Assignment Name Is Ari Levinson

15

Rachel and I are in her quarters setting up the communication device so we can hear all the radio chatter.

Rachel flips the last switch and all we can do now is wait. We look at each other nervously, both of us not knowing what to say. It feels good and I think this might be a bonding moment for us.

I look at my watch and calculate this is probably the time they arrived to pickup the refugees.

'Yacht One, Yacht One, taxis are on the way.'

We hear Buchanan on the radio and I'm both relieved and scared at the same time. "Here we go." I say looking at Rachel.

She smiles. "This is it, fingers crossed."

'Guys, you seeing this?'

Max voice sounds over the radio.

'Yeah, we see it. We're discussing.'

Sam's voice is next.

"Jake, full speed ahead.'

I can hear that something is going on in Ari's voice and that he is going to do something risky.

'Yacht One, what is the plan here?'

'Radio silence, lights out.'

Rachel and I look at each other, my nerves trying to get the best of me. "Something's up Rach I can hear it in their voices."

"Ari always knows what to do." And I know she is right, he always knows how to get out of sticky situations.

'Yacht One, status report, please.'

"Looks like Buchanan is also getting worried." I say to Rachel.

"He is always worried." She says reassuringly.

'Yacht One for base.'

No answer.

'Yacht One for base.'

Still nothing.

'Waverly over...... '

'Yacht One for base. Yacht One for base.'

No response at all and I'm starting to pace around the room, thinking all kinds of crazy things. "This is taking to long Rach, something is up."

"Let's hold on for a little bit longer." I can see she isn't only trying to reassure me but also herself.

'Yacht One, do you copy? Yacht One, do you copy? .........
Yacht One?'

Someone else is now trying to get them to respond. I can see Rachel is also getting worried. Both of us on the verge of tears and I'm walking around just saying 'Please, please, come on.' Rachel doing the same.

'Yacht One, do you copy?'

'Yacht One to base, we copy.'

I breathe out in relief hearing Ari's voice and I can't stop the tears falling from my eyes. I have never been so scared in my life and I know they aren't done yet but at least I can breathe right now.

'Yacht One, what's your status? Why was there radio silence?'

Ethan asks and I know he almost shit his pants. He might come across as someone who has little emotions, but I do know he really cares a lot about us.

'There's a... battery failure. Lesson learned.'

'Copy that.'

"Battery failure my ass Sammy." I say and Rachel and I both laugh.

I know we have to have as little communication as possible and that they are probably getting all the refugees into the rescue boats, but this waiting game is terrible.

'Base is on the way home, with the entire cargo. See you in a few days.'

Rachel and I both look at each other happily and have the biggest smiles on our faces. "We did it." She says.

"Yeah we did, this is amazing."

After we take apart the communication device and make sure everything is hidden again, I decide to wait for the guys outside.

I'm dealing with a lot of emotions right now, I'm scared, angry and relieved, but most of all I was afraid to loose Ari.

After what seems like waiting for an eternity the trucks finally arrived back at the resort. Rachel comes out and we all great each other happily, I even hug Sammy.

I left Ari for last and so he did with me, we're standing in front of each other, just staring for a bit both of us not knowing what to do or say.

The others feel the tention and walk inside giving us some privacy. I stand a little awkwardly with my face down and biting my bottom lip.

Ari closes most of the distance between us, cups my face and makes me face him, freeing my lip with his thumb and looking deep in my eyes. He is trying to read me, looking for any hint on what I'm feeling and thinking. He is unsuccessful cause I'm not even sure what the hell I'm feeling and thinking.

A small smile grows on his face. "Hey." He says.

I look at him tears forming in my eyes, but can't help to return his smile. "Hi." I respond a little shy.

He looks at my eyes then to my lips and back to my eyes, but doesn't try to kiss me it's as he is waiting for permission. In this moment I do need him to kiss me, I need to feel that he is real, smell that he is close and taste that it's really him. I give him a small nod only for him to notice, he hovers over my lips a little to long for my liking so I close the last bit of distancing. Our lips finally touching, moving in sync as if we have been together for years.

The kiss moves slowly making sure we are both getting the reassurance we need in this moment. Little by little he moves his body closer to mine, I cup his face so I can scratch his beard.

As I feel the need to press my body closer and closer against him, my feeling of being relieved turns into anger. I pull back from the kiss and punch him against his shoulder. "Hey aw. What was that for?" He asks confused.

"Don't you ever do that to me again!" I say raising my voice. "Do you know how scared I was. How scared I was thinking y'all got killed."

He hold up his hands in surender. "Hey. Hey. It's okay, I'm here." He tries to close the distance I made between us, but I take a step back.

"I couldn't stop thinking it was our fault we got all those refugees killed. I know it wasn't a battery failure I heard it in all your voices."

"It was a random checkpoint. We drove right through. All good, nothing happened and nobody hurt."

"Ari are you insane. You really are recless." I say with a bit of disappointment in my voice.

"There wasn't anything else to do or what you thought would have accually happened. You should have seen them. They were so quiet."

"I don't care, they can be quiet all they want but if we fuck up they loose their lives and that's on us and I can't live with that." I start crying and Ari reaches out but I step back again. "And you know what was the worst. I thought I lost you, that we never even gotten a chance. I was so scared that I had lost you, that I had lost you before I even had you...."

He takes a step towards me, wraps me in his arms making sure I can't get out, I'm trying but I can't. I'm overcome with exhaustion, no energy to fight my way out if his arms so I just give in and let him hold me tight. "You already have me Bekah. I have been yours since the day we first met in Ethan's office.