In Bad Faith

Chapter 38

We walked out of the restaurant in complete silence. I barely even looked at Misha, but that didn't mean I didn't still feel his presence very strongly while he was walking next to me. We were leaving this place together. And even though I should be embarrassed or ashamed of myself, I didn't feel any of those feelings. No, I was thrilled to spend some time alone with this man. It was wrong, I knew that, but this could be useful for the operation too, right? That was all that mattered.

The second we walked through the big doors that led us outside, we were greeted by a humid, warm breeze. And the realization that we just did that, hit me the second I looked at him. We lied to our colleagues to escape together. He looked at me too and smiled. He smiled a very tiny smile, but it made my heart flutter. I hadn't seen him genuinely smile yet today, so this small expression told me I hadn't been reading the signs completely wrong. He was feeling the same tension all along too. He wouldn't be coming with me if there was nothing between us.

For a second I was contemplating whether to bring up his birthday or not. He didn't seem too ecstatic about Macy doing just that at dinner. He probably hated his birthday, something I could get into. Before my mom died, the celebration of my birthday was always exuberant. We went out to restaurants or we had family over. My mom always made sure the days were very special for me, and I remember them precisely that way. But in the past years I'd been spending the days on my own or out with friends. It was never anything close to special anymore.

"That was a very smooth and credible escape, Mr. Zaveri," I told him, breaking the silence while averting my gaze to the sidewalk again. It was Thursday evening, and it seemed to be quite crowded in this city. It wasn't very early anymore, but the street was still packed with people walking, driving, cycling, and jogging. This city was vibrant and full of life.

"I was dying to leave dinner, and you just came with a perfect reason to do so," Misha answered, hiding any sort of emotion in his voice. But as he looked to the side, I saw it. I saw something flashing in his eyes. It was some sort of excitement, a feeling I completely shared. I was very excited about leaving together. It was wrong, I couldn't actually do this because I knew very well what could possibly happen if we went through with this. But taking risks was part of my job, right? And he called going out together a perfect reason to leave the group.

"Well, it was either this or falling asleep at the table. Macy couldn't stop talking about this one clothing store in Berlin she definitely had to visit," I grinned, telling him about the way the woman had non-stop talked about these subjects. He must've heard this too because he chuckled softly. "She's just very passionate about.. things," he told me, and I nodded as an answer. She was also passionate about Misha's relationship with Maddison. I knew we were taking a risk doing this. The club I'd seen on the way from the airport to the hotel was down the street, so not too far away from the hotel. And even though no one really looked like they had one bone in their body that was excited to visit a nightclub, it was still a risk to go there together with Misha. But on the other hand, if the place were as crowded as the streets were right now, it would be bustling with people on there too. Even if someone decided to go there, we still wouldn't be seen right away.

It was crazy how the mood between Misha and I seemed to constantly shift. We went from friendly to very intimate, to ignoring each other and then friendly again. And now whatever this was. Everything that happened right now, was very wrong. I was never going to tell Floyd that I took Misha to a nightclub. This was far from professional, and especially because I wasn't going there for the mission. I was going there for Misha.

"So, where are you taking me, miss Fisher?" Misha interrupted the short moment of silence that was present between us as we just kept walking down the street. I looked at him, for just a second, and smiled. "Oh come on, you didn't think I was going to let your birthday end with a boring dinner, right?" I teased him a little. "So, I thought we could just get a few drinks at this club down the street. Maybe I even get to see you dance if I feed you enough alcohol," I continued, grinning. By the way he moved and the soft smile on his face I could tell he's had a drink too much already. I'd seen him down his wine at least two times after Macy kept on speeching about his birthday.

As we were nearing the club, I was already able to hear the loud music coming from the building, which instantly put me into a cheery mood. I loved going out. When I was home, I went to places like these too with my friends. On my missions, when I had to leave for weeks sometimes, I already spent a lot of time alone. When I was home, I liked to look up crowds and friends, even though the opportunities were limited sometimes. I always kept myself busy with work, which meant I didn't have much time to invest my time in friendships. I had a few superficial friends, which was just fine for me.

"I'm not really a dancer, Miss Fisher," Misha said, grinning before we got into the small queue just before the club entrance. "That's no problem, I'll teach you," I promised him, winking playfully just before the bouncer let us inside the place. And as I predicted, this place was packed. I saw all different kinds of people. Groups of students, couples, older friends, bachelor parties.. And seeing all this, got me excited. The fact that I was going into a nightclub with Misha Zaveri was way too thrilling for me, more than it should be.

As I averted my gaze back to Misha again, I came closer to talk to him. "Why is it so crowded on a Thursday?" I asked him as if he were able to know the answer. But he knew just as little as I did, and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe more were looking for a reason to leave their boring dinner," he grinned close to my ear. Way too close. "Let's get us some drinks," he then said. And in order to get us both to the nearest bar, he grabbed my wrist. Oh my god. Even though Misha had touched me before, a lot more intimate than this time, I felt his touch through my whole body, like an electric shockwave that went through me.