chpter 009

I was over the moon.
Why, you may ask?

Oh, it just so happened that I've hooked up with possibly the greatest guy ever.
Okay, sure, he may be the guy I used to despise the most.

& yea, he's my co-spy.
But that's just the con. You haven't heard the pro.

He's the sweetest, smartest gentleman I know (who happens to be my age, for once).
& maybe saving my life was a possible bonus.
It also doesn't hurt that he's the most sought-out guy in my school. He is, after all, six foot two, blue-eyed, dark-haired & has the cutest British accent I've ever heard.

Yes. I was with Grant Fend.
& I plan to bask in each & every moment of it.

"Kath? Kathy?" I heard him say.
"Hm?"
"Sorry. You were just staring with a smile on your face." he paused. "Your food's getting cold."

See? Do you see how perfect we are together?
I'm the one with my head in the clouds & he's the practical one!
We're destined for each other.

It's already three days since he saved my life & we finally admitted the truth - he claimed that he fell for me since Day One & I said that I fell for him the minute he made that sarcastic comment for being the new kid.

After finishing up our hot dogs, we got up from the bench & strolled around the park.
It was pretty cold, which was kind of odd since spring evenings were usually just right.

"Are you cold?" Grant asked me.
I looked up - I mean, I may be taller than average for a girl but Grant's just... So tall.

"You're shivering," he explained.
"Oh." I said.

I didn't say much at the time because I just didn't want to ruin it.
It felt so perfect, strolling there in the park.

Then, he gently tugged at my left hand out of my pocket & kept it in his.
Pocket, I mean.

He was wearing that brown jacket. The one he wore when we first met.

I looked up at him but he was just looking ahead, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary's happening.
Which (shall I be the one to point out?) was very far from the truth because he just did something so romantic - something Jane Austen would approve of. Then I remembered how guys hated it when the girls coo over how romantic the gesture was so maybe I shouldn't push it.

Really. I honestly couldn't believe that he's the pompous ass I thought him to be.
Now I just understand better. He acts all macho but the truth is, he's not that big-headed on the inside.

"Hey, Grant," I said softly.
"Yeah?" he said.
"What did your fortune actually read last time?" I asked him.

Don't ask me how that question got in my head.
I mean, I was just loving the feel of his warm hand on mine in his pocket, how gentle he held it yet how rough his skin felt (probably from all the butt-kicking action he gets).

Suddenly, poof! There came the question. I just blurted it out.
Way to kill the romance. You know, right under the starry sky & the hand-in-my-boyfriend's-pocket thing.

"We-ll..." Grant stalled, rocking on his heels back & forth.
"What is it? It can't be embarrassing or anything," I said with a smile.
He looked down at me, blocking the moonlight from my view which just blocks my view of his face when he said, "'Choose between two for righteous justice or for righteous love.'"

Our eyes locked for a while &, I swear, something passed between us.
That is, until I burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?" he asked, bewildered... & maybe a little irritated.

Can't blame him, really. I mean, I wouldn't like it if someone laughed hysterically when I told something embarrassing.
But that fortune was no where near embarrassing! It didn't even make sense!

I informeds him that after my maniac chuckles came to a halt.
He kept quiet. I looked up at him.

"Hey. I didn't mean to laugh. Are you alright?" I asked him when he looked down at me & I caught a glimpse of his face.
An expression was on his face. It was as fathomable just as much as his fortune cookie.

Desperate to change the subject, I quickly said, "Uh... Two more days till mother's day, huh?"
To be honest, I just realised it myself. Another thing I realised, he had never talked about his parents before.
Except that one time at camp, I guess.

"So how's your mom? I mean, how's she doing?"
God, I sound like a nut. No wonder he's staring at me as if I grew another head.

All of a sudden, his lips came down on mine.
Not that I'm complaining. Who wouldn't like being kissed by their boyfriend?

He tasted like... Grant.
& mustard.

"Wow." I whispered softly when I caught my breath.
He smiled & said, "We're here."

