One Shot (Ruby Rose/Adele fan fic)

SIX

After lunch, I'm sitting on my couch looking at Chris wandering around the living room and touching every photo frame. The level of my anxiety has dropped down after coming into the house and turning on all the security systems; at least nothing can catch me off guard here. I've called Gibbons but he hadn't news, the only thing we can do right now is waiting.

"Who is he?" my guest asks holding a picture with a golden frame.

"He's my uncle, USMC Colonel Wolff." I can't help but smile staring at the photo, he looks terrific in his Blue Dress uniform. He was a lovely man that pretended to be serious in order to keep me on the leash.

"You never talk about your parents..." The last word sounds weakly, she's burning of curiosity about my life but doesn't want to be intrusive. I heave a sigh, weighing up the situation... how much should I tell her?

"My parents were also high-ranking officers. They were part of the NATO forces that were sent to Bosnia to end the war. I was a seven years old child and they decided that it was better for me to stay here with my uncle, since he was my only family besides them, in order to go on with my studies and extra-curricular activities: I was great at soccer. Actually, I travelled around the nation with him from one military base to another but at least it was better than the other option: being shut up in some boarding school, in France or maybe Switzerland, where I could have seen my parents occasionally during their days leave but I'd have been alone without any member of my family close to me in my everyday life. Unfortunately, my parents' assignment took longer than we expected since they stayed there to help with the reconstruction of the country... and some other things. So you can say that my uncle raised me as his daughter."

"So your whole family joined the armed forces, no wonder you did it too." She smiles at me while placing the photo frame on the shelf again.

"Well, I've always worked for my country one way or another... But I'm more of a... freelance. You could say that I don't follow the official channels."

"But you were with a SEAL team and then you took me to a naval base in San Diego... and your boss..." She frowns, confused.

"Well, yes, we work together with the Army but we aren't part of the Army... it's complicated."

"But you're one of the good guys... I remember that. You told me after the... shooting."

"Yes, of course I'm one of the good guys." I smile at her despite the fact that I noticed her hesitation when she mentioned the shooting and it has caused my stomach to turn into a knot. I didn't give it much thought until now... with amnesia or without it, yesterday was probably the first time Chris has become involved in a shooting and it's not easy to face that kind of situation: bullets whizzing over her head, people bleeding and dead on the ground; it's enough for anyone to have nightmares. I'd better keep an eye on her just in case she's suffering from some kind of PTSD. I don't know how this could affect her and her memory.

"What 'other things'?"

"What?" Maybe if I feign ignorance she'll drop the subject.

"You've said that your parents helped with the reconstruction of the country... and some other things. What things, if I may ask?" Chris bites her lower lip drawing my attention to her delectable mouth. Sooner or later I'll have to face this... physical attraction that I feel for her and decide what I do with it, but not right now. There's a storm coming and the wind's getting up a bit, there's no one on the beach and it would be virtually impossible for a shooter to hit the target in such conditions.

"Would you like to go out for a walk? I'll lend you one of my warmer jackets." Chris nods silently and follows me meekly while I look for my thicker jacket. Then, we go downstairs till we reach the narrow strip of sand that it's still dry and start walking slowly. There's an area with little rocks on our way so I hold her hand to help her jump the most slippery ones; she doesn't let go my hand after that. I stop in front of a house after a few minutes and lean my back on one of the stilts under the deck, I keep my head down looking at the tip of my boot drawing lines on the sand. Chris stays silently by my side, her warm fingers intertwined with mines... it feels so good.