SEAL’S Secret Vows

2. Chase

Chapter two

Chase

T he living room pulses with life as I bob my head to the music coming from the speakers. I try to focus on arranging the puzzle pieces of my next mission on my laptop screen, but Nora’s presence lingers in my mind like a mystery.

I mull it over, a smirk tugging at the corners of my lips. There’s something about her that drags me in, something beyond her pretty smile and friendly demeanor.

Maybe her flair for work. Yes, that’s it. She is hardworking and has been the best colleague I’ve worked with so far. While I’m never quite friends with the people who work for me, I’ll admit that on occasions, the line blurs with her.

When she called me, I couldn’t have imagined that she needed me to pick her up from her own wedding. The way she’d looked, drenched in rain water and her own tears, is something that is sure to haunt me.

I steal a glance at her from where I’m sitting, impressed by her determination to see herself through this period. She’s always been a tough one.

Nora looks up and catches me staring at her. She smiles.

“I didn’t know you like classic rock, too,” she calls out from the kitchen. “Which other genres of music do you like?”

“Mostly other types of rock. But, you know, I dabble.”

Her brows jump. “Dabble?” she asks, mirth apparent.

“Dabble,” I repeat. “You know, folk, country, even the occasional EDM.”

“Hmmm…interesting. Some revelation that is. I can’t wait to share it with the team. They would find it so hard to believe that Rogue can actually have fun.”

“You wouldn’t.” I glare at her playfully, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Oh, yes. I would. You’re always so high and alpha at work. They certainly think that you don’t have fun, besides the once-in-a-blue-moon celebratory party after a mission, of course. That makes me wonder if Lieutenant Commander Chase Steel can actually have… fun. ” She says, dragging out the last word before clicking her tongue. “Tsk, tsk, I doubt it.”

She wipes her hands on a napkin and looks up at me with a sly smile. Oh, she’s on to something. And I’m going to find out. I clear my throat, pretending to be unfazed by her words and switching to a bossy tone.

“Is that a challenge, Nora?”

“Umm… if you’re up to it. If you are capable enough.”

“Now, you’re daring me. What’s the challenge?”

“Now, now… not so fast. The condition is that you think you’re capable enough. Are you, Chase?”

“I am, Nora.”

“Great.” She drums her fingers on the sink and smiles mischievously. I should have asked what the challenge was before I agreed. I hope I won’t regret this.

“What’s the challenge?”

“It’s a music challenge titled Name That Tune . Since you like music and hardly have any fun, I’d like to help you out. We’ll play snippets of songs, and we’ll take turns guessing the song title and artist as quickly as possible. We’ll set a timer, so no cheating.”

I immediately regret everything. “Oh no, I won’t be doing that.”

“Oh, yes you will! But there’s a catch.”

Now she’s got my attention. “A catch?”

“Yes. The loser…. has to… deliver a silly singing telegram to the entire team!” She exclaims the last word, clearly coming up with this on the spot. She starts nodding, excited about her own idea. “You have to compose a song or parody based on a theme provided by the winner and deliver it in person or via a video call. If you lose, the entire team—or maybe everyone at base—should look forward to a live music performance by their lieutenant commander!”

Warning bells ring in my head at that as she lets out a loud laugh. This is a different side of Nora , I muse. “Who would have thought you could come up with such crazy ideas?” My brows furrow deeply, and my lips press together in a tight line forming a scowl as I contemplate her challenge.

“No way!” I protest.

“Yes way! You already agreed. There’s no going back. I’ll fix a date, and let you know. Also, to get you interested, the winner gets to send the loser on any errands throughout that day. I'll start thinking of errands to send you on and maybe a suitable nickname, right, Titan?” Titan barks in response as she tosses him a treat enthusiastically at that. Traitor!

“May the best man win!” Nora says cheerily and turns her attention elsewhere in a bid to end the conversation. Something tells me she won’t budge so I don’t push further.

A loud clang comes from behind me, and I resist the urge to jump straight to the kitchen. She most likely dropped some spoons while trying to arrange them. I’d told her not to do anything, but she’s been hellbent on helping out since, in her own words, she had to do something to show gratitude and she’s doing a good job of it. Add clumsy to her list of attributes , I think, albeit fondly.

“Here.” She puts down a cup of warm, leftover coffee from breakfast beside my laptop, and sits on a chair adjacent to me, taking a sip from a cup of her own.

