Chapter 8: Face To Face

“You don’t have the patience to reply,” Lauren said as she closed the car door. She frowned and looked at Kim who shook his head while smiling and saying "In all ways, you are coming with me” Lauren rolled her eyeballs in disbelief then rested her back while mumbling under her breath. Kim started the engine and licked the left side of his lower lip but his eyes were full of excitement. Part of it was for provoking Lauren and the other part was for facing Rosalina who didn’t expect them to visit her this soon. She was walking in the corridor of the building heading to her apartment while talking on the phone with her father “I will not warn you, no one can find out about this meeting, do you understand this?” Parker said to Rosalina who stood in front of her door and opened her handbag to fitch the key “Dad, who will I tell? Kim didn’t bother himself to contact me and I am positive that he already found out about me so technically I am a lost cause to him” she scoffed and took out her keys “busted or not, the most important thing right now is the meeting, make sure that no one find out about it until it officially set” Rosalina closed her eyes and exhaled loudly “fine, father, fine, see you soon” and that was it. Rosalina was so relaxed she put her handphone in her pocket and opened the door.

The apartment was dark of course, and like any other normal apartment. Well, less than normal, a bed, bedside table, a chair, a TV, and a dining table, of course, there was a bathroom and kitchen. But what wasn’t normal the moment she turned the light on, she found Kim sitting on the chair facing the apartment door and Lauren standing at the windows looking from it carelessly or that’s what Rosalina thought. At first, Rosalina froze at her place but then pulled herself together. she cleared her throat. Kim raised his eyebrows and gestured his eyeballs toward the door while tapping his index finger on the chair’s arm. Rosalina closed the door calmly and put her bag on the dining table. But Kim saw it all, all over her face. She was shocked, she didn’t expect to see them this soon. “That was expected,” she said with a fake smile on her face. She threw the keys on the dining table and crossed her arms over her chest. Kim smirked mockingly and tilted his head “Really? Your face didn’t say that, at all” Rosalina scoffed and looked from him to Lauren “Yes it was” her eyes went to Kim again “I heard you are hanging out with her all the time these days” Lauren didn’t bother herself to answer she was busy with watching the place up close. Kim sighed loudly and closed his eyes “Is this important right now?” Rosalina raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders confidently “Not at all” she looked toward Lauren’s back and tilted her head slightly “She’s no match for me aaaat allll, we can’t be compared, we are on a different level” Lauren shook her head while lighting a cigarette. She was smiling calmly but her tongue was sharper than ever “True, especially when it comes to betrayal” Rosalina put her lower lip between her teeth and furrowed her eyebrows in rage. She sniffed sharply, There was a flood of anger in her eyes. She clenched her jaws and said from between her teeth “And what do you want?” Kim took a deep breath and swallowed his saliva. He didn’t look nervous but he did look curious “Why did you do it?” Rosalina threw her arms in the air, in disbelief and a mocking smile “Seriously? I was following the orders” Kim tried his best to control his anger. he held the chair’s arms tightly and said from between his teeth “You saw it clearly that I bear no ill will, or even attention to use it against anyone, or reveal anything, and even though you didn’t stop watching me” Rosalina smiled proudly and put her hands on her hips. She raised her eyebrows while looking at Kim who was utterly calm but that look on her face made him know that she thought he was hiding how truly he felt or a broken heart. She shook her head and scoffed “Oh, Sky, don’t tell me that you feel broken heart because of me, and you still think of me” Kim furrowed his eyebrows in wonder but there was an excited smile on his lips “And who told you that?” Lauren couldn’t hold her tongue any longer “Her self-confidence told her, she thinks that you are dying without her and all night calling out her name” She looked toward Rosalina and smiled widely with sarcastic eyes. Rosalina looked at her and the sides of her lips raised. Lauren saw how confident she was “Do you really think that he is in love with you? He is using you to forget me” she pointed her index finger from Lauren to Kim. Lauren narrowed her eyes and rested her back and elbows on the window stool. Her eyes looked strayed as if she was occupied mind "Actually, that didn’t cross my mind” She looked at Rosalina with a bright smile “Love me? Isn’t this a big word, i think it’s too early to say it, not yet” Lauren clicked her fingers *thumb and middle fingers* as if she figured something out “Hold on, hold on…” Kim was closing his eyes and smiling. If you looked closely at his face you would see how much joy he feels whenever he hears the vibe of her voice. “Don’t tell me that you... see him in love with me already, seriously? I didn’t even know, I thought he was still in love with you” Lauren’s voice was full of mocking as if she was trying to provoke Rosalina who gritted her jaws in wrath and scoffed “Yes, he's still in love with me, besides, you are not his type, didn’t no one mention to you that you are more a man than a girl” Kim exhaled loudly and said warningly “Rosalinaaaa”.