How does he do that? was the first thought that entered my brain.
I mean, really. Intense making out session & all of a sudden, he puts on that macho act of his? How am I supposed to keep up?

I looked at the door of my house & my face fell.
"I know you'd miss me. I miss you, too." he said & dropped a kiss on my cheek, knocked the door & walked off, whistling all the way.

My brother opened the door, his hair sticking up to make him resemble a porcupine.
"Had a good date?" he yawned.
"Close your mouth," I automatically said & paused. "Definitely a good date."








"You know, I've been wondering..." I said.
"Hmm?" Grant said as he chewed on his french fries.
"Do you still have all these part-time jobs, even after, you know, you're certain about my safety?" I asked him, my voice decreasing in volume.
"Um..." he swallowed his food (with a loud gulp. I know. The man's British & was raised as a gentleman yet his eating manners were just as good as my brother's. Which worried me) & washed it down with his bottled water. "I do it anyway. Why?"
'I just want to ask you out! On a date. Why is it so hard just to do that?' was what I wanted to yell.
Instead, I murmured a "Nothing,"

Wow. My food sure was interesting.
Did you know, broccoli & carrots give super nutrition?
Yum!
& look at that? The canteen lady arranged it as a smiley face. How creative!

"Kath, what's wrong?" he asked but I knew he wasn't asking out of concern.
He knew why I asked good & well. He wanted me to say it aloud just to tease me.

I guess there are some cons to dating your co-spy.
Especially if he happened to be the top of our agency.
He knows too much.

"Well. It's because... I don't see you... Enough &... Um, hey! I think we're running late!" & looked at my watch.
Well, where my watch was supposed to be, that is.

'Dammit!' I thought to myself.
I forgot to wore it, which is a real big no-no for the Chief.
Also, it really killed my 'Escape Plan'.

Grant smiled at me & I narrowed my eyes.
You could tell he's trying really hard not to laugh at me, which I guess was payback from last night.
& I bet my Spy Employment that if even a chortle leaks out of the guy, he's going to say that he's laughing with me.

But I guess that was nice of him. You know, to try to restrain from laughing... Even if he wasn't doing a good job of it.

By then, we were already walking to my locker. As I opened the locker door, I glimpsed at Grant, who was stretching in a (supposedly) bored manner.
It was very, very distracting.
'God. Get a grip. He may be your guy but stop with the ogling! Have some dignity.' a shrill, little feminist voice shrieked at the back of my brain.

I blinked.

"Well... I guess I could cut down on the work." Grant said behind my locker door.
I didn't say anything. I know he's waiting for it. He was just dangling the bait in front of my face, waiting for me to nip.

Well. Forget it, buster. I ain't saying it out loud.
'Have some dignity!' that annoying voice echoed.

I took in a deep breath & waited for Grant to keep talking - which wasn't very long.

"Aren't you going to ask me why?" he asked & already I could tell he was smiling.
I sighed & said in an extremely polite voice, "Why are you cutting down on your work, Grant?"
"What? No eye fluttering?"

I closed my locker door. Dammit, why did he have to look so good? Why, why, why, why, why, why?
Why must he have those blue eyes?

I shot him a dirty look & he laughed. "Well, I suppose that's worth much more than the eye batting."
Despite myself, I laughed too.

& we were like that until this niggling thought popped into my head.
Honestly, I've been thinking about this & I'm not even sure why.
But it was bothering me so I just had to had it out.

"So Grant, tomorrow's mother's day." I said lightly.
He kept quiet, his smile dimming, I noticed.
"It's just, you never talk abut your mom & I just want to kno-"

R-ing! The dismissal bell was off.

"I've gotta go to my class. Well, see you." he said.
Before I even saw it coming, Grant bent down & dropped a light-feather kiss on my cheek. With that, he walked off.

Light-feather though it may be, my cheek was still tingling. I put a hand on it to see if what just happened was... Real.












