It was 5:00 AM, early morning. Calum carefully opened the door to the room where Mariana was sleeping. He needed to shower. The room he had was a basic guest room, just a bed and a toilet, nothing more. He must have been mistaken, given his own room to her. Right now, he felt like a professional burglar sneaking into someone else's private property.
As he stepped into the room, his gaze fell upon Mariana, peacefully sleeping in the bed. She was wearing his blue t-shirt, the white blanket pulled up to her waist, exposing her upper body to his view. He paused, unsure why he did it, but looking at her innocent, lovely face sent a strange, unfamiliar, and unsettling whirlwind of emotions through his heart. For a moment, he realized he should stop staring, for his own sake. What was the point of denying what he felt for her when his eyes couldn't help but betray him?
He turned and walked into the bathroom, pulling off his white t-shirt. Thoughts of her invaded his brain, assassinating his composure. He was turning into an asshole, thinking about how to get her out of his life when he was so deeply affected by her.
"Damn it," he muttered, closing his eyes as the water from the shower hit his naked body. It wasn't the temperature of the water that made him swear, it was all about her. Just about her.
Calum returned to the house after his trip to the headquarters. He sat on the couch, lost in thought. He should be preparing for their next mission, but he was frozen, unable to move. He was thinking about what Trae had said, that he should get rid of Mariana.
Trae's advice made sense. If she wasn't around, he could do whatever he needed to do freely, without feeling guilty towards Crow. He had come up with a plan to get rid of her, and he was hopeful it would work.
Mariana had just finished showering when she heard Calum arrive. She rushed to find some clothes, settling on one of his black t-shirts and a pair of his boxer shorts. She brushed her hair with her hands, not bothering to do it properly. Her hair was wet and messy, but she didn't care. She didn't have a mirror to check herself. She was busy getting ready when a loud knock on the door startled her. She sensed Calum's presence behind the door, and her composure faltered. She wasn't ready to face him, but she opened the door nonetheless. Their eyes met, and she gripped the silver doorknob tightly.
They just stared at each other awkwardly. Mariana wished she could turn into chalk and erase herself, or become dust and be swept away by the wind. She was embarrassed to face him, knowing and imagining how close their lips and bodies had been. Calum, on the other hand, was usually blank-faced, but his mind was racing. He was confused, wondering why he felt so invested in her.
"Get dressed and follow me to the car," Calum said, his voice cutting through the silence.
"Why?" she asked hesitantly, a single word question. Their eyes remained locked, as if they had forgotten how to blink.
"Just do what I said," he replied, turning away. "I want you to come quickly."
He walked away, and she sighed in a mixture of relief and despair. She wondered why he was letting her follow him in the car. She followed him, impatient to find out why. She saw him standing outside the house, leaning against the window of his car, his hands in the pockets of his black jeans. He was wearing a white muscle shirt under his black jacket and black Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses. There was something about his appearance and posture that made him look incredibly hot and attractive in her eyes.
Calum glanced at her, standing in the doorway, his black t-shirt covering her shoulders and thighs. She was wearing the sandals he had given her, which didn't really complement her outfit. But she still looked adorably cute and beautiful, even if she was ignoring her messy, wet hair.
She took a few steps, closing the distance between them until she was a meter away. He watched her approach, until she reached the spot where she was supposed to stop.
"Get in the car," he commanded before getting into his car.
Mariana wanted to say something, but he didn't give her a chance to speak. Even if she did, he wouldn't care, he would ignore her. It was better to just zip her mouth shut and do as he said.
He started the engine when she was seated. They drove for a long time before reaching the highway. Mariana had no idea where they were, but she assumed they were still in America. Inside the car, the quiet hum of the engine filled the silence. Calum's Aviator sunglasses obscured his gaze, but she noticed him checking her out several times while she was looking out the window. He seemed distracted, troubled by something. This was the last time he would see her, and it would never happen again. It was strange. He should feel relief, knowing he was finally getting her out of his life forever, and he should be happy about it. But he wasn't.
He rested his left elbow on the open car window, his other hand on the steering wheel. He scratched the back of his index finger on the tip of his nose before running his left hand through his hair. He removed his sunglasses, holding them in his left hand, his elbow still resting on the window. Mariana caught his eye in the rearview mirror, and in that moment, they both felt the same thing. The feelings they had been denying, the feelings they wished weren't true.
