the final mission

23

Kai looked for Roddy.

He hadn't seen her in two days since he had told her the heavily weighted three words. She had run out of the room and did not return. Kai missed her company and wanted to know what he had done wrong.

Kai arrived in the kitchen and observed the sight before him. Six of his closest friends sat around the table, energized by not only each other but also the massive amount of food displayed on the table. The conversation was vibrant and everyone had smiles on their faces.

"And of course," Brody couldn't even finish the story without laughing, "I told him to suck my dick. The professor fainted so we all got ready to bolt. The police chose that moment to do their routine drug check and I was detained for the night for suspected assault."

Ziva noticed Kai in that moment and gestured for him to come and eat. He shook his head and mouthed Roddy's name. Ziva shot him a slight grin and gestured her head towards the stairs.

As Kai arrived downstairs, he looked in all the rooms for his black-haired beauty. She wasn't in any of the rooms, not even the gym. He kept walking and was surprised to find a hidden staircase at the end of the corridor.

He found Roddy at the bottom, playing around with chemicals in a bottle. She looked adorably sexy in her lab coat and goggles.

"I'm currently formulating a drug that will help cure physical ailments quicker. Pain killers and aloe vera just aren't doing the job." Roddy measured and poured a small amount of clear liquid into a flask.

"Hm, sounds very interesting. You know something really cool you could make?" Roddy turned around and looked at him expectantly.

"No, what?"

"A truth formula," Kai took a moment to observe how cute Roddy looked when she was puzzled, "so you could tell me the truth about why you've been ignoring me. Especially after you said you wouldn't."

Roddy threw her gloves onto the counter. She aggressively scrubbed her hands while ignoring the question at hand. She dried off her hands and prepared to swiftly walk around Kai.

"Not this time." He placed his hands around her waist and backed her up against the wall. He pushed himself so they were touching torso to torso.

"Kai, please, I -" He cut her off by tilting her head towards his.

"Roddy, I'm here for you. Despite the way you reacted, I'd say those words over and over again. I do love you."

"Don't say that. You can't." Roddy was turning red. She didn't even know how to react. Kai ignored her.

"I loved you yesterday, I love you today, and I'll love you tomorrow. I'm here for you, alright?" She nodded and he leaned in closer to her. "You don't have to say it back, but know that I'll always be here for you."

Roddy looked at him. He realized in that moment how sleep deprived she looked. She had large eye bags, pale skin, and her hair looked to be an utter mess.

She was still the most beautiful girl that Kai had ever laid his eyes on. He just couldn't get enough of her.

"Kai, I'm sorry. Nobody ever loves me. Raina, Winslet, and Ziva are great. But sometimes, I feel as though they subconsciously feel indebted to me because I took them under my wing."

"But Roddy, they do love you. They'll always love you. They'd love you even if you hadn't helped them. Roddy, you're amazing."

She could not help the silly smile from forming on her face. Kai gently held her cheeks as he leaned in, savoring her mouth on his own. He loved intimate moments with Roddy just as much as the goofy ones they had together.

★★★

"Win, Babe, it's not that big a deal."

Cale and Winslet were out shopping for groceries.

"Cale," Winslet fumed, "she looked straight at me and grabbed the last milk. That's the only milk that tastes good!" Cale's lips upturned at how adorable Winslet was. Her shiny blonde hair was in a tight ponytail and she was still in workout gear from their previous gym trip.

"It's okay, I'll buy you all of the milks you want in the world." Winslet's harsh demeanor settled at this and her face lightened up.

"Cale? Milk is plural. One milk. Two milk. Three milk. Four -" Winslet would have kept counting if not for the sight of a familiar man standing near the doors of the supermarket.

"Why'd you stop?" Cale's bottom lip jutted out as his forehead furrowed. "Four milk. Five milk." He caught what Winslet was looking at and his face darkened.

They were on their way out as they caught Gio. Winslet sped up to avoid catching Gio's eye but unfortunately, the man had the vision of a hawk.

"Winslet! And how are you?" She flashed him a tight-lipped smile and was prepared to be on her way until Gio grabbed her arm.

Cale immediately removed Gio's hand and tensed. He didn't know what this man had up his sleeve and didn't want to stick around to find out.

"You were never the talker." Winslet rolled her eyes at Gio. She never liked talking to him because of how uncomfortable he made her feel.

"Okay, we'll be on our way now." Cale was close to pulling himself and Winslet our the door until Gio spoke up again.

"Tell Roddy I say hi, would you?"