When I Look Up At The Stars

13 | sagitta

"They can't be that far behind," Gale says, his voice drowning out the sound of computer keys tapping. "I can try accessing the cameras on the street— I need a few more seconds-"

"Boss?" Axel murmurs, nuzzling his nose into Stella's hair so that no one can see his mouth move. "We can't return to HQ with people tailing us."

"I know," he hears Corban say, past some muffled rustling on his end, "Carry on with the plan. There's a hotel exactly five hundred meters away from the club, and there's a room for two booked under Matteo Bernardi. I had someone fill the room with whatever you need, just in case."

Axel's eyebrows shoot up. So, Corban had anticipated all that, then?

"Erm thanks," he says, clearing his throat.

"Cut the comms for now," Corban continues, "We'll reconnect tomorrow two hours before you leave, alright?"

"Yeah, alright," Axel says, though he can't shake the confusion away. If Corban knew that this was a possibility, how come he never brought that up while they were planning the operation?

Before he can ask anything about it, however, there's a small buzz in his earpiece, and the sound goes out.

"Is that the hotel we're supposed to be staying at?" Stella asks, making him follow her line of vision to the tall, fancy-looking building they were nearing.

"Yes," Axel turns his confused frown to her, "you knew about it too?"

"I didn't," Stella shakes her head, eyes of emerald peering up at the tall building, "I just heard what Corban said to you."

Through my earpiece? How on earth? Axel pulls a face but doesn't question it, even as they make their way inside, with his arm still around her.

A few gazes linger, both men and women alike, but a single glare from both Axel and Stella has them instantly averting their gazes. When they finally stand in front of the reception desk, he clears his throat.

Yes?" the woman at the reception says, without looking up from her computer.

"I have a reservation under Matteo Bernardi," he says, switching back to the deep Italian drawl, and it instantly makes her look up at him.

Her jaw drops.

It takes another minute of evident gawking, and Axel pointedly clearing his throat- until she finally snaps out of it.

"Of course, sir," she says sweetly with a giggle, making him raise an eyebrow. "Have you been liking our hotel so far?"

"Yes," he says curtly, "My fiancée and I think it's lovely."

"Fiancée?" he was sure he had never seen someone's smile drop that quick, as the woman's eyes finally find Stella's. For an odd reason, that he wasn't sure of himself, he wanted to smirk at that.

"Oh," she says, unsuccessfully hiding the distaste in her voice, as her eyes give Stella a once over. "Didn't see you there."

Stella only narrows her eyes at the woman.

For a few seconds, he was almost worried because he could feel the heat of her glare, and just as he's about to intervene, she speaks.

"You should check your nose."

"My wh- Excuse me?" the woman looks appalled, jerking her head back as her eyes widen comically.

"You should check your nose," Stella repeats stoically, narrowing her eyes more in challenge, as she crosses her arms across her chest, involuntarily leaning further into him.