On Her Majesty's Secret Service ~ H.S.

Chapter 20

Harry and I spend the rest of the day avoiding each other. I'm happy i saw him making progress in the pool without me, but after our weird hug I can't bring myself to look at him. Now with his confession and our embrace and the sudden kindness, I don't quite know what to do. There are only two solutions to this awkwardness that I can think of: either pretend like nothing happened, and if Harry asks, act as if I don't remember. If not, I could be extra mean to him to make him forget about what happened. For some reason, neither of those options really seem appealing.

That's why I'm as happy as ever when General Sanders emerges after dinner holding 6 folders for each of us. We have a mission, and from what I can tell, it's going to be off base. I can't help but eye Sanders a little suspiciously after what Harry and I witnessed, but the thought of an outside mission takes my mind of things. The only thing I'm hesitant about is having to work closely with Harry so soon after our encounter this morning.

"We're in need of more information. We've been informed of a target that is going to be in London for the night which may be of value. He carries files that MI6 wants, but we're not sure how the files are being kept. This mission was issued just a few hours ago. He should have military documents, probably regarding weapons or artillery." The General starts. I pay close attention and eye the folders longingly. Thankfully, he passes them out just a few seconds later.

Instead of seeing another old man's face, I'm greeted by quite the opposite. Staring back at me from across the page is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed man who couldn't be even a year older than me. His strong jawline and muscular frame has me staring at the paper in surprise. This is not what I expected at all. I never imagined I'd have a target who's actually... well... good-looking.

"You won't be working with your partners tonight. It's first come-first serve." The General states. I can't help from turning to look at Harry. He keeps his gaze straight ahead. What am I to make of this? Harry and I aren't working together tonight? It's back to every man for himself... Maybe this mission will be even better than I expected. After all, I have always liked doing things alone.

"You're going back to a nightclub, but this one is going to be different than the last one you visited. It's not a respectable establishment, as I'm sure you understand..." The General informs us and I perk up. A young, handsome man at a seedy nightclub late at night. I know exactly how to approach this and I'm sure this time my efforts will work in the way I expect.

We're briefed for a while longer and given an hour to prepare. I pick out the shortest dress I packed with me that I can find and slip it on without hesitation. The same dab of makeup makes me unrecognizable once again and I feel confident, just as I always do. The fact that I won't be working with Harry tonight, well... I'm not quite sure how I feel about it, but I know that for this particular mission, I'll do much better solo.

In no time we're all boarding the familiar vans and driving out towards London. Harry and I don't speak a word to each other the entire time. We have been getting along really well for the past couple of days, but I guess it's obvious he truly doesn't care for me. The only reason he talks to me, which has become clear, is because we're partners. When we don't have to work together, he seems to avoid me like the plague. For some reason, I feel a slight twinge of disappointment in my gut. I really thought Harry and I were starting to get somewhere, even after that odd mishap in the pool this morning. I guess not.

I try to shake the weird feeling from my mind and focus on the task at hand. I look around the van and notice that Sarah and Victoria are dressed quite similar to me. I'm going to have to hope that they don't have the same amount of charm or that I can find a way to get to the man first.