Calum turned his gaze back to the road. He couldn't let these feelings, these parasites infesting his heart, win again. He didn't want to be messed up again and again for the same reason. The disappointment he would cause himself would be overwhelming if this plan failed. He needed to give less importance to this annoying thing he felt for the woman beside him.
"I'm going to try to drop you off in Philadelphia," he said.
Mariana's eyes widened in surprise.
"What? So we're in Pennsylvania? How the hell did I get here?" she asked, incredulous.
"Stop asking," he said.
"Yeah, alright. Now tell me why you're taking me to Philadelphia? Why? Why!" she shouted, refusing to listen to his request to stop asking.
He stopped the car in response to her question. Maybe she had forgotten what happened the last time she disobeyed him, when he let her out of the car in the middle of the night. He looked at her flushed face and angry eyes in the rearview mirror, his own expression blank. He realized she looked even cuter when she was angry. The way her fiery gaze hit him, he couldn't say or do anything except want to kiss her badly, like before. He bit his lower lip, and Mariana, confused by his expression, wondered what was going through his mind.
"I'm going to let you escape. You should be thankful for that. Right? All I want is for you to stop asking because I hate answering those stupid questions, it irritates me," he said.
"Really? If those are just stupid questions for you, well, they mean a lot to me. I don't want to look stupid or ridiculous for not knowing anything. Your request to shut my mouth is impossible," she said.
Calum smirked in surprise at her response. Mariana watched him awkwardly, their intense eye contact lingering. It was the first time she had seen him smirk, and she hadn't expected it at all. Her heart threatened to drop out of her chest; she was so attracted to that single, tiny smirk.
"So you don't want to be free?" he asked, his gaze teasing her.
"Of course, I want to be free," she said defensively.
"Then do what I want. I want you to listen to me. You should practice shutting your mouth up because I'm freeing you with one condition. You can't say anything about what you know about us, to the media or anyone. Because if you do, expect something terrible to happen to you, too," he said.
The tone of his voice wasn't scary, but it gave her goosebumps. She couldn't think of what to say, so she kept her mouth shut. He probably thought she had already practiced.
Calum set his Aviator sunglasses aside and bent down to check something on the floor of his car, next to his right foot. He picked up a cell phone and frowned when he realized it was turned on. It was the phone he had taken from one of Eagle's men. He threw the phone out the window and scanned the area where he had parked, as if something suspicious was happening. Mariana was surprised by his demeanor, and as usual, there was no hint of what was going on.
In a matter of seconds, cars appeared on the road. Calum quickly started the car, but before he could grab the steering wheel, it felt like millions of bullets hit his car.
"Get down!" he yelled to Mariana.
The unknown cars blocked their escape route. The attackers continued firing their guns at Calum's car. When they thought the occupants were dead, they ceased fire and moved forward to check.
Calum jumped out of the car and started firing back, aiming for their heads.
"Run!" he shouted to Mariana.
Mariana ran out of the car as fast as she could, heading into the woods. Calum followed, taking her hand as they ran together. They stopped behind a large tree, feeling they were far enough away from danger. Calum didn't notice that he had been shot in the side of his left abdomen. It was a minor wound, and they hadn't hit him badly.
Mariana gasped, out of breath from the intense run. She was amazed to see Calum standing beside her, checking their surroundings, seemingly unfazed. Then, she noticed the blood staining his white shirt. A wave of panic washed over her. She grabbed his shoulder and cried out.
"Oh my God, you're bleeding!"
Her hands trembled with fear as she held him. Calum turned to face her, seeing her tears. He could feel her worry in her expression. He looked at his wound, and now he could feel the pain.
"It's fine, I'm fine," he said, trying to reassure her.
"No! It's not fine!" she insisted.
"I told you I'm fine," he said, managing to wipe her tears with his palm after some hesitation. He wondered why seeing her cry affected him so much.
Mariana calmed down, and their eyes met again.
A powerful wave of affection washed over them both, and they couldn't fight it. Mariana fell into his arms, hugging him tightly. Her hands crumpled the back of his jacket, and her face buried itself in his chest. He held her, hugging her back tightly, his hands on her waist. They held each other for a moment. Mariana closed her eyes, feeling his steady heartbeat, while he kept his eyes open. He didn't know what to do anymore. The only thing he was sure of was that, even if he had failed again, he knew he was in love with this beautiful, strange woman. His arms were tightly wrapped around her, making her feel protected, safe, and loved.
They were in love, in the midst of the most complicated times of their lives.
. . .