Beyond Duties

Chapter 22

A/N

Aaaaand.... It took me more than a month to update T_T

Please bear with me... I'm already working on the next one, and I'm hoping to finish before the Holidays... Or at least before I pop!

Heehee...

I hope you all like this chapter.

Read on!

*****

Vee's POV

I'm sure I didn't say anything wrong, but the moment Lenka heard about my comment on the nuclear bomb paper weight during my conversation with Jordan, she almost lost her wits asking me over and over whether or not I was serious. I distinctly heard her frustrated sigh followed by a nervous laugh, and capped off with a stern telling when Guy barged again into her room.

"...in their right mind would educate someone on sex toys for security purposes..."

I tried not to laugh as Guy feigned innocence and discreetly giggled at the camera when Lenka wasn't looking. They argued for a good few minutes before settling again and deciding that they should not be worried about Jordan's take on my knowledge of dildos.

"Seriously?" I grunted, rolling my eyes at both of them. Why should I even worry what he thinks? I asked myself.

The gentle pat on my head and tender strokes through my hair brought me back to present and I realized that there I was at one of the castle's hanging gardens, moonbathing while Jordan embraced me.

I could smell the distinct touch of his favorite cologne - cool, minty note with a fresh, woody undertone, and often with a whiff of vanilla. His lingering scent always made me want to have some ice cream or at least stay close to him if I wanted to avoid consuming sugar. It probably was the reason I was driven to touch him and snuggle when he started coming closer.

The drumming of his heartbeat against my chest was so rhythmic that I wanted to close my eyes and sleep right then and there, but for some strange reason my mind wandered off to the moment I got schooled by Lenka on sputtering inappropriate remarks to avoid being judged by puny men who might think I have my head in the gutter.

I glanced up and tried to ask Jordan if he really thought I was too familiar with dildos to casually talk about it, but I paused when I saw him with a far-away look on his face. The crease between his eyebrows was noticeable despite the shadows cast by the clouds that passed, and he looked troubled. A strange feeling seemed to grip my chest and I dearly wanted to reach out and touch his face to comfort him, but at the same time, something made me hold back and simply look away. I felt his arms tighten around me and heard him sigh so deeply that I felt like he was drowning.

"You should catch some sleep," I heard him say. I blinked a few times to alert my senses, and noticed that Jordan was slowly letting me loose. I stepped back once and attempted to walk, but the palm of his hand stayed on my back. He held me close enough to stop me from moving farther. "I'm walking with you." He declared, all the while avoiding to meet my eyes. I wondered what happened to him.

As we descended the steps of the secret passage back to the left wing, Jordan refused to let go of my hand. He held me tighter than usual, but not to the point of hurting me. It just felt as though he was scared of letting me go or wander off alone and trip or meet some unfortunate events. His hand would instinctively cover my head whenever we passed low ceilings, and his arm would wrap around me where there were small crevices we needed to slither through. Even when we had successfully emerged from the secret passage and started walking back to the right wing to the bedrooms, he still held my hand. 

"Good night, Venera."

I almost got surprised when I heard Jordan speak again - I felt like it had been ages since he last spoke. I looked at him smiling a bit as I expressed my gratitude, but he still refused to look into my eyes. He still had that forlorn expression on his face.

"Good night, Jordan." I said. I turned to open the door of my room when I realized that my hand was still in his and Jordan almost got dragged with me. Before I could even talk about it, he let me go at once and said a quick "sorry" before turning to enter his own room.

****

There wasn't much of an option but to take a nineteen-hour flight to Nagasaki, and Jordan only looked forward to taking a break with two layovers in London and Tokyo. He told Vee that his executive assistant, Katie, managed to secure first class seats for them which would make the flight less of a hassle despite not riding a private jet.

Vee did not show much care even after hearing that they would be on a plane for long hours since she was busy tending to her bruises when Jordan visited her in her room. While she knew that her scar lightening ointment would work as first aid, she would still need to visit her dermatologist to ensure that she would not have to suffer long-term marks on her skin. She only looked up at Jordan when he gently touched her hand and took the cotton swab from her to apply the ointment himself.

"I'm sorry you had to deal with bruises," Jordan told her, looking regretful. "I should have been with you to protect you."

A weird feeling welled inside Vee and made her snap at Jordan in irritation.

"You were too preoccupied to hear what Frank had to say back then," she pouted, refusing to entertain the repulsive memory forming at the back of her mind.

Jordan knew what Vee's words meant and he dearly wanted to say his side of the story but he refrained from speaking. He was unsure if Vee was ready to hear him out, or if there was even a need to tell her what the truth was. From the looks of it, she seemed not to care at all, but something also tells him that she was too affected by it. Situations like those were never his forte and they had always put him in a bad light, but he remained silent anyway. He only wished he would have the courage soon enough to talk to Vee about that.

*****

The idea of doing straight business in Nagasaki came from Vee when she realized that she wanted to go back home sooner and be with her friends again. There was an inexplicable feeling that started creeping up at the back of her mind the moment they landed, and she wanted to talk to Lenka and Guy about it. 

Not wanting much of an interaction, she even tried avoiding talking to Jordan if it was not about their mission in the city, and as hard as she tried, she did not even know why she was acting that way. She would have blamed it on PMS, but her period has recently ended and she never really had that kind of symptom - well, not too often.

She knew that Jordan wanted to oppose when she declared that she wanted a hotel room which was a floor away from his, but the hell-bent look on her face put an end to the wordless argument that did not even start.

"I'll keep my line open if you need me," Jordan told her before he stepped out of the elevator upon reaching his floor. He waited until the doors closed but never got as much as a nod of acknowledgement from Vee.

Later that night, Jordan went to the hotel's bar to get some drinks while he pondered on plans for the mission and hoped that Vee would not deliberately ignore his invitation. He had a feeling, though, that Vee was on the line when he called, but chose to route him to her voicemail instead.

"Such a small world, J..."

The sultry voice which sounded in his ears made Jordan freeze on his seat. It took a few seconds before he managed to lift his gaze from his whiskey glass and fixed his eyes on the face of the beautiful lady sitting next to him.

"A-Aya..."

A/N

Don't start hating yet! Hahaha

We have more in store for you. Some questions will be answered, more questions to arise.

'Til the next update!

Lovelots,
liquidfiredragon