Chapter 12 -edited 7/8/18
Heart attack. Lucy wished she's wrong but is glad that she came to give Alexis some comfort. Even though she hasn't had a chance to meet with her grandmother yet, she's looking forward to meeting this amazing woman whom Alexis described as the most understanding, kindhearted, sweet and loving person in the world. If Alexis didn't tell her, Lucy wouldn't have known, that it's her grandmother, a former art teacher, who got her interested in pursuing a career in fashion design. She is the reason Alexis became the confident, caring and open-minded person that she is. She is the reason Alexis took part-time jobs to experience life. She is the one who taught Alexis that the only way to live fully, to find herself is to not walk the easy path, a path that somebody else has chosen for her. I'm looking to forward to meeting you, Elizabeth.
Having been here for hours, Lucy is not tired but Alexis is, who finally managed to doze off even under this lighted environment. It's not noisy but they're in an open space with couches occupied by visitors. She, herself, wouldn't have been able to sleep here but she also understands why Alexis could. It's because of me.
After having looked thru another magazine, Lucy took the last one from the end table. She has never spent so much time reading these types of magazines. This is the first but she did learn a lot about celebrities, who's hot and who's not. Some of them have articles that are actually quite funny and some of them have pictures that have her completely mesmerized...just like this one. Hot! is the first thought in her mind. It's difficult to take her eyes off. It's difficult not to have other thoughts. The woman in the picture might not be showing a lot of skin but her outfit is sexy as hell. White shirt with sleeves rolled up to her elbow, short tight black leather shorts, and the red guitar she's holding made her look super cool...and hot at the same time. ...concert…hmm…I wonder if Kristin would like to go. Last show- June 12...too late.
"See something you like."
"mmhmm" One second is all it took for her to realize who that voice belongs to. It's not a nude magazine. She shouldn't feel embarrassed about looking at a hot woman in a magazine but she is because she's not supposed to feel that way about anyone except for the one who was standing behind her and now standing in front of her.
"What are you doing?" Kristin whispered.
"I just thought that she looked cool with the guitar. I wasn't …" Lucy trailed off after noticing where Kristin's eyes are staring at. She can easily explain but it would be difficult to get Kristin to believe her. "It's not what you think." Talking loudly would wake Alexis up so she didn't. Talking softly didn't work either because Kristin looks more pissed than several hours ago. Either she didn't hear me or she's not accepting my explanation. Most likely, it's the latter because Kristin didn't give her another chance to explain and left after giving her a note. Even without reading it, Lucy has an idea what's written in it, probably changed her mind about Venice, but later realized how Kristin found them and why she came.
Her grandmother is in stable condition.
An hour later
Pacing back and forth in the living room, Kristin contemplated on whether to answer the cell phone that has been vibrating on the coffee table for a whole minute. Giving Keira another chance to explain crossed her mind but at the same time, she doesn't want to because she's not sure why she's feeling this way.
"Are you going to answer that? It's going to make dents on the table."
You said you're not interested in her. That's what you said. Then why did you kiss her? Why is she sleeping on your lap? Tossing the phone onto the couch made the buzzing sound less noisy, but she could still hear it. "Stop it, stop it!"
"Then just shut it off."
She wasn't shouting at the phone. She was shouting at herself for not being able to stop thinking of Keira. "I can't. Michel could be calling."
"Then who's calling you?"
"...Keira..."
"Then why don't you answer it?"
"..because you told me not to get too close to her, so I'm trying not to answer every one of her phone calls so she would get the hint."
"Can't you just tell her that you're busy?" Kat said as she bite on a nectarine.
"If I say that every time she calls, then she'll stop calling altogether and I don't want that. If I don't answer, then she'll know I'm busy, and she won't think that I'm trying to avoid her. Then I could make an excuse if she asked why I didn't pick up." It's a lie and she surprised herself to be able to come up with that lie so quickly even though Kat doesn't seem to understand.
"It stopped. You happy?"
Not really...Sitting back against the armchair, Kristin let her eyes rest for a moment and cleared her mind of everything but it's difficult to do so with the tv on especially when Kat suddenly started laughing. "What's so funny?" At this moment, she needed something to laugh about, something to take her mind off Keira.
"See that blonde." Kat pointed at the tv. "She got upset with that guy because she saw him hugging that other girl."
"So? What's so funny about that? Shouldn't she be? He's cheating on her."
"That's just it. He's not even her boyfriend. They only had 2 dates and she didn't listen to his explanation and walked out. I mean, c'mon, they weren't even kissing, they were just hugging in the hospital because her mother just died. If they want to get together, they would have done it in a hotel or some place. That woman is so stupid. She just pushed him to the other girl and she didn't even realize it."
"Well if he really likes her, then he should try to explain and get her back."
