William Creswell Naval Academy – Chapter 8

"When do you think the speeches will finish?" Mike mumbled, sinking even further into his seat.

"I don't know..." Kate murmured back, her eyes drooping as the Chief of Defence Force's speech ticked over into its twentieth minute.

"Kate sit up." Mike nudged her slightly. She didn't move, instead closing her eyes and almost leaning forward to rest her head on the table. "Kate... sit up!" he whispered.

She grumbled, pushing him away gently. The audience broke into a loud applause and Kate's head jerked up, her hands instantly coming together.

"I'm up! I'm up..." She blinked, the fog lifting as the Chief of Defence Force left the stage and the band began playing again.

"Tired huh?" he asked, smiling as she rubbed her eyes and struggled to hold in a yawn, failing miserably and instantly covering her mouth with the back of her hand. She nodded, leaning back into her chair. "Didn't you get any sleep last night?"

She gave him a pointed look. "I'm yawning right?"

"Touché," he acknowledged.

The band picked up a steady beat and he instantly got an idea. Standing up, he held out a hand. "Dance with me?"

She looked up at his blue gaze, a small smile forming. "Yeah, sure... why not?" She placed her hand in his and he led her to the middle of the dance floor. He placed a hand on her waist and began to lead her in time to the music.

Kate began to hum along with the music, the familiar tune sparking a losing battle in her heart. She could feel his eyes observing her, waiting patiently until she allowed her gaze to meet his. Hesitating, she looked up.

He was smiling at her, calm and almost lovingly. It was like a spell had been cast and she couldn't look away, his sapphire eyes intense and mesmerising.

"Kate..." he whispered, bringing their bodies closer.

They were standing so close they could feel each other's breath on their cheeks. Tugging at her hand, Mike led her away from the dance floor and out to the balcony, where a few of the army and air force academy representatives were "talking". Pulling her towards him, he rested a hand on her back and allowed the other to stroke her cheek gently. Leaning down, their foreheads came to rest against each other.

"Mike... what are we doing?" she murmured, her eyes fluttering slightly as she met his gaze.

His lips inched closer to hers. "I don't know..."

"Ahem."

They instantly broke apart, each person flushed. Stepping back two more paces they turned to look at who had interrupted them. Admiral Flynn stood in the doorway, his eyebrow raised.

"Getting a little cosy are we?" he asked. They didn't respond. "You both know about the navy's fraternisation rule don't you?"

"Aye Sir," they replied.

"But dad," added Mike, "technically we're still in school."

The Admiral smiled. "I'm kidding son, just kidding. You two kids go back to... um... doing whatever you were doing before I interrupted – but I want you inside for the rest of the speeches."

They nodded, and Kate breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought he was going to reprimand us."

"My dad would never reprimand us for something like that." He grinned. "He met my mum at WCNA."

She didn't respond, only blushing bright pink. We almost kissed. "Um, I think we should go back inside – like your father said... we have to go in for the rest of the speeches."

Mike looked away disappointedly, silently cursing his dad for interrupting them. When he looked back at her, his smile was pained. Gesturing back towards the hall, he fell into step beside Kate as they walked back to their designated table. Taking their seats, the lights dimmed and the Chief of Defence stood once more. Kate groaned slightly, already getting ready to sink into her seat.

"Do you think we'll get back before tomorrow morning?" she mumbled, rolling her eyes as another bout of speeches began.

Mike shrugged, stifling a yawn as his own posture began to falter. "I bet we'll be back after midnight though... there are still presentations and more speeches... and other things..." He yawned again.

"Looks like you're tired now."

He gave her a tired smile, groaning as his father told him to sit up. "Dad, can't we just go back to school? I'm tired, and I want to sleep!"

"Mike, you know we can't do that until this is all over."

"Kate's tired too."

Admiral Flynn looked from Mike to Kate, taking in their tired forms, their now wrinkled uniform, and the begging in their eyes to let them go home and sleep.

"You can go for a walk; the cold air will wake you up."

"Yeah... sure..." Mike excused himself quietly and slipped out the double doors. Kate hesitatingly did the same, following Mike out the door and finding him waiting for her at the bottom of the staircase.

"Wanna walk?"

"That's why we're out here." She looked down at her clasped hands, blushing as he touched her shoulder.

"I should probably steal back that kiss before someone interrupts us again." At his words, she looked up, her blush becoming deeper. Slowly, she broke into a smile and raised an eyebrow.

"Not this time, Mike."