Life, Lies and Really Hot Spy Guys

Chapter 13: I Wanted Family

I woke up to clanging down stairs. I looked around my room in a panic. I felt my heart race in my chest as I jumped out of bed, fearing the worse. MIA found me. They were going to take me away. I quickly grabbed the first thing I could find then I ran down stairs to see who was here.

With an umbrella in hand, ready to attack I got to the kitchen to see Carter cleaning up bowls on the ground. I let out a sigh of relief as I dropped the umbrella and slumped down into the nearest chair I could find.

With the threat of danger gone, my legs turned into jelly. I melted into the chair as I tried to catch my breath. I repeated the words in my mind over and over again that I was safe but the words were not sticking. I wasn't safe. They would come back, it was just a matter of time.

Carter kneeling beside me in a second. "Are you ok?"

I nodded as I held back tears. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly to control my emotions. I knew when to lie and I could lie well. "Yeah, I'm fine," I said as I looked at the clock on the stove. It was 6PM, I frowned, I shouldn't have let myself sleep that long. "Anyhow, what were you doing? And how did you get in here in the first place?"

"I was going to make you dinner. But I was a klutz and dropped the bowls. Your grandmother gave me your spare key," he said and looked at me from head to toe, judging me. He was probably going to report his findings to my grandmother.

I crossed my arms over my chest as if that would protect me from his gaze. I stood up a little straighter. I didn't need him to tell her anything. I didn't need her to think any less of me then she did now. "Thanks." I stood up from my chair and walked over to the kitchen sink and started washing my hands.

"What are you doing?"

I shrugged, as if the answer was simple. "Helping you," I replied as I wiped my hands on a towel hanging on the oven handle on the stove.

He frowned as he shook his head. He wasn't going to back down, I could see it in his eyes. "No you're not; I'm going to do this," he said firmly.

I smiled slightly, taking this as a challenge. I wasn't always a push over and Carter was going to see how far I could go. If I set my mind to it, I would stand up until I was the last one standing. "I want to help you," I said firmly back at him.  I wasn't going to back down from him. He needed to know what I was fine enough.

If I took any significant time off of work, ore rumors would spread. I could picture it now. They would think that I had a mental break down or I ran away never to return. I shook my head. No, I needed Carter to believe that I was fine because I needed to get back to normal before my image was damaged any farther.

He eyed me from head to toe again then sighed as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Fine, I'll let you."

I smiled a little larger. I won with little effort. Of course he would let me, because he realized that I wouldn't stop until he gave in. "What are we cooking?" I asked as I got up from the chair I sat in.

"Fish with lemon, hummus and pita bread."

"That sounds great," I said as I felt my stomach rumble. I never realized I was this hungry until he mentioned food. If Carter never came today, I probably would have eaten at all.

He smiled lightly. "Good. I already got the pita bread but if you could make the hummus that would be great," he said and gave me the recipe for hummus.

"So I follow this?" I asked looking at the simple recipe card with purple gapes on the sides of it. The card was worn and stained. That had to be a good sign.

He nodded. "Yup, that's it. I got all the ingredients, they're all in the bag," he said pointing a grocery bag in the corner of the room.

I nodded then started to follow the recipe. I wasn't a stranger to cooking. I used to cook Gram's and I's meals after long days. But after I moved out of her place, cooking became something of a chore that I didn't have time for. However as I cooked beside Carter I realized that it wasn't the cooking that I hated, it was the fact that I wasn't cooking with or for anyone else. The loneliness what what I hated the most.