THE SOUR ORANGE

Part 7 The Newlyweds

A week has passed since the incident with Mew. They pretend that it never happened, Mew does not bring it up and Gulf plays along. However, their interactions have improved a lot. They are talking more frequently, and Mew is giving Gulf useful tips about how to handle certain situations during the training.

Gulf is feeling uneasy because he knows tomorrow, he and Mew will be leaving for Italy, and that makes him nervous. He will have to pretend to be Mew's husband. He thought it would be hard to do since they do not have too much chemistry even when they are now talking nicely to each other. The day has arrived, Mew and Gulf are getting ready to take the train to Italy. It will take them 5 ½ hours to get there. James, who is another agent stationed there will be their guide and will brief them of any information they may need.

Gulf was sitting across from Mew playing with his video game with no care in the world. Mew would give him some glances from time to time. Thinking that he would let him enjoy these little moments before reality hits him. The train started to move, which made Gulf look up and saw Mew using his tablet and smile by noticing how handsome Mew looked even when he was lost in his job.

The train whistle was loud, and for a moment, a cloud of dusty smoke tainted the window as Mew looked outside; in an hour, they would be arriving at Arancia station. While Gulf was entertained playing with his video game, he started to hum (Perfect by Ed Sheeran). Mew smiled without looking up and kept doing his business. A few minutes later, Gulf felt tired and decided to take a quick nap before they arrived at the station.

The conductor announced they had entered the station. Mew stood up to wake Gulf up, but stopped for a moment, he saw how peaceful Gulf was sleeping. Something inside him didn't want to wake him up. He wanted to stay there for a while and admire Gulf's features. Mew didn't have to because Gulf woke up by himself when he felt something close to him. When he looked up, it was Mew looking at him. Their eyes met and they stayed locked for a long time. Their breathing' rhythm changed, their mouths felt dry, and their hearts were little jumping beans inside their body. Mew was the first one to break the spell by telling Gulf they arrived at the starting and needed to get their things.

Mew: "Gulf, remember, we need to pretend we are newlyweds. We will have a banquet to invite the neighbors. You need to make sure you become friends with Mr. Douglas's son Michael. He is the one we need to get the information from. Now, hold my hand and get off, James is waiting for us at the platform with all our belongings to take us to our new home.

Gulf: "S.A. Mew? You think we will be able to convince them that we are together?"

Mew: "Gulf, if this was the real mission, we would be dead, you just call me by my official name in a public place. Remember, from now on my name is only Mew, like you are my little Gulf. Now, please remember that we love each other very much, even when you think we are alone."

Gulf: "I understand, from now on, I will be extra careful, you will see."

Their car was waiting for them; James helped them get their suitcases on the trunk of the vehicle. On the way to the castle on the hill, James debriefs them on the situation.

Gulf tried to keep up with the conversation, but some parts were jargon for him. He wishes he had paid more attention to the training and numerous meetings. Gulf noticed how beautiful the scenery looked, with the trees welcoming them on the long and wide road. What was more impressive was the castle, it was like it travels from 1591 to the present.

From there on, they needed to convince people they were a couple, ...which was not that hard to do based on the way they felt for each other. The only difference is that they didn't want to admit it to each other. Mew and Gulf make sure that the neighbors notice them, they would go to the fresh market holding hands, smiling, and going to different local restaurants. This was not only to be seen but to collect information about the area.

All the neighbors were invited to the banquet; Mew and Gulf were the perfect hosts, making sure everyone was having a great time. They wanted to make sure they knew everyone's faces and names because any one of them could be an agent for the Hunters organization.

Mr. Douglas arrives with his son Michael; Mew makes sure they feel comfortable.

Mew: "Oh, Buona serata Mr. Douglas. Welcome, please come in. Ah, I see you brought a young man with you, hello."

Michael: "Hello, sir, nice meeting you."

Mew: "Oh, why so formal, call me Mew, I like it that way, come let me introduce you to my husband Gulf. He is a little shy, he does not like big crowds, but he is doing this for me."

Mr. Douglas: "Mew, I heard that you are a chemist, I am wondering if we can talk in private, I have some ideas that I think you can help me with." Mew and Mr. Douglas disappear among the crowd. Michael was left there when Gulf approached him.

Gulf: "Hello, would you care to drink something? My name is Gulf, Mew's husband, nice meeting you."

Michael: "Can you, please excuse me; I really hate this kind of party, and my father dragged me here. I just want to go outside and play with my video game".

Gulf: "Can I join you? I really hate this kind of party too and prefer to stay in a quiet room playing with my phone. They both smiled and began to walk outside. During an hour, Gulf and Michael were two levels up on the game. It was amazing how these two bonded over a video game.

Mew and Mr. Douglas joined the other guess until Mew noticed that Gulf was not around, he decided to look for him when he saw him and Michael coming towards him. Gulf had a smile on his face, which tells Mew that it was a success; he knew that Gulf was able to have a connection with Michael.

The party ended with Mr. Douglas and Mew agreeing to work in a project together and with Michael and Gulf being friends. Mew grabs Gulf's hands and just looks at him, which makes Gulf nervous by looking at Mew in the eyes.

Mew: "How do you feel about tonight, you think we convince them?"

Gulf: "I think we did; Michael seems like he feels alone and having someone to connect with was a good thing. I know you did well with Mr. Douglas."

Mew: "yes, I did. That is the strange part, I think it was too easy and too fast. A mission is never too perfect, and I feel this way about this one. Anyway, I may feel like this because this is your first mission and I am afraid for you. I mean, I am afraid that you make a mistake and then it would be hard to fix it. Now let's go to sleep because tomorrow Paul will come to debrief us on all the information he found about Mr. Douglas and the Hunters. Good night Gulf, you did great today."

Mew says this while he gently touches Gulf's shoulder and walks together to their bedrooms.

The next day, Mew noticed that the time for Paul to arrive had already passed. Because he was on a secret mission, it was not allowed to communicate with him. Paul would be the one calling them. Mew was nervous but did not want to let Gulf know about it until he had more accurate information.

Bad news came a few hours later, Paul was being captured by the Hunters. All along with Mr. Douglas and Michael knew that Mew and Gulf were agents from the Citrus organization. Mew was furious, thinking it was Gulf who let the secret out without realizing it. When Mr. Brass explained to Mew that James was a double agent and that he was keeping tabs on Paul from the beginning, Mew saw red. James has been with the agency for years, but in reality, he was working as a double spy just like Mew's parents did years before.

Now is time to find out where they had Paul and rescue him. Mew knows that the Hunters would not kill him without getting any information out of him. Mew knows Paul, he will never give them any information willingly or even if he is tortured. Mr. Brass also informs Mew and Gulf about the operation and where they can go if the situation gets dangerous. They will have two different hideouts where Mew and Gulf will have one address, and Gavin will have the other one. Gavin will be arriving tomorrow morning, and they will go together to rescue Paul.