’ll see me.”
The brunette left as quiet as she came, and the previously-quiet atmosphere was filled with noisy chatter of shoppers as if she also brought the peace away with her.
“Hey, Fang.”
“What?”
“Do you know our classmate Api?”
The bespectacled youth stopped in the middle of her typing to stare at Sai, “Who?”
“Oh, come on. Don’t act like you haven’t seen her. Dark brown hair, orange highlights, always wearing black.”
“Uh, our class doesn’t have that many students. I would know if I’ve seen her. Are you sure she wasn’t from the other class?”
“No, she also mentioned a photography portfolio.”
“Well, our class isn’t the only one with that. I heard the fine arts course also had a photo portfolio.”
“No, she specifically meant photography.”
Fang sighed, “Are you sure she isn’t an alumni invited to give talks here or something?”
“If she was, how come you don’t know her?”
“Huh. That’s fair.”
Next to the restaurant where they were having their class party, Sai saw the figure cladded in black leaning against the wall. Fumes seemed to emit from her mouth, and she had thought that maybe Api had gone out for a smoke.
Api piped up when she saw her, the edges of her black skirt sparkled from the small gemstones encrusted on its edges. “You’re here.”
Sai could not see any sort of cigarette on the other’s hand, wondering if she had thrown it away. “You’re not joining the lucky draw event?”
“Nah, none of the prizes interest me.” She remarked, approaching Sai with movements so fluid it's as if she would fade into the shadows herself.
“Want to jump into the subway and see where the trains take us?”
“Sure.”
Api grabbed her hand, and before they could head towards the station, Sai voiced out, “Who are you, really?”
The brunette looked back at her, smiling. “I’m your classmate, am I not?”
The sound of the party seemed to fade away as she could only focus on the other’s bright orange eyes. “Of course. Take me away.”