Chapter 25

                                    

                                          
I woke up a few hours later by someone gently shaking my arm, rubbing my eyes I noticed Simon next to me. We arrived back at the base and he helped me out of the heli before everybody went back to their rooms. Since it was the middle of the night, we decided to have some shut eyes and have a meeting the next morning to discus what we had learned. 
The next morning, after taking a quick shower and getting dressed, I walked into the conference room to meet up with the other team members. We all sat around the table while Price talked about the mission. In the meantime I was handed back the USB that Soap was able to place in one of their laptop, I had programmed it so that it would attach itself into their main system the moment he plugged it in, now even when the USB is here, I can still excess it. 
Price asked me to hack into their system and find anything that could lead me to these Chinese PMC's or a warehouse that they use to stash their weapons. In the meantime they made a plan on how to stop them once I located their location. 
After the meeting was dismissed, Price asked me to stay back for a little while to have a talk. After everybody left, I sat back down on the seat opposite of him. He gave me the worried fatherly look, which I've began to see more with him. 
I couldn't blame him, he's been there for me every since I got kidnapped the first time and has done everything he could to keep me safe. It's more then my own father ever did. It's also why I feel so guilty for keeping this secret for him, but something told me he already knew. 
"Ashley I like you, you're like a daughter I never had." He took a deep sigh before he continued. "I'm not really good at these kind of talks but I want you to know that I care about you and that I'm here for you if you ever want to talk about anything."
A warm feeling of security entered my body, giving me the sense of a safe home where I could just say what was on my mind without being judged or where whatever I say won't be used against me. It was something new, something I wasn't used to nor was that allowed when growing up. All I ever heard was that my feelings were invaluable and nobody cared. 
Placing my shaking hands on my lap, I started playing with my ring to distract myself from those bad thoughts. My gaze was locked onto the ground in front of me, I was to scared that if I look Price in the eyes that I wouldn't be able to contain my feelings. 
"I-..." 
I tried to speak but a lump in my throat made it hard. A little voice in by head, sounding a lot like my dad's, was telling me to keep my emotions inside and don't overreact. To just say that I was fine and move onto more important matters.
As if he saw my internal struggle, he moved to sit right next to me and placed his hand on my knee in a reassuring way. He smiled at me and patiently waited for me to find the courage to speak to him. I took another deep breath to calm down my racing heart. 
"Can you just answer my question honestly?" He asked me but I was only able to affirm with a nod. "Is something going on with you and Simon?"
My eyes widened, how did he know about that, was it obvious? So many thought came to my mind that I could hardly think. I should just tell him, he is so supportive and won't get mad, right? I said to myself. It's not that hard, just say we are something. But what are we guys even, it's not like we're dating, can't really say 'yes we're fucking'. Would Simon be mad if I told Price?
"It's complicated, but yes we care about each other and not just in a teammates kind of way." I cringed hearing myself speak and wanted to slap myself against the head. This is how you describe your relationship with Simon? well done. 
He looked at me for another minute, looking like he is deep in thoughts. The longer he stayed silent the longer I was panicking from the inside. He noticed that I started bouncing my leg so he was quick to continue. "Is that what the younger generation calls dating now?"