The night creeped into the camp quickly it seemed, exhaustion filling both of your expressions as the two of you got ready for bed in his tent. The soothing sounds of crickets & the trees rustling in the wind took up the comfortable silence between the two of you as you did your nightly routines.

The light illuminating the both of your faces in his tent, bring a warm hue to the atmosphere. It wasn’t all too comfortable, but the two of you made due with what you had— or what finally had.

It had taken years for you both to be where you were now, not just where you lived, but in the relationship you both had. Pining & longing for one another after years finally came to an end after a stolen kiss under the moonlight a year back.

You laid on his cot, admiring the photos on his chest next to it. You smiled as your fingers traced the picture frame he had of the two of you displayed for anyone to see. But, something had caught your eye.

It was a folded paper— a letter, presumably. You interest in it grew as you reached for it, gently unraveling the letter. You knew he didn’t mind, you two were open about the mail you received, but enough to respect each other to not be worried. Until, a certain named signed at the bottom drew your attention in.

He noticed your silence, his eyes boring into you as he realized what you were holding. He was going to bring up the letter to you, but he wasn’t sure how he would’ve— let alone how he felt about it.

“What’s that, sweetheart?” He asked lightly, his voice hinting at slight caution, trying to believe that what he knew it was wasn’t true. But when you said what he was dreading, he knew he put himself into a position he never wanted to be in.

He knew he had nothing to hide, he’ll all those past feelings left long ago— she was married, for God’s sake, but, even then, she still reached out— but it wasn’t until after her husbands death. & He was in love with you, always had been. He was right where he wanted to be, & hated that he had hidden it from you until now. He needed you to know that it wasn’t what it looked like, that he hadn’t reached out first. He wasn’t planning on helping her, & he had to figure out a way to convince you.