“I am telling her the truth, she has to face it,” Rosalina said and looked at Kim in rage but surprisingly Lauren was in ice *calm*. She looked at her cigarette as if examining it and then took a breath of it. She blew the smokey air out of her mouth and threw the cigarette on the floor. in fact, it was a carpet. She stepped on it and said in boredom “For the love of god, do I have to hear this bullshit, it’s useless, I don’t care” She smiled confidently and calmly as if she was holding the whole world between her hands which provoked Rosalina who took a step toward her but Kim swiftly stood in front of her protectively not to protect her of course but to protect Lauren who shrugged her shoulders with a triumphed smile. “Are you protecting her from me?” Rosalina said in disbelief to Kim who furrowed his eyebrows and said firmly “Yes because I know that you are like the rest of the team, as your father as Oliver, and everyone else under your father’s commands, and our lives are in danger because of you and them” he pointed his index finger toward her in rage “and now, what is their plan?” Rosalina closed her eyes and inhaled loudly then said with a steady voice “I don’t know…” anyone would've believed her with that look on her face except Lauren who looked from the windows and said “The place full of them” Rosalina scoffed and looked toward her in wonder “You are really good at it” Lauren rolled her eyeballs in boredom “my job” Kim this time wasn’t patient he clenched his jaws and grabbed Rosalina’s left arm while saying from between his teeth “talk…” Rosalina looked directly into his eyes and smiled calmly “I don’t know anything” Lauren exhaled loudly and took out her pistol. She pulled the pistol’s slide sharply and pointed it at Rosalina “Say that again” Kim looked behind him toward her and said “Lauren, don’t” he looked worried at the moment and pale, he knew what she could do. She is too reckless and doesn’t care about anything and that what was worries him. Rosalina smiled confidently and tilted her head slightly “Really? I am scared, can you do it without hesitating? Are you going to do it? seriously” Lauren walked toward them and pressed the pistol muzzle into her forehead. Rosalina’s eyes widened and now her transparent veil she had been wearing all this time, that she was tough and not fear anything Lauren saw it all now through her eyes. She smiled calmly but rage was all over her face and her voice was steady but fierce as well “Do you know what I have done to these forces you have sent? I guess you know that so well, and I will not hesitate to do it again, trust me on this, to be specific I wouldn’t hesitate to kill you” Kim swiftly held her right wrist with his right hand and looked at her “calm down, don’t let her manipulate you, she is provoking you” Rosalina looked at him and raised her eyebrows in confusion but Lauren’s eyes were on her steady and focused “she is hiding something, talk” Rosalina looked from one to another and swallowed her saliva. She took a sharp deep breath and closed her eyes “There is a masquerade party two weeks from now” Kim frowned and looked at her “Where?” Rosalina raised one eyebrow and put her hands on her hips “In the CIA headquarters, don’t tell me that you will attend” Lauren smiled mockingly “We will not” Rosalina laughed out loud with a thrilled look on her face. She shook her head arrogantly as if she was sure of her words “Do you really think that you can control him?” her eyes went from Lauren to Kim who squeezed his eyes shut and then heard Lauren blowing the air out of her mouth “why do I hear this a lot?” Rosalina shrugged her shoulders and nodded confidently “Because sweetheart this is the truth, you can’t control him, he is stubborn more than he looks” Kim smiled teasingly and said at ease “Not more than her” he pointed his thumb at Lauren who looked at him and furrowed her eyebrows “but I listen” Kim looked at her and smiled calmly. Rosalina saw it in his smile. it was that smile he gave when he felt attracted to someone. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously and said “There is already something between you two” Lauren couldn’t hear her voice anymore “That’s enough” She swiftly hit the back of Rosalina’s head with the pistol magazine. Kim’s eyes widened when he saw Rosalina fall on the floor unconscious. He looked from her to Lauren with an open mouth. Lauren shrugged her shoulders “She is talking too much and they are everywhere” She put her pistol in her belt but then felt Kim grabbing her left wrist and rushing out of the apartment.

