I heard bells ringing when I opened the door to the café. The smell of cakes, cookies and coffee filled the room. It was comfortably warm, I waited behind the other people. People were chatting all around me, since it was a small café, it was a bit loud and that was kind of a problem. I was sensitive about noises and tight places filled with humans. But I had to see him, get a coffee and my cookies. After a while I saw him behind the register, he took the orders, wrote them down, took the money and gave the order to his colleague to get the next one. He worked fast, talked clearly and nice, his hands were shaking a bit though. Sometimes he looked at the people in front of him but if he did, not long. I knew he didn't like looking at strangers, just like me, their looks made us feel uncomfortable.

"You should write slower your hands are shaking Josh." I told him when it was my turn to say my order. "Hey pretty. Same as usual?" "What else?" I smiled, looking at his ocean blue eyes. "James? She's here." That's how he always gave my order to James, his best friend since childhood and colleague and business partner. It was their café. "I am a bit busy here, but I promise to call you later." Josh said, I nodded and stepped aside after giving him the money. While I waited for my order, I kept watching Josh. His fluffy, curly, black hair softly moved with him and every time the door opened one of his curls fell, over his eyes. I knew Josh for years now, we were friends, but I fell in love with him as soon as I knew what love is. For sure he didn't know but I wish I could tell him, without risking to destroy our friendship. "There you go." James disturbed my thoughts and handed me the cookie box and the coffee cup. "Thank you." I said, smiled and said goodbye to them both before I left, heading to work.

I didn't have to walk far until I arrived at the office building. "Good morning, Jeff." I greeted the French guard at the elevator. He greeted me back before I stepped in. When the elevator stopped on the 15th floor I got out and walked straight through the floor, right to my office. Some of my colleagues were already there and we wished each other a good morning. After a little while I noticed somebody in my office, I could see him through the glass doors. I entered it. "Who are you?" I asked, he looked at me. He looked young, blonde hair brushed to his left side. He looked formal but also relaxed in my chair. "You got to be Jane Mazelyn." He said, got up from my chair, shook my Hand and sat back down on the other chair. "And who are you?" I repeated my question "Jacob Mel. Are these walls soundproof?" he asked, "When you're asking me this, you already know the answer. But for protocol: yes, why?" I already expected something, and his next question was exactly what I expected. "What's your identification number?" it had to happen one day. "008537. Why are you here? That's a risk. What's your number?" "I am the one who read all your reports. 095784. I had to come here because I am now part of this operation. Officially I am here as an old friend of yours. Phillip Mack found out who you are and was a bit too loyal to Rodriguez, he probably warned him about you. We got him out three days ago, but he doesn't talk. That's why we got to be even more careful. Since I already know everything about your progress in this mission, I will be your partner from now on. This is our file." He pointed on a file on the desk in front of me "Read and don't complain, Carlson is the one who decided this would go through." He got up again. "I will see you tonight." He added, smiled and left. As soon as he was in the elevator, I banged my head on the table and took the file to go through it in case someone saw him and has questions. "Boyfriend... same apartment... Jake... Highschool... I hate my life... why did I choose being an agent? Why didn't I simply become a teacher?" I said to myself. "This bad? I thought you liked this job!?" I heard a familiar voice behind me, Sophie, my assistant. "I do like it, yes. But sometimes it's harder than you think. And then there are people like that guy who just left." I explained. "Who was he anyways? Looked good." She sat on the chair on which Agent Mel just sat on. "And he smelled good." She added. "Yes, he does. He just moved in with me, my Highschool sweetheart, we're kind of back together." I copied what stood in the file. "Wow, you're a lucky girl." She said, smiling. I liked her smile, it was sweet, happy like sunshine on a spring day. We are not just boss and assistant, we're also friends, she was one of my closer friends.

"I am actually here to remind you of your conference with the Whiteman family. And to tell you: I will bring you another coffee before it starts." She got up and left again. I pressed the on-button on the computer and banged my head on the desk again. After a few seconds of long, deep breaths I sat up straight, hid the file and then started working.

