▫️ Nineteen

Grey's pov

It was half past seven, way far from my usual waking time. The ringing of my phone had stirred me awake and I groggily reached for it from the nightstand.

This was a first, I had slept in.

Reece's excited voice came through so pitched that I had to pull the device away from my ears. I turned to the left and subconsciously furrowed my face into the covers.

I inhaled into the sweet and calming scent of Ginelle that had carried me throughout the night. The lemon was still strong on my pillows despite it being a few days ago when she'd been laying here.

The nights that had followed were blissful to me. I had found it easy to fall asleep even to the point of discarding the bears that usually stayed on the bed.

She had seen them though she hadn't questioned yet and I was beyond grateful. I had planned to tell her that they were Mayella's but the thought of lying to her didn't sit well with me.

Even in my sleep I had been calm, smiling of the sweet dreams I had. She was there and her presence seemed to brighten everything. There was light around me in my dreams though my focus seemed to only remain on her.

"Are you even up?" Reece brought me back to the present and I seemed to remember that I was still on call. Now that I checked the date, we had a mission today.

"Yeah, I'll be there soon." There had been a lot of cases lately about drugs being smuggled into the country and we were supposed to help the airport security infiltrate the goods.

We had been distributed to all the major airports though I was still in charge of them all. I was quick enough to prepare so as not to keep the others waiting.

I randomly wore a black t-shirt since we were going to get the airport uniform from their offices. My eyes lingered on the blue shirt that stood out from all my clothes.

She said I looked good in blue.

I had contemplated putting it on but I would end up wearing the shirt almost everyday. Perhaps buying another one would be the best idea. Lately my eyes tended to catch sight of blue items.

I took out all the necessary paperwork after quickly sipping a cup of milk and then drove off. There was no time to have a proper meal.

I was already late as it was and it was quite surprising the higher ups hadn't called. I caught sight of my phone at the dashboard and my thoughts fleeted back to yesterday.

Ginelle had called saying she wanted to wish me a good night. My heart seemed to get livelier after hearing her voice as I sat at the balcony looking up at the sky she loved to watch.

It was endearing how she liked the smallest of things. I watched the stars for the first time in my life as I listened to her cute rambles. She had told me about all her experiences and what she had done all day.

Fascinating is what she was and I hang onto every word, listening carefully to all her interests. I had the deepest urge to know her, learn to appreciate things they way she saw them. I wanted to see everything in her light because I found it beautiful when it was with her.

After our call I had stared at the sky for the longest time ever. Even with the city lights, the stars and the moon shining over the city, the sweetness of her voice dominated the night as it continued to ring in my mind.

I stared at her contact while driving with my left hand and after much internal conflict, I send a good morning text. She tended to sleep till later in the mornings though I hoped she was awake by now.

She had also told me that she would be meeting her parents today for a small re-union they had every month.

They always came to check on her and bring some of the foods from home that she so missed. I was so happy that she had such a sweet family.

My phone pinged and I quickly picked up to see who had texted trying to appear relaxed though deep down I wished it was her. Her name lit up on the screen and a smile seemed to form on my stern face.

She had replied and I felt a sense of excitement and contentment flow through me at just seeing her message. It was just a simple greeting though she had added a smiling face with heart eyes at the end.

I hovered over her name, remembering of the day she had given me her number. I had stared at the contact that evening as if in disbelief.

Previously there were only two female contacts on my phone, Nana and Rosie, Reece's mom. I didn't have any female friends and as Nana loved to say, I was a lone man.

In the past Reece had shared my contact to some girls when we were in military school but after my lack of response, they had eventually left me alone.

It felt like a dream to me that she was even talking to me at this point. I rarely spoke but lately I had been trying much to look approachable and normal when I was with her.

I wanted to release the words that seemed to get stuck at the back of my throat. My quiet nature didn't inconvenience me at any time in the past but I wanted to communicate better with her.

A loud honk from behind jolted me back to the present and it's then I realized I had been driving slower than a snail's pace on such a busy highway.

The driver switched lanes and I could tell he was casting profanities with the stink eye he gave me. My phone screen lit up again and I unlocked it in a second.

Ginelle had texted again saying she was now at the airport waiting for them. I hastily picked up my speed when I learned it was the same one I'd be supervising.

If just seeing her text brought this significant change in me, I wasn't sure what could be my final blow. I was slowly giving in to the world she lived in.

I got to the airport faster than any racing car could after speeding for just a few minutes. It wouldn't get me in any trouble but I had never taken advantage of that priority before.

The airport security led me to the offices where our team was getting ready. They had already changed into the required attire and I was given one myself.

I laid down the strategy, assigning everyone a terminal where they would thoroughly check all members boarding and alighting with all their luggage. I let a few walk around as civilians.

Reece came over to hand out the walkie talkies that would ease our communication incase anything were to happen. He was quick in his work though his gaze shifted when it came to Clarissa, the new female recruit.

She had been on our team for almost a month now and Reece never seemed to leave her. Wherever she was he happened to be there too.

Clarissa didn't spare him a glance after taking her device and she followed the rest as they got ready to leave for their assigned areas. I could notice men keep their distance from her unlike how it was during the first week.

Someone had to have gotten territorial.

I cleared my throat severally so as to get his attention. Reece gave a brief glance as he asked if I had sorted everything though I could tell he was distracted.

