12 April 2012
That night I lay in bed wide awake trying to convince myself that it was just a stupid crush and that next time I saw Chris I would be able to breathe properly and I see him as just a target. I finally fell asleep sometimes during sunrise and when I woke up I felt exhausted. I got dressed and once again made my way to the terrain station where I would intercept Chris. I was a bundle of nerves, standing at the platform while trying to look relaxed. I was so focused on trying to not draw attention to myself that when I felt a tap on my shoulder I almost fly-kicked the culprit. But as I turned around I froze before I could even lift my leg. Chris was standing right in front of me with a smile on his face that faltered once he noticed my defensive posture and he lifted his hands in front of me palms outwards saying “I didn’t mean to startle you, I just wanted to say hi”, and that dazzling smile returned and so did my silly heart’s acrobatics.
“Hi” I said with more confidence than I felt. That had been part of the assassin training. Never show your surprise.
He put his hand out and said “Chris Matthews,”
I took his outstretched hand and trying to ignore the little goose-bumps his touch had caused I smiled “Kiara”. He repeated my name and with the vibrations of his masculine voice my name sounded like an opera masterpiece. At that moment the train approached and once again we were pushed in with the throng of others commuters, I asked him about himself and the whole train ride we chatted easily, him telling me what the files I had been given hadn’t and me telling him about my “Free-lance beauty business”. He seemed genuinely interested and I wished that I could be the person I was telling him I was. Once he noticed that we were only 1 stop away from his destination he said “I’d really like to get to know you better, is there any way you would give me your number?” I smiled as I gave him my alias’s business card with my number on it, and said “look forward to hearing from you” then with a thank you and a smile he was gone, and I was once again left standing there wondering what the hell was going on with my life. I waited for the next stop, walked out into the cold London air and hailed a cab to take me home, where I spent the rest of the day wracking my brain and trying to talk sense into myself until I gave up and decided to get lost in the latest crime novel I was reading, but try as I might I couldn’t concentrate on the words and Chris’s mile kept reappearing in my mind. I made my way to my family’s headquarters and walked straight into the private gymnasium where I worked out until I could no longer feel my legs.
My mobile rang just as I was stepping out of the shower at around 9pm, and it was a number I didn’t recognize, but guessed to be Chris’s. I was right. “Hey I hope I didn’t disturb you” he said in that smooth knee-buckling voice of his, “not at all” I replied willing my heart to stop its silliness and calm down before I had a heart attack. I put the phone on loud speaker and chatted to Chris while I got ready for bed. I climbed under my duvet and switched off the loudspeaker and listened to his smooth voice telling me about his family. He asked me to meet him for lunch the day after at 1:30 and we made the arrangements for it. His voice was so soothing I soon found my eyelids heavy and before I fell asleep I heard his chuckle over the phone and his voice bidding me a good night.
Assassin In Love ~ Kiara's Story Part #2 • Opuss № I