As Grim as the Reaper | PREQUEL Simon 'GHOST' Riley

TWELVE

Almost fucking there.

What were the chances, honestly?

You were right there.

Seconds away from kissing him, from allowing yourself to be vulnerable. 

And then, vibrations sounded as the loud jingle of Dexy's Midnight Runners' Come On Eileen blared from your phone.

"Shit." You whispered. "S-sorry."

There was only one person in your contacts who had that song as their personalised ringtone.

"Uh, yeah." 

You pulled away from Graves sharply, shaking your head and releasing a long breath as you scrambled, bringing the phone to your ear.

"John? H-hello?...John can you hear me?"

Graves sighed, standing himself up straight while he watched you move around the room, desperate to find a better connection. When you did, the smile on your face made his heart skip a beat. Yeah, he wanted to punch Captain Price for ruining the moment and completely cock-blocking him, but you looked so happy that he'd finally called.

"John! You called." You beamed.

"O'course I did, little bug. Been tryin' to get through to ya for three hours, couldn't get a damn signal. Happy birthday, I'm sorry I'm late."

"You're not late. You still got-" You pulled the phone away to check the time, "fifteen minutes left on my time."

John laughed at your comment, "Guess ya right. You had a good day?"

"As good as it could be. Bit lonely, but...I suppose the evening didn't go too badly after all."

You turned to glance at Graves from over your shoulder, biting your lip as you caught him already watching you.

"Oh yeah? What'ya get up to?"

"Paper work." The two of you laughed again, "Nah, Phillip so valiantly saved me and ordered pizza."

Graves perked up at the mention of his name, moving from the back of the room and around the desk to stop a little short behind you.

"You've spent your birthday with Phillip Graves?...Alone?"

"Yeah? Why'd you say it like that?"

"Just...be careful there."

You rolled your eyes, "Yes, Dad. Thank you."

"Fuck off, (Y/N), y'know what I mean. Just be careful with 'im, I know the Commander a little too well."

"Affirmative, sir." You rolled your eyes once more as he scolded you over your sass, "I miss you and I love you, John."

"Right back at ya, little bug. Speak soon."

Sighing, you shoved your phone into your pocket, and suddenly, the room swelled with an awkwardness. Were you really just inches away from kissing Phillip Graves?

Were you really that disappointed you were interrupted?

He looked to you, hand rubbing the back of his neck as he went to speak, but you cut him off.

"Sorry...John, finally." You chuckled, "I uh, I should go. It's late."

Graves frowned, but nodded, "Oh, uh, yeah...sure."

You collected your things, shoving your small pile of files into your bag, before walking to the door, "Uh, thank you, for tonight. It meant a lot to me."