"You already got a key?" I asked loudly when I entered my apartment and heard the shower. He probably couldn't hear me, he didn't answer. I just went into my bedroom to put the file in my safe. "What is that? Why is your suitcase in my bedroom?" I asked Agent Mel, he turned off the water. I brought it into the living-room "Where else do people, which are together, sleep than in a bed?" he asked and came out of the bathroom. "Forget it, nobody will control if we are actually together, you will sleep on the couch!" I turned to him. "Oh my god!" I put my hand on my mouth to keep it closed, he only had a towel around his waist. "Get dressed!" I said, not taking my eyes of his sixpack. "We need rules..." I said into my hand "Sure." He replied and went closer to me to get something out of his suitcase. "I just forgot taking my clothes to the bathroom with me. And didn't expect you to be here already." Agent Mel explained. He was now standing right in front of me. "Professional, how you don't take your eyes of me." He said smirking, took the suitcase and put it on the couch to get easier access. "Well, I am already in this mission for six months, don't judge and get dressed." I said, that was enough of an explanation for me, I turned away from him and went to the kitchen to open the fridge. "No food..." I sighed "That means pizza, I guess." He leaned on the counter, pants on, shirt in his hands. "Exactly, you order, I shower. I guess you know what I want, since you know the name of every person I ever saw the last months and what I got from them..." I said smiling, walked past him and got fresh clothes.

"Alright. Rule number one: Don't walk around without clothes, ever. 2nd: MY bedroom, you sleep on the couch. Three: we'll make dinner alternately, four: no disturbing of personal space and no listening or overhearing a phone-call or conversation, so even if we're in this together now: privacy! If it is something I have to share, I will. Do you have more suggestions?" I wrote down the rules I just set. "No, I just need a place for my stuff and for you to keep your girls-stuff out of my sight and I need a friend, for cover... your assistant Sophie is pretty cute." He said "No way! Stay away from her, you can meet Josh. And my >girls-stuff< stays where it is, this is still my apartment, for your stuff you'll get the cabinet at the back of the couch. Are you sure you don't want to set any rules?" "Nope, except for when I can make your rules stop ruling..." he smirked "No, idiot. Rule number six: Don't be too confident, 7th: don't make jokes like that." I now pinned the list on the kitchen wall and then sat on the couch and turned on the TV to watch the news. After a minute I realized how Jacob was staring at me "What are you looking at?" I hissed "Do you know how cute you look with sweatpants and an oversized hoodie?" he smiled "I thought I just told you about rule number 7." "But this isn't a joke, I'm serious, you look sweet." he kept watching me, so I got up, took a pen and wrote >no flirting< on the rule-list. He jumped up, followed me and read what I just wrote down. "What? I wasn't flirting sweetie! I'm gonna show you what flirting is!" he followed me back to the couch and sat right next to me. "Because... you know... Maybe you should think about number two again. Wouldn't you like a bit company in your bed? I would like to remind you about what you said when you checked me out... about these six months." He whispered with a sexy, deep voice. He was close, close enough to make me feel his breath on my neck. "Stop it." I said and tried breathing normally, he honestly really did look great, and right now he was dangerously close to me.

Luckily now the doorbell rang, I jumped up and got our pizza. "Thank you, Lucas." I smiled at the delivery guy before he left and then went back to the couch and gave Jacob his pizza. "So, what did I miss?" I asked when I sat down on the opposite side of the couch. "They started talking about an open gallery tomorrow, at the Rodriguez Residence, I didn't know that my first outside mission in a year will be tomorrow. By the way why didn't you mention that in your last report?" he judged me with a side-look "Because Rafael doesn't tell me everything a week ahead. I didn't know it when I wrote my last report." I explained "Alright, thank you for telling me right after we met personally." He said with Irony "Oh I'm sorry, just didn't find the right time yet, between this appearing at my office and taking over my apartment." I replied smiling with the same Irony. "You are so funny!" he said but didn't mean it. We silently kept watching.

"So, you are not going to tell me more about it?" he asked after a while "About what?" "The gallery? Is there anything special going to happen tomorrow?" "I don't know, Rodriguez wants me to look at a new painting, but he didn't tell me more. I'll have a secret camera and microphone, you will see and hear everything, like always but this time you will be able to talk to me too and you'll be closer, maybe in the same room." I said, I didn't want to talk to him anymore so I looked back at the TV. "We'll watch a movie now." I added and switched the channel until I found a good movie.

