The next week passes in a flash. I can't recall being as happy for such an extended period of time as I have been during the past few days. During the night, Harry and I share our bed in the dorm. Although Sarah sleeps across from us, I feel safe with Harry, no matter the revelation I unveiled. Sometimes, or more like every night, once everybody is asleep, Harry and I sneak into the gym for an hour or two and repeat our activities from when we first got together. In the morning, we wake up and carry on with training as usual, either in the combat ring or in the swimming pool. I can beat Harry about 50% of the time we spar, meaning I'm more than ready for fighting in the outside world. Likewise, Harry is completely tied with me while we swim and complete other exercises, seeming to have left almost all his fears behind.
We try not to speak during the day in front of other recruits, but it's not difficult now. In the beginning of the week, the morning after our dinner up on the track, we woke to find both Victoria and Adam gone. Now only Harry and I remain to compete with Mac and Sarah, who I must stay wary of.
Although there seems to be a lot on my mind, talking to Harry usually seems to take the worrying thoughts from my brain. Being with Harry also seems to eradicate my anxiety for an hour or two, which is why we do it every night. If I'm honest with myself, I never expected training to go so well in a million years. Although I always knew I'd become an agent, I never thought I'd meet someone like Harry.
Throughout the week we're sent on field missions here and there, but thankfully don't come upon another bar or nightclub. No new opportunities for jealousy and fighting are good, but I feel as though Harry and I are past those sort of trivialities. One night we're sent back out in our cars to London. Harry and I are set on the trail of a balding man, maybe in his 40 or 50s. We don't have much to do except take pictures, but Sanders seems to care a whole lot about the buildings he exits and enters. We're not told who the man is, but I'm too nervous around the General to ask. Another night, we're sent back to infiltrate a modern looking building in the middle of town. It's pretty much deserted and the folders we were sent to retrieve are found within an hour.
I can feel training coming closer and closer to an end, but for some reason the end I expected when I first arrived does not seem to be in my future. Sanders barely makes any mention of what life will be like after training, or what working for MI6 really entails.
Although my skepticism grows larger by the day, I find there is one good thing to be grateful for. Harry and I have not been in a fight since we became 'exclusive', and we're working together better than ever. I don't know if it's the extra regard I now feel for my partner, but every mission I complete I feel more focused and determined to get it right. Not only does messing up mean my own life is in danger, but it endangers Harry's as well. I can't have that, and I think he feels the same. This means we're nearly unstoppable, even by Sarah and Mac.
I neglect to reveal what I stumbled upon in Sarah's bag to Harry. I feel as though if he knew he would take two courses of action. One, he would stop me from competing in training and pull us out for my safety. I can't have that. The other, he would confront Sarah and someone would get bloodied. Even if Sarah was responsible for the attacks, which I really don't want to believe, Harry causing a fight among the recruits will not reflect well on us to Sanders. Even if the General's crazy like we think, he's still responsible for me completing training, so I have to come off as a model trainee either way.
After 5 days have passed, I know that we'll be finishing soon enough. It's down to just us 2 pairs. There's barely anything we can do now to win favour in our direction. It's do or die.
Tonight, we finish training late. The entire day Sanders had us running around, completing obstacle course after obstacle course, race after race. I'm exhausted to the point of collapse when the day has finally finished. I give Harry a small nod before dragging myself off to the showers. There's no way I can eat dinner in such a state.
I choose to use the showers connected to the pool changing room rather than in the common bathroom by the dorm. I figure that Sarah and Mac are less likely to intrude on me in here. Although nothing has happened this week to make me more paranoid, I don't want to take any risks. Not until I know the full truth.
I let the water run over my aching body, savouring the sensation. I can't think of a better feeling in the whole world than a hot shower after a long day of activity. About halfway through I'm interrupted by three small knocks against the door. I jump slightly and gasp, pulled sharply out of my tranquil state.
I hesitate for a moment, unsure what to do.
"Rosy? Let me in." Harry whines from the other side of the door. The shock on my face slowly evaporates into a smile and I shake my head.
"This ones occupied, can't you tell?" I shout lightly over the loud patter of the water against the tile floor. I hear another bang against the door and assume Harry rests all his weight upon it now.
"I don't want to use the empty ones." He moans in annoyance once more and it takes all my will-power to stop from laughing. I know if he hears me giggle he'll only be further encouraged. How can I risk the other pair of recruits stumbling upon us in the shower? That would be a hard one to explain.
"Sarah and Mac might come in, you know that." I scold, grateful Harry can't see the smirk on my face.
"No they won't! They're up on the field doing god knows what. Anyway, I locked the door to the bathroom." He attempts to persuade me. If they're up on the field, there's no way they'll hear us, let alone see us.
"How the hell did you lock the door?"
"Chair and a broom." Harry tells me matter of factly and this time I can't stop myself from laughing. He knocks once more against the door.
"Rosy, let me in." He tells me, although his voice is not so childish this time. When his tone gets like that I can hardly disobey him. I sigh, but don't ignore the longing I feel in my stomach. I don't give him a response, but slowly unlock the shower stall and let it swing open.
