For honor. For the future.
They were the words I lived by. The ones that had won me the election. They had earned me a seat amongst the country's leaders. They had kept the public's trust me in. But they were all lies.
Honor had left a long time ago...
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Max was tall, clean and professional in a crisp blue suit. His light toffee eyes sparkled with bright enthusiasm as he spoke. Calm hands moved in small motions to emphasize his words. A smile broke across his face, the shadow of dimples present at the edges of his angular cheeks.
He was every bit the picture of a perfect politician.
A scoff broke through the room. My gaze shifted from the young candidate and I frowned.
The senator's features were apathetic. Teetering on bored, if I looked close enough. I felt a glare threatening my brow. My fingers curled at my sides.
Zee stood with his hands grasping the podium in front of him. They drummed against the solid wood stand, making his demeanor seem all too casual. As if this debate wasn't the one thing that could skyrocket his campaign into victory.
The moderator turned his attention to the senator and asked for a rebuttal. I could practically feel the air within the room grow thinner as the audience waited with bated breath. I wasn't sure if their expectations leaned more towards the senator responding with determined resolution or thinly veiled sarcasm. Mine definitely pointed towards the latter. My lips pressed together tightly.
Zee cleared his throat. His lips parted, turning up at the corners ever so slightly. His eyes sharpened as his grin grew. I blinked at the steady tone of his voice—at the way his response flowed so smoothly from his lips.
The room suddenly began to buzz with an unpredicted sort of excitement as the senator's gaze swept over the crowd. The bold, pointed look he offered seemed to electrify the air within the hall.
His dark eyes turned and met mine. A jolt went through me.
I jumped as a hand met my shoulder.
Mark stepped up to stand beside me. His grip left my arm before he crossed his arms over his chest. A proud smile tugged at his lips.
"Look at him," He commented. A sort of softness was apparent in his voice.
I glanced back up at the senator as he finished speaking. His grin was obvious now, wide and bordering on arrogant as his fingers continued to drum against the podium. His actions could almost hide the tremor I saw lingering along his fingertips. I imagined his near-heat symptoms were still there, just below the surface. I wondered how he masked the ache so well.
"I can't believe you really did it, Nunew."
I turned back to Mark, a questioning look on my face.
He nodded towards where the candidates stood as he continued, "I've been trying for over a year to get Zee back in the game. You're here for only a week and you've got him on track for another term in the senate." He chuckled with a shake of his head, as if in disbelief. "How did you do it?"
I wanted to tell him about the hours I'd put into researching the senator's past campaigns. Or how I'd spent days in a sleep deprivation state, barely able to keep my thoughts coherent as I called and emailed every connection I could in order to put together a worthy agenda for Zee. I wanted to tell him how many years I'd waited for this moment.
