Agent Chetiri

Chapter 9

A mighty pain to love it is,

And 'tis a pain that pain to miss;

But of all pains, the greatest pain

Is to love, but love in vain.

-Abraham Cowley

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(December 24, 2012- 6:03 PM)

Christmas Eve.

It was the one holiday where you could smell love in the air, mixed in with the smell of a roasting ham or a delicious full turkey. The sound of carols and the unmistakeable noise of bells flooded the streets, along with the parents who rushed around the shops in an attempt to buy last-minute presents. Likewise, Christmas Eve was always terribly busy, and this one was no exception.

Alexa currently rushed around her house, attempting to get ready for the party. After taking a rather lengthy shower, she had finally heated up her curling iron and swore loudly when she nearly burnt her hand while attempting to curl her hair. After thirty minutes, she finally managed to arrange her dark brown hair into large, flowing curls that she brushed over her shoulder. She felt quite pleased with how her hair turned out and went back to her bedroom to slip her dress on.

Alexa put her dress on and looked at herself in the mirror, marveling at how the dress showed off her figure. She knew this wasn't a date but she at least hoped that Q would look twice when he saw her. Alexa went back to her vanity and applied a bit of makeup and applied a thin coat of lip gloss. She grabbed a bracelet out of her jewelry box and slipped it on. It had dozens of little diamonds stuck together on a narrow chain and she felt that it completed her look. By the time she was finished, it was nearly seven and she looked gorgeous. Alexa grabbed her coat and headed downstairs, upon hearing the bell ring.

"I'm coming," she called. Alexa put on her shoes and took one last look in the foyer mirror before opening the door.

"Hi," she said, giving him a smile. Q stared at her appearance with a mixture of awe and surprise. He thought she looked lovely before, but it wasn't until now that he realized how beautiful she really was. For once, he managed to stumble on his words and his brain scrambled for something to say.

"What are you wearing?" he finally blurted out. A look of worry crossed her face and she bit her bottom lip.

"Oh, is that a bad thing?" Alexa fretted.

"No, don't think that! What I meant was that..." Q began, his voice trailing off.

"Was what?" she said as she put her coat on. Alexa stopped to look at him and for a moment, their eyes locked before Q finally found what he wanted to say.

"...You look beautiful," he said softly, a small smile appearing on his face.

"Really? Because if I look terrible and you're just kidding, I swear I'll never forgive you," she said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Terrible? No, you look lovely," he scoffed. "Besides, you know that I would never joke about this sort of thing."

"Really?" she said, looking taken aback.

"I mean it. You really do look nice," he promised.

And with this, Alexa turned about ten different shades of pink. "Oh. Well, thank you," she said as she gave him that shy smile of hers that never failed to make his heart beat erratically. She turned off the lights in her house and followed Q to his car, where the two went off to go to the Dorcaster Hotel.