Harry's face comes into a view and soon a satisfied smirk takes over his features.
"That wasn't so hard, was it?" He lectures. His towel is off and across the bathroom before I can respond. I still automatically feel as though I want to turn away, as if I shouldn't be seeing Harry in such a state, but I know I'm allowed to. He doesn't seem to share the same concern as his eyes drag greedily down my exposed body.
"I can still kick you out, you know." I counter, but I can feel myself starting to get a little breathless. The look in Harry's eyes tells me that he's not here to simply shower.
"But do you really want to?" He questions, his voice lowering considerably, more raspy and primal than before. I know the answer to that question immediately, and it's a definite no. Harry locks the stall door behind him and moves forward. The hot water still running from the shower head, Harry carefully places his lips to mine.
I lose my breath for a second as I always do when we kiss. I've been with other men before, but I've never felt the same degree of butterflies and lightheadedness- in a good way- that I get when I'm with Harry. I don't know what it is, but I wouldn't give it up for anything in the world.
His hands come up to rest against my bare hips, still soaked from my shower, and pull me closer to him. I can feel his excitement rising as seconds pass and our kiss becomes more passionate. My hands tangle in his hair and I have to stretch up onto my tippy toes to reach his face with mine.
I feel his breathing getting harsher, and soon he pushes me roughly into the wall behind me. His hands rest on either side of my head, trapping in me place. It's not like I'd want to go anywhere else. His lips softly move from my own to my neck, sucking and nibbling harshly, making me gasp with surprise.
I can feel Harry's smirk against my skin as he continues to kiss me, no doubt pleased with my excitement. Although it's hard, I don't want Harry to have all the fun. It is always great to take him off guard in these sorts of situations. Without hesitating, I reach down and grasp his length in my hand, squeezing lightly and beginning to move up and down.
Instantly Harry's lips have disconnected from me and he's taken a harsh breath in. His head comes to lean against my shoulder as I move my hand teasingly and he whimpers. I smile to myself. It's not so bad to have the upper hand sometimes.
With a great amount of effort, Harry stops my arm so he's no longer distracted. He knew as well as me that he would be useless while I continued. Continuing our game of back and forth, as soon as I stop, Harry's fingers find my most sensitive spot. I use the wall as a support as my back arches. Harry wastes no time slipping two of his digits inside me, slowly pumping in and out. I return his whimper with my own. Harry's mouth once again wanders across my neck to my collarbone to my chest. Instead of stopping at my breasts, he goes further. Summoning the strength to open my eyes for a second, I watch Harry slowly sink to his knees in front of me and a whole new wave of butterflies surge through my stomach. His fingers still working, Harry places his mouth to my centre and sucks harshly, just as he did against my neck.
I fall further back into the wall and can't help the loud moan I let out. I hope beyond all hope that Sarah and Mac are still up on the field, because I can't stop myself from making noise right now. I wish I wasn't standing because I feel as though I'm about to collapse.
His tongue works expertly against me and my eyes roll to the back of my head. I know I won't last much longer like this.
"Tell me when... when you're about to." Harry commands from below me, a little breathless himself. Although he hasn't asked for me to do so before, I'm willing to comply with just about anything he asks me right now. I nod, unable to get many words out, and Harry goes back to work.
His fingers move faster than before and his tongue darts out at random intervals as he sucks. It's too much and I know my limbs are about to turn to jelly. After another 10 seconds my legs begin to stiffen as they always do. I call out quickly, remembering Harry's request.
"I'm- I'm gonna-" Is about all I can get out. As soon as the words have left my mouth and the hot is about to burst through my body, Harry removes his mouth and fingers from me, leaving me without any stimulation whatsoever. As he stops, I lose the feeling and sigh with frustration. I look down, my eyes wide with disbelief. Harry smirks and slowly rises, trailing kisses up from my stomach to the corner of my mouth. He leans in.
"You don't get to come yet." He whispers, his lips brushing lightly against the corner of my ear. His voice and his actions make me shudder even harder with desire. I've never felt so frenzied in my life. My eyes squeeze shut tightly in disappointment and I groan loudly, obviously unhappy. Although I'm utterly frustrated, the longing I feel throughout my body has just increased by ten fold.
Harry goes in to kiss me again, but I can't go back to just kissing, I might go crazy. As quickly as possible I turn us around, so Harry is now pinned against the wall. I jump up and wrap my legs tightly around his waist while he comes to hold me up beneath my thighs. He looks impressed, but I don't miss the shudder of anticipation in his breath. He can't always keep his composure as I'm sure he wants to.
Without hesitating I line him up at my entrance and slowly let my hips sink down so that he fills me completely. Harry trembles slightly, then uses his arms to lift me up and down softly, creating a rhythm between our two bodies. This is the feeling I was searching for. Harry can't stop me from doing anything now, not when I have the control.
He flips us once more so my back rests against the cold tile of the wall. With the extra leverage he pushes into me harder and faster than before. Having been riled up already just a minute before this, I know it won't take me long to finish. I try to summon all the concentration I have and place my lips to Harry's neck, sucking as hard as I can. I know it'll leave a mark, but luckily us recruits can pass off odd bruises as wounds from combat training.
