Chapter 3: Mission…Possible?
It was about 10 in the morning the next day when Alex got the call. Mrs. Jones wanted to see him again.
He walked to the Royal & General bank, and went in the back entrance where MI6 headquarters was located. No one needed to see his ID or anything. Everyone knew him.
Alex took his time, taking the stairs rather than the elevator. When he finally got there, He knocked on her door. "Come in!" Mrs. Jones said.
He stepped into her office. "You wanted to see me?" Once again there wasn't much enthusiasm.
Mrs. Jones watched as he sat down in one of the notoriously uncomfortable chairs. "Yes. I have a job for you." Alex was about to reply, but Mrs. Jones held up her hand to silence him. "This'll be the last one, Alex. Unless you agree to work with us again, this is your last mission."
Alex sighed. He knew he hated MI6 work, but having the knowledge that he was following in his father & uncle's footsteps, he couldn't help but feel a slight urge to continue. "Okay."
Mrs. Jones folded her hands in her lap contentedly. That had been easier than she'd thought. Alex listened intently as she debriefed him his assignment.
"Hi, I'm Zoey." The brown-haired girl in front of Alex said, holding her hand out politely.
Alex still couldn't believe how stupid and surprisingly not life-threatening his mission was. He was just supposed to spy on this girl, and get to know her. That was it. Mrs. Jones was obliged to leave him in the dark in that respect.
Alex smiled. "I'm Alex." He shook her hand and committed her face to memory. It wasn't exactly a face he could forget. She had light brown hair down to her mid-back, and shining blue eyes. Her lips shimmered from her lipgloss, and her eyelashes were incredibly dark and thick with mascara. Her eyeliner and dark blue eyeshadow made the effect more dramatic. She was definitely good looking, and she knew it, too, though she didn't seem to mind Alex looking over her perfect features in almost a sense of awe. He felt like he'd stumbled across an angel.
He felt like slapping himself for even thinking about dating her. He had a girlfriend. He didn't need anyone else but Jessie. He didn't want anyone else but Jessie. Or did he?
He could tell that Zoey's eyes were examining him the exact same way his were to her. Though her bright blue eyes twinkled with excitement and mischief, he could tell that they weren't as innocent as they pretended to be.
She smiled warmly. God, she looked even hotter when she smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Alex." She had an American accent, and looked about the same age as him.
Alex nodded. "Nice to meet you, too."
Mrs. Jones, who was standing beside them, smiled to herself. "Why don't you two go on a walk through the park together?" She suggested. "It's a great day for a walk."
Zoey looked over at Alex and when he shrugged, she nodded. "Okay."
Mrs. Jones met Alex's eyes for a moment, as if reminding him of his assignment, and telling him not to get too carried away. "Would the two of you join me for dinner at 6 at the Baurelli's on Main St.?"
It was Alex's turn to nod. He loved Italian food. It was his mothers favorite, too.
"Okay. I'll see you then." Mrs. Jones turned and walked away.
Alex and Zoey started walking. "So..where do you know Mrs. Jones from?" She asked.
"Oh, she's a family friend. Her and my uncle go back ages." He lied. "What about you?"
"She's my aunt." Zoey replied simply.
Alex knew she was lying. Mrs. Jones had no siblings, so she couldn't possibly have a niece. "Oh, cool." He said quietly. "Are you from around here?"
"Chelsea?" She asked. "No, I'm from the US. My dad lives in Manchester, though. Not that I ever really get to see him. Are you?"
Alex nodded. "Yeah. Lived here my whole life." He didn't dare to add that thanks to MI6 he spent more time in hospitals in foreign countries than he did at home or school.
They walked and talked for a while, and the more Alex talked to her, the more he liked her. He let the fact that Jessie was visiting him the following night slip out of his mind.
Zoey and Alex had dinner with Mrs. Jones and Alan Blunt. Afterwards, Alex offered to walk Zoey to her hotel, much to Mrs. Jones' approval.
"Well, it was really great meeting you, Alex." Zoey said when they got to the hotel.
Alex nodded. "Yeah. It was."
Maybe we can…you know…see each other again sometime." She suggested.
"Yeah. I'd like that."
"Are you free tomorrow?" Alex nodded and she smiled. "You wanna get lunch?"
"Sounds great. Want met to pick you up?"
Zoey nodded. "Yeah. You wanna meet here at noon?"
"K. Sounds good."
Zoey smiled. "Okay. See you then." She kissed him on the cheek and walked into the lobby, leaving Alex smiling to himself.
Jackie was out when Alex got home, so he went straight up to his room and sat on his bed. He couldn't keep his mind off Zoey. He definitely liked her. But why was he supposed to spy on her? Was it because she was from the US? Were her parents some sort of terrorists?
Questions were racing through his head. His cell phone rang, making him jump. He looked at it. A blonde-haired, green-eyed girl was looking up at him. Jessie! Alex had completely forgotten about her. He bit his lip and answered. "Hey, Jess."
"Hey, babe. So I'm back from the VI's!" She said.
"That's great!" He did his best to sound enthusiastic.
Jessie laughed. "I know! So are we still on for a movie and ice cream tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?" Alex asked nervously.
Jessie sighed. "You forgot, didn't you, Alex?"
"No, I've just been busy. That's all."
She laughed again. "Yeah, being James Bond and all, right?"
"Yeah, something like that." Anyways, uh…I'll be pretty busy most of the day, but you wanna come by around 6?" He asked.
"K, sounds great."
"K."
"Alex?"
"Yeah?" He answered.
"Don't go getting yourself heart. Be careful." She said.
Alex hesitated. She sounded genuinely concerned for him. "Okay."
Jessie sounded relieved. "Okay. Well, I love you."
"I love you, too." He said softly.
"See you tomorrow."
"Bye, Jess."
And he hung up.
