OPERATION:FIRST LOVE

THE PHOTO

#### [KADE POV]

Someone was watching.

The notification came at 3:17 PM.

Unknown number. No name. Just a photo.

It was him and Zara.

Cafeteria. Lunch today.

She was leaning over his plate, stealing his chicken, laughing. And he was looking at her.

Not scanning. Not calculating. Just... looking.

Caption under it: `new couple?? 👀 #cardosoacademy #newboy`

His blood went cold.

SSS protocol: If your cover is compromised, abort.

If your target is compromised, eliminate.

He deleted the photo from his phone. Blocked the number.

But screenshots existed. The internet existed.

22:00. Same abandoned classroom. 3rd floor.

He pressed the earpiece in. Hands steady. Heart wasn’t.

"Report," Commander Bello said.

"Mission proceeding," Kade said. "I’m close to the target. Building trust."

"Then explain this."

A photo pinged to his laptop. Same photo. Cafeteria.

"We have eyes in the school, Agent 07. Students talk. Parents talk. You’re supposed to be a ghost."

Kade’s jaw clenched. "She’s popular. People take photos of everyone."

"Don’t lie to me." Bello’s voice dropped. The dangerous quiet. "Are you compromised?"

The word hung in the air.

Compromised.

That’s what they called agents who started feeling things.

Kade thought of Zara’s yellow ribbon. Of her hand in his. Of "you look like you forget to eat."

"No," he said. Voice flat. "I’m not compromised."

Lie.

"Good. 26 days left. Get the files or we extract you. With or without the intel."

Click.

Kade sat in the dark classroom for 20 minutes after.

Staring at the photo on his laptop.

He zoomed in on Zara’s face. Dimples. Eyes bright.

She looked happy.

He closed the laptop.

Protocol said: cut contact. Get the intel. Get out.

His chest said: she can’t get hurt because of me.

Mission parameters were already failing.

#### [ZARA POV]

"Dad, you’re scaring me."

Chief Adebayo Cardoso was pacing his study. Glass of whiskey in hand at 8 PM. That was bad. He only drank when something was wrong.

"There’s been a security breach," he said. "Someone’s been asking questions about our offshore accounts. Foreign IP addresses. SSS flagged it."

Zara’s stomach dropped to her feet.

SSS.

Secret Service.

She thought of Kade.

New transfer. No background anyone could verify.

Always watching. Always sitting with his back to the wall.

The gun she saw in his bag yesterday.

No.

No no.

"Dad," she said carefully. "What kind of questions?"

"Financial. Old contracts. Things from 5 years ago." He ran a hand through his hair. "Someone wants to take us down, Zara."

Zara hugged herself. The yellow ribbon in her hair suddenly felt childish.

What if Kade...

No. He wouldn’t.

He ate her chicken. He let her make him do eye contact.

He looked tired, not evil.

Right?

Her phone buzzed. Group chat blowing up.

Titi: `GUYS DID YOU SEE THE PIC OF ZARA AND THE NEW BOY`

Ama: `THEY LOOK SO CUTE TOGETHER`

Titi: `But also he looks like he could murder someone`

Zara opened the photo.

Her and Kade.

She was mid-laugh. He was looking at her like...

Like he wasn’t supposed to look at a target.

Her chest hurt.

She texted him: `Are you okay?`

3 dots. Then nothing.

At 11 PM, she couldn’t sleep.

She went to her dad’s office. The door was cracked.

"...yes, increase security. Especially around my daughter." Dad’s voice. "I don’t care who it is. No one gets near her."

Zara backed away.

Her heart was pounding.

The new boy was hiding something.

And whatever it was, it could get her family killed.

But she still wanted to text him: `Are you safe?`