They were in a hurry and Kim didn’t let go of her wrist. He was walking fast and Lauren was trying to catch up with him but what stopped them was the laughing that was coming from the end of the corridor. Kim clenched his jaws and looked toward the noise and Lauren took a deep breath. Kim swiftly pushed Lauren toward the wall. Lauren squeezed her eyes shut when her back collided with the wall and when she opened them she found Kim standing right in front of her. Lauren froze in her place and her eyes were opened wide. When the voices got closer Kim protectively leaned his left wrist above her on the wall and his right hand lowered it from her left wrist to her hand. Lauren stiffened She looked up at him and swallowed her saliva nervously. Kim leaned forward and raised his eyebrows then mumbled “Shhh…”. The chattering was getting closer and closer to them and Kim got closer to Lauren. he was only a few centimeters from her. At first sight, anyone would think that they were kissing, but he was only in front of her hiding all of her from others’ sight. His breath was too loud. and she felt it on her head and face. Lauren held her breath in surprise. She swallowed her saliva and heard “in the corridor…” The two men laughed and entered one of the apartments. When the door clicked after them Kim held Lauren’s hand and rushed downstairs heading to their car. when they got in it Lauren blew the air out of her mouth in relief and closed her eyes “That was close” Kim took a sharp deep breath and said “Yes, and was it necessary this, arguing?” Lauren looked at him and furrowed her eyebrows in wonder “about what?” Kim pointed his thumb behind him “this competition back there” Lauren crossed her arms over her chest and ran the tip of her tongue on her upper teeth “competition?” in her voice rage and protest. Kim sensed them. She pointed her index finger at herself and snapped “Did I say that I am prettier? Or uglier? Or that you forgot me by using her?” Kim pressed his lips together when he was about to smile. He cleared his throat and shook his head as *no* “You didn’t” Lauren scoffed and rested her back on the seat while sniffing sharply. Kim smiled and bit his lower lip. 

All the way back, Lauren didn’t say a word but her mind was completely occupied. She remembered what Kim had done in the corridor. Lauren closed her eyes and placed her right palm above her heart while blowing the air out of her mouth bit by bit. Kim looked at her and narrowed his eyes in concern “Are you okay?” Lauren shook her head silently and said to herself: “he must be kidding me”. They arrived at the hotel but they stayed in the car. “I don’t care anymore,” Kim said while resting his back on the seat and his hands on the steering wheel. Lauren furrowed her eyebrows in bewilderment and looked at him with eyes full of questions. Kim inhaled deeply with stray eyes “Rosalina, the moment i found out about her betrayal something inside of me faded, she was spying on me all this time, i don’t care about her anymore, even when you pointed your pistol at her i didn’t blink” Lauren cleared her throat and swallowed her saliva. Her eyes went to the road and took a deep breath “don’t be reckless again, if we get out of this situation you can go back to your work without any consequences, killing someone won’t allow you to go back, it will destroy your life, so don’t do that again” Lauren scoffed and said “do you really think that i will go back to work after knowing all their dirty work?” she rested the back of her head on the seat and shook it with a mocking smile “maybe i will disappear after revealing everything” Kim frowned and looked at her in wonder “to where?” Lauren shrugged her shoulders “i don’t know, yet” Kim tried to control the tune of his voice but somehow in Lauren’s ears there was a sharpness in it or a warning “you can’t disappear without telling me where exactly you will go” a smile cracked Lauren’s lips, her eyes still on the road watching people walking “you do care a lot” Kim confidently said while watching her “of course, you are my partner” she looked at him and narrowed her eyes suspiciously “only that?” she tilted her head slightly and Kim looked in front of him swiftly then he tapped rapidly the steering wheel with his index fingers and cleared his throat “maybe…” Obviously, he was nervous. Lauren smiled widely and sat with an angle to look at him “i wanna know” Kim sighed softly “Why?” Lauren protested and pointed her index from him to herself “because it’s your feelings toward me” Kim’s eyes widened when he heard her talking boldly like usual, he swallowed his saliva and opened his mouth to speak but it seemed that even words ran away from his mind. Lauren saw his eyes and it was looking anywhere except her face. He couldn’t look at her at the moment. She saw how embarrassed he looked. Cheerfully she clapped and smiled in amazement “She is right, isn’t she?” Kim felt heated all of a sudden he blew the air out of his mouth and opened the door then got out of the car.