"He tried but she didn't answer her phone so he gave up. I don't blame him. If she didn't even given him a chance to explain, that just tells him she's not interested in him anymore. That wasn't the first time she thought he cheated on her. Why go for the ones that make your life difficult? Go for the easy ones. Both girls are beautiful in their own ways. That's what I would have done." Kat didn't realize what she said could be misinterpreted until she saw Kristin looking at her in a strange way. "I'm just saying if I were him, that's what I would have done…I'm not interested in those girls.…really…I'm not."
The moment Kat explained, Kristin thought of herself. What have I done? It was only a kiss on the forehead. Her grandmother is sick. She didn't know where they went until she got a phone call from Michel to bring Ashley to the hospital hours later. They went to the hospital. No one told her but having found out from Michel where Alexis was, she came to realize that's where they went. But at that moment when she saw Alexis, she couldn't control herself from thinking that Keira has been lying to her. They weren't doing anything but what they were doing wasn't appropriate either. Why am I feeling this way? Why didn't I let her explain? Sighing loudly, she slumped back against the couch and closed her eyes, not to clear her mind, but to think of what's causing her to feel this way. It didn't take long to figure out why she became so emotionally attached to someone whom she only met for a few days. It's because this is the longest assignment she has been on. It's because this is the first time she felt lonely. It's because "I…HATE…THIS…MISSION!"
Startled and shocked by her partner's sudden outburst, Kat quickly ran over to the door to look thru the peephole, then unchained the door and looked outside to see if anyone is in the hallway. "What's wrong with you? You're going to give me a heart attack." Her heart is still pounding. "They could hear you."
"Kat, do you realize how loud you have the tv on? If anyone heard me, they'll think it's from the tv. Can you lower the volume please? I'm going to sleep. " Taking the phone from the couch, Kat walked casually to the bedroom, but once inside, she quickly locked the door and entered the password on her phone. She didn't leave me a message. Should I call her? What should I say? Nothing comes to mind. I just won't say anything. She'll probably start explaining as soon as she picks up the phone..then after that, I'll just say I forgive her. That'll work. She pressed the speed dial and waited but no one answered so she tried again, then hung up before getting the voice mail message. Where is she? Why isn't she picking up?
Having been at work all day in preparation for the trip, Scud didn't expect Lucy to find out so much. Learning that Kristin isn't who she said she is shocked him. She's on a mission? to do what? His first guess was that Kristin may be after them. She's not Amy. They made her look like Amy to lure Lucy. It's possible even though not everything makes sense but then he realized how ridiculous his guess is after getting more information from Lucy.
Lucy weren't eavesdropping. All she had wanted to do was find Kristin, explain, and apologize if necessary. But when Kristin didn't pick up, she didn't want to ring the bell because Kat could be inside and she didn't want to talk to Kat. Kristin's voice was loud and clear. There was no doubt in her mind what she heard is not true because is there a reason to check the hallway afterwards? It wasn't just that. That night, she saw Kristin. Now she is certain that Kristin was eavesdropping on Jehan. Now she knows why Kristin didn't reject Michel's advances. "She's not Amy."
Saying sorry at this moment won't make things better so Scud didn't and instead tried to get Lucy to focus on what's important.
"The first thing to do tomorrow is take a deeper look into Michel's financial companies. If he's doing something illegal, I wouldn't be surprised if they already have people working in his companies to find proof." It made sense until he remembered how long Kristin has been working for Michel. "It shouldn't take them that long to find proof...hmm..." Getting no comment from Lucy who is still in deep thought, he continued with his assumptions. "Maybe they're looking into his father's businesses as well. No one gets that wealthy without breaking any laws."
"Then why didn't they rescue her? If she is working undercover, then they should know something happened to her. Then why didn't they tried to save her?"
Scud expected her to come up with a logical explanation herself but understood why she couldn't. "Maybe they did. We just didn't know. Maybe she wasn't wearing a tracking device. Maybe they figured it out. She wasn't wearing a watch, no earrings, no necklace. All she had was her wallet." He can't blame her for giving herself reasons. Love is hard. Letting go is even harder. "So…what are you going to do?"
What can I do? They might not be after us but that doesn't mean they won't figure it out. We might be in Paris. We might be out of the spotlight for years. But there is still a possibility that someone could recognize us, recognize me. "We need to stay away...from her...from all of them." It hurts just to say it. The thought of never being able to be with her is as painful as the time she was dumped by her first love. But it has to be done. "Can we change the flight to tomorrow night?"
"Are you going to break up with her?"
She is thinking of seeing Kristin one last time to explain why she's leaving.
"Lucy, she has access to government files. What if she starts digging into your records?"
Lucy is confused because Scud doesn't seem to understand the relationship she has with Kristin. Can't blame him since he doesn't know everything. What he does know is the first time they kissed as well as the second time but not the reason. He also knows that Kristin accepted the invite to Venice but that doesn't mean they're officially dating. But regardless of what he doesn't know, he should know Kristin wouldn't do that because there's no reason for her to do so. Going separate ways is not a reason. "Why would she do that?"