“Thanks.” I reply and lift the cup to my lips peering at her above the rim of the cup. Her eyes dart around the house before landing on a folder on the table. She reaches for it without a second thought, and I snatch the folder up. “No!”

She draws back sharply, shocked at my response.

“That's off limits!” I snap.

“I’m sorry. I didn't know.” She withdraws and takes another sip, her eyes darting elsewhere.

“It's fine.” I reply, my annoyance fading. I’m just not used to sharing spaces.

“I should leave,” she says suddenly, and I start feeling bad.

“What, now? Why? Is it because of the way I reacted?”

“No. I think I should go to my place now. I don't think anyone will be looking for me anymore. I also texted my parents not to worry so they know I’m fine.”

“But what if they are? You've spent a few days here already. And if they've looked for you at home and did not find you, they'll give it a few more days and come searching for you again.”

She shrugs. “I have to deal with them eventually.”

I nod. “I just… I don’t want you to feel unwelcome. You can stay as long as you want.”

“Thank you. But I am intruding in your space. I really should go, you know...” She shrugs again. “Clear my head, sort out what's next.”

I look at her uncertainly. “Nora, you’re welcome to stay here. Really.”

She looks at me, eyes calculating like I’m one of her spreadsheets. Then, she deflates a little. “I’m bored,” she admits.

I smirk. I’ve got just the thing for that. “Well, since you want to clear your head, I have an idea. It just might work.” She gives the same suspicious look that she gives when I'm about to set her on a long task. “Yes. From the look on your face, you already know it's a mission.”

“No.” She shakes her head furiously. “Not another mission. I thought you were giving me two weeks off!”

“Yes, I was.” I say simply, a wide grin on my face as I fish a tablet out of my office bag. She’s glaring at me, but there’s no real heat in it. I place the tablet on the table and push it towards her.

“This will keep you busy, and you can work from home. This way, you can return to work after the mission is complete since the news about your wedding will have completely died down by then. You don’t want to waste the vacation time, do you?”

“You do have a point, but if I were married, I'd be on my honeymoon, you know,” she mutters, slowly picking the tablet up.

“Exactly. If! Besides, we both know there’s no way you would have lasted two whole weeks with that guy.”

She lets out a disbelieving but amused laugh. “Really?!”

“Yes, now thank your lucky stars that you ran away, and get to work.”

“Pretty flippant for my heartbreak,” she mutters.

I give her a quick glance, trying to ascertain if she’s actually upset. She’s not. I’m sure of it. So I shrug. “It was for the best. Plus, I never really liked that fiancé of yours.” A puzzled look appears on her face, and I quickly add. “He was always so... you know... cocky.” I make quotes in the air for emphasis.

She raises one brow and smirks. That's one look that hardly ever crosses her face.

“Now, isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?” she teases, her grin widening.

“Hey! I’m nothing like that wannabe politician.” I retort.

She laughs and then adds, “except you're more gentlemanly, of course.”

“Of course, I am.” I turn around without waiting for another word, and I can see her shaking her head at my words.

“I'll be in my hobby room if you need more information. I’ll check on you later. Titan.” I motion to him to join me, and he jumps after me immediately. “Come on, boy, let's go work on a new mission.”

“What mission is this anyway?”

She asks without taking her eyes off the tablet, the light already reflecting in her eyes. I knew this would get her.

“Well, it's an infiltration and extraction mission. I'm going undercover so I can't disclose much about it, but just work on translating the encrypted messages and let me know if you find anything. Also on the tablet are mission briefings and other related intelligence data that you might find useful.”

“Great. Wait!”

I stop, turning to her with a raised brow.

“I need to go by my apartment tomorrow,” she says nervously.

I look her over. “Do you want me to go for you?”

She grins, giving in immediately. “Do you think you can get me some of my clothes tomorrow? You’ll find a bag you can use in my room. I keep a spare key under my flower vase, not the smartest idea but it’s helpful in situations like this. Just grab anything you can find. I can’t go myself for obvious reasons. Just grab some work clothes and casuals, you’ll easily find them in my wardrobe.”

“No problem. I’ll get them tomorrow morning. Ciao. Nora.”

I glance back to see her rolling her eyes in annoyance before looking at the information on the tablet she's holding, and I nod in accomplishment.

That should keep her here for a little longer. I jog up the stairs and grab my headphones before making my way to my hobby room.

As I settle down, my mind keeps trailing to the music challenge and I smile. I can't help but feel grateful for Nora's presence these past few days; it's uplifting.

I don’t know the details about her and her ex, but I do know one thing. I’m glad she’s here.