Year 6 (First Draft) #Wattys2016

-Chapter 39-

   "Hey," He says, wiping at my damp skin. "You did great in there. What's wrong?"

   "I was scared," I say, hiccupping. "Those men... they wouldn't keep their hands off of me... I was trapped in there with all of them."

   Agent Arnold raises his hand to his neck, then presses on the UCP behind his ear. Kane comes into focus, despite the tears blurring my vision. He brings his hands up to my neck too, pulling me to his shoulder. He presses my UCP, and when I look down at myself I am back in my sweater and leggings.

   "This is what I was afraid of," Kane says quietly, his voice near my ear. "This wasn't a good first mission for a rookie, but you just won't take no for an answer."

   "So I... I failed?" I ask, swallowing the lump in my throat. I had planned to keep all my emotions in check, despite my fear during the mission. But I guess my emotions and I aren't on the same page.

   Kane chuckles, wrapping his arms around me. His breath is warm on my neck, and a few more tears drip down my cheeks.

   "No, not at all. You passed with flying colors, sweetheart." I take deep breaths, trying to stop the flow of tears running down my face. Kane places a kiss on the top of my head, his whispers reassuring. I sit up, and look at him, sending him a small smile.

   "Shouldn't we be getting as far away from this building as possible?" I say, sniffling. Kane nods, and we stand, brushing dirt off of our knees.

   "Yeah, but Charlie and Ben are waiting for my signal," He says, reaching for the walkie-talkie at his hip. He brings the device up to his lips, and in a few quiet words, tells Charlie and Ben to get into position. Kane grabs my hand, and we slip down the street, making our way down to a small restaurant, just in time to see the bunker go up in flames.

   "I haven't been to a restaurant in forever," I say to Kane, both of us having gone back to our UCP form. He smiles, taking a sip of wine. "I had forgotten how nice they can be."

   "They're even better when you're in good company," Agent Arnold says winking and I smile.

   Our waitress walks over, her hips swaying, her hands taken by the large silver platter dominated with our dinner. She places the platter down on her table, sending Agent Arnold a quick wink, then she turns, going to another table close by.

   "She seems to have a favorite customer," I joke, poking my fork into a piece of pasta.

   I pull my napkin down into my lap, watching as Kane does the same. The waitress makes a return appearance, this time carrying two bottles of champagne. She sets one down on the table next to ours, then brings the other bottle to us. She twirls her hair around her pointer finger, biting at her bottom lip. Kane doesn't even glance up from his food, and I can see that the waitress is becoming more and more impatient with him for not having noticed her. He finally looks up, and smiles widely. "Thank you, that will be all."

   The waitress sulks off, obviously unaccustomed to being rejected. She recovers quickly though, approaching a young man in a tuxedo. This man seems much more accepting; his full attention on her. I just shake my head, taking another bite of pasta, wiping at the tomato sauce at the corner of my mouth. Kane chuckles, and I look up, prepared to nail him with a glare.

   "Oh I bet you make a mess when you eat too," I say, setting my napkin back down on the table. Kane smiles, resting his elbows on the table, his chin in his hands.

   "Oh I do," He says, chuckling again. "But I don't look quite so cute when it happens."

   At first I feel flattered, but then I remember who I am, moreover, who I'm not. I slump back in my seat, biting my cheek to keep my retorts at bay. Kane frowns, obviously having expected a different reaction, then his eyes widen.