CAPTAIN STONE

ELIJAH STONE POV

“Captain Stone?” Jake calls out.

I halt, pausing by the exit, hoping he didn’t need me to stay at the office, I can’t spend any more time time around this man, I need to think and he clouds my ability to do so.

“The flowers you ordered arrived, it’s you anniversary with Viv remember?”

My eyes widen.

I forgot about it.. it’s not a real anniversary exactly, but a monthiversary. Something she came up with, we celebrated this once a month, on the date she asked me to be her boyfriend.

 I walk back to the central desk, where we keep all deliveries as they came, the peonies I have always given her every month, lay there, from her favorite store and everything, yet it fills me with sadness I cannot comprehend.

 “Thanks,” I mutter.

He nods once, returning to his work.

“Pretty boy?” My body tense. “Are you okay with leaving just like that? Knowing you would never see me again?”

I grit my teeth, ignoring his question and the wave of protests that crash into me at his questions, pretending the way my body responds to the nickname is simply because I am excited to meet Viv, and I walk into the chilly night air. When I check the time, it’s almost midnight, which meant the monthiversary we never got to spend together is coming to an end.

 I spent last night at the office, pouring over details of the plan, because nothing can go wrong for the ‘day’. My team and I have worked hard in preparation for the day, and the prime minister himself is also looking forward to the day. Once we accomplish this mission, everything would go the way I want, in order words, everything is riding on the success of this mission, nothing can go wrong.

 The lights are still on in the house, I swallow, looking up at the house. I know she isn’t waiting up for me, the honeymoon phase of our relationship had long elapsed, we have been a little more than roommates for a while.

 “Hey…” I say as a means of greeting as I enter the room.

She looks up from the vanity mirror with a smile. Her teeth are perfect, the guys on my team ask a lot if she was born with it, she wasn’t but it didn’t matter, the rest of her is real. She is hot, sexy, beautiful, words I have heard guys use to describe her, so when she asked me to be her boyfriend…

 “You came back early today.”

I stretch the flowers awkwardly, six months, six times I have given her these flowers, yet it still hasn’t become natural to me.

 She takes them with a grateful smile, sniffing them like she has done all the times I give her flowers.

“Happy monthiversary, another day I am reminded how lucky I am to have you in my life.”

Her eyes widen, she forgot what date it was, I don’t care, it didn’t matter she forgot, she is all the present I need, I don’t need anything else, anyone else, not someone with eyes that make my toes curl, or hair that make me want to run my fingers through them, definitely not a man.

 I lean downwards and kiss her, she is still for a second, surprised. I haven’t initiated physical contact first, as sorry as that is. It is even sorrier that I am only doing this because I am trying to prove something to myself.

 The kiss falls flat. Like I said, we are a little more than roommates.

Her hands fall to my crotch and it’s not the same, the bolt of electricity that came from his hand touching me is absent now, has been, actually, has never been…

 I am flaccid. She chuckles,

“Still not ready for me, I see.”

I bite my lip in worry, watching her rise from her seat, walking around in underwear, and nothing. Before tonight I worried I was dead down there, and Viv, sweet Viv, has been patient with me, she thinks I am shy.

 However, I know different now. My girlfriend half naked does nothing for me, but a ruggedly handsome man in baggy jeans and a hoodie, did things to my body and my mind.

“Are you going somewhere?” I ask when she holds two dresses up. I pick the one on the right, she looks best in red. She smiles cheekily at me before dropping the green. I help her shimmy into it. See? Roommates. Friendly, distant, helpful.

 “Yeah, I might sleep out tonight. My friend, Diamond? Remember her?”

I did, so I nod.

“She thinks she found a news story worth covering, and I have to be there. This little number is to get me in.” she winks, pointing to the little red dress that leaves nothing to the imagination.

Viv is something she calls an influencer, before now she struggled to find a niche, she did cute videos, and they didn’t do well, and she wouldn’t bait anyone with her body, something I admire. Then she found crime, and no matter how much I dissuaded her, she wouldn’t have it. Her following increases by the day, and she has grown to love it.

 “If you didn’t work on blue collar crimes I would have material without going to dangerous places.” she argued every time I said it was dangerous.

So I let her, maybe out of guilt that I couldn’t get myself to be attracted to her in a way that I should, but I let her. Even as I watch her climb into her car, I am certain it’s guilt.

 “Oh, and Elijah? Happy monthiversary. I am grateful you’re you.”

As she drives away, Jake’s call comes in.

“I let him go, his story checks out, and he hasn’t been anywhere around the prime minister ever.”

A rush of relief hits me. Jesse is gone. I never have to see him again.

 I wouldn’t feel this way for another man ever again. Everything would go back to normal. Viv and I will work out.

She is perfect, and she is right, I am just shy.

 I never had the time to date in high school, it was worse at the academy, there was simply no time. This is my first ever relationship at twenty eight, it is totally normal that I have no clue how to navigate it.

 Viv even had a name for me because of it. Mr. manners hands. She said I am a perfect gentleman whose hands never roamed, and I kept my hands to myself.

 Would she say the same if she knew what I did with him?

 That I was no Mr. Manners hands? I feel sick to my stomach. I want to throw up.

 I barely make it to the toilet when Kelly, one of the two guys from the team stationed at the prime minister’s house calls. I swallow back my personal issues, work always came first, always.

 “Captain stone?”

I let out a breath, knowing that Kelly was one of my best guys who were quick to action, he wouldn’t call me if it weren’t serious. I need to be at the same shape I was when I graduated from the training academy.

 “Situation report?”

His voice is tight.

“The ‘day’ has been moved up, it’s in the next two hours.”

My chest tightens. This is it.

The mission, the entire operation, everything rides on this moment.

The team cannot fail.

 I cannot fail. Won’t fail.

 Everything rides on the fact that, us, the team of overpaid guard dogs have to steal something for our client, and failing is not an option.

 I need to be Captain Elijah Stone again.

Not the man who wants someone he should never want.

Just the soldier. The one who always wins.