"Why are you sitting so far away from me?" Jacob asked during a boring movie scene "I don't know you... you know my parents warned me of strangers." I said, looking at him "But I know you, don't I?" "That's making it worse." I started laughing "You sound like a stalker." I added an explanation when I saw his confused look. "You are so weird." He said smirking. "I am happy that I finally met you in person. You are funnier and nicer than you seemed in your reports. I actually thought that you would sleep with a gun under your pillow and let me sleep in front of the apartment door, outside on the floor." He laughed "I do sleep with a gun under my pillow... and I have a knife in my handbag." I confessed and looked away "Seriously?" he unbelievably wondered "Yes." I laughed.

"I'll go to bed now." I told him after a while "Good night." "Good night, Agent Mel." "Please don't call me like that. Doesn't have to be Jake, but Jacob would be a good start." He asked, I ignored him and closed the bedroom door behind me.

When my alarm rang in the next morning, I just turned it off and closed my eyes again, I really didn't want to get up. "You up?" I heard an unexpected voice from outside the room. "Yes." I mumbled "That's a lie. I'm coming inside now, please cover up what you don't want to be seen." He said, I pulled my blanket over my head and listened how he opened the door. "Get out." I said "I know that you are wearing clothes so I will simply say: no. We got to go." He took away my blanket "I am going to shoot you if you don't give me back my blanket." I threatened him and pulled out the gun from under my pillow, still secured and not pointed at him. "Wow I really thought you were joking." He looked impressed and before I could do anything he jumped on the bed, took the gun, threw it away, sat on me and held both my hands over my head. "You're good." I said and smiled before I freed my hands and turned us around. "But I thought you knew that we had the same training, don't think you can beat me, only because you got more experience. We should go now." I added and looked at him. He looked even better when his hair was mixed up after sleeping. "What are you looking at?" he asked, "You on my bed and rule number two in my kitchen." I lied and got off him, stood up and went to my wardrobe. "Have you ever slept on your couch? It's like a stone, with edges everywhere, in a cave. Your bed is so comfortable. Are you sure that we can't share it? Maybe with a pillow wall in the middle." He tried begging "Get out. I need to get dressed." I said, ignoring is suggestion "What if I don't?" "You're not really professional right now, do you know that? I know exactly what you are doing there, it won't work, I would never sleep with a colleague." I told him and smiled pityingly at him; he fell back in the pillow. "Sad thing. But maybe you'll change your mind one day and then you will fall in love." He said "I hate your confidence about that. Wouldn't it be better to ask me out first?" I said, took my clothes and left the room. "We are going out tonight, did you forget that already?" he followed me "That's not a date, that's a mission." I said and went to the bathroom, locked it and changed my clothes. "Well, does that matter? It still could be a romantic evening." "No. Stop trying, you won't get laid the next few months. What is the matter with men and sex?" I asked through the door. "There is no matter with us. I just think we could be closer friends and maybe actually start dating. I mean... I like you, you are nice and sweet and funny." He took a break "... and scary..." he added quietly. "And I just want to sleep in a bed and not on a couch." He explained, I opened the door. "I will only accept these reasons but not do anything about them, we are going, you will meet Josh and James now." I went outside, grabbed my purse and then left my apartment, Jacob followed me.

