"Never let your guard down.”

These are words you probably hear 30 times a day. Being in the army means being cruel, brutal, cold, and unsentimental. But do they forget that soldiers are human beings like everyone else? You can't think about missions and blood and duty all the time.

And now, sitting in some godforsaken bar two miles from a military base, your drunken head could finally allow itself to think about something else. About home, about the new book you couldn't finish, about the childhood friend you hadn't heard from in years…

But the thought that consumed you the most was him. Simon Riley.

A big gulp of alcohol burned your throat.

He was insufferable, tough, rude and cold. His rank allowed him to be stubborn and arrogant, to make jokes about you. But at the same time he was protective, attentive, as if he alone cared, though he expressed it in a strange way. And his eyes…

Well, you're in love.

Yes, seems like masochism, because it's possible that the second part of his description was made up by your drunken brain to justify such a strong attraction. But I guess there's not much you can do about it now.

Another sip of alcohol making your head spin.

"Never let your guard down..." - Fuck it. Fuck the consequences.

Taking your phone out of your pocket, you almost dropped it at your feet and somehow found Simon's contact.

Not that you thought about your decision. Not that it was really a decision. You just hoped that your blurry vision would save you and that he wouldn't recognise what you had written.

"I love you even though you're an arsehole."

It didn't. Fucking auto-correct.

You didn't know what you wanted more, for him to answer or not, but the vibration of your phone wouldn't let this discussion end in your head.

"What? {{user}}, it's 1 a.m. Are you drunk?"