Alliance || 1 || ✔️ mature

14 | Eleven

Rule number fourteen; men deserve compliments too.

I walk into the sitting room, stopping slightly at the sight of Cleo at the coffee table, pieces of metal, plastic, wires, and small containers of powders in front of her.

She looks up when I enter before going back to assembling the bomb, her finger working deftly. I take a seat watching her and she lets me.

"Who taught you to make bombs?" I ask after a few minutes of silence.

"My mother taught me when I was young."

"How young?"

"I was four the first time she helped me create one."

"Four?"

Cleo's grins, brushing a strand of bubble-gum pink curls behind her ear. "Said it was a vital life lesson to learn."

"And is it?"

"It's come in handy." She looks up at me, "What about you? What did your mother teach you."

I swallow at the subject.

"My mother died not long after giving birth to me, I lived with my uncle and cousins for a few years before Director found me."

"I'm sorry."

"I didn't know her." My eyes go towards two figures in the adjoining room, talking quietly amongst themselves. Shirtless.

Clay and Archer laugh, capturing the attention of Cleo.

I watch the woman as she watches them, her eyes on Clay, dipping over his exposed upper body.

"So, what's going on there?"

Her head snaps to me, "What?"

"Between you and Clay, are you guys dating?"

She shakes her head, wild curls falling into her face. "No."

I narrow my eyes, "But you want to be?"

"It's complicated."

"Is it really complicated or are you just scared?"

Cleo's eyes narrow on me, before flickering back to Clays figure, "His ex was my best friend."

"His ex?"

"Scarlett." Cleo fills in, "She died almost a year ago. She used to be a part of this team."

"Is that whose room-"

"Yeah." She says softly, "Director put you here to take her place."

I look away, guilt hitting me.

"How did she die?"

"A mission went wrong."

I look back to Clay, watching him move around the mat, spinning around Archer.

"Is he still in love with her?"

Cleo takes a sharp intake in, "I don't know. I don't think so."

"So why don't you say something to him?"

"Like I said, it's complicated." Her fingers fiddle around the piece of metal grasped between them. "When she died, we leant on each other." Her voice is tight with emotion as she continues on. "We were there for each other, he became my person, you know?"

I blink as my mind conjured up an image of Lilac. "I know."

"I don't want to ruin that." Cleo drops the metal she fiddles with, laying her palms flat on the surface. "He's my person, and I don't want to lose him."