“Tell me, I want to know,” Lauren said and rushed after Kim who was striding toward the hotel and his hands in his pockets. He waved his right hand carelessly at her while entering the hotel and walked toward the elevator. Paul, on the other hand, was watching them and smiling, Lauren was following Kim like a shadow and babbling “Come on,” the elevator doors opened and Kim entered it while Lauren was complaining “Say something” Kim was watching the elevator counting the floors and his hands still in his pockets “she was hallucinating” Lauren crossed her arms over her chest and pouted “no, she wasn’t, she knows you very well” Kim looked at her and raised his eyebrows teasingly “I thought you did know me well” Lauren shrugged her shoulders and wrinkled her nose “you said that I don’t because we are not close enough” the elevator beeped and then its door opened Kim walked out of it while saying “I was wrong” he looked too calm and Lauren was the opposite, she was too loud and fiercely curious. She followed him and said with a beatable tune “Then tell me” Kim opened the suite door and entered then threw the key on the tea table. Lauren entered and closed the door behind her. She frowned and crossed her arms over her chest then mumbled under her breath “Boring” Kim rolled his eyeballs and looked at the ceiling “Oh god, I already gave you some clues” Lauren scoffed “What clues?” Kim looked behind him at her and took a step toward Lauren who took a step backward and swallowed her saliva “I got it” Kim smiled cunningly and tilted his head slightly. He walked toward the bed and Lauren threw herself on the sofa forgetting about her wound. She felt a sting in her wound the moment she fell on the sofa. She closed one eye in pain and bit her lower lip but couldn’t stop herself from moaning at least muffledly which got Kim’s attention back on her. He looked behind him toward her and furrowed his eyebrows “What’s wrong?” Lauren closed her eyes and smiled while pressing her wound with her hand “Nothing, I just forgot about the wound” Kim sniffed sharply and walked back to her. He sat beside her and said in concern “Did it open?” Lauren opened her eyes and looked at Kim who looked pale, nervous, and worried above all, she tried her best to hide her smile “I don’t think so” Kim clenched his jaws in rage “Did you even see it? Why are you this sure?” Lauren looked calm maybe tired. She took a deep breath and said “I will be fine” Kim squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his lips together, somehow Lauren saw rage out of concern nothing else “Why are you that stubborn?” Lauren was watching him with a faint smile she placed her right hand on his left hand, he was putting it on the sofa between them and the moment Kim felt her touch he opened his eyes and looked at her “You have to stay calm to keep your mind clear and focus all the time, don’t distract it with these small things” Lauren's voice was too steady and soft the opposite of Kim’s voice who tried to keep himself calm but the tune went out of control “if you see your wounds isn't this important or silly. let me tell you that it is important to me…” he gestured his index finger toward the floor as if he was threatening her “I will repeat what I've said before, I swear by god, if you got injured again Lauren I will make Hunter send you out of the country, Do you understand?” Kim said from between his gritted teeth with furrowed eyebrows and eyes looking directly into Lauren’s eyes. She was watching him closely until she saw his eyes and how angry he was, it made her heart throb or we can call it palpitation. Lauren swallowed her saliva to push that thing, the thing standing in our lungs that thing we feel when we are about to cry and push that urge too hard, to keep ourselves steady in front of others but her eyes betrayed her they filled with tears uncontrollably before she even can stop them Kim’s expression softened in a second when he saw her eyes. He swallowed his saliva and opened his mouth searching for words. Lauren ran the tip of her tongue on her lower lip nervously then pressed her lips together but the angles of her lips showed that she was about to cry. Kim took a sharp deep breath and put his right elbow on his right thigh then ruffled his hair with his fingers in remorse “I am really sorry, i didn’t mean to be this harsh” Lauren didn’t reply she was just silent and was watching him and when he looked at her Lauren’s tears rolled down her cheeks faster than she thought. Kim’s eyes widened in shock and he swiftly wiped her tears with his right palm “No, no, I am sorry, I am truly sorry” he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed his eyes shut blaming himself for shouting at her. Lauren hid her face into his right shoulder and then Kim felt her wrapping her arms around him, he held his breath then blew it out slowly “Was I this harsh?” his soft gentle voice made Lauren smile faintly and shake her head “No, it’s the opposite, actually I felt their warmth, it’s been a while” she said with a muffled voice. Kim rubbed her back with his left hand and smiled then said gently “I am not Marcel” he knew what she meant. Lauren did feel his warmth, his care, and his tension whenever she got hurt, it gave her a different feeling. a feeling she barely felt due to the nature of her work. Kim kissed her right shoulder and when Lauren felt it she closed her eyes in relief while taking a deep breath “You might be tensed these days and you may need more rest” Kim said softly to Lauren who looked at him and said gratefully “Thank you so much, Sky” and this was the second time Kim heard his first name from her it was as if he was counting how many times she called his first name it gave him joy. A charming smile appeared on his lips. He raised his hands and cupped her face while wiping her tears with his thumbs and looking directly into her eyes “Nooo, I am the one who should thank you for helping me through all this i would not have done it alone” Lauren bit her lower lip shyly and leaned her cheeks on his palm with a lovely smile but she couldn’t reply. She knew how loser she was when it came to relationships. Kim chuckled softly. he wrapped his left arm around her shoulders and pulled her toward him. Lauren wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his left shoulder then smiled and closed her eyes. But as usual, someone interrupted them with a phone call.