Ernie sunk into the chair of the airport waiting area with a feeling of relief. The call to action had come early this morning. He had struggled to get up and was still barely awake even though he had made it to the airport and through security. Luckily, traveling for missions was second nature for him so he felt fairly sure that everything was in order. He set his backpack on the floor between his knees and took a look at Marisa.
She looked amazing perhaps more together than usual considering the fact that they were going on a mission not to the Organization Christmas party. The ends of her long ponytail were curled, and she wore a beautiful pink sweatshirt with rhinestones and black leggings with lace. Her face was covered with makeup—a lot of makeup even for her. The sound of fingernails on her phone made him realize that she must have gotten a manicure with fake extensions. He glanced away for a moment sure that she had caught him staring, but when he looked back just seconds later the look on her face told him that she hadn't. Instead, her full attention was on her phone.
He looked out the window wondering why she was so interested in her phone all of the sudden. Some might have called her a phone addict, but she was usually aware enough of her surroundings that she didn't totally ignore him. Something was up; he just knew it.
Looking out the window reminded him that he hadn't been awake enough to catch the details of the mission. Asking Marisa about it would be the perfect way to start a conversation, and maybe he'd get lucky enough to be able to find out where they were going. "I think it's going to be a nice day," he ventured.
"Oh," Marisa said making it clear that she hadn't heard him. Her fingers stopped moving, and she looked up. "What did you say?" she asked without looking at him.
"I said, I think it's going to be a nice day." He emphasized each word hoping she would catch the meaning of them.
She did. "No," she responded gently. "I see some clouds in the distance and from what I hear LA is really cloudy today."
"That's too bad," he said not bothering to mask his disappointment that the mission was too confidential to discuss in an airport. Fortunately, she had found a way to sneak in their preliminary destination at least.
Marisa looked back at her phone again. "The day can still be okay."
"Yeah," he agreed. Just like that, the conversation was over, and he instantly wasn't going to get through to Marisa this way. He'd have to try something else.
He couldn't help feeling saddened by the distance that had grown up between them lately. He wasn't sure exactly what had happened, but he hadn't heard from her since their last week of work together before Christmas. That wasn't like her. They were always in communication whether on the job or not, and she never let a day go by without sending him a text.
When they had first teamed up, they had agreed not to text each other when they were off duty hoping to put create some space between their personal and professional lives. However, they had found that they communicated so constantly on the job that it felt weird to be completely out of touch when they were off duty. So, they usually texted each other pictures of everyday life on their days off, and Ernie even called if he was feeling especially lonely.
However, the holidays had been different. Marisa hadn't contacted him at all during her week of holiday break even though he had sent her cryptic messages about his mission. When he had taken a week off afterwards, her lack of communication had left him worried that she had run into trouble on her mission. Fortunately, she had been fine, but he still wasn't sure why she hadn't been communicating with him.
Perhaps it had something to do with the last time they had seen each other—the Organization Christmas party. When he had gotten her for the secret santa, he had taken it as a special opportunity to try to win her heart, and he had gone all out. Every day, he had given her a gift that while small was exactly to her taste. His gift for the reveal had raised a few eyebrows. When she had pulled the silver charm bracelet out of its packaging, she had given him a look of surprise and had been ready to burst into tears when she had noticed that each charm was engraved with something that represented their life as spy partners. She had been rather quiet for the rest of the evening, but he had figured that everything was okay or at least would be.
Today, though, it was apparent that something was wrong. Perhaps she had guessed his secret. Could it be that she was worried that he would tell her that he loved her and that she would be unable to do anything other than break up with Bryce? Or maybe she had a hunch that Dad had told him about his conversation with her? That would definitely be enough to make her feel nervous. He honestly didn't know what to do. Every idea he had had the potential to make things worse rather than better. He was very tired so he settled into his chair hoping that the storm would eventually blow over.
"Ernie," he heard Marisa say. He felt her shake his shoulder. Why did she have to wake him up now? His nap had felt so good. "It's time to board the plane."
He swung his backpack over his shoulder and followed her to the line. Marisa was still on her phone as they approached the counter, and Ernie sighed. Didn't she know it was going to die if she used data from now until the plane took off? Either way, this was going to be a long day. Ernie hated traveling alone, and this felt like being alone.
