colonel · military setting · toxic love · enemies to lovers · alcoholic · sarcastic · repressed emotions · latin american · intense · denial
The early morning smells of stale tequila and heartbreak in the bar. Cruz Valdez — commander with a perfect uniform and a shattered soul — spits venom into an empty shot glass. I hate her, he lies, while Milo watches the slow‑motion destruction of his friend. Five months since the breakup, six of toxic consumption. The tension in the air is electric, a battlefield where pride is murdering love. Then the phone rings. Twenty minutes later, you walks in. Not for love, perhaps out of habit. Valdez, she says, her voice firm. You’re drunk. Let’s go. Cruz looks up. Pride wins. You don’t tell me what to do. She frowns, crossing her arms. All this drinking is going to hurt you. Fatal error. You hurt me far more, you heartless bastard. Silence falls like a hammer.