promise | mitch rapp.

VIII

Anatasia shot up from the bed she was in, completely naked beside Mitch. She sits up, feeling all the air from her body be taken from her lungs. She continuously tries to take breaths but failing. She hyperventilates, her chest rising up and down as Mitch heard her unstable breathing and got up. "Anastasia?" Mitch asked, only being able to see the outline of her body in the dark.

She pulled her knees to her chest, trying to answer Mitch but not being able to breathe. She gasped for air, squeezing her legs trying to calm herself. She panicked as thoughts went through her mind so fast it was giving her a headache. Ana broke down into what she thought was millions of pieces feeling like her lungs were being squeezed. Her thoughts had no mercy on her as if it had been programmed to tear herself from the inside and break herself down. She felt trapped, engulfed in her brain.

"Hey, Ana, are you okay?" Mitch said as worry took over his voice. "Mitch." She croaked out as she felt lightheaded from the harsh breathing. Mitch grabbed her from behind, pulling her back into his chest as he wrapped his hands around her waist. "Ana, breathe, talk to me." Mitch said into her ear, holding her as if she would disappear at any second. Ana relaxed herself into Mitch's arms, realizing how stupid she must look. She took another deep breath before she even attempted to talk. "I feel- I know something bad is going to happen, Mitch. I can't- I can't do this." She breathed out, choked up from the harsh breathing.

Mitch held her tighter, kissing her shoulder. "That's part of our job, Ana. Something bad might happen but I promise I won't let anybody or anything hurt you. I promise you, Ana." He said as he heard Ana's breathing slow down. Anastasia turned around to face Mitch, lifting her hips slightly so she could sit on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist as they stared into each other's eyes.

Somehow, she felt as if Mitch had brought her back, being her safety. Somehow, he made her feel so alive and warm. There was a fire lit in her like no other, she could finally breathe for the first time. "Thank you, Mitch." She muttered as she didn't stop looking at him. She had no idea what he did to her to have her feel this way. She loved every second of it though she had no idea what was going on. From the moment she locked eyes with Mitch, she felt a connection she couldn't pull away from, like magnets connecting. It was an urge she couldn't resist. Mitch grabbed the side of her face, kissing it softly. She wrapped her hands around his neck. He pulled away, leaning his forehead against hers.

"How long was I asleep for?" She asked as Mitch subconsciously drew circles with his fingers on her lower back. "An hour. We should get up and be on watch, okay?" Mitch said, not stopping from looking into her eyes. She nodded, as she went to stand up, Mitch immediately pushing her back down. "Stay here, rest. I'll get dressed then bring you your clothes." Mitch said, his boxers were already on.

He grabbed blue jeans, matching with a black compression shirt. She watched him get ready as she felt her heartrate slow, and her breathing go back to normal. The thoughts were still in her mind of what terrible things that she was thinking. She realized she could lose Mitch, just like Victor, Rose, Katrina. She could lose him, and she never wanted to feel that pain again. He finished getting ready, going over to the clothes that had been laid out on the chair for her to wear after she showered. "These, right?" He asked, picking them up and making sure she could see them. "Yes."

He brought the clothes over to her, mentally taking a picture of her naked body as she grabbed the clothes from Mitch. He fell into a dazed staring at her, being knocked out of it as he heard a knock. "Rapp? Gold?" Annika asked from behind the door, Mitch looked at the door, then back to Anastasia who was halfway dressed. "One minute!" She yelled, since Mitch hadn't said anything.

Anastasia slipped on her jeans, getting up to open the door. "Wait." Mitch breathed out before grabbing the back of her neck harshly, making her turn to face him. "What?" She asked before Mitch crashed his lips against hers, taking in this moment since he had no idea when the next time is he'd be with her.