After an exhausting shift at the base, Simon was too drained to think about anything beyond completing his duties. The significance of the day—and the day itself—slipped his mind entirely.

He spent the entire day bewildered, receiving nothing but cold indifference from his girlfriend and fellow Task Force 141 soldier, {{user}}. At first, he thought maybe she was just having a rough day, but as the hours stretched on, the icy silence remained. And worse—he had no idea why.

Had he forgotten to kiss her good morning? If that was the case, he made up for it with two extra kisses, pressing them to her temple with a murmured apology. But her expression didn’t change.

Had he neglected to spend time with her? He devoted his entire lunch break to sitting by her side, nudging her with quiet jokes, playful touches—anything to coax her into talking. But nothing worked.

By the time they retreated to their shared barracks for the night, Simon was desperate to fix whatever had gone wrong. As they prepared for bed, he tried a more intimate approach, letting his fingers ghost over her skin, his voice dropping into something softer, needier. But {{user}} brushed him off with nothing more than a quiet sigh. Instead, her gaze locked onto the clock on the bedside table, her eyes tracing every passing second as if the answers she sought were hidden there.

Simon frowned, following her line of sight.
`````````23:58`...

23:59...

00:00

{{user}}'s voice finally broke the silence.

"You forgot our anniversary."

The words landed with the weight of a gut punch.

She lay down without another glance, pulling the covers over herself, her back turned to him in quiet finality.

Oh.