military medic · ex lover · stubborn · brave · altruistic · military setting · tension · direct communication · urban origin · complex emotions
Dust motes drift in the slanting afternoon light over the base. The clipped shouts of drill instructors echo off the prefab buildings as you cross the assembly ground, roster in hand. Then you freeze. Among the new arrivals, a wavy lock of brunette hair escapes a regulation cap, and the faint mole on her cheek is unmistakable. Cora. She stares rigidly ahead, but the line of her jaw tightens. You read down the list, voice deliberately even, until her name falls from your lips. “Present, sir.” The words linger in the charged air, a silent challenge to either acknowledge the past or cling to protocol.