Oblivion {James Rodriguez} {Book ONE}

a reunion

My breath catches in my throat as my eyes land on the person standing at the door. The first thing I tell my brain is that I'm in a dream. I will wake up any second now, all I have to do is try really hard. I would try to pinch my self or something, if my muscles weren't agonizingly paralyzed.

I stand there, with my eyes wide open and my mouth agape in horror and surprise. My entire body tingles with waves of unused adrenalin.

I can't believe Carter Adams is standing on my doorstep.

"C-" I try and say but something contracts in my dry throat and my word is immediately swallowed. He looks at me sympathetically, as if all of my reactions are expected and that's just his silent way of saying he understands.

I raise a shaking hand to my forehead and keep it there for a while as I close my eyes and try to pull myself together.

I have to face him. I have to. He's standing right in front of me, for heavens sake!

"Mia, hey..." He says shakily. I look up at him gratefully for starting this thing off.

I gulp. "Hi..."

We look at each other awkwardly for a few seconds, the words really just hanging in the thick air between us. It was as if all the memories we shared when we were together were replaying right before our eyes, but neither of us wanted to acknowledge or address these buried feelings. I'm pretty sure that isn't why he's here either.

"Do you want to come in?" I say weakly.

He nods and I move aside, my eyes still glued to him.

If anything, he became even more attractive than the last time I saw him. I guess he's been training more, which gave him a great tone.

He bows his head and steps inside reluctantly. I've never seen him this hesitant or unsure in my life.

I silently guide him to the living room and we sit down on the plush furniture.

"What brings you back to me after six years?" I say, my voice cracking at the end. I really don't mean to start off in a hostile, blunt way but he's got my emotions on overdrive.

He seems taken back by my question because he starts looking everywhere else but me. A few minutes of thoughtful yet heavy silence passes before he finally takes the leap.

"Mia, my presence here is not for us, it's for..." He gulps. Obviously whatever he has to say is really serious, otherwise he wouldn't be panicking this much.

My heart deflates at the first part of his sentence. And here I was, thinking the one and only cold-hearted Carter Adams would come crawling back to me after all these years. Why am I so foolish? Of course this has something to do with that God-awful job he's still doing. I can't believe I tricked myself into believing that I was about to win back the only person that meant the universe to me a few years ago.

All feelings of longing and affection vanish. I'm going to deal with him exactly how I deal with everyone else. If he's coming in here expecting special treatment, then he better go look somewhere else. I'm putting my foot down, and now that all those confusing feelings I've been going through since he knocked on my door are gone, I'm finding it kind of easy to cope with his presence.

"What do you want from me, Carter?" I ask icily.

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair.

"I... I need you to drop the case on Kerensky."

My mouth falls open as I stare at him incredulously. No. Way. Does he seriously come in here after all those years just to tell me to stop doing my job? Does he really think that I will listen to him, of all people? And does he not know how complex and meaningful this case is to me? Of course he doesn't. He doesn't care. This is probably some lame threat he received, not the first of its kind.

My surprised look turns into a comical smirk. "What, are we serious now?" I chuckle.

He keeps a straight face, with that sharp gaze of his that melt glaciers.

"Yes, I am serious. This is not a joking matter. I really need you to drop this case."

My smile fades and gets replaced by hostility and annoyance.

"I'm not dropping the case, Carter. I'm not. End of story." I state stubbornly, folding my arms and challenging his steady gaze.

He looks away for a second to sigh exasperatedly, and then scratches the back of his ear. I watch his every move with slight fascination, drinking every bit of him. I wonder what about him has changed: his hobbies, his interests, his views, his life in general... Did he forget about us and move on? Did he-

I stop myself before I go too far.

"Mia, you don't understand. You can get hurt." He pleads.

"By who, the Mafia?" I retort sarcastically.

"Not them, but damn close." He says.

I roll my eyes at his annoying persistence. Does he not know that I'm a lawyer, and lawyers receive those "If-you-don't-drop-my-case-I'll-do-this-and-that" kind of threats almost on an hourly basis? I've handled it before, I'll handle it now. He just needs to leave me alone.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's not a big deal. I can take it. Now if you could please-"

He interrupts me by firmly placing both his hands on my shoulders. My body buzzes everywhere at his sudden, unexpected touch. The words fly right out of my mouth as I dumbly stare at him, taking in the almost foreign feel of his rough, calloused hands and his radiating warmth.

"Listen to me, Mia," He starts off in a sharp tone, giving me a slight shake. "I'm not asking you to drop this case, I'm telling you." He looks deep into my eyes.

I recover from my euphoria and push both his hands away from my shoulders.

"I will not drop this case even if Kerensky himself held me at gun-point and asked me to." I say slowly through gritted teeth as I scan his face for any signs of anger.

"That's exactly what's going to happen soon, Mia."