“That movie was delightful Tomas! It was indeed a great choice!”, Aila shouted back to Tomas.

“Couldn’t have picked it better yourself?”, Tomas mused.

“YES! It was such a good satire. Making fun of clichés, having the damsel rescue the hero, the villain be the hero, the prince be the villain, etc. Daring sword fights, magic, beautiful landscapes and a realistic romance that is proven over time? It was definitely my cup of tea!”, she squeaked out into the night.

After their successful auditions, Tomas had proposed treating themselves to a celebration of sorts and watching a movie. Aila had been…indecisive to which movie to pick so Tomas had chosen what he thought would be a romance. Instead, it was a romantic action comedy satire that pulled on his heartstrings and made him cry in front of Aila.

So much for being manly, he thought to himself.

While Tomas was entrenched in his thoughts, Aila was skipping around the sidewalk, humming a lovely tune, clearly still thinking about the movie’s male protagonist. He had not missed her gasp when the pirate was revealed to be Wesley. If only he could get her to look at him like that…only in dreams did he think he had a chance with a girl like Aila. She was too delicate to be ever with someone like him.

Suddenly, Aila pranced around to where Tomas was and tapped him on the shoulder. “Hello sleepyhead, why aren’t you enjoying yourself right now? We both got into a choir, saw a great movie and have the whole night ahead of us! Why do you have to look so forlorn?”, her eyes sparkled as she said that.

The reason probably was that Tomas was pondering over how much he liked her.

Oh, would he have the guts to tell her how he felt about her tonight? Her smile made him melt into a puddle. Why couldn’t he get the words out of his mouth?

“Aila, you know that my brother’s wedding is in a few weeks and…”, he trailed off, not daring to finish his sentence. What if she rejected his advances? Refused him? He would be heartbroken.

Aila had a wicked thought at that moment. Last time she had been at his apartment, she had searched for a way in and found none ’cept the front door. She had tried looking for a spare key and nothing! He did not leave anything to chance! No spare keys hiding in a vase or a bush, rather he kept his only key near to his heart. If she was to have a chance at retrieving those files, then she better play the role of Princess Buttercup in her own story or she would lose her chance forever.

You know what. I’d rather try out my chances. I don’t want to be lonely no more if I can help it, he thought.

“Aila, would you…would you be more than my date at the wedding? Would you, only if you’re interested of course…”

“Spit it out you teddy bear!” How endearing that she called him teddy bear. He hoped that taking his shot would be worth it in the long run.

“Would you be my girlfriend, Aila MacWhillan?”

A few moments passed until he repeated his question again. This time, only an echo of sirens were heard off in the distance, far away from here.

She finally spoke and said, “I’m confused, Tomas.”

Tomas’s heartbeat stopped.

“I thought I already was your date”, she retorted.

Tomas’s breathing returned to normal and he sighed in relief.

“Not just my date for the wedding, but my girlfriend.”, he recounted.

“That’s what I said. I thought we were already a couple, Tomas.”

His jaw dropped so far to the ground it almost tasted the cement.

“Although, it’s nice that I can call you boyfriend now. I’ve never really had a boyfriend before…”

Because I’ve been in spy school most of my life, she finished the statement in her thoughts.

“This is my first time dating as well. So it’s good we will be trying out new experiences together”, he suggested.

Out of nowhere, Tomas hugged Aila tight and whispered to her.

“Aila you are the most kindest, caring and sincere person I have met. You are the one person in life who has never lied to me. I commend you for that.”, Aila grimaced when he said this. Each word was a nail in her coffin. Tomas was so good to her…and she was lying to him through the thick of her teeth.

Oh Tomas, one day you’ll wish you had never known me. I’ll break your heart and split it in two, she mulled over in her mind.

When the hug finally ended, he said something that made Aila wince internally and cringe at her lies. Her deception was already making her uneasy around him.

“Not to mention you’re gorgeous. As the starry sky is to sailors a guide to come home, you are the map that guides me to be a better version of myself.”

Oh God, why does this hurt? Aila asked silently in her thoughts. If the mission was completed, would she ever have a chance at a true connection with Tomas? Would he ever forgive if he found out she was using him all along? Especially if she was using him as the middle man between her and his uncle? she thought not.

She wished with all her might that the two could just stay in that moment, but she had work to do.

“You know next time Tomas? You could take me to see the planetarium. That way we’d really see the starry sky in full view!”, her grin barely made it to her eyes. She had to keep it together or he would be able to tell.

“Alright.”, he said as he escorted her home and bid goodnight.

Back at her apartment, she called her commander and told him the good news.

“The mission is a go sir.”