Harry's hips move up and down and I try to help as much as possible by moving myself with him. After a few minutes Harry starts to shake quite noticeably, as do I. In another second I can't even get out a word before stars burst before my vision and I moan more loudly than I ever have before. My body freezes along with my movements as my muscles clench around Harry and I lean back against the wall.
With the new sensation and a few more thrusts, I feel Harry still beneath me, holding me carefully in place and holding his breath. When his eyes finally open again I see a lazy, satisfied sort of look take over.
When we both have our strength back I slowly remove myself from around him and he sets me down. We both stand and he places a long and hard kiss to my lips, obviously more than fulfilled. I giggle as he does and we stand staring at each other for a few moments.
"Aren't you glad I interrupted?" Harry questions confidently, his tone as cocky as ever. I don't think anything could bring him down right now.
"Hmm, no, not at all." I sigh, always eager to tease Harry if I can. He rolls his eyes and lets out a loud laugh.
"You're such a liar."
"It's a part of my training!" I exclaim with a grin and Harry joins me. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I actually need to shower, we've wasted enough water as it is." I remind him. Another roll of his eyes tells me his playful mood is going anywhere.
"Come here, then." He beckons, before pulling my arm and bringing us chest to chest. He grabs the shampoo and pours it over my head before roughly beginning to wash my hair.
"Hey, gentle!" I exclaim, chuckling loudly as I do. Harry continues and rinses it out for me before I do the same for him, although he has to bend down considerably. The body wash makes him a little more excited, but I prevent him from taking any more action. I don't know if my exhausted body could take it.
Soon we've both stepped out and dried off. With our clothes already waiting for us, Harry and I head out to dinner as soon as we can. Sarah and Mac sit at a table across the mess hall, but we don't bother to join them. I'm sure they couldn't hear our activities in the bathroom from here, or at least I hope not.
Harry can't stop smiling, although I do wish he would make it a little less obvious for the other recruits. It's not like I can ask him to stop being happy, what kind of girlfriend would I be? That's what I am, aren't I? Harry's girlfriend. After all, we agreed not to share each other. Although a month ago I would have shuddered in terror at the thought, now the title sends a spark of warmth through me. I find that there's a permanent grin stuck to my face, too.
About halfway through my meal, we're interrupted by Sanders entering the mess hall. We stand up and salute as is common courtesy. The General doesn't carry folders as usual, so I know we won't be going on a field mission tonight. I assume he must be here to announce something.
"Recruits, this was your last week of training. Your final mission will take place tomorrow. It will help me to decide who will become agents for MI6." He tells us quite stoically. My heart lights with excitement as I hear him mention MI6 for the first time in what seems like a long time. To my disappointment, though, he doesn't have much else to say on the subject.
"You'll get more details before the mission, but prepare yourselves in the meantime." Is all he says. I see him turning to leave, but I know I can't let him. My burgeoning curiosity reaches new heights and I don't stop myself as I begin to blurt out a question.
"General Sanders, sir?" I call before he has the chance to turn fully. I see him freeze in surprise for a second, but soon enough comes to face me.
"Yes?"
"I was just wondering- when we complete training, will we be talking to Andrew Phillips about missions and credentials?" I question. I know from years of experience that Andrew always handles new recruits and gets them acclimatized to their surroundings. He sent me here in the confidence that he would be meeting me once more when I came out the other side.
The General pauses for a moment before answering.
"Andrew Phillips? There's no Andrew Phillips here." He states quite confidently. I'm taken aback by his response for a moment and take a second to gather my wits.
"He's not in charge of the new recruits?" I continue my inquisition, a little more cautious now. The General looks completely oblivious to the identity of Andrew. Anyone who works for MI6, especially training new recruits, would surely know who he is.
"No, there's no one with that name." He states curtly before turning around and briskly walking from the mess hall.
I stand in place for a second, shocked. Once the other recruits have turned away and the General is completely out of sight, I look to Harry with wide eyes. Having heard my story a couple nights ago, he also knows that Andrew Phillips is a part of MI6.
If the General truly works for the agency, there's no way in hell that he wouldn't have met Andrew before, or at least heard of him. Andrew told me himself before I started that he would be receiving me upon my completion. He seemed to be confident that I would beat out the other recruits.
If Andrew isn't receiving us, then who is? Throughout the 18 years I've known him, Andrew has handled all this sort of stuff, especially since we're just outside of London.
Harry and I resume our seats unsurely and sit across from each other in silence. Finally, he speaks, breaking me from my trance.
"What the hell was that about? How could he not know who Andrew is?" Harry questions quietly, making sure Sarah and Mac don't hear.
"I- I don't know. Andrew told me himself that he was going to get me after I finished training. He's always been in charge of new recruits..." I trail off, staring off into oblivion instead of meeting Harry's gaze.
When I finally do gain my bearings, the same confused expression displays itself across Harry's face as my own. What the hell could this mean?