Aquile woke up smiling. He could feel her scent in the air, feel her warmth in the sheets, feel her softness on his arms. His hand moved by itself, reaching for her. And met with the emptiness. He froze. And then, it came rushing back. And the smile rapidly fell into a frown.
"Maya, I miss you," he whispered in a teary voice.
Just then, his phone buzzed. He pulled it over faster than lightning. Opened the mail that had just arrived. And his face started to light up from the moment he read the name of the sender.
"Dear Aquile,
I love you. So, so, so, so much. And I miss you even more.
I know, you miss me more. I am so very sorry. I promise, it's a lot more so's than above. Really.
:P
Send me a kiss and a hug. Okay? I need it.
Here's yours.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Love you.
Maya."
He replied with twice as many hugs and kisses, while smiling like a child who just received the largest slab of chocolate in all of the world, a slab so big he would need a lifetime of continuous eating to finish it. He couldn't be happier. Well, he could be, if Maya was present in person. Otherwise, he couldn't be happier.
"Being in love is the best," he murmured in a chirpy voice.
That was the push he needed to get started. He showered, changed, ate, and headed off to work. It was a long drive, since he wasn't going to the usual office. He had received summons from the governor, who wanted to meet with him personally. It wasn't unwarranted or entirely surprising. He was an agent who had met with the governor on several occasions. So, he knew what such summons meant.
A mission. Just what he needed. Hopefully, it was long enough, so when it ended, Maya would have returned. He was humming Maya's favourite tune, as he stepped into the governor's office. There was a spring in his step, that was easily discernible but only to a properly trained eye.
"Good morning Aquile," Shemaya greeted as he walked in through the door.
He returned the greeting with all the grace of a gentleman thirsting for the appreciation of the beautiful woman he was addressing.
Shemaya was a beautiful woman. She was still in her twenties. She was the personal assistant of the governor, a position that was high in requirements, which was why it was surprising that she was so good at it.
"Good morning Shemaya. You are beautiful as always. The sun does you disservice. It struggles in vain to shine brighter than you. How I wish it would learn from the moon and the stars, give in to your unsurpassable brilliance."
Shemaya smiled in reply, warmer than she was to anyone else. She liked Aquile. Probably because his flirting was truly only that, and nothing else.
"Are you asking me out to dinner, Aquile?" She teased.
He clutched his chest as if in terrible pain.
"Shemaya, you will cause my heart to stop and have me collapse right here. Ask me that one more time, and I cannot breathe until I am sitting across the most delectable table under the most beautiful lights in a most stunning room empty but for us. Please don't break me."
Shemaya burst into laughter. Her voice was truly pretty.
He smiled, and that said all he had to say. He liked her laugh. She liked his smile. Could they be friends?
"The governor is waiting for you," Shemaya said, clearing her throat and assuming her usual demeanour.
"Thank you," Aquile replied.
He knocked on the door before entering the governor's office.
"Good morning sir," Aquile greeted, with a proper salute.
Keis replied with a smile.
"Please sit."
After Aquile sat, Keis continued.
"Aquile, I have a mission for you."
Keis pointed to the blue folder on the table. Aquile picked it up, opened it, and read the contents.
The council was forming a special team, called the Special Case Team. The SCT. Aquile was the leader. Under his care were Porez and YaYa. Both less than fifteen years of age. The SCT would be tasked with handling sensitive cases, which would be assigned by the council. The SCT would report only to the council, and no one else would be aware of even its existence.
The wording was curious. Aquile needed five minutes to understand. He returned the folder. Sat up straight, looking at the governor.
"I understand sir," he said. "When do we start?"
Keis smiled appreciatively. This was why he was so fond of Aquile. The man was a government man through and through. As a field agent, he had performed exquisitely on missions, failing none, and finding solutions that were sometimes so far out that the enemies couldn't even dream them up, let alone prepare counter measures. Keis needed such a man leading the team, being responsible for the two boys.
"I will let you know by the end of today," Keis answered.
Aquile nodded. He was an agent. He made it seem like that was all he was. The truth, however, was that he did understand politics. He wasn't nearly comparable to the masters at it, such as the man he was sitting across. But he was able to understand the underlying meaning of the governor's words. The details concerning the SCT were still being ironed out.
"I will be ready, sir," he said.
Those were the words Keis was expecting. He smiled.
Aquile understood. He rose to his feet, saluted, and walked out.
When the door closed, and it was just him and Shemaya, he grimaced at her.
"Shemaya, it'll be a while when we see each other again. Please, don't give away your heart. Leave me some hope."
Shemaya laughed again. There weren't many men she knew who could make her laugh so much.
"I'll do better," she promised in all seriousness. "I'll keep it safe, under lock and key, just for you. I'll even give you the key. Please don't lose it. Bring it back, when you return. So, we'll never have to be apart again."
Aquile clutched his chest, and fell to his knees.
"If only," he said.
Shemaya looked on from behind her desk, unmoving.
"If only, Maya," she said, with a smile.
"Yeah," he agreed.
The thought of Maya had him beaming brighter than he claimed Shemaya was.
"Get going then," Shemaya said. "Be careful."
"I will," he answered, getting back up onto his feet. "We will see each other again."
He saluted her, the proper salute.
She gave him a wide smile.
It was their ritual. Every time he was assigned a mission. It brought them good luck.
She waved him off, her smile changing ever so slightly watching him leave.
Back on the streets, he pulled out his phone. And wrote to Maya. He described the mission in all detail. They had no secrets. Also, she had programmed their accounts such that no one else would be able to decrypt the mails.
Humming Maya's favourite tune, he headed back home. Today, was all about waiting.