In the middle of the night

Chapter 7

Her days went by like usual. Uneventful. A little sad, but the thought of seeing Ghost at night kept her going. He would be there. Every night without fail. Or so she thought.

But when night fell once again, Ghost was nowhere to be seen. It was the first night that he didn't show up and her heart felt like it was going to break. Pieces of it scattered on her bedroom floor, crunched up underneath heavy boots. She had to go to sleep without seeing him, a bad feeling spreading in her stomach. Three nights had passed and still, there was no sign of him. She couldn't sleep, couldn't eat. Every time she looked at that empty spot by the lamppost, she imagined what could have happened.

Ghost could be a cruel man, he loved teasing her, loved keeping her on her toes – but not like that. She began asking herself if it was all over; if he had abandoned her.

Meanwhile, Ghost was pacing around in his room at base like a caged animal. Shit was going down. While he had been spending time with her instead of observing, the leaders of the riots had not only managed to plan attacks on important targets, but they also carried them out, worsening the situation even more. Price had been agitated when he found out. His scolding made Ghost feel like he was a teenager again, but he didn't even listen to it.

His thoughts were with Delilah, worrying about her, wondering if she was all right. Wondering if she even wanted to see him again. Since Ghost had fucked up his job, they had to do some damage control – meaning taking out the leaders of the riots. The mission went smoothly but Ghost noticed how unfocused he was. That was a problem, one that he had to deal with later.

On the eighth night, Ghost finally came back. He wasn't standing at his usual spot, but the second she saw him approach, her heart felt like it was bursting out of her chest. Those 8 days had felt like years to her. She jumped up from her bed, running down the stairs to her front door. He walked up to her as she hushed out the door, a soft smile already showing in his eyes.

"You don't know how much I missed you," his british accent sounded like safety, like home.

She hugged him so tight that he was almost impressed by how much strength was in that tiny body of hers. He picked her up and carried her back into the house, walking up the stairs to her bedroom.

For a few minutes, they were just standing there, his arms holding her up. Her legs wrapped around his body, her face nuzzled into his neck. His strength had always been mesmerizing to her; the way he could hold her as if she was weightless. He held her up with one hand, the other finding the zipper of her hoodie, slowly opening it. Not being able to see her for so long had cleared his mind. He could finally admit that he wanted her; needed her.

He wanted all of her, taking that one final step, even if it was the last thing he would do in his life. She inhaled sharply as she felt the cold air on her exposed body. Without protest, she let him undress her, let him touch her – her body longing for his touch. Each time she felt his fingers sliding across her back, across her neck, across her hips, she could feel her body and mind begging for more.

"I need you so bad, please," she had always been desperate for him, but this time, it was even worse.

The fact that he had been gone for so long was a stern reminder of the possibility that every time she saw him could be the last – and that fact made her mind go blank.

He let her down for a second, opening his pants before picking her back up, pressing her against the wall. Her legs wrapped around his torso once again while his free hand started to roam over her body, cupping her breasts.

She loved it when he was rough with her, loved being his. He wasn't as rough as he could be, but he wasn't gentle either. As much as he tried taking it slow, the need for her was just so strong. His fingers played with the hem of her shorts and for a moment, he contemplated just ripping them off of her. Instead, he slipped them to the side, not wanting to waste another second.