Whoosh!
A black motorcycle zoomed through the relatively empty highway with incredible speed, moving past vehicles with ease.
"WOOOOH!" Alyssa stretched out both her hands in the air and let out a loud scream before leaning forward and wrapping her hands around Ray, who twisted the accelerator handle in order to increase the speed even more.
Swoosh!
"You're way too good at this aren't you?" Alyssa asked with a loud chuckle as the wind brushed against her cheeks and her shoulders, causing her black curly hair to flutter in the air. "I don't know. Am I?" Ray feigned ignorance and spoke with a teasing tone before tilting the motorcycle to the left as he reached a curve, and Alyssa let out a joyous shriek.
"Hahaha! Damn you.." Alyssa almost couldn't finish her words as she was chuckling loudly, and she buried her face on Ray's back, who reduced the speed a bit and cruised through the highway.
The faint yellow lights from the street lamps that lined the highway shone down on the dark motorcycle that quickly passed by each and every one of them, making it feel as though they were ghosts or apparitions from another dimension, disappearing from the gaze of the streetlights within a fraction of a second.
Alyssa glanced left and right as they passed by various buildings. These buildings that looked identical and normal in the morning had now transformed into something different, with different coloured lights illuminating various parts of the structures, providing an otherworldly feel to it.
Alyssa leaned forward and buried her face on Ray's back, and the pair cruised through the highway for half an hour more.
After roaming around the highway for a while, Ray exited the highway and took a short route through a narrow road, stopping in front of what appeared to be an old stairway in the middle of nowhere.
"What are we doing here?" Alyssa looked confused, but Ray just smiled in response and instead, simply grabbed her hand and pulled her up the stairs, much to her surprise.
Climbing the stairs only took a few seconds, and it had led the pair to the top of a hill that overlooked the entire city, from the large multilayered skyscrapers to the beautiful blue ocean waters that stretched out as far as the eye can see.
"Wow… It's beautiful…" Alyssa couldn't help but be in awe of the spectacular view, completely enamoured by the sight in front of her. "I didn't know such a place existed here. This is something else. How come not many people know of this place?"
"Because of the highway." Ray said as he pointed at the road they took to get to this place. "This was originally a picnic spot to attract tourists, but the highway made it difficult for vehicles to get to this place. Eventually, the owner sold the property to the government and most of the locals who lived nearby abandoned the place and left in search of new opportunities."
Ray let out a sigh before continuing, "There was a plan for a government project situated right here, but that was abandoned since it coincided with the opening of portals. And since then, it's been left abandoned."
"That's a shame," Alyssa said before staring at the beautiful view, as the soft gale brushed against her face. "Because this really is a gorgeous location."
"
"I know…" Ray nodded his head with a satisfied expression on his face, which Alyssa noticed from the corner of her eye.
"So, do you bring all your dates to this place, or is it just me?" She spoke with a teasing tone, and Ray smirked in response. "It's just you." He moved a few steps closer to Alyssa as he spoke.
And he didn't lie. He had only found this place in his previous life, when he was roaming around with no aim, after the love of his life left him. Although he had died twice by that point, Ray still considered the time period after his breakup to be the worst period of his life.
And this spot, with its breathtaking view, pulled him back to the voice of reason, reminding him that he still had a mission to protect the world, and for that, he had to live. So he lived.
"I'm glad then." Alyssa replied with a sweet voice as a bright smile flashed across her face. "I can tell that this place means a lot to you."
"It does." Ray nodded his head, his gaze still on her as he leaned a bit closer, and she did the same.
The two were now close enough to feel each other's breaths. Ray stared at Alyssa's eyes, and she did the same.
Ray then leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her lips, and she closed her eyes and threaded an arm behind his head. The kiss lasted for about twenty seconds, after which their lips separated, and the two stared into each other's eyes while breathing heavily.
The break only lasted for a couple of seconds as Alyssa exploded forward and hurled herself at Ray, her arms clamped tight behind his head as she kissed him hard on the lips, and he wrapped his hands around her waist and kissed her back, hard and long.
--------------------
After roaming around for another few hours, Ray dropped Alyssa off in front of her apartment.
"Thanks for taking me out. I had a lot of fun," Alyssa said with a blushing smile as she got off the motorcycle, and Ray leaned forward, placing both his hands on the handle as he replied, "Me too."
Alyssa's smile widened again, and after fidgeting around for a few seconds, she leaned forward and kissed Ray softly on the lips, and he placed his hand on her hips and pulled her closer to him.
"So, does this mean that I'm your girlfriend now?" Alyssa asked with a teasing expression as the two pulled away after the kiss, and Ray raised his eyebrows and responded with a smirk. "You know, I was wondering the same th-"
WHAM!
Ray couldn't even finish his words as he received a playful punch on his hips, and he faked a painful groan in response. "Ouch!"
"You were saying?" Alyssa asked with a cute smile, and Ray let out a helpless sigh before suddenly grabbing her hand and pulling her close to him. "Come here!"
He pulled her close and kissed her once again. Ray stared at her eyes after their lips separated before speaking in a calm voice. "Alyssa Yang. Would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"
Alyssa smiled in reply, and she stretched up on tiptoes and kissed him on the mouth before replying, "I would love to."