"Reynolds?" Jackson calls after me. "Where are you going?"
"Forgot something."
I push through the doors and scan the hallway like the obsessed lunatic I’ve become. She's already twenty feet ahead.
"Serena."
She freezes, but doesn't turn around.
"We can't do this here." Her voice is low. Strained. "Someone will see."
"Then let's find somewhere they won't."
She turns toward me and the look on her face is equal parts frustration and longing. "Blaze?—"
"One conversation." I take a step closer and keep my voice down. "That's all I'm asking. Somewhere off base, somewhere private. Just... let me talk to you. Please."
"Why?" She folds her arms over her chest like she's trying to hold herself together. "What could you possibly say that would change anything?"
That I haven't slept in a week. That I think about you every second. That I'd transfer to another base or another country if it meant I could hold you again.
"I don't know," I admit. "But I need to try. And I think you need it too."
Her jaw tightens and her voice is soft. "You don't know what I need."
"Then tell me." I close the distance between us until I can see the flecks of gold in her eyes. Until I can smell that vanilla scent that's been haunting my dreams. "Tell me what you need, Serena. And I swear to God, I'll find a way to give it to you."
A smile slips through, but she shakes it away. “Who says things like that? You can’t be real. I…” She stares at me for a long moment.
I can see the battle happening behind her eyes and my chest tightens.
"There's a hiking trail," she says finally. "Eagles Crest. Nobody from base goes there, at least not for anything above board."
She lets out a laugh and my heart slams against my ribs.
"Okay, let’s go to Eagles Crest. When?"
"I’m off Saturday." She glances down the hallway, checking for witnesses. "Maybe in the morning, ten? There's a parking lot at the trailhead. I'll meet you there."
"I'll be there."
She nods once. It’s sharp and quick, then she turns to leave. But I catch her hand before she can go. I squeeze it just for asecond. She pulls away immediately but it’s long enough to feel her pulse racing under my fingers.
"Serena."
She looks back.
"Thank you." I brush my thumb across her knuckles. "For giving me a chance."
Something softens in her expression. Just a flicker, there and gone.
I stand there for a long time with my heart pounding and my mind racing.Saturday. Eagles Crest. I can survive until then. Probably.
The rest of the week is torture.
It’s impossible to keep her out of my head because I see Serena everywhere. She’s walking with a group of nurses in the distance. She’s carrying a bag of groceries outside of the commissary. She’s across the gym walking on a treadmill in pants that show off every delicious curve. It’s like the woman is trying to kill me.
By Friday night, I decide to get off base. I head out to my cabin instead of the barracks. It's rustic, bare bones, and a twenty-minute drive. But when the noise of base housing feels suffocating, it’s a quiet space to think. I bought the place two years ago specifically for nights like this.