"I can't believe I signed up for this..." I muttered to myself.
I mean, I really couldn't. Personally, I put the blame on Grant.
No, that's not fair.

It was my fault for sitting next to him two weeks ago. But could you blame me for being so distracted to the point that I accidentally signed myself up for this dumb mini golf trainer thing?
Well, it's not that bad. They do give extra credit for whatever subject that manages to give me credit in this area. & the money I earn would be donated to a children's charity.

I was stuck sitting at the back of a booth, waiting for people to hire a trainer - which would probably never happen.
I mean, come on! Who needs a trainer for mini golf?

You do not need training to get the golf ball past the windmill & into the hole (Lane One). Plus, this spot - this Mini Golf Castle - was mainly a major date attraction.
All I see are couples & the occassional party of toddlers.

Which made me want to cry since I wanted to be the one on a date. Not chaperoning, let alone training, one.
"Hey, cheer up. It's not that bad." a girl's voice said from behind.

I turned around (to look up) & saw a girl, who looked probably early 20s.
She was pretty, like those natural pretty types who would still look pretty even without make up... & pretty darn tall - five foot ten? Gray eyes & short, dark hair.

She looked like one of those models for sports' wear.

"Sorry. You heard what I said?" I asked, embarrassed.
I always had a bad habit of saying things aloud when I don't realise it.
"Yea. Like I said, it's not that bad. Oh, I'm Nina Dime, by the way."

Nina Dime... That name sounded familiar.

"Yea, I probably sound familiar." Nina said, reading my thoughts. "I'm usually on the sports' page."
"Oh! Cool. I'm Kathleen Hally - but, you know, my friends call me Kat."
"You go to O.H.?"
"Yea. You've just graduated?"
"I wish!" she laughed. "One more year until I'm outta there."
"You're 18? Oh God, sorry! You kinda look-"
"Older? Yea, don't worry. I get that a lot."

I smiled. Suddenly, the customer bell rang.
"I'll get that." Nina rushed to the counter. A few minutes later, she came back, smiling.
"Hey. Some guy's personally requested for you. He is cute!" she winked & sat on my seat as I got up.

Man. I really hope it's not Dave (I know. Tons of girls refer to my brother as 'cute'. They wouldn't call him that if they actually witnessed how fast he could devour a whole KFC bucket). I told him not to come unless it's an emergency.
Oh God, what if it is?

"Dave," I began, glaring at Nina for stealing my seat. "I told you not to bug me unless it's an em..." my voice trailed off.
It wasn't Dave. It was Grant.

May I just say that I think it should be illegal for a guy to look that good?
Why must he wear that collared, black polo of his?

"Heya, Kathy," he smiled.
"Hey. What're you doing here?" A thousand questions aside that one were flooding in my brain, including 'Why do my insides keep flip-flopping? Why can't I stop it? Is anything stuck in my teeth? Did I eat anything just now?'
"Seeing you, of course. Don't you remember the date we made just now?"
"Uh..."
"I promised that I'd cut down on my work, didn't I? Anyway. I'm helping you with your job. Clearly you're not busy." he added, casually looking around him.
"Yeah s-"
"So I thought I should help you with your job. It would be very... 'Ungenltemanly' of me."

I laughed. "I think that's the first time your English went off."
He raised an eyebrow. "Was my English off?" he said, deliberately laying the British accent thick.

That's not helping. Not helping with the flip-flopping heart. Not helping.

"Here's a twenty. Keep the change. Now hurry up. I didn't pay you to stand there & be pretty, you know." he said & with that, he turned around & walked off, whistling away.
My head's spinning. Why the heavy tip? He's practically paying me for a date - with a $15 tip! & he called me pretty!
Okay. Now I just sound like Leia.

Seriously. Could I have a better boyfriend?
I doubt it.












"You paid me to train you, not the other way around." I protested to a yawning Grant.
"Well, yes. But it's just that, I enjoy mini golf-" (I raised my eyebrow at that.) "-& having someone - especially if that someone is a very attractive someone -to tell me how to play the game. So how about I tell that very attractive someone the real way to get a hole-in-one?" Grant reasoned.

