Covert Affairs

Come in Boys

I stirred from my slumber as a beam of sunlight crept through the gap in our heavy curtains and hit my face. The warm and gentle touch of the sun's rays lulled me out of my peaceful sleep, but that was short-lived. The comfort of my bed was interrupted by the sudden weight of three bodies launching themselves onto my mattress.

My roommates jumped onto my bed, jolting me awake from my dreamy state with all the subtlety of a military raid. Which, considering we were training to be spies, was definitely intentional.

"Someone was out late last night," Jess hummed, her voice carrying that sing-song quality she got whenever she thought she had juicy gossip. Her blonde waves were still messy from sleep, but her hazel eyes were bright with curiosity.

"And I've never seen this sweatshirt before," Jade added, holding up Operative Greyson's sweatshirt like it was evidence in a criminal trial. She tossed it at me and I barely caught it before it hit my face. The fabric still smelled like him. In the midst of me trying to run away from him before saying something I'd regret, I must have forgotten to give it back to him.

"I will tell you what happened, but don't interrupt or ask questions until the end," I said, pulling myself up to sit cross-legged on my bed. The morning light streaming through our window illuminated the dust dancing in the air, and I could hear the sounds of other students beginning to stir in the rooms around us.

I had to provide background information, so I explained to them what happened at the museum. I told them about the rocket ship simulation, and the late night run, and our encounter in the reading room.

"You're going to be upset when I say this, but that was actually pretty cute," Dee cooed when I finished, her green eyes sparkling with the kind of romantic idealism that made her favorite class the one where we learned to create fake identities for undercover work.

"Please don't start," I grumbled, flopping back down onto my pillow. I knew my roommates were going to do this. They were all hopeless romantics, even Jade who tried to hide it behind her tough exterior and her collection of throwing knives.

"A rocket ship simulation? Really?" Jade laughed, her voice tinged with amusement. Despite her attempt to sound unimpressed, I could see the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "And Snow?"

Ignoring her teasing, Jess gushed, "I think it's cute. The simulation was adorable. And Snow White and Prince Charming, the teen spy version? That could be something."

I felt heat creep up my neck. This was exactly what I'd been afraid of, that somehow my roommates would turn this into some kind of fairy tale romance when it was anything but. 'First name unknown' Greyson was the enemy, literally, and now he was going to be here, at my school, probably making my life miserable for the rest of the semester.

As the conversation died down, I announced, "Alright, storytime is over! We have to get ready for classes."

My roommates groaned in unison, but their complaints were halfhearted. We all knew that after yesterday's spectacular failure, we couldn't afford to be anything less than perfect today.

"Besides," I added, standing up and stretching, "he and all his friends made us fail our mission yesterday. They can't be forgiven that easily, and they definitely can't be trusted!"

The words felt hollow even as I said them, but I needed to remind myself as much as them. Whatever had happened at the museum, whatever spell he had me under, it couldn't happen again.

I retreated into the bathroom that the four of us shared, grateful for a moment of privacy. The bathroom was small, with barely enough room for all of us to get ready comfortably, but it was ours. The mirror above the sink was slightly warped, making everyone look a little different depending on the angle, and the fluorescent light was harsh and unflattering. But it was where we'd shared secrets, practiced foreign accents, and where Dee had once tried to give herself bangs with actually amazing results.