Last First Chance (Al-Ameen Family Spin-Off)

Story

I sat down in the lounge, unwrapping my bagel. I felt my stomach do a little jump in excitement at finally being fed. It felt like I hadn't eaten in years even though it's really only been 15 hours or so.

I was halfway through my bagel when two people walked in. I recognized one voice in particular before I looked up to see him.

Hasan entered the room behind Naina. She was laughing at something and he scowling at the floor. Typical. I don't think he'd noticed me yet as he walked over to the coffee maker and she perused the snack bar cabinet.

"Oh, hey Maheen right?" Naina walked over when she noticed me and sat down on the other side of my couch. I nodded, chewing as fast as I could so I could smile at her less weirdly.

"Yeah, hi," I held my hand out towards her. "I guess we're officially just meeting now."

"Yeah," Naina smiled at me and my jaw almost dropped to the ground. She was freaking gorgeous, with her big green-ish eyes and dimples. "Thanks again for your help with getting me back. Armaan credits you for saving my life so I guess I owe you big time."

"Oh no, he's exaggerating," I chuckle nervously, waving my hand and then pulling it back down quickly when I realized I was waving my bagel in her face.

"Actually Naina," I turned my head to see Patrick had also joined us. "I know exactly how you can pay her back. Maheen had expressed some interest in joining intelligence. Maybe you can take her under your wing, teach her the tricks of the trade?" he poured himself a cup of coffee as he watched us in anticipation. 

It had been six months since I had joined MI6 but I was still stuck on the third floor with the rest of the IT nerds, plugging numbers into a computer all day and then writing long, boring reports about said numbers.

I wanted more action, more excitement. When Patrick came down to get a few of us that day to help find Naina from a tracking chip, I had finally gotten a taste of how my limited talents could be used to do more than just compile data on crime in UK neighborhoods. I had nervously talked to him after about getting a chance to shadow some team members and evidently he had listened.

I had to force myself not to happy dance. It's not like Naina had agreed yet.

"Of course! I'd be happy to. I'm only part-time right now so it won't be like every day but I'd be happy to work out a schedule?" she offered.

"Yeah, oh my God, that'd be so great, thank you!" I grinned but my happiness didn't last too long. Mr. Bitter Melon was in the room and I almost forgot.

"I'm going to back to work. Lots of things to do," he said plainly but I didn't miss the sassy hidden message. 

I put on my best fake smile for him. "Yes of course, important to stay on schedule if you're a slowpoke," I smiled sweetly. 

I could hear his eyes roll as he walked out of the room but of course he was too professional to let either of us see that. Years had passed but the stick that was lodged up his you-know-what was still there it seemed. 

"So what's the story there?" Naina smirked, standing up as well.

"It's a long one," I tried to chuckle but it came out a little more like a gurgle. Ugh.

"Well, we'll have to find some time then one of these days. I'll email you Maheen, see you," she walked out of the room with a wave.