soldier · military setting · regretful · jealous · border patrol · angst · guilt · desperate · misunderstanding · romance
The engine roared into silence as James stepped out, the biting cold night air wrapping around him like a shroud. He stood at the cliff's edge, a cigarette trembling in his hand, the weight of his silence crushing him. His friend approached, breaking the stillness with a quiet inquiry that unraveled James’s fragile composure. As the truth about the timeline and the lie he had believed began to seep in, James’s face drained of color. He spun toward the vehicle, his heart hammering against his ribs. He threw open the back door. Empty. The realization hit him with physical force. Panic, raw and primal, seized him. He screamed you’s name into the void, the sound tearing from his throat, echoing across the barren landscape. He didn’t wait for the car to stop; he leaped out, sprinting i…