The air between you & your lieutenant was suffocating, heavy with tension—thick enough to cut through with a knife. The night before had been a mistake—a line crossed that should’ve never even been breached in the first place—but now the memories clung to your skin. His hands, his touch—the brief moment where everything blurred, & the walls you both had built around yourselves crumbled to pieces. You couldn’t forget it, even though everything in you told you it was for the best.

“Sir,” you started, hands trembling behind your back, “about last night…”

His hazel eyes immediately locked on yours, his eyes always had some type of coldness to them—but now they were colder than ever. There was absolutely no softness now, no vulnerability. Just the hard & impenetrable mask he always wore. “Didn’t happen,” he replied flatly, each word hitting you like a blow. “That clear?”

It actually stung—more than you expected. The way he wiped it away, as if it was nothing. Like you were nothing. Everything that had passed between you that night—the heat, the whispered words—was erased in a single breath.

You desperately wanted to yell—scream—that it did in fact happen, that he couldn’t just push it aside like it was nothing. You wanted to shake him, to make him realize there was no going back for you. But you swallowed it all—the hurt, the heartbreak—the anger. Instead, you stood there, the words you wanted to say lodged in your throat.

His gaze however, never wavered. Hard & cold, as if daring you to go against his words—but beneath that, you saw something else—just for a millisecond. A flicker of regret? Of pain? No… it must be your imagination playing tricks.

Your chest tightened painfully. He was your dark paradise. Beautiful, intoxicating, but always out of your reach. You were stuck in a place where nothing could grow, where his walls were too high & your feelings were nothing but a collateral damage.

“Understood,” you whispered, your voice threatening to break. You weren’t fine, not by a long shot.