"Good morning, guys." I greeted my friends when I entered the café. "Good morning sunshine." Josh replied, "Hey sweetie." James said and then they looked at us. "Who is that?" Josh asked when he spotted Jake. "Kind of her boyfriend. You got to be Josh, the best friend. And you are James." Agent Mel introduced himself, my friends looked confused. "I never told you about Jacob, have I? I know him from before I knew you." I lied to them. "No, you never mentioned him... I hope you will tomorrow when we get dinner together." Josh said and gave me my usual cookies and coffee after I nodded as agreement to tell him more. "You need anything Jacob?" James asked "No, I'm fine, I'll get a coffee in the office." He said, "You didn't tell me that you'd get dinner with him tomorrow, sweetie." Jake turned to me, I looked at him "I must have forgotten." I said provocative. "Doesn't matter, now I know." He answered and then kissed me. I wanted to break all his bones for that. "Alright guys, maybe we'll meet again soon. We got to go now." Jake said when he moved back from me and took my hand. "Bye." Josh said, he and James seemed a bit confused, but I tried ignoring that. As soon as Jake and I were out of sight I pulled back my hand. "Why did you kiss me?" "Because they didn't believe us, we must follow our files and need to keep up our covers to keep our mission going! Why do you hate me so much? I am trying to get closer so that we can do this together, I am trying to break the ice and to act, we must be a couple to get me close to Rafael Rodriguez. I am your back-up in this mission, I am the reason why you still are in this! If I wouldn't be here, none of us would. I just want to make it easier." He sounded really annoyed and we stopped walking. "That doesn't mean that you need to kiss me in front of the only person I've ever loved! Taking my hand and smiling at me would have been enough." I turned away and kept going. "I hate living with a woman, already. Keep your bloody mood swings to yourself, please and don't let me flirt first and then yell at me!" his voice was loud "What? What do you mean with that? I didn't let you flirt. I told you from the beginning that you shouldn't do it!" we entered the office building. "And what was that thing in your bed this morning? You could have thrown me out of the room, through the door or the bloody window!" I could hear a slight British accent when we walked through the security gate. "But guess what!? You didn't! Instead, you sat on me, looking at me as if you wanted me!" he said, "Stop yelling idiot!" I hissed when I noticed some curious people looking at us. "Good morning, Jeff." We said and went into the elevator. "I didn't let you flirt." I repeated, the doors closed "No, right, you just flirted back." He said and crossed his arms like a little kid while leaning on the mirrored wall on the back. "If you think so, I didn't have the intention to do it. I don't know you." "That doesn't matter! Because I already made you laugh, and you know that I'll keep you safe. And those are the most important things for you. I know you! I learned a lot about the human psychology during my training, I know all your reports, all your actions from the last half year! And by the way there are people on this planet that don't even know each other's names and still sleep with each other and right now I would just like to remind you of what you said yesterday, again. I know you have Needs too and-" the door opened and three people came in. "You better do not finish this sentence now." I whispered and looked at him, he looked down at me and I could see that he wanted to say it but he didn't. "I'll see you tonight." He said before we stopped at the 10th floor and he went outside, into his office.

The next time I saw Jake was in the evening, after an Interview about him with Sophie and an exhausting day of work. We already were dressed for the art gallery; he wore a black suit and I wore a red dress with a knife in the sole of my high heel. Jake offered me to help me curling my hair, since he had a sister and it was faster, I let him finish while I finished my makeup.

"How long are you doing this job now? How many undercover missions did you have?" I tried some small talk to stay away from the mood that was between us in the morning. "I'm in it for seven years now, this is my seventh undercover mission, you were the third one of whose reports I was responsible for, I had about 144 missions so far, most were just small ones. What about you?" He asked me "My training started three years ago this is my fifth mission, first undercover one." I tried processing what he just said. "Wait, 144... 7 years... wow... how old are you?" I looked at him through the mirror. "26, how old are you that you have an undercover mission with only one year of specified training?" he was focused on not burning my hair "I am 23... but I grew up here and people know me, so does Rafael, my training was secret, and I was just known as one of the best art students that ever graduated on my university. So, it was easy for me to get into it, Rafael's art inspector was arrested for art trafficking or something like that, so he needed someone else, and it was obvious that he would choose me, I was a local girl, never travelled anywhere, studied art, it was easy to get a background check of me and to contact me." I explained and kept watching him. "Well lucky you, I guess." "Yaa kind of." I went silent, he kept doing my hair, I was done with my make up. "Hey, I'm sorry for earlier, I didn't mean to make you angry or something." He apologized and then looked at my curled hair and unplugged the curler. "It's fine. We just need to get used to it, that could take a while. We should simply accept it and try better from now on." I said and turned to him. "We should go now. I have a painting to look at." I smiled, he nodded, put a stray behind my ear and then went outside to drive us to the Rodriguez Residence.

