The next morning, it was a wet, stormy Saturday. I sat in the conference room at the bank waiting for Alex. After at least ten minutes, Alex came through the door, his hair dripping.

"Sorry I'm late," he said, sitting next to me. He took off his sweatshirt and dried his hair with it.

"So, how is this going to work out?" I asked.

"Okay, you two will be going into Scorpia as a team," Mr. Blunt explained. "You're government agents who are tired of being used. You will use your own names, so in case Scorpia wants to research, your files match up perfectly. We can't have any suspicion."

"Won't Scorpia be suspicious if Camryn and I are working together on the basis of just friendship?" Alex asked.

"Yes, so you will have to convince Scorpia that you're more than just friends."

I began to blush.

"Scorpia accepted a pair of brothers once," Mrs. Jones said. "The connection between you and Camryn needs to seem strong. The two of you are going to pose as a couple. You've been dating for a year. You met on an assignment in Moscow."

"What if Scorpia looks into our files?" I asked. "I've never been to Moscow."

"We've added the Moscow assignment to both of your files. Camryn, you were on a sniper team. Alex, you were a radio operator. You met at headquarters and the relationship took off almost immediately."

I looked over at Alex. He was blushing more than I was.

"You two leave for Italy in a week," Mrs. Jones continued. "Scorpia is based in Venice. You will be on 'vacation' and just happen to run into Scorpia."

"That means you have a week to get comfortable with each other," Mr. Blunt said.

I was blushing so hard that I swear my head was going to explode.

"How can we make it look like we've been dating for a year in only a week?!" Alex cried.

Mr. Blunt shrugged. "You two have to figure it out. You're dismissed."

I quickly stood up and put my jacket on. Alex slipped on his sweatshirt and followed me out of the bank. He caught up with me and slipped his hand around mine. As our fingers intertwined, I bit my lip nervously.

"Wow, this is awkward," Alex mumbled sheepishly.

"Yeah, definitely," I replied. "We'll have to work a lot since we only have a week."

"Well, if you want to come over, Jack won't be home all day."

"Jack?"

"Oh, she's my guardian."

"Oh, okay."

We took a cab to Alex's house. Alex took off his sweatshirt and hung my jacket in the coat closet. He plopped down on the couch in the living room. I sat down beside him.

"So…" I muttered.

"This couldn't get any more weird."

"I know. I've been doing this work for a year, and I've never run into anything this tough."

"Yeah. I've been in this for a year too," Alex said. "I've never done anything like this though."

"This is crazy."

The two of us didn't say anything for a long time. Alex leaned back and propped his feet up on the coffee table.

"I hate when Mr. Blunt tells me I don't have to work for him, but somehow forces me to anyway," Alex said, resentment in his voice. "It's like he manipulates me into everything he wants me to do."

"That's how the government works," I muttered. My CIA superiors treated me the same way. "So, anyway, do you have any hobbies?"

"I bike a lot, read, Internet, that kind of stuff. What about you?"

"I used to play soccer for my school back home," I said.

"I like watching soccer, but I can't play. I can play tennis though."

"I play tennis too. I like to draw and paint. I play guitar. Uh…" Geez, what else did I do?

"Hm…favorite color?" Alex asked.

"Green," I answered. "Yours?"

"Red."

"Favorite band?" I prompted.

"The Beatles!" Alex exclaimed. "And you?"

"AFI and Panic! At The Disco."

"Favorite…class?"

"Biology."

"Eh, I hate all of them."

It was my turn again. "Favorite food?"

"Anything Italian."

"Me too!"

"Favorite author?"

"Darren Shan."

"Same."

"Favorite game?"

Alex laughed. "Nothing beats Rock, Paper, Scissors!"

Alex and I went on for at least an hour, shooting questions and answers and laughing.

"It's been ages since I've laughed this hard," Alex said, catching his breath. "I'm going to like being around you."

"Good, because you'll be stuck with me for a while. But beware, I can drive people crazy."

"I won't mind," Alex smiled, leaning closer to me. Before I knew it, his lips were only inches away from mine.

Nervously, I stood up. "I should go," I said quickly. "I have a lot of homework." Just as I reached the coat closet, Alex caught my hand and pulled me close to him.

"Are you sure you want to leave?" he asked me.

I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could say anything, Alex kissed me. His arms slid around my body, holding me tightly against him. I began to push him away, but he held me closer.

"Alex, I really have to go," I protested.

"I think you're making a mistake," Alex argued, then kissed me again.

I realized that I couldn't resist. I let my arms circle around Alex's neck. For those moments that Alex and I kissed, I felt like for the first time in ages that I was truly not alone.

"I think I can stay a little longer," I said, letting our moment continue, missing the feeling of belonging.