Darn Stupid Brother You Are by Mairee

Chapter 104

(Thomas's POV)

Balancing my feelings for Angel with my mission was becoming a tightrope act, one misstep away from catastrophe. She had no idea who I really was, and every moment I spent with her felt like a lie and a truth tangled together. I wasn't supposed to care not this much. Not enough to jeopardize everything I'd worked for.

I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the dossier hidden under my mattress. The words on the papers felt like accusations. Names, dates, and instructions stared back at me. Maintain cover. Gather intelligence. Neutralize threats. But which side was the threat?

A knock on the door startled me. Bundah leaned against the frame with his easy grin hiding whatever deeper questions he had about me. "You've been quiet, man. Something eating at you?"

"Just tired," I replied, trying to sound casual.

Bundah raised an eyebrow. "Tired, huh? You sure it's not Angel? I mean, anyone can see you've got it bad for her. You're practically glued to her side. Too glued if you'd ask me."

I forced a chuckle. "Yeah, well... can you blame me?"

•

He didn't press further, but the knowing look in his eyes lingered long after he walked away.

Later that evening, Angel and I sat outside the dorms under a flickering lamp. She leaned against my shoulder, and her warmth was both soothing and suffocating. Her laugh was soft, but I barely registered the joke she'd made. My mind was elsewhere; it was spinning through contingency plans and possible outcomes.

"You're distracted," she said as she tilted her head to meet my gaze.

"I'm here," I lied, forcing a smile.

Her hand slid into mine. "You don't have to pretend with me, Thomas. Whatever it is, you can talk to me."

it. She deserved better than half-truths and calculated silences.

I let her

•

light of my room, I opened the hidden compartment in my suitcase. The recording device hummed softly as I played back snippets of conversations I'd recorded over the weeks. Most of it was useless chatter, but I couldn't stop thinking about the meeting I'd overheard between Dr. Joe and Angel's mom.

words played on a loop in my head. They weren't talking about just anyone. They were talking about Hendrix. About

life was slowly crushing me. My mission was clear, but the lines

to make a choice soon. And I wasn't sure I could live with

.

(Dilara's POV)

Every smile I forced felt like swallowing glass, every word I exchanged with him felt like poison. But

arrogant grin on his face as he cornered me. But I remembered everything. The way he'd laughed, the way he'd leaned in too close. The

I ran into him "accidentally" in the cafeteria and spilled my tray just

and waved it off. "No harm done. You're... Dilara,

pretending to be shy.

grinned. "Guilty

tone made my skin crawl, but I bit back the

lingered on me a little

•

me, or was it all a

kept the act up. A compliment here, a shared joke there. I hated every second

connections and his place in the center's hierarchy. "You know, this place isn't as clean

smirked. "Let's just say, not everyone here is who they

my heart race.

you'll learn a thing or two." And that's what I