"Good evening, Jane, you look beautiful like always." Rafael greeted me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Who is your handsome company?" he asked "This is Jake, my boyfriend. He likes art too and I hoped it would be okay if he could look around a bit." I said, "Yes sure, as long as he doesn't keep you from your work." "No for sure he won't." I ensured him.

Rafael took me with him to a backroom, we left Jake behind, in the gallery. "Does he know who you are working with?" Rafael asked while we walked through the hallway. "Kind of. He knows your name from the news and is kind of a fan of your work. He thinks that a man that has the ability to rule the world should be allowed to rule a city. Or something like that. He would be loyal, I know that." I laughed a bit to try making it seem like a joke so he would see Jake as part of his little mafia as his own serious idea. "Well that sounds dramatic, do you think he really believes that?" I heard Jacob who could hear and talk to me through fake-glasses. I had a new, nice pair of earrings with what I could do the same.

A few meters before the door that we were going to go through I heard someone scream through one of the closed doors around me. "Damn it." Rafael said and put his hand on his forehead, he looked stressed. "Don't worry Jane, that was just someone who deserves being punished, she stole something from me." He explained. "You should go inside already, I got to talk to her for a bit." He went into the room with the screaming woman, I was able to get a glimpse inside, I saw a police batch and a name tag. I let one of the bodyguards open the door, to the other room, for me and went inside, he closed it behind me, and I was alone for a few minutes. "Jake I just saw Juliet Welth. She was my original back-up, the one that was supposed to arrest me whenever it's too dangerous, Captain of the 16th precinct, we have to help her, she was trained to be an officer not for holding up against torture. You got to do something." I whispered and started inspecting the painting that was in the room with me. "I'll try." He replied "There are at least three men in the same room with her, including Rodriguez himself. So whatever distraction you try, make it important enough for him to go there too and only start with your plan when he is with me, to make sure that Juliet is alone." "What do you think about a security alarm?" "Great idea but how do you think you can do that without calling yourself out?" "I'll find a way, don't worry." He said.

"So, what do you say so far?" Rafael entered the room "Looks good. But I'm not finished yet." I replied. "Alright, that means he's with you... don't let anyone catch you though." I heard Jacob again. It only took seconds until one of the bodyguards got Rafael outside and I was told to stay in the room. As soon as Jake told me that he got access to the security cameras and that I was free to go, I left the room and went over to Juliet.

"Hey there, don't worry Juliet, I'll get you out." I said when I took of the blindfold. "Oh my god, I'm so happy to see you, Jane!" she said "And I am not happy to see you here. What happened?" I asked while I cut the wires "He had smuggled diamonds which we confiscated. He let them grab me in the middle of the street and brought me here to get it back." She told me and rubbed her wrists when she was free. "But what the hell are you doing here? You are risking your live! You really shouldn't do this Jane." She realized. "I know but he will never know that it was me, my new back-up Agent has the control of the cameras, and I am fine. The only problem is that you have to jump out of the window, and we are on the first floor, and you're injured." "I'll be fine, there is a garage, right outside the window, I'll jump on the roof of it and sneak to the fence. You go back to where you came from." She smiled "Thank you, Mazelyn." She pulled me on her chest for a hug and then pushed me to the door. "Jake, can I go outside?" I asked "Yes, you're clear." "I'll see you in a while, Juliet." I left the room and went back to the one with the painting.

A few minutes later Rafael came back to me, told me that they had a false alarm and I told him that his new painting was an original one, but only about 75 years old. When we were back at the gallery, Jake came to us and took my hands "So, are you done? You barely slept last night, we should go home when you're done, or do you want to stay?" he asked after a short look to Rafael. "If you slept bad you should go home, I am happy that you helped me and would be happy if you would stay a bit longer, but it would be totally fine if you got other plans, I'll go check on my beautiful wife." Rafael said, I nodded and watched him leave. "So, what are we doing?" "I want to go home." I said "Alright, come on." He took my hand, and we were on our way to leave when I heard someone calling my name.

"I think we haven't met yet. But we talked... I am Gabriel, Santiago." A man introduced himself when I turned around. "Rafaels right hand." "Yes, we talked. Do you need something?" I asked "Yes, actually. I need your help with something, Raf can't leave his own party and he doesn't trust anyone else with that. But the dress could get complicated. Would you mind meeting me at the harbor in an hour? Pier 12." "Sure, I'll be there." I replied and then we left.

