I knew I would miss her. I just didn’t know I would be drowning in her absence.

The previous night Tawo had said to me “Your sunshine is gone.” , her eyes glimmering with sympathy.

I feigned a smile. She could die any day. How had I been so foolish in allowing her into my heart. yes I was more laconic and serious on my own but maybe I preferred it than this constant maddening ache. Maybe when she returned, I would end it all. after all we weren’t even dating. We were just stuck in between friends and the dating phase. My phone rang. It was Xo. I answered.

“It’s me Naledi.” Her voice made my heart swoon. She told me almost died on a risky mission. Oh how I wished I had fallen in love with a coward. She told me that she lay in the enemy’s lair for a long time and she kept thinking of me in that time. my lisps formed a smile. She told she was willing to take the plunge. Ecstasy filled my heart. I told her I would send a phone so we could call me.

“I love you, goodnight.” I told her. I walked over to the kitchen to grab mid-morning snack.

“You just talked to your little sunshine didn’t you?” Tawo asked.

I chuckled “What gave it away?”

“You look happier.” She placed a dirty dish in the sink. “Don’t let her go.”

I chortled. Oh how close I was to letting her go today.

I found the S bombs Ulalo’s biggest weapon. I went to Sali’s house and I briefed her on everything I had found out. I tried to keep the horror away from my mind. A bomb of radius it could kill them all; Xo, Naledi and the other troops. I wanted to call Naledi and tell her to stay but I knew she would not listen. Xo was returning home in a few day’s time. Salifya’s mother had to find the EMP and end this all.

“I am okay, save for a few bruises,” Naledi said. A bomb had exploded in their encampment and killed five people and injured many. I wanted to tell her to come home with Xo but I knew she would stay so instead I listened to her tell me stories of the warfront and answered her questions about my work.

Salifya’s mother found the EMP. Ipy, Mwase, Ntawale, a few soldiers from Aka-rebel and Naledi were going to retrieve it. After Naledi and I spoke, I wish I had ended it before this thing begun. She was going on a deadly mission. I focused my energies on finding out who Ulalo had sent to retrieve the EMP. When I got through their encrypted communications, I found they had sent their best. Far more trained than Naledi’s team. I tried calling her but I could not reach her. Naledi had warned me she would be unreachable. I sent the message to the base Naledi had been part of. After that I focused on identifying more of Ulalo’s operatives so that when this was over they would all go down.

Tawona placed her arm on my shoulder. “Have you had lunch?”

I shook my head. tawo sat on my desk. She knew I hated it when she did that. I moved my gaze from my screen to her.

“You are worried about Naledi?”

I nodded my head.

“Does it help? Burying yourself in work?”

“Outside of prayer, it’s there only thing keeping me sober.”

Her eyes widened with shock. She patted my shoulder. “She will return.”

“She means so much to me. If she died, my possible future would die too.”

“I know,” her face reflected sympathy. “I am so proud of big brother, opening yourself to her like you did after what you went through. It was incredible brave.”

“I just hope she comes back because I cant do this again.”

“She will.” She got up. “Come get lunch. I ordered pizza.”

I had found out the identity of the mole who had been sending intel on Ulalo to Ipyana the last seven month. I made my way to Salifya’s and told her all I knew. Before she could respond, we heard Shasha at the door holding a blaster to Xo who had just arrived. Salifya fetched a gun from a compartment of her sitting room table, I took out the gun from my holster, Salifya’s mother did the same. We let Shasha and Xo in. shasha explained that she was undercover and I had indeed been feeding intel into Ipyana. she also warned us that Ulalo had sent a highly trained group of assassins to kill Salifya and herself. Xo, Salifya’s mother and myself got busy fortifying Xo’ s security system. Salifya’s groans moved from barely audible to full throttle groans. I could tell it hurt Xo not being at her side while she was in labour. Salifya was still making good tactical calls even though in she was in agony. We all moved to the vault having done all we could to Xo’s security system. The assassins has stormed through Xo and Salifya’s compound all armed to a teeth. I watched the remote rifles Shasha and Salifya set up take out two of them. after that they were careful and avoided most of the defences that we had put up in the house. Xo’s bot only managed to take out two of the assassins before they disabled her. They were still four. I could die today. A tingle of pain clenched my heart. Naledi. She had come to rely on me. that wasn’t easy for her. she had placed barricades around her heart after her experience in the brothel. Would she love again after me? would she die alone? she deserved love. I could hear Salifya panting at the bed, and everyone else cheering her on to push. The vault doors opened involuntarily. The assassin’s hacker had breached all of Xo’s defences.

It should not have worked but Xo’s plea got their attention long enough for Shasha, myself, Salifya’s mother to take them out. that’s when the back up that Salifya and Shasha had called for arrived. Naledi sent a message telling me her mission was a success. My sunshine was coming home. Xo, Sali and their child left for the hospital.

“Its today?” Tawo eyed the flowers in my hand. They were rose gold metal flowers Naledi’s favourite.

I nodded m head and left. I stood at the base with Mwase’s wife and many other people in the soldier’s lives. I saw her walk out of the train pod with Ipyana. they pushed past the reporters. She saw me, she started to ran, I walked briskly towards her. As soon as she neared me, I dropped her flowers and placed her in my arms. We both didn’t care who was watching our unsual hug.

“I missed you,” she whispered.

Overwhelmed by my elation, I didn’t speak. I put her down, and gave her the flowers.

“Thank you,” she smiled. I noticed Ipyana had gone where her mother and sisters were.

“Where are your parents?” I asked Naledi as I flew her to apartment.

“I didn’t tell them that I had gone to the war front. So they don’t know that I left. I put an answer generator in my phone that had pre-recorded answers incase they called me.”

“I hope you will tell them the truth now that you are home safe.”

She nodded. They were nights thoughts of her not returning haunting me chasing away my sleep.

Naledi hooked her hand in mine. “I really missed you.”

I squeezed her hand. “I missed you too.” our eyes locked for a moment, neither of us willing to pull away from our gaze. Her phone beeped.

“Why did I see your face at the base for the soldiers returning from the war front?” An angry woman on the other side said. I guessed it was her mother from the angst look on Naledi’s face. Naledi gave me a panicked look. Then confessed that she had been away. For the rest of the ride to her apartment I listened to her mother chiding her for lying and risking her life.

I wish she had chosen a different time to tell me she loved me. At the bot convention surrounded by people. I could not lean in and kiss her. Instead I smiled at her, a smile that told of her of the warmth she filled my heart with.

The End