"You should know better than anyone. Remember that time you tried to sink Australia." That was the time when Amy went back to be with the D.E.B.S. Lucy was so upset, she wanted to sink Australia just because she didn't like their attitude. "She might want to take revenge…what if she stumbles on to a picture of you while accessing government files…that could happen…we're not the most wanted now…but they could still have us on file..."
Lucy hates to admit it but Scud has a point. This isn't Paris, but there is a US Embassy here and angry females can be unpredictable. "Then what should I do? She's already angry with me because of Alexis."
"Get her to break up with you. This way, it would be her choice."
"What?" Scud usually makes sense but not this time. "How can I get her to break up with me and be happy about it at the same time?"
"I didn't say she has to be happy about it. She just can't be angry about it. I didn't say it's going to be easy."
Scud's plans never are. She has no clue how to do this, let alone wanting to.
Next Morning
First order of business is to let her secretary know. Next is cleaning her office desk which is what she's doing now and let Scud delegate the rest. Going home to pack will be last since she planned on visiting Alexis' grandmother which she didn't get a chance to do last night. Calling Kristin will have to wait since she knows she won't be in the mood to do anything else after meeting with her. Besides, she still couldn't think of how to...
"...not now..." Getting a call from Kristin is what she had wished for last night. "...not now..."
It stopped ringing but it didn't make her feel any better. It made her feel like a coward because the thought of leaving without an explanation crossed her mind. What's as bad is leaving a voice mail which she would never think about doing but she did because of an article she read last night in one of the entertainment magazines. What an asshole! was her first thought after reading that article. His reason for doing so to avoid arguments may make sense, but if he knew his image will be affected, if he knew his social media accounts will be flooded with negative comments, would he have chosen this method? Probably not. He would have kept calling until she picks up.
Kristin... There she is, sitting in the corner table. Lucy decided to pick up the call that rang again because waiting and listening to the non-stop ringing became just as painful. Let's get this over with. Taking one step, then another, she didn't realize there are 2 cups of coffee, not one and 2 muffins on the table until she took a few steps closer.
Keira... Last night, she didn't sleep well. After hours of waiting, her mind began to panic, thinking that something must have happened to her. If Keira still didn't pick up, she would've called Michel. Now seeing her in good health with no visible injuries, she couldn't stop thinking about what Kat said last night because that smile that has always captivated her isn't there. "Hi..." Getting the same response is what she expected but not the awkwardness as if it's the first time they met. "This is for you. It's tea." Getting one word of gratitude and nothing more, she could feel what's coming and it's not an explanation of what happened last night. What have I done? Kat was right. I shouldn't have acted like a jealous girlfriend. She should be allowed to see whoever she wants to because I...I wasn't ready...I... "Keira..." Apologizing first is what she has in mind until Keira called her name at the same time. That feeling of something wrong is no longer there when her hands are being held onto but it came back instantly the moment Keira explained why she came. She's leaving. "..for how long?..." She might not know everything about her businesses but not getting a definite answer could mean two things. "Is everything okay?"
"...sometimes projects can last very long..."
"What are you working on?" is not the question she wanted to ask but she can't think of anything else to ask to make this moment last longer since it's going to be awhile before she gets to see her again but it isn't working because Keira didn't answer. What it did though is made her realize that she made the same mistake Kat did when Keira starts to pull back. Asking personal questions might give others the idea that they are prying into their personal life but she didn't think she's out of line since they've had one date. But she realized she's wrong when Keira held her hands again, this time, much more firmly.
"This is going to sound crazy, but I'm going to ask anyway." This is not the plan. She didn't have a plan. But she knows what she wants and she wants: "Kristin, come with me." Lucy thought she was being very clear so why does she look like she's confused? or is that her look of shock? Needing a moment to think is understandable. It's a big step. Please say yes. Say you'll think about it but don't think too long, please don't say...
...(silence)...
...(silence)...
...(silence)...
...please don't say nothing because nothing could only mean one thing. "I...have to go back, get things ready." She didn't want to go yet but felt that she waited long enough. Besides, her heart is pounding and aching. Her tears is about to form. So before anyone sees her tears, she needed to get herself out of here but not without a hug first. "Take care of yourself." Taking in one long deep sniff is to remember her. What she also wants is one last kiss but didn't get one which she knew she wouldn't. Walking out of the coffee shop alone with water in her eyes is what she expected prior to coming but she didn't expect...
"Keira..."
Maybe she changed her mind. Maybe all she needed was more time to think of how to quit the French intelligence or whatever group she's in. Maybe...
"You forgot...this..."
Do you really think I'm in the mood for muffin and tea?