Connecting

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I think this is the start of the sensitive side of the story (Chapter 6, tbh but anyway...). It will start to have heavy emotions. Although, on this chapter, not that much. There will also be a mention about abuse (more than a mention, actually) in the future chapters. There was actually a kinda heavy chapter previously, Chapter 6, if I'm not mistaken. I just wanna put this out here to avoid anyone saying I didn't put a warning so yeah. I'll also be putting disclaimers on every chapter with heavy emotions/drama (based on my opinion that some people thinks will be heavy) or any mentions of something that may trigger someone in the future chapters. Thank you. You may now continue reading this not-so-good chapter I wrote last month.

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A room with enough for a couple with a queen size bed and a huge window overseeing the view on the outside. Chris rubbed his hands together. "What now?"

Melissa looked around the room then motioned Chris to keep quiet. She looked at the room once again before talking. "There might be hidden cameras with audio but I don't see any. I guess there aren't."

"Huh," Chris replied walking around the room. "This looks like a normal hotel room, don't you think?"

Melissa nodded. There isn't any cameras around the room, even suspicious items like trackers, and so on. She grabbed her phone.

Chris saw her and asked, "What's your plan?"

"I can't risk texting," Melissa replied, still looking at her phone, contemplating whether she should call their director for the second time today. "Messages can be recorded, even phone calls but that's harder to get. I don't know whether I should call."

Chris sat on the small sofa. "Maybe we should just wait and see for now. Let's see what we can find while we're here today." Melissa nodded at him.

When the clock striked 6pm, they decided to go out of their room. Once they were out, they heard something from their neighboring room. Chris was about to talk but Melissa put her hands on his mouth, causing him to stop then she opened the door of their room and forcefully make Chris and her enter. She then closed the door, leaving a small gap so that they can see and hear what's happening outside.

A man opened the door of the other room, stood there as if waiting for someone. Then a man from the huge door came, Melissa thinks that's the boss.

The first man who was waiting for the second man by the door said, "There's a couple in that room, the receptionist called."

The second man nodded. "Do they know what they entered? Tell everyone to be aware, every innocent people who thinks this is a hotel or whatever the receptionist told them shouldn't know what this place is."

"Of course, boss," said the first man. "Everyone doesn't know. Anyway, I tracked the man you told me to track. He's in Los Angeles. I hacked his phone and here are the contacts in it, his computer's files are also in that flashdrive. If you need me to do anything, just call me."

The second man, which is the boss nodded with a smile then pat the other man on the shoulder. "I know I can trust you, Andrei. Now, let's go to our hideout. We're going to go to Los Angeles. And yes, you're going too." Both of them left the floor.

Melissa removed her hands from Chris's mouth and sighed, she then realized her hand was covering Chris's mouth the whole time. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Chris replied. "But what was that? What man?"

Melissa walked towards the door, checked the outside, and closed it then locked it. "That man. That's the boss and the other one is the trusted person. We found them."

Chris was shocked. That was fast, they found them so fast. "What? What do we do now?"

Melissa sighed and looked at Chris. "As much as I want this mission to be done, I don't wanna rush things that might put us both in danger. Also, we don't have enough proof, let's investigate more."

They both decided to just spend the rest of the night here. Chris sat down a chair near to the window and stared at the dark sky. Melissa leaned on the headboard of the bed with a book on her hand.

Chris looked over her. She's pretty, he thought. He immediately shrugged off the thought. He said, "Hey."

Melissa looked up from her book and caught Chris staring at her. "Hey." She smiled and continued reading her book.

"Um so," Chris started, still looking at her. "It's getting pretty boring in here, we don't have anything to do. Why don't we get to know each other? I mean, if it's fine with you."

"Sure thing," Melissa replied while bookmarking her book before closing it. "What should we talk about?"

Chris shrugged. "Whatever you're comfortable in sharing. Do you want me to start though?"

"Yeah." Melissa said with a soft voice.

"Alright," Chris replied, straightening his body. "My full name is Christopher Charles Wood. I have one sister but we aren't really that close, I honestly don't know where she is right now. I am not a smart person but I am pretty sure I'm not that stupid either, just probably enough to graduate and get a job afterwards."

Melissa chuckled. "Hey, if you aren't smart you won't be in secret department, you know that."

Chris shook his head. "Nah, maybe I'm just luck enough to be part of this entire secret thing."

"Okay," Melissa said, now sitting on the bed. "Let me also start off my saying my full name. My full name is Melissa Marie Benoist, I have two sisters, we're pretty close – well, I think. I grew up knowing my mom only but let's just talk about that when I'm ready, that's kinda sensitive topic."

Chris nodded. He immediately started talking again when he saw that Melissa's mood suddenly changed from kinda-happy to sad. "Just a fun fact, I have more bad memories in my life than the good ones. So now I don't even know what to say. Anyway, do you know that I trust you more than I trust myself for just like one day and a few hours of being together?"

"Hmm. Really? I don't trust myself that much so that's a really sweet thing that you said that," Melissa replied while going back to her old position. "I really appreciate it."

Chris stood up and sat on the bed beside her. "I really, badly wanna open up to you. I don't have someone to open up and it's bugging me to let this out to someone."

"Hmm? What is it? Are you sure you wanna open up to me? All I can do is listen, I am not good in giving advices, and," Melissa said then she looked at him before continuing. "I can't even open up to you about myself."

Chris looked at her and smiled. "I trust you because I do. It's... I don't know, I feel like you will listen and that you know what it feels like to feel like this. I feel like we will connect if I open up to you."

Melissa nodded, she closed her eyes before saying, "If that's what you think, I won't stop you. I will listen."

Chris smiled. He leaned on the headboard before starting. "I had my first long-term relationship a few years ago. We lasted for three years, I thought she was the one. I was close to her family, especially to her dad, he's treated me like his own already. I opened up to my girlfriend – ex-girlfriend, everything, I told her everything. I loved her with my whole. I planned on proposing to her the day after her birthday to make her feel like her birthday has been extended so I told her I won't be able to attend her birthday and won't be able to visit her the whole week because I have a job to do outside the town. I wanted to surprise her. The day I planned on surprising her with a proposal and showing up at her place, I was surprised to see a man's shoes in front but then I though, 'maybe her dad's here, maybe her brother.' But then I went to her room and... she's there. With the man. Sleeping. Together. Turns out, I am the one surprised."

Melissa looked at him. He has no tears. There's no tears left. Melissa, like what she said, just listened. She watched him went to sleep and thought, "When will I have the courage to open up to someone?"

She decided to close the lights and try to sleep but before she sleep, she whispered, "You're a great man, Chris. I hope you find someone that's worth it, someone who won't leave you for another man." She didn't know that Chris is still awake, he smiled and went to sleep.