"You were always the bravest person in the room in my eyes."
Rosalie's POV:
My stomach had been upset the entire day. I did not eat a single thing--there was no time. I was way too worried. Somehow, I led myself into believing that inviting POWA's most powerful "stretters," which was the name for all the agents who organize POWA missions, according to Luke, to the Moore mansion was a good idea. And now I was completely freaking out.
Jack managed to talk himself out of attending. Especially because having a former POWA captive present at the meeting for POWA stretters would not be a good idea. Plus, I was sure that him being here would just cause more chaos. I was definitely jealous of him right now.
Why would they approve of us to go investigate? We were just a bunch of kids. Especially me, I wasn't even a POWA agent. Not that they knew that, of course. But if pretending and kissing up to them meant stopping my dad, then that's what had to happen.
I came out of my room, heading downstairs to one of the large dining rooms in the mansion. I had been living here for months, but I was still not used to any of it. My hand hovered over the knob. I just needed to relax, things would be fine, I hoped.
Stepping inside, I realized that most of the stretters were already here. My eyes widened as I realized and went to sit by Luke. I looked around, examining all of the agents. I caught sight of Iris and Zach sitting far away and waved at them. Mr. Moore sat at the head of the table, leading the conversation as everyone nodded along.
My eyes then landed on one of the few women at the table. However, she was much younger than the rest of them--and very, very beautiful. I didn't even know how it was possible to look like that.
She had thick, dark brown hair, matching her beautiful, flawless skin. I'm pretty sure she was glowing. Well, if POWA didn't work out for her, at least she had an opportunity as a model. She was dressed in a formal business suit, making her look even more sophisticated. I guessed that she was about our age, maybe one or two years older. She looked at me across the table, catching me watching her and gave me a warm smile. I returned it and followed her gaze as it shifted next to me.
She was looking at Luke.
I tensed, my smile faltering a fraction. She shot him a flirtatious smile and a confident wink.
Man, she was really pretty.
I looked between the two of them, gauging Luke's reaction. He gave her a small smile, nodding his head and acknowledging her. He looked completely normal.
I didn't understand how he wasn't flustered at all--she had just winked at him for goodness sake! And she looked like a true agent--her clothing, her ease and confidence. She was everything I wanted to be.
My cheeks reddened as I looked down at my own clothes. I had put on a simple dark green sundress, patterned with small white flowers. I thought it would have been appropriate for a lunch meeting, but looking at everyone right now, I felt ridiculous. Who was I kidding? Why did I think I would be able to pull this off?
This was a serious meeting for a government agency, not Sunday brunch with Iris. Without realizing what I was doing, I began to play with the hem of my dress nervously, zoning out of the conversation entirely.
I jolted in my seat as I felt a sudden warm presence beside me. Luke had leaned in close to my ear. I heard him whisper, "I like your dress."
I inhaled sharply, sneaking a glance at him. But he kept his focus on the meeting, a small smirk grazing his features.
My lips quirked up involuntarily as I smoothed my dress down and zoned back into the conversation. I had to stop worrying about my wardrobe and start worrying about the meeting. Especially the food that came with it. I hadn't realized how hungry I had been until now. I dug into my food, being extra careful not to be messy.
I looked back over to the girl sitting across from us. Even the way she ate was graceful. Shaking my head, I looked back over to Mr. Moore. I shouldn't be so obsessed over her--or anything else. I just needed to focus on this.
"Well, I think my son should scout the area where we suspect Benjamin is hiding. I know his assigned area is Pencastle, but many of these issues have taken place in Pencastle. It only makes sense that he goes. He does have the most knowledge about this mission and he's the one who has been doing the research, along with his partner, Iris." He gestured to Iris and Luke with his head. Iris and Zach sat at the other end of the table--so far away. Suddenly, I wished Iris was next to me. She would know exactly what to say to me now.
Everyone looked at Luke and Iris at the mention of their names. Sneaking a glance at the girl across from us, I saw her look at Luke with an impressed smile on her face.