Most heavily weighing on his mind, though, was the mission. He had find a way to get through to her or the mission was going to be a flop. Most people attributed his and Marisa's success as a team to their many individual talents. However, he knew that it had much more to do with who they were as a team. Their talents came in handy, but their relationship was much more important. He couldn't count how many times they had almost failed a mission because argument or personal struggle kept them apart. Without open communication and the ability to support each other, their relationship simply didn't work.
Ernie knew he had to do something to save the mission. Even if his conversation would only make things worse, he couldn't just let things slide. Right now, only the mission was at stake. If he let it go, who knew if their partnership would also hang in the balance? More than anything in the world, he knew that he wanted to stay her partner—no matter what happened.
Either the line was short or Ernie's thoughts were particularly distressing. Either way, they were in their seats before he knew it. Ernie was disappointed to find that there was a young woman sitting at the end of their row. However, he was determined to talk to Marisa, and he wouldn't let even a lack of privacy keep him from doing what needed to be done. Things might go totally wrong, but even so Ernie knew he couldn't back down now. He had to make the move to save things.
"Hey," he said to Marisa who was settled beside him with her eyes closed. They had been sitting for such a short time that he was sure that she wasn't asleep yet. "You okay?"
She instantly opened her eyes with a shocked look on her face. "Yeah, Ernie, You scared me. I was almost asleep."
"You're not upset about my dad kinda telling a secret or two are you?" he asked. It was daring move, but it would be worse not to cut to the chase.
Her eyes flashed. "How could he?" she said in an exasperated tone. "I thought I could trust him. Why did I? I knew I shouldn't have."
"He didn't tell me what you told him," Ernie said sincerely.
"Ernest James Cooper," she spat. "What kind of trick is this? You're mean and cruel, and I don't know how we're friends." Her schpeal over, she turned her head away with an arrogant nod.
He waited for a moment knowing that she would cool down as time passed. "Marisa," he said touching her shoulder. She flinched but didn't turn to face him. "Something's going on. We both know it, and things are going to go south for us if we don't face it."
"What if I don't want to work it out?" She was angry now, and her words stung when they hit him.
He took a deep breath before he replied knowing that she couldn't really mean it. "He really wanted to tell me, but I couldn't let him. I wanted to know, sure, but I knew I couldn't find out that way. It would have been the end of us, and I never would do anything to jeopardize our relationship." He felt the half-truth of his final statement as he continued. "We've got to get this worked out. You don't necessarily have to tell me, but we've got to find a way through this somehow."
She turned to face him teary eyed and clearly touched. "Thank you, Ernie," she whispered. Continuing in a gentle yet louder tone, she added, "I've been going through some tough times is all. I can't really talk about it right now, but I'm thankful that you understand."
"I sure do," he said emphatically remembering some of the struggles he had faced over years. In a moment of bravery, he put his arm around her and pulled her close. "It's going to be alright for you, just like it was for me."
"Yes," she replied after a moment. She pulled away and leaned back into her seat with a sigh.
Ernie leaned out the window to see the plane beginning to move feeling very encouraged indeed. Marisa didn't hate him but rather was grateful for his care and support. With that attitude, he knew they could conquer the obstacles that threatened their partnership.
When Ernie woke up an hour later, he was relieved to see Marisa asleep beside him. She had looked so tired, and he was happy to see her finally getting some rest.
The sun shone in the window lighting up the plane with its glowing rays. Ernie was surprised to discover that for the first time in months his heart felt similarly light.
He was headed out on a mission with his best friend in the whole world. Its challenges were not currently pressing, but he was still brimming with excitement about a new mountain to be climbed and bested. He could hardly be more thrilled about the adventures that it would bring.
Although four inches of arm rest separated he and Marisa figuratively as well as literally, they still sat side by side as they prepared to face the world of a new mission with its dangers, discomforts, and joys. With so little distance between them, he knew that they could conquer everything.
Could it be that this was what he had been looking for? Perhaps it hadn't been Marisa he needed as much as a change in attitude. He had needed to remember that his destiny mattered and that he more than anyone was in control of it. If Marisa didn't want their destines to be forever linked, he honestly didn't either. He would fight for his happiness only if it didn't mean endangering her own. Glancing over at her again, he suddenly had a word for how he felt—at home.
Author's Note: This little story means more to me than you'd ever know, and I hope you're enjoying it too. I'd love to hear from you. Just so you know, I think we have about one more chapter left at this point.