Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Romance

Gabe snored on the bed beside mine, he had been asleep for slightly over an hour. I laid on my side, my back to his bed--I didn't want to see his sculpted jaw and chiseled arms as he slept; instead, I faced the generic white wall and listened to his breath. My breathing matched his, and I shut my eyes, wishing I could block out his calm breathing. 

I toyed with my cherry blossom bracelet, remembering Gabe when he was eighteen. Then, he had been a gentleman, young and charming. He had teased me, captivated me. I smiled, remembering the way he had taken my hand and pulled me closer to him. He had been bathed in moonlight, wearing a black suit, his eyes shining like the stars. My heart had fluttered then, and the memory made my heart flutter now.

"Gabe," I whispered. "Do you remember?"

I didn't know why I expected an answer, but I was disappointed when I was greeted by silence. I rolled over to face Gabe's bed, gasping when I saw him, sitting on the ground in front of my bed. He sat, his legs crossed, looking teasingly up at me, "You gotta be more specific, El. Remember what?"

"When we met?" I murmured.

He smiled, reaching up to push my hair away from my eyes, "How could I forget? You were so pretty."

"I wish I could go back."

"Why?" He sat on the edge of my bed, stroking my hair.

"Everything was so simple... Now things are so complicated."

"I don't think things are complicated," he stood up. "Your feelings are clear as day; if they were as complicated as you think they are, you wouldn't be dreaming about me."

My eyes snapped open to see the plain white wall in front of me. I blinked the sleep away from my eyes before rolling over to see Gabe, curled in his bed, snoring quietly.

~oOo~

"Captain," Private Morgan sat up in bed, pulling the sheets up to cover her chest. "come back to bed."

Captain Cooper grunted, sitting on the ground, beside the empty door frame. He sighed and shook his head, "I'm sorry, Erika. I'm--"

"Worried?" Private Morgan finished. "About Gabe. I know, I am too." She got up and squatted in front of Captain Cooper. 

Captain Cooper reached forward and hugged Private Morgan, "Can we sit like this for a moment?"

Private Morgan nodded into his shoulder, "Of course, Cap--"

"Call me James. For tonight," he muttered into her strawberry blonde hair which hung out of it's usual French braid. "That's an order."

"Yes, Sir... I mean James," she moved to sir beside him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Gabe will be okay."

"Affirmative," he stroked her hair, staring at his dark legs and her long, creamy legs stretched out in front of them. "We will, too."

"What do you mean?"

"I have the intention to marry you."

Private Morgan nodded, absentmindedly, half asleep, "Marry me..."

Captain Cooper kissed her hair, "Wait for me to become a man worthy of you."

She nodded again, and Captain Cooper smiled a rare smile before sweeping her into his arms and carrying her back to his bed.

~oOo~

I sat on the edge of my bed, wanting to take a shower. I groaned and tugged at the collar of my shirt, wishing I could change out of this sweaty one. Sergeant Whit yawned, rolling over in his sleep. I rolled my eyes and checked my watch, which read 1:37 pm. Sergeant Whit had woken up for about an hour before passing out again. How could he sleep so much? It was ridiculous. I laid flat on my stomach, my face buried in the mattress. Out of complete and utter boredom, I shrieked into the mattress, kicking my legs.

Groaning, Sergeant Whit sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes, "Ella? Are you okay?"

I groaned into the mattress, "I'm dead."

He rolled his eyes and stood up, stretching. His defined muscles bulged and I couldn't help but peek at them. He grinned, "Ah, the pervert strikes again!"

I flushed a bright red and averted my eyes, "It's just boring in here! Not like I was interested in your ab--"

Sergeant Whit sarcastically smacked his butt, "You want a picture? It'll last longer."

"I hate you!" I buried my face back into the mattress. I felt the bed shift as Sergeant Whit sat down beside me, patting the back of my head.

"Somehow I doubt that you do, after all, last night you were mumbling "Gabe! Gabe!" all night! I couldn't help but wonder if your perverse nature leaked into your drea--"

I smacked my hands over his mouth quickly, muffling his voice. His eyes laughed at me, and I flushed more as he gently pulled my hand away from his mouth. He held onto my wrist and leaned in closely. I could feel his breath and I hoped he couldn't hear my heart going haywire as he whispered, "Are you into kinky things as well?"

My jaw dropped and as I yanked my arm back, but he held me by my wrist playfully. "Jesus Christ! That--that was so--" I sputtered incoherently as Sergeant Whit openly laughed at me. His healthy, white teeth shone as he laughed openly. I remained flushed, but as much as I wanted to be angry at him, the more he laughed, the harder it was to not laugh.

"Um...I thought maybe you two would be hungry?" Sergeant Whit and I turned to face Whitney--clad in a mask, gown, gloves, and scrubs--carrying a tray of food. Beside her stood another female, with a slim build and green eyes. I saw a her long strawberry blonde braide and recognized her as the soldier I had seen talking with Sergeant Whit.

I flushed and tried to pull away from Sergeannt Whit again and ended up tripping over a pillow that had fallen off my bed. I slipped and began to fall, however Sergeant Whit caught me around my waist, pulling me back up. "Jesus, are you a klutz or do you lose your composure around a guy like me?" He cut off my indignant response by smiling at Whitney. "And yes, we would love some food. What's in that bag, Private Morgan?"

Private Morgan was holding a paper bag in her left hand. She raised it, before reaching into it and pulling out a man's dark green tank top. She tossed it at Sergeant Whit, "It's a change of clothes. For both of you."

I nodded my head in thanks as I took the bag from her. Sergeant Whit crossed his arms and smirked, "You came because you missed me?"

Private Morgan snorted, "Please. Captain Cooper was worried about you, so I decided I'd take care of you."

"Aw, so sweet! Private Morgan you really do lo--"

"I meant kill you myself!" Private Morgan grabbed a pillow and began assaulting Sergeant Whit with it. Sergeant Whit covered his head, ensuring her blows, laughing.

I giggled as Whitney began trying to pull Private Morgan away, screaming, "He's a patient! He's a patient! You can't!"

However, this light tone was interrupted when Dr. Baker rushed in, exclaiming, "I've got the results!"

Private Morgan dropped the pillow she was holding, and Sergeant Whit froze. I smiled, triumphantly, as I realized that Dr. Baker was wearing her regular clothing with no protective measures.

She smiled back, "You both tested negative."

I laughed joyously and turned to Gabe who stepped close to me a pulled me into an embrace. He pulled away and placed both his hands below my jaw, lifting my face to his. I flushed as he pressed his lips to mine for what seemed to be forever.

He smiled as he pulled away, leaving me breathless. "I wanted to do that, but we were under quarantine."

Whitney, Private Morgan, and Madeline gaped at us.