I swear. He's the only one I knew who made pick-up lines ending with lame pun-jokes & actually get away with it.

"But..." He paid for my services. Not the other way around. "At least get your money back."
"& draw the money from charity? Anyway, I really should be paying for moments like these." he winked at me.

I blushed, not even knowing why.

"Okay, lets start, shall we?" I said, trying to change the subject.
"Sure," he shrugged, resting the golf club on his shoulder.

After setting the golf ball in front of me, I moved to the starting position - my right hand above my left as I grip the golf club, which was placed an inch away from between my feet.
I shuffled my feet, testing the ground. The moment was just right. I could feel it.
So I lifted my golf club, closed my eyes shut & swung.

Bop!

I opened & tried not to die from embarrassment right there & then - the ball was only a few feet away from me.
I heard a strangled noise from behind.

"Don't." I warned him. "Don't even say a word."
"I-I-I," Grant managed between (silent) chortles. "Okay."

I turned around for a glare but before I knew what was about to happen, he reached out for me & spun me around again.
"Okay. This is where I come in." he said haughtily.
I fixed my glare on him - although, to be honest, I couldn't stay angry at him at all. Not when he was just standing in front of me, looking down at me with that annoyingly crooked grin of his, his blue eyes smiling along.

"Come on. Go into position." he said gently.
Giving up, I did as I was told.
"No, no. See? There's the problem. You just move your hands further..." he pushed my right hand higher. "& tighten your grip-" his hands closed around mine.
"Now you bend a little."

O-kay, I could handle that. (Because I was a little afraid of what he was about to do to make me bend down)
"Focus." Grant said. I blinked. He smiled.
"& when you swing, just move to the back-" his arms encircled me. "Arch." I did. "-& open your eyes." he whispered in my ear.

My eyes flew open. His breath was hot, tickling my cheek.
"& swing."
He moved my arms gently to & fro & suddenly...

Bop!

We watched the golf ball go past the windmill
& over the bridge
& into the crocodile's mouth!

"Hole-in-one!" someone yelled.
I started jumping up & down, cheering (because, hey, this was my first time ever I had a hole-in-one! Or two, actually. But never mind). Then I hugged Grant & he just lifted me up.

At that moment, I felt as if I was invincible. As if I could just get away with anything.
Like I was at the top of the world.

He put me back down, blushed (blushed? Can I just say that he looked adorable blushing?) & scratched the back of his head.
"Uh... That didn't... Um..."
But he stopped stalling because I tip-toed & kissed him on the lips.

He was a little surprised at first, but I guess he got over it because a second later, he pulled me towards him & kissed me like there was no tomorrow.
Or he would have kissed me like there was no tomorrow if his phone hadn't rung.

Grant checked the caller ID & muttered, "Shit."
"Sorry, Kathy. I have to take this."
"S'alright." I said but he probably didn't hear me because he had walked off by then.








We were quiet en route to my house. It felt perfect - it was perfect, walking there under the stars with him at the park.
I mean, it wasn't a corny moment where we felt as if this day could last forever, holding each other's hands while the sun set.

Geesh. That would be too perfect & a little cheesy.
Okay. Very cheesy.

It was a comfortable kind of quiet. The breeze was nice, the spring perfume filling through the air.
"Thanks for the training, Grant." I said, wanting to make another moment.
"No, thank you." he smiled.

My heart did that familiar somersault. I was starting to... Like it.

A silence hushed over us as we walked. I took the opportunity to glance at Grant.
I couldn't believe that I was fortunate enough to be with him. Six foot one, funny, cute...

Then I realised that that were the few things I know about him.
Sure, everyone knows he's cute. Most of us know his sarcastic humour, arrogance & stubbornness (well, okay, just the Chief & I).
But what do I know - really know - about Grant Fend?