"I am tired!" I complained when we finally came home, I directly went to my bedroom and changed, dress of, jeans and shirt on, my brown hair I put up into a ponytail and then fell on my bed. "Please wake me up in 30 minutes!" I told Jake and closed my eyes. "You can't sleep now! Get up!" Jake came to me and took my hands to pull me up. "Why do I have to go?" "Because the psychotic mafia boss trusts a secret Agent." He laughed "Can you warm up the pizza for me? I didn't have time for dinner today. I want to eat when I get back." I asked "Sure, just call me when you're on your way back." He replied and then finally was able to pull me up from the bed. Tired I leaned against his chest. "Can't you go?" "Oh, come on, Jane. He was asking you to help him, he met me today and wouldn't trust me. And I know you want to go, I read what you chose for your exam task, lots of adrenaline and struggle in that one, you love it." He pulled me back on my shoulders and grinned at me. "Sure, a bit of action is something else than writing boring reports and pretending to be... not myself." I moved away from him to get some distance between this good smelling, handsome colleague, and me. "I should go now." I said and left the bedroom, got my keys and put on a pair of sneakers. Agent Mel was leaning on the doorframe to the bedroom with his arms crossed in front of his chest when I turned back around. He looked at me, his dark eyes caught the light perfectly, it looked like stars. "What are you looking at?" he asked quietly but still loud enough so I could hear it. "Nothing." I said, and took my eyes of the sparks in his, turned to the door and walked outside without looking back again. On my way to the parking lot behind the building I was hoping not to catch feelings for that attractive, funny, nice man in my apartment but the thoughts about him flew out of my head as soon as I arrived at the harbor a few minutes later.

I parked the car and went to pier 12 to meet Gabriel who I couldn't see at first, so I said his name, hoping for a response. "Shut up, stupid. This is police territory, highly secured with sensitive cameras." I heard him whisper around a corner. For a second, I thought his Spanish accent became British but then I realized it wouldn't make sense and threw the thought out again. "What are we doing here?" "Getting something for Rafael. I just need you to warn me when someone's coming." He answered and then opened one of the containers next to us. "You just stay out here. I'll come back when I found it." He said before he disappeared inside the metal box.

Not quite what I was expecting when he asked me for help. Bored I slid down the wall and sat on the stone floor, leaning back. Somehow Gabriel managed being silent, so I heard nothing else than the silent waves from Lake Michigan close to me.

The second I wanted to close my eyes because I still were tired, I heard steps. I stood up and looked around, couldn't see anyone. "Somebody look at that." I heard a voice above me but before I could look, someone already pulled me to the ground. As fast as I could I freed myself and rolled over the ground to get away from the person that attacked me. I stood back up and looked at the woman in front of me, she looked Asian and had a big scar all over her face. "Do I know you?" I asked her but she already tried to kick me, I caught her foot and gave her a nice right hook in the face. She cursed and pulled her foot back to herself. After whipping some blood off her lip, she attacked me again and then pulled out a knife. "Not fair. Put that back." I said and held her wrist so I could take her weapon before hitting her in the face again. She fell backwards, her eyes were closed. "I'm going to keep this one." I whispered looking at the knife that was as thin as a needle. I pushed the thin metal thing into my shoe sole to hide it and right after I did that, I heard Gabriel's steps behind me. "Who's that?" he asked quietly "How should I know? She just attacked me. Didn't have much of a conversation." "Alright, you take this" he gave me a box which he found in the container "And I'll take her to Rafael." He went to the woman and picked her up.

With the woman over his shoulder, he went forward to our cars. I opened his car so he could put her inside and gave him the box back after. "Can I ask what's in there?" I asked after he held it again "Sure. It's a necklace he bought for Ophelia, his wife." He showed me a golden necklace with a few red rubies on it. "Wow." I whispered "Yes, it's for their wedding day. From a smuggler. Police arrested him after Rafael already paid for it, he just wanted it for her." Gabriel explained and closed the box again. Without many other words we split our ways again, I texted Jacob that I would be home soon, so he could make me food and then drove home.