"I believe that I can gather more information about the location and Mr. R--Benjamin's plans, before we go in and take him down. All I am asking is for a chance to scout the area." Luke spoke, and everyone nodded, the girl across from us looking especially interested. A strange feeling bubbled inside me at that. Without thinking, I reached up to place my hand on Luke's arm, commending him.
The girl across from us caught sight of it, her eyes showing an unreadable expression. Understanding? Realization?
She smiled at me, fixing her gaze back on to Mr. Moore and away from Luke. I realized what I had done and removed my arm quickly.
What was that?
I looked at Luke cautiously and he noticed that I retracted my arm. He looked down at me, and looked back at the girl. His smirk grew, looking at me smugly.
"Are you okay?" He asked, feigning concern.
I glared at him. "I'm fine." Whatever just happened was nothing. It was normal--I congratulate Luke all the time. Especially in front of beautiful women who flirted with him.
Stop it Rosalie. Get a grip.
As talks about the mission were closing and everyone began finishing their food, I felt much better. Not only did I now have a very full stomach, but I was sure that the stretters would agree to letting Luke scout the area. Which means that I would be joining him, along with Iris and Zach, of course.
"Well, I think that Luke should be able to investigate the area on his own. He sure does have enough experience. Besides, all of our other agents are already quite busy." The girl spoke up, adding her input.
"Thanks Olivia." Luke told her. Olivia. So that was her name. I had been so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even know her name. I felt the food in my stomach churn painfully, just as I was feeling better.
I was too busy being stupid. I was the one who wanted to invite them here and I couldn't even focus? I felt completely and utterly humiliated at myself. I let my emotions get the better of me.
"You sure you're okay?" Luke was looking at me, his voice now completely void of amusement. I probably looked ridiculous. I certainly felt like it.
"Yeah, I'm going to go now. Looks like everything is taken care of." I said weakly, getting up and excusing myself. On my way out, I caught Iris and Zach looking at me worriedly. I gave them a measly smile, getting out of there as quick as I could.
I walked through the halls briskly trying to make it to my room. Today was a bad day for me. Maybe I was making all this up in my head, but I felt so out of place. I'm so in over my head. I just need some time to breathe. Keeping busy has been great, but I can feel its toll on me.
This isn't me--not anymore. I was not a scared little girl. Not after all I went through. I can't just go back to that.
"Rosalie!" I heard a voice behind me. Great. The one person who I was too embarrassed to talk to, running straight over here. Luke.
"Rosalie, what's wrong? You look like you're going to be sick."
I sighed, looking at him. He stared back, waiting for an answer. "Nothing."
I kept walking, and he caught my wrist, turning me around to face him.
"What do you want Luke?"
"For you to talk to me. We are friends, you know?" He said softly. Right, friends. I knew that, alright. I wrenched my wrist from his grasp and tried going to my room, but he blocked my path and stood in front of me.
"I don't need this right now." I glared at him. He rolled his eyes and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the other direction. I groaned, following him, my feet dragging behind me slightly.
"Where are we going? I really do not have the energy for this today." I yelled as he continued to ignore me and drag me along with him, until we reached two familiar grand doors. The doors that I never wanted to see again.
And now--I was really mad.
"Seriously? You brought me to the ballroom? Luke, this is the last place I want to be right now. With all of this going on, I do not need to relive my life's most traumatic moments. Particularly today. I do not need to go back into my shell and be the sweet, ignorant, little Rosalie that I once was. This is unbelievable. And a new low, even for you."
"Are you done?" He muttered, playing around with something on his phone. Suddenly, the room was filled with the sound of a beautiful melody of violins, the music bouncing off the walls.
"What are you doing?" I said flatly. He smirked, setting his phone down. He walked over to me, grabbing my hand. This time, much gentler, waiting for me to respond. I felt goosebumps rise on my arm.
"Rosalie, I know you think that you used to be some frightened little girl. Even at the anniversary dance. But you never were." I looked at him skeptically, grabbing his hand tighter. His face broke out into a genuine smile at that as he tugged me forward, bringing our interlocked hands up, and placing one hand carefully on my waist. I drew in a sharp breath at the sudden movement, my free hand going up to rest on his shoulder as if it was a reflex.
