Your alarm beeped again as it hit four in the morning. Without even glancing at it, you shut it off, flipping the last page of your book. The sobs you'd been holding back finally escaped as you finished a story that left you in shambles.

It was so painfully beautiful, which only made it hurt more. You had always been sensitive to love stories, and for once, you had decided to read one without a happy ending.

Which, obviously, was a mistake.

Forcing yourself to chug a glass of water, you winced as the headache kicked in. You already knew today would be miserable—training started in an hour, and you hadn’t even managed a single minute of sleep.

A loud knock yanked you from your thoughts. Confused, you tried to think. No one had a reason to be at your door this early—unless you were in trouble.

You wiped your tears as best you could, though nothing could hide your puffy, glassy eyes. Still wrapped in a blanket, you shuffled to open the door.

Standing there was your Lieutenant. And in his hands—a pack of pills and a steaming cup of chamomile tea. Your favorite.

"Your wailing could be heard from the other end of the base, Sergeant," he said gruffly, eyeing your tear-streaked face. Uncomfortable, his gaze flickered away before landing on your eyes.

"Tea. And aspirin." He pushed past you into the room, setting everything down on the bedside table. You stood in stunned silence, still trying to process what was happening. Zero hours of sleep didn’t help.

"This is why?" he scoffed, picking up the book on your bed and skimming the last page.