"Might drop your jaw," I snickered beside him as his eyes followed her out of the room with his mouth slightly open. I looked over my shoulder in a smirk then left with the rest.

I roughly scanned over the area as passengers picked their boarding passes while others alighted to meet their relatives or whoever was picking them up.

This was a job, I wasn't supposed to get distracted but my eyes fleeted over the waiting area too often than necessary. I hadn't seen her yet, especially since I didn't know the exact flight her parents had taken.

"Suspicious man spotted on the left wing near gate A." One of the teams reported and I discreetly signalled our undercover men to proceed with caution then asked another team to keep an eye but not to approach the target.

The tech team described the surroundings and the physique of the said man. Tall, slender with a brown coat and a black cap. The man had a large bag that he refused to have it go through the security check.

I watched the scene from a distance as the said man spoke in a foreign language that the receptionist didn't seem to understand either.

Then I caught sight of another man on the opposite end. He didn't have any luggage though he was closely watching the reception.

He appeared to be idling but I saw him signalling the surrounded man using his reflection at the glass counter. There was more than one target.

I slowly caged into him after asking Reece to thoroughly check the floor for any other suspicious activity. My target seemed to flee as soon as the bag from the other man was opened.

He was quick enough to sprint through the crowd though Reece helped me trace him through the cameras. The first guy had done a good job distracting us.

I asked for backup after the target ran through several blind spots and the monitors lost sight of him. He seemed to have thoroughly prepared for what he was going to do.

All security check points were temporarily held down after another team reported that firearms had been traced at gate B. The crowd began mumbling due to the delay and I got more worried about Ginelle.

We thoroughly checked all areas around where we had lost the target with no success meaning there was another person in the picture or he had changed his attire.

Using his gait characteristics wasn't an option with so many people around. I looked through the murmuring crowd and my eyes widened when I saw her.

Ginelle was part of the crowd that squeezed and pushed, shoving each other onto the walls of the small waiting area. I held back a wince when a man harshly bumped her shoulder.

He didn't turn to apologize and I grinded my teeth in fury. Then I looked again. Six feet, crooked nose and blonde hair. Our target had masked himself with the people and the fact that he was that close to my tulip put me on the edge.

I sprinted as fast as possible towards his fleeting figure just before he exited the hallway that led to the washrooms. He seemed to know all the routes that never had surveillance and I began to suspect he was a worker here.

We waited by the door after hearing shuffling inside and I motioned two of our men to follow in. I led others to the exit on the left side so as to trap them completely.

My men were quick to handle them and they collected over thirty bags of different drugs stored in a 'unused' washroom. Over five airport workers had been found guilty of colluding with outsiders to ferry the drugs in and out.

I let the different team leaders conclude the investigation as I earnestly searched all round the area I had last seen Ginelle. She was no where to be seen, left and right, there was no trace.

Clenching my hands, I felt a terrible feeling sink into my stomach. I should have checked on her first but I had thought being surrounded by people was the safest option.

She had been all alone and my jaw ticked I frustration when the passengers began to move in. Her parents had to be among the lot that was now coming in.

"Security room." Reece spoke through the earpiece though I disregarded his words. I wasn't going to chase after criminals when I didn't know whether she was safe.

I began to check through all stalls within reach when Reece spoke again and I felt like plugging out the earpiece. "She's there." I angrily clicked as my eyes narrowed.

There was malice building up in me and I didn't need him to push me further. I suddenly stopped and turned back. He had been talking about Ginelle.

The security room was filled with screens all over. Reece was still monitoring the whole airport though he pointed to the door behind him as soon as I walked in.

"Is Grey really here?" It was her voice that had me pushing the door with much force that I startled the two ladies inside. Clarissa, who had been rigidly standing by the wall beside her straighted as I came in.

My feet moved at their own accord and I pulled my tulip into my chest as I deeply inhaled her hair. It was calming and I wound my arms over her waist as I drowned into her comforting scent.

Her face rested above my heart and her hands circled my back halfway. She lifted her face from my chest and worriedly looked up. "Are you okay?" I swallowed harshly trying to tone down how fast my heart was racing.

"Mmh," I hummed and her eyes twinkled as if disbelieving. She wrapped her hands firmly around my waist then stood on her toes and kissed the side of my neck.

It was brief that I wasn't sure if it was real or the illusion of my thoughts. The fast spreading blush on her face however confirmed what she had done and I tightened my hold her.

She shyly looked at me and said, "It's supposed to make you feel relaxed." The door locked in a soft click and I stared down at her smiling face as she explained.

I thought my height might have inconvenienced her but it seems the kiss was intended for my neck. Smiling to myself, my eyes wandered to her chin then to the exposed area of her neck.

A dress, she was wearing one. The one that had her shoulder blades visible. I couldn't restrain myself so I slowly leaned down and buried my face into the side of her neck.

The spot was soft and I trailed my nose up and down as I inhaled. She dug her fingers into my back and I planted a soft kiss then pulled back to watch her face.

Beetroot.

Her eyes were closed and I steadily framed a strand of hair away from her face. My right thumb grazed over her left cheek and her eyes flew open.

She shyly looked at me then broke eye contact and flushed her face into my chest. The brown of her eyes seemed to deepen reminding me of something sweet.

"Honey,"

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