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"That's the game we play. You're in the field, and I do the dancing."
"What's it like being a spy?"
It wasn't in Gabe's nature to answer that kind of question. "It's exhausting. If I'm being honest, it's really fucking exhausting."
It occurred to me that while Gabe had been entrusted with the position of ops command, the one who had to play the games with Oversight, the one who had to pull the strings, the one who saw the big picture, he might not actually enjoy it.
He'd been grooming and training Saff for some time, prepping her to take over. But what happened to him when she did? Would he just… what? Go back to being an agent? I had no idea, and I had no idea what that meant for us. Because while Saff was amazing, she was still my age. There were still a few years yet before she would be ready to take over that kind of responsibility.
"I’ll play the Nissa situation how I see fit."
Gabe sighed. "All right, that's on you. You've been warned. We are not the only kids in the sandbox anymore. You just watch that they don't come and steal your toys."
"Copy that." I hung up with him and ran a hand through my hair. I was up now and opted for a drink of water. I didn't bother to put a shirt on. It was only because of Nissa that I threw on my gray sweatpants. When I padded out into the living room, I found her already in the kitchen with a mug down as she gingerly poured milk from a pan.
Her gaze lifted when she saw me, and I didn't miss the flicker of her eyes over my skin. How could I not notice? That little flickered gaze had left scorch marks across my chest. "You're up?"
She shrugged. "I couldn't sleep," she said as she grabbed another mug.
I frowned at her. "I just need water."
She scoffed. "Please, I know for a fact you're not going to turn down hot chocolate."
She had a point. "Do you have marshmallows?"
She just rolled her eyes at me as if I was the idiot for asking her questions. When she put the pan back down on the stove, she walked over to the pantry and grabbed the mini marshmallows. "Everyone knows it’s not hot cocoa without the mini marshmallows."
She added a generous heap into her mug, but only a few for me. I had to chuckle. She added a little whipped cream to both of our mugs and then stirred. "Come get it while it's still warm."
The flick of her tongue over her lips had me mesmerized for just a moment. "Thanks."
She shrugged. "You're welcome, I guess."
She washed the pan quickly in the sink. And when she put it on the rack, I murmured, "You don't have to stay in your room, you know?"
She hesitated. "What choice do I have?"
"This is your home. I'm honestly just here to keep you safe."
"We're not friends, remember, Westin?"
I nodded slowly. "Okay, maybe we're not friends. But truce?"
To show her I meant it, I stuck my hand out, and she frowned studying it. "Do you actually mean it?"
"I do. I have to be here. I know you don't want me here. I know I'm encroaching on your space and your freedom. I don't want to, okay? This is not the way I wanted to come back at all. But it is what it is. So, if we can work together, that would be amazing. And I promise to lay off a little bit."
"Can I go to class by myself?"
I laughed. "You do know what bodyguard means, right?"
"It was worth a try." She tentatively stepped forward, still clutching her mug with both hands. When she took my hand, I realized my whole display of us burying the hatchet was a rookie mistake. Her soft hand gliding into mine and the electrical current zapped me straight to my bones. I had to grit my teeth against the feel of it. "Fine, truce."
I wished I could tell her the truth, honestly. But my voice was caught somewhere in my throat, and the softness of her hand, so delicate in mine as I ran my thumb over her skin, made me speechless. When she lifted her hand and shook, I followed along, but I couldn’t let go.
She lifted a brow, and then I remembered what I was doing, so I released her. "Truce. We don't have to be enemies, Nissa. This all will be smoother if we can at least have some common ground."
"I agree. I'm stuck with you, so I might as well make the best of it."
