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The sun was just beginning to peek through the curtains of their small apartment, casting a warm glow across the room. Nina Cross stirred beneath her covers, the soft sheets cocooning her in a rare moment of peace. For someone who lived such a dangerous life, mornings like this were a quiet reminder that not everything had to be fast-paced or intense.
She slipped out of bed quietly, padding across the floor in her oversized hoodie. The smell of coffee already wafted from the kitchen—Isabella must have come home late again, but she always made sure the coffee was brewed for Nina. It was a routine, their unspoken understanding.
Nina smiled softly as she walked into the kitchen, her chestnut hair still a mess from sleep. Isabella was already there, perched on the counter, sipping from a mug and scrolling through her phone. She looked up and flashed Nina a wide grin, her blonde curls falling over her shoulders.
"Morning, sunshine! You look like you slept for a thousand years," Isabella teased, her voice light and playful.
Nina shrugged, a small blush rising to her cheeks. "It was a good night," she said softly, reaching for her own cup of coffee. She had an innocent, almost shy demeanor, a sharp contrast to the life she led outside of these walls. In this space, she wasn’t the highly trained spy with a killer instinct—she was just Nina, a girl who liked her coffee sweet and her mornings quiet.
Isabella, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She lived for the nightlife, always chasing the next adventure, the next fling. She leaned forward, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “I had quite the night, by the way. You wouldn’t believe this guy...”
Nina raised her eyebrows, laughing softly as she sipped her coffee. "Another one? You’re going to run out of men in the city at this rate."
Isabella winked, her smile wicked. "Oh, please. I haven’t even started."
Despite their differences, there was an undeniable bond between them. Nina found comfort in Isabella’s carefree spirit, while Isabella admired Nina’s quiet strength, even if she didn’t know the full extent of it. To Isabella, Nina was just the sweet, polite roommate who always had her back.
But Nina’s world was far more complicated. As she sat at the kitchen table, her phone buzzed with a message—her real life creeping back in. Her heart skipped a beat as she read the encrypted text. Another mission. Another target.
Nina glanced at Isabella, who was now talking animatedly about her night. She smiled, nodding along, but her mind was already elsewhere, sharpening like a blade. She could never let her guard down completely—not in this line of work. But around Isabella, at least, she could pretend for a little while.
Nina slipped into her car, the familiar scent of leather and her favorite vanilla air freshener wrapping around her like a warm hug. She took a moment to collect herself, resting her hands on the steering wheel. The quiet hum of the engine was a comfort, a stark contrast to the whirlwind of thoughts swirling in her mind. Today was just another day—another mission, another chance to prove herself.