I don't know what's his mother's name, nor his father's. I don't know whether he has siblings or some sort of disorder that he has been hiding.
I don't even know when's his birthday! Or his favourite colour.

"Grant," I said.
"Mmm?"
"How's your mom?"

He kept silent but I felt his body stiffen.

"Grant?" I asked, getting slightly nervous.
Grant finally spoke. "Why the hell do you keep asking about my mother."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement, a demand.
Something about his quiet, flat tone made me even more nervous.

"B-because..."
"She's dead." he said.
"Grant." The pain etched in his face, that darkness that hooded his eyes...

At that moment, that vulnerable five year old was standing right in front of me, instead of a cocky sixteen year old.
What else was I supposed to do? When you see a five year old who dropped his ice cream, you'd comfort him.
That's what I tried to do - comfort him.

My hand reached out for Grant but he dodged it away.
He was shuttered. Completely.
You don't need to be a trained agent to tell - from the hunched shoulders to the sad frown on his face.

"Leave me alone." he muttered.
"Grant." I took a step forward.
"I said leave me alone!" he yelled. "Get the hell out of here."

I ran.











Today's Mother's Day.
Dave & I usually spend this day visiting Mom at the cemetery, leaving her presents & telling her stories of the latest world news.
Dave would get out of the house four days every year since his fiancée's death. Today was one of those days.

I pulled at the growing shrubs around her headstone & my fingertips lingered at the carvings (Amelia Jones-Hally 1961 - 2006 ; A good wife, a good mother, a good sister & a good friend).
I felt Dave's hand on my shoulder. He slowly knelt in front of her grave & laid a bouquet of daisies on it.

It was my mom's favourite flower. When we were small, she told us that daisies are actually twins of sunflowers, seperated by birth. She told us that I was the sunflower & Dave was the daisy.

I know that the story wasn't true. I checked.
But I still believe in it. I really do.








It was lunch time.
I haven't seen Grant anywhere but I had a feeling I was about to.
See him, I mean.

He's too proud to just diss on me. He won't let anything get in the way.
That's the type of person he is.

Then again, it's not as if I know who the real Grant is.
Take yesterday for example.
Grant didn't seem like the yelling type. Sarcastic, sure. Pompous, definitely.
But a yeller?

I guess I was wrong.

As I sat down at my usual table, a voice behind me said, "Rough day, huh?"
I looked up to see Nina Dime from the mini golf course, grinning down at me.

"Oh, hey." I said while playing around with the cafeteria salad.
"Didn't answer my question," she said in mouthfuls.

I stared at her. She was as fit as a girl could get yet she could eat like a horse!
The minute she sat down she began to gobble down her lunch, which was a healthy-looking hamburger.

Not the McDonald's kind but the cafeteria kind, which was just plalin wrong.
The cafeteria hamburger looked normal but when inspected carefully, you may notice the grease oozing from underneath the sesamee seed bun.

Ugh.

"Don't talk with your mouthfuls." I said.
She smiled.

"Hey," someone said from behind.
My heart instantly did a loop-dee-loop. For a second there, me, being the stupid one, even though I had been trained for over 3 years now, thinking that it was Grant.

Fat chance.

"Hey," I said, trying not to show my disappointment.
"So," Chaz said as he shuffled his feet, looking downwards. "Just wanted to say sorry."
"S'alright." I smiled a small smile.

It was kind of sweet of him. We'd been hanging out for over a year now & even though we're exes (God knows what exes are supposed to act around each other), he still remembered what today was.

Well, that's stupid. I mean, everyone knows what occassion it was.
They just don't know what the real sentiment is to me.

"Thanks." I said.
He nodded his head & walked away, sitting beside Leia, who gave me a sharp glare.

"Who," Nina said between chomps (I never realised how similar she is to my brother), "was that?"
"Oh. That's just Chaz."
"He's kinda cute."

I raised my eyebrows.

