Agent X

xx| 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚂𝚒𝚡 |xx

"Of course not," I declared indignantly. "What on earth would I feel?"

"I don't know... happiness... peace... um..." He trailed off searching for words. "Look, I know it sounds crazy but... I... I was so scared for you. I thought... when WAOIC took you..." He let go of me, thank goodness, and ran his hand through his hair. "Xara... it's... I..." He laughed. "Why is this so hard to say?"

The King of improv was at a loss for words.

At this point, I was unamused. Just spit out, big boy, I know what you're trying to say.

The elevator doors opened on the twenty-fifth floor. Three spies were waiting to enter, wearing black business suits and holding briefcases.

"Oh, hello Agent 24 and 52," they chorused.

They started to enter the elevator, but Ty held up his hand with a nervous grin.

"Sorry, hold up, I―" he quickly pressed the button for the first floor. The doors closed as the spies looked on in bewilderment. The elevator began its descent as I began my descent into insanity.

Why did this have to happen to me?

"Xara, I love you."

That was what I had been dreading.

I barely know you!

I mean, I do know you, but... it's complicated. I'm not the girl you love!

Or am I? I mean, I am the clone of Xara...

But I'm literally eighteen years younger than you! You could be my Father!

I shuddered at the thought of it.

Ty turned to face me. His eyes searched mine for any emotion, any sign that I felt the same way he did.

But lucky for me, there was such a jumble of emotions coursing through me, that I didn't know what I felt. So, my face was devoid of any feeling.

Just like Xara.

Actually, I didn't know how Xara would act in this situation. Did she feel something for Ty? I didn't know, because she never showed it. If she did, it was kept locked away in her heart, meticulously guarded from exposure.

But this is how I would act if someone I didn't love confessed their feeling to me.

Maybe my response meant that I was transforming into Xara, which was a good thing. The only problem―it made this moment significantly more awkward. And it would probably hurt Ty.

I glanced at Ty, realizing that I had been silent this entire time. He stared at me, his eyes pleading, but his posture had fallen significantly. The elevator dinged and opened up, landing on this first floor. This time, I reached over and pressed the button to shut the doors, then pressed the seventeenth floor. The elevator began to ascend.

"I don't love you," I said, keeping my face straight and my tone even. I looked straight ahead at the closed elevator doors, refusing to face Ty. But I didn't have to see his face to know that he was hurt.

"I guess I could have figured about as much," Ty sniffed. He forced a nervous laugh. "You were always something else, Xara. You... you're in a league of your own. I could... I could never be enough for you." I forced myself to remain somber, so stare at the rising floor number in the elevator.

Seven, eight, nine.

"I hope that you are happy being single," Ty continued. "I genuinely do." He paused for a moment, building up the courage to say the next words. "And if you find someone who's more worthy of your love then me, then I wish you all the happiness in the world."