~𝟲𝟳~

That night, I stood near the sink, washing my plate and utensils, when a gentle hand came to rest on my lower back. I recognised it immediately, the tingles it brought forth undeniable.

"You know, Felix was right. If we want to keep this a secret, we really should stick to staying behind closed doors," I whispered, turning around to come face to face with Lee Know.

"Oh, is that so? Well, I missed you. But I mean, can you blame me? You've been with other people the whole day. How was I supposed to spend any time with you?" he said softly, resting his hand on the edge of the sink, right next to my hip. His hand being so close to me made me shiver, my body already responding to a touch that hadn't even come yet.

"I promise, once the secret is out, I'll give you all the attention you want."

At that, I turned back to the sink. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the only people still near us were Han and Emily, who both seemed very focused on the conversation they were having. I thought about turning around and just giving Lee Know a quick kiss on the cheek, seeing as the only other two people in the room were so preoccupied. But it was still too risky for my taste. So, I finished doing what I was doing before moving over to the pair, gently resting a hand on Emily's shoulder to get her attention.

"I'm going up to my room, so I'll get your bed ready so long. But you can stay down here for a bit longer if you want. I'm in no rush."

"Oh, no it's fine. I'll come help you. Besides, Chan suggested I stay here for a few days, just until we're sure those people won't come for me again. So, Han and I will have plenty of time to continue this conversation."

Han seemed slightly distraught at Emily leaving, but the gentle brush of her hand on his arm seemed to dissolve the sad feeling.

"I'll see you in the morning," she whispered in his ear before getting up and moving to the stairs, stopping when she realised I hadn't followed.

"Good night, Han," I said, followed by a slightly louder, "Goodnight, Lee Know," in the direction of the kitchen, where I assumed he still stood. After which I moved to the stairs, walking up with Emily right behind me.

...

"So, is there something between you and Lee Know?" Emily asked. I nearly choked on the water I was drinking.

"Is there any way I don't have to answer that question?" I asked timidly, avoiding her gaze.

"I think you just did."

I cursed under my breath. I turned to Emily where she sat on the matrass on the floor that would serve as her bed for the night.

"You won't tell anyone, will you? Because we aren't really ready to share anything yet."

"Yeah, of course. The secret is safe with me. But I just have one condition..."

"And that might be..."

"Can I ask you another question? A more personal question?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Uhm... I sensed the boys are very... protective of you. Might there be a reason for it that you can disclose or..."

"Oh, well there is a reason. Uhm... someone is after me. Has been for a while now. And we don't know when he'll strike again. That's the main reason."

"That must be so stressful. Constantly having to look over your shoulder and feel like you're being watched."

"It is. Annoyingly so. And now I can't focus on the things that really matter to me because I'm constantly afraid for my life. But the boys have been making it a lot easier for me, constantly showing support and distracting me from it."

I smiled slightly as I took a seat on my bed. I dragged a hand through my hair, yawning.

"So ... you and Han..." I said, looking over at Emily with a smirk. "How are things progressing?"

I watched as Emily's skin turned pink from blushing. She bit her lip and looked away from me, a giggle escaping my mouth at how uncomfortable she looked.

"Well, actually nothing has happened yet. I mean I like him. A lot. But I don't know if he likes me as well, and he hasn't said anything regarding the subject so I'm just really... I don't know, confused I guess."

"Well, if you're confused and getting impatient, why don't you try making the first move?"

Emily looked up at me.

"Only if you're willing to, of course. Otherwise, I can try getting information from him, if you-"

"No."

I went quiet when Emily spoke. She seemed to be considering something. I just looked at her, waiting.

"You know, your idea doesn't sound too bad. I mean, if he likes me, he'll say something. If he doesn't, we'll still be friends. The worst that can happen is he can reject me, and we'll be awkward for a while, but that's nothing I can't handle. Yeah... I think I'm gonna go for it. You only live once."

I smiled widely, an excited squeal slipping past my lips. I got up off my bed and gave Emily a tight hug.

"I'm so glad for you. And just imagine, you guys are going to be the cutest couple."

"Well, you and Lee Know are pretty cute too."

I stiffened slightly, my eyes widening. But then the thought seemed to warm my body, making me relax. A small smile spread on my lips. Us. A couple. It seems so unreal, and yet I want it so badly, I thought. I went to bed that night, that thought my final thought before I drifted off into sleep, and with it came gentle dreams that were a welcome change from the harrowing nightmares. If only it could have lasted.

...

The sun had just started peeking through my blinds when I woke up. Emily was still fast asleep, her deep breaths the only thing disturbing the silence in my room. I turned over onto my side when I saw something on the pillow next to my head. It was an envelope. I sat up and took it in my hand, eyeing it suspiciously. I decided to go downstairs to open it, afraid of waking Emily.

The kitchen tiles were cold underneath my bare feet, but it didn't really bother me. I was too curious about the letter. I slowly tore the envelope open to find a small piece of paper inside. I unfolded it to find a handwritten note.

