LOST II

Chapter 62: "True Glimpses"

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First draft: October 12, 2021

"So?! How did it --!"

"Back to your work station, junior!" Salma cut him mid-sentence. "I don't want a word of nonsense from you, you hear me?"

Jason stilled, then hastened to explain.

"I saw him coming and I thought ya'll needed privacy –"

"I said not a word, Stark," Salma said, her tone soft but cold, disinterested and done. She shrugged. "I don't want to hear it. Not interested in deserters. That's it."

Jason's mouth stayed agape. He looked genuinely stumped.

"Alright, that was harsh," Salma reconsidered, sighing.  "But I'm kind of annoyed with you right now, and if you insist on it, I'd say harsher things. So why don't you just - just stick your cushions firmly fixed on that stool in your work station till I've cooled off, cool?

Jason swallowed nervously, still looking quite uncomfortable. His eyes glanced at his stool and back at her.

"Cool." Salma concluded with a shrug.

She gave him her back and started working on issuing another clearance from the Green Coats. She had to visit the hospital in an hour. After Ghamey's arrest and the subsequent terms of his release, the security around her had relaxed considerably, but in some situation, she still had to follow the protocol.

Salma could feel Jason throwing her side glances as she waited for clearance and an escort's availability. Spogmae had supposedly come back to the US and was back on duty, shadowing Salma wherever she went but Salma was not sure if it would be her or Burak Kaka that would shadow her on her way to the hospital.

Salma saw Jason turn to her in her periphery. He opened his mouth but then second-guessed what he was going to say and lost heart. Salma almost laughed when Jason stared at the papers in front of him, frowning. This was a more familiar Jason, compared to the annoying one she had to endure a few hours ago. That one was kind of an intrusive pest. Salma was almost unnerved by how he kept teasing her over her and Zayn's relation. Jason threw her another scared glance out of the corner of his eye before he started writing notes.

Aww! Salma pressed her lips together to prevent a giggle.

She did not want to give him a tough time for booking himself and leaving her in the lot, but she was sort of annoyed and she knew if he talked to her while she was still upset, she would probably say something harsh and regret it.

Salma was updating the information requested by the security protocol when a piece of balled-up paper bounced on the table in front of her. Raising a brow at it, Salma turned to Jason but he quickly turned back to the stack of papers in front of him, growing quite red in the face.

She saw a sad smiley face scrolled on the balled note.

"What is this now?" Salma asked.

Jason threw her a quick glance before resuming his downcast stare at the papers.

"Words," he mumbled.

"Who would've guessed?" Salma said, unballing the piece of paper.

Salma thought she almost saw the hyper-Jason making an appearance but she was sure she had imagined the ghost of an amused smile playing on his lips, when he cowered over himself in embarrassment.

"I'm not angry anymore," Salma said. "You want to explain why you did me dirty like that?"

Jason got even redder in the face.