"I'm just saying," she shrugged & quickly focused on her already halfway eaten burger.
"What was that all about anyway? Why's he sorry?"
"You're a bundle of questions."
"& you look like your goldfish just died."
"Hey, that was 3 years ago." I said defensively.

She laughed.

"& where's your boyfriend? You know, the flirty guy who asked specifically for you at the Hole-In-One, whom I presume is your boyfriend?"
I muttered something incomprehensible as I chewed on my salad.

"Ah. Lovers' quarrel."
"It is- No, I- We're n-!" I spluttered.
"Uh, uh, uh!" she wagged her finger at me. "Don't talk when your mouth is full. It's not polite."

We laughed.
Then, I realised I was the only one laughing & looked at Nina, who was looking behind her.

So I looked & found myself looking at a guy's stomach.
Woah.

Looked up, up, up...
"We need to talk."

My eyes met his green ones.
There was no smile on his face nor on his eyes.

I considered sitting stubbornly on my seat.
Unfortunately, Grant must have figured out my plan & just dragged me from my seat right out the cafeteria door.












"Grant, what the hell are yo-"
"Firstly, don't expect an apology from me. It was your fault. You should've known better." he said, his voice flat.

I stared at him. Then, I had this image of me strangling him in my brain.
It wouldn't be hard. There must be some sort of cloth somewhere.

Then I realised I couldn't do that.
Because it's morally wrong, illegal & murder.
Plus killing your boyfriend-slash-partner isn't something you'd want to brag about.

He had the... Audacity to just blame everything on me?
He was the one who bit my head off & just spat it back out.
He was the one who dragged me from the cafeteria, as if I'm this punished kid.

He's the one to get the blame. Not me.

I told him that.
Then, he sighed & ran his fingers through his hair.

I've learnt that that wasn't necessarily a good sign.
Grant does it when he's frustrated & doesn't know what to do next.

"Look. Why is it so important for you to know about my mother?"
I took in a deep breath & counted to 10. "Because I don't know you."
"& so you think that knowing my maternal figure will help you figure me out?" he said a little whimsically.

I could see the Grant I knew abit clearly now.

"Yes." I said, dead serious.
It's true. You are genetically related to your mother.
There's a piece of your mother inside of you.

I told him that, too.

"I wouldn't want that." he muttered.
"Grant," I said, appalled.
He looked at me. "Why would I want her to reflect on me? Fine. You wanna know my mother. Here's what it is. Her name is Cecilia J. Davies. Don't ask me what the 'J' stands for. I don't know what it is, either. She met my father in a bakery store along Oxford Street. I was born. That's when the arguing started."

He went silent & looked down.
There was something so... Broken. That's one word to put it nicely.
He looked so broken & I just wanted to fix him - help him.

"Three years later, she left us. So my dad had to take care of me alone. A single parent. It was hard of him, sure. When I turned 12, I got a letter from her, telling me that she got married again. Three years later, she changed her name to Lily Davies & got engaged to a banker. That's the last I've heard from her eversince."

"Grant," I said after a moment of silence.
He kept quiet.
"I'm sorry." I slowly walked to him, tip-toed & wrapped my arms around him.

He rested his cheek on my hair & planted a kiss on my head.

It must've looked weird, this tall guy being hugged by a girl on tip-toes behind the World Civ. section.
Slowly, his hands crept up my back & hugged me.

I could feel him hesitating but he finally hugged me back & squeezed the life out of me.
"I'm so sorry," I said.

The top of my head felt wet.
My vision was blurred, my cheeks were moist.

We hugged tighter.

"Oh God, get a room." a familiar voice said.
We immediately pulled away.

Trust Leia & her drones to ruin my Hallmark moment with Grant.

"I'm sorry, too." he said, his voice sounding strangely rough.
"No secrets from each other, alright?" I asked him, looking up.
He nodded.

But I couldn't help but notice how careful his nod was.
Yet I didn't care.

I didn't wonder - not that much, anyway - why.
I should've, though.

I realise that only now.