Almost assassinated

Chapter 9

Pov y/n

The next morning is hard and I groan when I feel someone carefully shaking me awake. I try to burry my face in a pillow but the shaking doesn't stop and I turn around to look at the person.
It's dark and I can only see the outlines but I catch a glimpse of ocean blue eyes and am suddenly very awake.

"You need do wake up, we will load the car in half an hour and then we'll be off." Yelena tells me, her own voice still a little raspy and her accent even harder. It's more attractive than it should be and I have to bite my lip to keep some nonsense from escaping my mouth.

"Yes, I'll just get dressed and then I'll be right down." I say, my own voice cracking in the middle of the sentence. Yelena nods and leaves my room, closing the door behind her.

For a few seconds I let my head fall back into the pillow before I get up, turn on the light of the night stand and grab some cloths. They're simple, just some sweat pants and a shirt, both comfy for the long car ride. I grab my suitcase and bring it down with me. Yelena shortly looks at me before turning back to the laptop she's working on. I never really noticed she has her own but apparently she does.

It looks a little like she's figuring out the roads we will drive today. I wish to be a better help but my brain is still half asleep and doesn't feel ready to form any sentences I could say. So, I just place the suitcase close to the door and walk over to the kitchen for a coffee. I'm not really a coffee person but it's way to early and the day will be long. When I feel Yelena's eyes on me, I look over to her.

"You want one too?" I ask and see a tiny smile form on her lips and she nods.
"Just some milk into it, please." She says and goes back to typing on her laptop.
I raise an eyebrow in surprise, I would have guessed she likes her coffee black and strong but apparently not quite. While making coffee, I save the information about her coffee preference in my brain.

The steady, silent sound of the coffee machine calms me down and almost lulls me back to sleep. God, I really need this coffee. The smell starts to fill the kitchen and I smile, for some reason I always liked the smell of coffee.
As soon as it's done brewing, I prepare Yelena's cup and bring it to her. She smiles at me in thanks, which is a little unusual for her but I like her smile, it gives me little butterflies.

I add sugar and milk to my own coffee and take a sip. My face scrunches up a little because it's still bitter but drinkable. With my hip leaned against the counter, I sip my coffee, slowly starting to feel more awake. The sound of Yelena closing her laptop makes me jump a little, too caught up in my own world.

"Our first route today will be around six to seven hours. We can stop in between to eat and drink but not much longer. We will drive to Montreal first and from there we take a route towards the woods where a cabin is. That will be another two hours but then we should be good for today. If everything works out best, they won't come after us to a different country." Yelena explains the plan and I nod.

I'm gonna be optimistic, hoping they will leave us alone in Canada. I've never been to Montreal but I heard it's quite nice. What always kept me from visiting is, for once the long drive but also the fact that I don't speak French.

"How will we communicate with the people there? I don't speak French." I admit and look at Yelena, who has a small smile on her face.
"Don't worry, honey, I speak French quite well." She shares but I don't really hear anything after 'honey'. Did she just call me that? My heart starts beating faster and I look down into my coffee, hoping to hide my blushing cheeks like that. I shouldn't have such a strong reaction to a smile word.

I remember that we were talking and nod to show her I heard her.
A silent chuckle leaves her mouth which makes me blush even more and I concentrate on my coffee as if it's the most interesting thing in the world right now.

She puts her now empty cup down and goes to the bathroom. I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding and lean a little more against the counter. For some reason this woman makes my brain freak out.
I get ahold of myself and also finish my coffee and wash off the cups real quick. Steps on the stairs make me turn around and I see a sleepy Kate coming down the stairs.

"Did we wake you? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." I apologize but she waves it off.
"I set an alarm, I didn't want to miss saying goodbye to you." She mumbles and I smile at her sleepy state.
"That's cute, thank you." I reply and she nods before sitting on the couch.

I let her be and start to carry down the boxes with my stuff that we will take with us. It's done quickly and when I bring down the last box, I notice Kate's eyes on me.

"I know we didn't spend a lot of time together but I really enjoyed it. It was fun having you around and goofing around. A little sad, considering the circumstances though. I just hope we'll see each other again."
Kate's words are honest and it melts my heart a little. I sit next to her and she takes my hand.

"I had a great time with you too, Kate. And I owe you a huge thank you for letting me stay here. I had so much fun with you and I also hope this won't be the last time we see each other." I say and see her slightly pout at my words. Even though she's a few years younger than me, we got along great and I wish we would have met sooner.

She opens her arms and I take the offer and hug her. Her head nuzzles into my neck and I smile, enjoying this moment. When she pulls away, her face shows a mix of sadness and happiness.
We are interrupted by the bathroom door opening and Yelena stepping out, her hair still slightly wet and falling around her face, a little darker than usual due to the water in it.

"All ready?" She asks, eying my boxes and the suitcase. I nod and stand up, letting go of Kate's hand.
"I just need five minutes in the bathroom." I say and she steps out of the way to let me in.

I go to the toilet and wash my face. Looking in the mirror I realize that I'm about to leave New York, the city where I thought I'd stay in forever or at least a few more years. I only imagined to move away when I had a girlfriend or wife and we wanted to start a family outside the city. Well, things have changed.

But I'm gonna be okay, it's hard to leave everything and everyone behind but it's for mine and their safety. I take a deep breath and step out of the bathroom, seeing Yelena getting the bag with my money out of it's hiding spot. I almost forgot it's there.

In silence we carry everything downstairs and I'm somewhat still surprised to see a black car with tinted windows in front of the building. I knew Yelena would get another car but still, this makes it more real. We put our stuff in the trunk and turn around to see Kate, she leans against the doorframe and watches us, her eyes sad. I go over first and pull her into another hug which she returns.

"Please take care." She mumbles and I nod before pulling away.
"You too." I reply and smile before stepping away to let Yelena say goodbye to her friend.

She steps up to Kate and they hug. I see Kate whispering some words and smile, they are cute friends. Yelena nods and leans back, her hands taking Kate's.
"Promise me, you will come visit me when it's possible again." Kate says, now loud enough for me to hear it.
"I promise. I will keep both of us safe and as soon as I'm not a target anymore, I'll come visit you for more than just a few days." She promises and I smile.

"Good and please call if you have the possibility. I need to know you're safe and healthy." Kate makes sure and Yelena promises it once again. They share a smile before Yelena lets go of her hands and walks around the car to get into the driver's seat. I get in as well after a last wave to Kate which she returns.

Yelena pulls out of the parking spot and onto the road. I watch Kate waving at us before she goes back into the building.
I turn to look at the road again, breathing in deeply and watching the buildings fly by. This is it, these are my last minutes in New York, from now on my life will completely change.