Undercover Love

Chapter One: I Wish I Was A Robot

The device floor of Scale Zero buzzes with activity, the hum of machinery and the clinking of gadgets filling the air. I'm standing in front of my suitcase, a patchwork of bright colors against the sterile backdrop, feeling the tension radiating off Ace like an aura. He's busy organizing his gear, his face a mask of concentration, but I can sense the churning emotions beneath that façade.

"Uh, so," I venture, breaking the heavy silence. "Are you excited about this mission?" I wince at the sound of my own voice, a mixture of hope and uncertainty pouring out in a desperate attempt to fill the void between us.

He barely glances my way, eyes fixed on a particularly shiny gadget. "Sure," he mutters, not even bothering to elaborate.

Great. Small talk it is. "I mean, it's been a while since we've worked together. Remember that time we—"

"Can we skip the reminiscing?" Ace snaps, his tone sharper than I anticipated. The sting of his words pierces through my hopeful facade. "We have a job to do, right?"

"Yeah, right," I reply, forcing a casual shrug as I mentally roll my eyes. "But you know, we can't be all serious all the time. It might be nice to—"

"Adriana, can you just focus?" he interrupts, frustration evident in his voice. "We both know it's not like things are okay between us."

I open my mouth, feeling the heat rising in my chest. "And whose fault is that?" The words slip out before I can stop them, a defensive reflex that surprises even me.

He whirls around to face me, finally dropping the pretense of indifference. "You think I wanted things to turn out this way? You're the one who shut me down!"

I take a deep breath, the weight of the moment crashing down on me. "That's not fair, Ace! I was just trying to protect myself after you rejected me first."

"Rejected you?" His voice rises. "I was trying to keep you safe! You don't understand what's at stake here!"

"Then explain it to me! You can't just assume I'll know what's going on inside your head!" I shot back, feeling my pulse quicken. "I'm not a mind reader, Ace!"

He steps closer, invading my personal space, and for a moment, I'm caught off guard by the intensity in his eyes. "It's not about mind reading. It's about trust. You don't seem to trust me anymore."

"Trust?" I laugh bitterly, the sound hollow and forced. "You're the one who tossed my feelings aside like they were nothing! How am I supposed to trust you?"

The air between us crackles with tension, each word a thorn piercing deeper into the wounds we've both been nursing. I can see the hurt in his eyes, but it's tangled with anger and frustration, the mix creating a toxic concoction of emotions.

"Look, I don't want to argue with you all day," I finally say, my voice lowering. "We need to focus on the mission. That's all that matters right now."

Ace's expression softens slightly, but the tension is still thick. "Fine," he concedes, crossing his arms over his chest, a reluctant truce forming in the space between us. "But we're going to have to deal with this eventually."

I nod, my stomach twisting into knots. "Yeah, well, let's just make sure we come back in one piece first."

The awkwardness lingers, but we push it aside for the moment, diving back into packing our gadgets. The silence stretches out, punctuated only by the sound of zippers and the occasional clatter of tools.

As I finish loading my suitcase, I can't shake the feeling that this mission is going to test more than just our skills; it's going to force us to confront the tangled mess of our emotions, whether we like it or not.