"And I also know that Jack was pretending to be me at the town's anniversary event when he danced with you--and may I just say, I am a much better dancer." He spun me gracefully. I almost yelped, but his hold was tight, bringing me back to my original position. All the while, I remained silent--mostly because my mouth was incapable of speaking.
"I know it's not as grand or there aren't any violins--"
And that's when my voice came back to me. "No, no. This is really sweet of you Luke, but--"
"No, it's time that you listen to me. Trust me, I know how you feel. I felt the same way when we were finding Jack. I felt like a coward--putting all my friends in danger, trying to create plans to outsmart him, disappointing everyone."
"Luke, I never thought any of those things about you." I said softly. I didn't realize how terrible it must have been for him. And now, I was beginning to understand.
He squeezed my hand in response, spinning us around according to the music. To say he was a good dancer was an understatement, he was incredible. And I found myself agreeing with his earlier remark--much better than Jack.
"I know. That's what I'm trying to show you. No one thinks any of those things about you either. Especially not me. You were always the bravest person in the room in my eyes--still are. Look at all that you've done. We are so close to ending this--and it's all because of you. And if you can't see that, then I hate to say it, but you aren't as smart as I thought."
That earned a scoff and a slap on the arm from me. Luke replied with a grin, continuing to sway to the music.
I sighed, this would be my turn to explain most of my behavior. Which meant leaving out the parts about Olivia and Luke because I wasn't even sure I could explain that. "I'm sorry, I just felt so intimidated by it all. Everyone is so formal and so--agent-like. I felt out of place. I mean look at me. I wore this stupid dress and was too busy focusing on said stupid dress that I barely paid attention to the meeting."
And then Luke did something that truly shocked me. He laughed. "Hey! It's not funny!"
He composed himself, looking at me with an amused smile on his face. "Sorry! Sorry! It's just--you're so worked up over a dress, when you were the one who came up with this idea. Why does it matter what you wear?"
"It's not just the clothes, I let my emotions take control! I was irrational and stupid! So stupid!" I groaned, hiding my face from him, my forehead resting against his chest. I heard his breath catch, his hold on me tightening and his muscles tensing. I looked up, realizing how close we were, neither of us making a move to separate.
His face was right in front of mine, his dark blue eyes gazing into mine. "Sometimes letting your emotions take control is the right way to do things." He spoke up. I said nothing, leaning my head forward, mimicking Luke's movement.
And right when I was about to shut my eyes, a loud clatter came from the counter. I jumped, our hands disconnecting and a good distance put in between us now. I could only imagine what a mess I looked like right now.
Luke, on the other hand, looked quite angry. He was glaring furiously at the counter and I held back a laugh at it.
"Zach, if that's you then I swear I will use one of these table forks to--"
"Luke!" I stopped him mid-sentence, an amused smile on my face. He looked at me, his face softening. He shrugged, his smirk plastered onto his face again.
"Zach?" I questioned, but there was no response. "Hello? Anyone there?"
Nothing. My eyebrows furrowed, looking at the counter carefully. Luke held a finger to his lips and I nodded, walking alongside him. We inched towards the counter, my hand reaching up to hold onto Luke's arm.
We were in front of the counter now, about to look behind it, when two figures popped up. Luke and I jumped in our place, startled at the sudden movement.
"Ah, Mr. Moore. We were just cleaning the counter." The man spoke up. He was a short brunette, dressed in the waiter uniform.
"We did not want to ruin your moment." The girl next to him said, looking at the two of us thoughtfully. I looked down, my hand was still holding Luke's sleeve tightly. My cheeks flushed and I let go quickly.
"It's no problem. We were just leaving." The waiter said, taking the girl's hand and rushing out.
"Wait."
I turned to see Luke, standing there, his eyes studying the two of them carefully. "I know everyone who works at my house personally. I have never seen the two of you before."
I stepped forward, looking between Luke and the employees. They were standing there, their eyes wide and scared, staring at Luke's glaring face.
"It's okay, why are you guys here? I'm not mad. I just want to talk." I inched towards them carefully. Whoever they were, they clearly did not work here. But they did also look terrified and Luke was not helping.