I know we did things a little out of order, first confessing our feelings, then a kiss and nothing official yet. But I would like for at least one thing out of our relationship to be done the traditional way, seeing as the rest of the relationship and most of our lives are just a thing of luck and timing. And even though I know the timing might be way off and this might be way too stressing for you, I still wanted to ask:

Would you like to go out with me sometime?

Sincerely

Lee Know

P.S. Sorry if the letter startled you, it was the only way I could think of asking you without tipping anyone off.

I felt like my heart had skipped a beat. I couldn't stop the happiness from bubbling up and shooting out of me in the form of soft cries of joy. I jumped up and down on the balls of my feet, clutching the letter to my chest. Finally, we were going to be official. At least this is falling into place, I thought. But unbeknownst to me, things were falling apart for someone else. And even though I was feeling euphoric, someone else was worried. Very worried. Not just for their own life, but for the lives of everyone around him.

...

"Good morning, Ava. You seem very happy," Chan said as he came around the bend into the kitchen.

"I got some very good news."

"Oh, I'm glad."

"Actually, there was something I wanted to talk to you about..."

I was suddenly nervous, wondering if I should tell him or not. Wondering, not if I could trust him, but if I could trust the integrity of the walls around us to hold the secret and not crack and spill.

"Yes?" he said when I didn't answer. He had come to stand on the other side of the island, hands resting on the countertop. His features were calm and patient.

"Do... do you think someone could be listening in on us?"

"I'm guessing this isn't the question you want to ask, but to answer this question, no. After Damian got in and painted on your wall, I had the agents sweep the house for any listening devices. Just to be safe. But luckily, they didn't find anything. But if you want to talk somewhere private, we can do that."

I nodded at his suggested. He smiled slightly at me before walking to the training room. I followed close behind. When he passed the threshold, he stopped, turning to the light switch. He pressed a button that I hadn't noticed was there before and I heard a click reverberate through the room. He walked over to one of the exercise mats, dragging it out of the way to reveal what looked like a trap door. He opened it before looking at me.

"I should probably have told you this was here before. It might have helped in some situations. There are stairs that lead down into a sealed off room. We call it the bunker. It's not airtight and it doesn't have any storage space for supplies, but it is soundproof, and when the trapdoor is closed from the inside, the training room door automatically locks as well. No one besides the members and I know about it, and some of them haven't ever been in here. And I can assure you, no one can listen in here. So, after you."

My eyes went wide at the new discovery, but I quickly snapped out of it, taking a cautious step into the hole in the ground to find my feet touching something solid. I took another step, and another. Chan eventually followed me, closing the trapdoor behind him. The only light was gone, but when the trapdoor clicked to signify it locking, bright white shone from near my feet, leading the way down the rest of the stairs.

The bunker was a very plain room, with concrete walls and no furniture inside aside from the nine chairs and one big table. No windows, no external light sources. No way in besides for the trapdoor, which was securely locked. I breathed in a breath of dusty air, trying to get used to the confined space. Chan took a seat on one of the chairs, beckoning me over.

"What was it you wanted to talk about?" he said calmly.

"Well... I don't really know how to put this or... or where to start."

"Take your time. I'm in no hurry."

I tried pulling my thoughts together and rearranging them into a logical order. Once that was done, I tried calming myself. What I was about to say was probably confidential, and even though no one could hear us, I was still nervous.

"A while back you mentioned you don't trust Commander Della Valle fully, correct?" I asked softly. Chan nodded.

"What would you say if I said I don't think I trust him fully either?"

"Well, I would ask why? Because you haven't brought this up before, and I never got the idea that you didn't trust him."

"After yesterday... actually since the first time he sent us on a mission, I became suspicious. But yesterday it just spiked after everything that happened."

"Can you tell me what spiked the suspicion?"

"Well... first, when he was telling us about the mission, he turned around to talk to someone. I don't know who it was, but I definitely saw his face and I definitely have seen him before. Then, the random agents showing up to finish our job, as if there was something that we weren't supposed to see. And lastly, it's just weird to me how both Emily and Geneviève were sent out of completely secure and safe locations right before they were kidnapped. I know it doesn't link up to him, but there have been so many other things. I know I should trust him; I mean he is our commander, but I just..."

"I understand. I see why you're concerned, and I think you are completely right for being cautious. I just don't want to risk anyone finding out and ratting you out. So, I do want the two of us to investigate, but I would rather we keep it under wraps for a while. If you're willing, we can try finding out things during the week when we have time and then just confer with each other every once in a while."

"That sounds like a plan. But I don't want you putting your job in danger because of my hunch."

"I feel the same as you do, so technically I have been putting my job in danger since the moment I told you I was suspicious."

Chan smirked at me, having proven his point. I smiled at him slightly.

"Thank you. For being willing to help me."

He nodded, leaning over and giving me a hug. My heart felt slightly lighter, but the uneasy feeling I had been feeling for a while was getting worse and my gut told me something was going to happen very soon. 

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A/N

heyy guys ;)

hope you are all doing well. life is pretty hectic at the moment, so i wanted to let you all know that if at any point you need someone to talk to, i am here for you all. you are welcome to leave a comment or privately message me or if you want to take it off of wattpad, you can send me a dm on my instagram. it's in my bio :P

anyhow, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and i'll see you guys in the next one <3