The World Flying Force Rebellion in the Shadows

Chapter 30- Impossible Success

It had only taken a few minutes to get back to the 452. Landing it inside the cargo area had been tricky. As soon as we did, coordinators jumped up to strap it down. When we hopped out of the drone, the four hundred rebels that had just been rescued roared, cheering in unison. It was an amazing feeling. Several bodies lay on the ground near the side, having been hit with laser fire. Tiny holes littered the side of the plane. Everything inside of me wanted to go somewhere to sleep, or to hide, or run away from this reality. But then again, all the pressure of the last few weeks was gone. This is what we had set out to do, and it was done. Tesser and Arwago had successfully orchestrated the impossible. The 452 had been secretly filled with supplies and drones all month, on Arwago's orders, and it was ours.  Sure, there was still more to be accomplished. There would be meetings and strategy sessions and many arguments in the days ahead.

As the cheering died down, all three of us started towards the front of the plane.

Krit'ts grabbed my hand to hold me back.

"Enjoy this moment, I don't think we have celebrated a victory yet and I'm not ready to go into that cockpit and face the reality." He said.

"What's the reality?" I asked, very aware of how close we were standing.

"That this isn't anywhere near over, Master Guardian won't let us get away with this, trust me," he answered. He was looking down at me slightly, almost sad at my excitement.

"Why did you hold me back to celebrate and then immediately burst my bubble?" I asked. A sly grin spread across his face, starting in those beautiful eyes and stretching to his mouth. His feet shuffled to get just a tiny bit closer, instead of stepping away, I responded by leaning in.

His hand was still holding mine. It felt so strong; the grip told me he had no intention of letting go. A radiating warmth spread from the small connection. I followed his gaze, and for a few seconds we stood there; both of us staring at the touch that was so comforting to me. When he didn't take it back, my other hand found his and intertwined our fingers. He laced our other hand together and I decided my hesitation was misplaced. With the energy from the day still looking for an outlet, I dropped his hands and flung myself into his arms. It was a very klutzy hug, but he seemed to be expecting it.

His kiss caught me off guard. He had pulled his head back and put his lips on mine sending my stomach into a flurry of butterflies. It lasted longer than either of us expected but I wasn't about to be the one that stopped it. For the first few seconds, we both were timid in our movements, unsure if this is what we both wanted. Every moment we were locked together, our enthusiasm grew, I couldn't get enough of him. His strong arms, his wonderful smell,  all had me completely entranced. It was probably too long than was appropriate for the setting. We were after all, in front of a cargo hold full of rebels. We were reminded of that when someone let out a loud cat call. 

"I think I have wanted to do that for months," he said when we split apart.

"Really? I barely wanted to do it now," I told him, my eyes shining playfully. He tried to smile but his happiness had suddenly turned dark, his blue eyes flashed to grey, sadness written in them. I felt terrible.

"No, sorry it was a joke, I have wanted to do that for months too, since before I almost broke your arm, maybe even since the moment we met!" I announced.

"No it's not that, Ta'law, just something else, forget it," he said, giving another sad, but reassuring smile. But I couldn't. Gently, I touched his face. Not the side that was clear and smooth but the cheek that was covered in scars. My fingers slowly traced the outline of each branch, for some reason I knew whatever he was thinking had to do with them; how he had gotten them, and whatever they reminded him of. He leaned into me and kissed me again. My palm caressed his damaged cheek, enjoying the feel of his body so close to mine. Our long kiss lasted until someone came searching for me. Zarlique seemed uncomfortable at the sight of us together.