"Who are you?" He said sternly, his arms crossed. I turned around to glare at him, but as soon as I did, I felt two hands on my back, pushing me to the floor.
"Rosalie!" Luke ran over to me. I landed on my hands, looking back to see them gone as Luke helped me up.
"Are you okay?" He asked worriedly and I nodded quickly.
"Who were they?" I asked and he had a worried expression on his face.
"What, what's wrong Luke?"
He sighed. "I didn't know them, they were disguised as waiters, and they were eavesdropping on us. My guess is that they were people sent by your dad."
My eyebrows shot up. "They were spying on us?"
He nodded. "And now they know our plan. Which means that we can't go investigate alone. We are going to need a whole squadron--we will all have to go there together. And that's another thing we have to confirm." He was pacing now, his hands in his hair. Of course. My dad knew we would be here--he's probably had spies set up here for days. We definitely had to bulk up our security now.
This was insanity. Two minutes ago I was worried about not fitting in at the meeting, now I was scared for my safety. Well, that's normal enough--for us.
"Luke, relax. We're fine. We can convince POWA for a squadron." I went up to him, bringing his arms down from his face. He sighed, looking at me, his eyes softening. I smiled, looking back at him.
A throat cleared in the hall and our heads simultaneously whipped in that direction--Olivia? I made a move to back away from Luke, not trusting myself at the moment. But Luke kept me by his side, his hand holding mine. She looked down at our joined hands, smiling at them. I flushed for about the hundredth time, looking at the knowing expression on her face. Luke on the other hand, was completely cool, a friendly smile on his face.
That smug little jerk.
"Ah, we were just leaving. I just wanted to say thank you for having us, Luke." She spoke.
"Oh, we will see you out. And please, don't thank me. It was Rosalie's idea after all." He said, looking at me and shooting me a sly wink. Olivia's face transformed into an impressed one.
"Well, thank you Rosalie. It was about time the stretters had a meeting." She turned around, but stopped in her place just as she was about to walk out.
"Oh, and by the way, I think you two make an excellent pair." She said, the same warm smile on her face. Luke tightened his grip on my hand by a fraction.
"Oh well, actually--" I started.
"Thanks Olivia." Luke interrupted. She grinned, turning around and walking out of sight. As soon as she left, I elbowed Luke in the side causing him to drop my hand.
"Ow!"
"Why didn't you correct her?" I exclaimed and he smirked, stepping closer to me, until we were about an inch away from each other. All of the sudden, the grand ballroom felt way too cramped.
"You wouldn't have wanted me to anyways." He said and I raised an eyebrow. What was that even supposed to mean?
However, I did realize that I was trying to fight back a smile. Did I like that he didn't correct her?
I feigned calmness, looking at him skeptically. "And why would that be?"
"Hm, I don't know. Would you care to explain what happened at the meeting? The hand you placed on my arm after noticing Olivia's stare?" He said casually and my eyes narrowed. He was too observant at times.
"I have no idea what you're referring to."
"Does the word 'jealousy' help you at all?"
I gasped at that. "I was not jealous!"
He smiled, scanning my face carefully. "Careful, I think I can see you turning green."
I scoffed. "There was simply nothing to be jealous of. And plus, I think you should go after Olivia, she is really lovely." I said, walking away. He nodded.
"She is lovely. But I think my heart belongs to someone else."
I fought back another smile, rolling my eyes. "You're right, she's too good for you anyways." I said, a mischievous grin on my face. And with that, I left him standing in the ballroom alone.
And just like that, my shoulders were squared and the smile was back on my face. I walked over to the dining room, my confidence growing with each step.
This was not over--we may have been invaded, but it was all about to come to a close. And I was going to help us get there. POWA would be sending a squadron and we would take my dad down.
DON'T SCREAM AT ME FOR THE SECOND ALMOST KISS! I promise, it will come, don't worry HAHA. Also this chapter is a day early because I will be pretty busy tomorrow, so I decided to post today instead!
Anyways, this was one of the funnest chapters to write and one of my favs ;) Hope you enjoyed!