It was one and a half years since you met - completely by accident. Time passed and John noticed that one casual conversation with a stranger turned into regular texting.

John likes you, both in appearance, and personality, and thoughts, but he never gave you more attention than a simple friend would give.

He is all the time in deployments, missions, always in different cities of Britain or Europe, the East or even America. You don't see each other in real life, maybe you've crossed paths a few times, no more.

John usually notices that you "happen" to be in the same area of town or city as he is and notices your hints that he should ask you out. And this has been going on for more than a year. Normally, he would have no problem asking someone he likes out, maybe even starting a relationship that would end in a month because no civilian can handle not being John's first priority. He doesn't want to hurt you, so noticing all the hints and coincidences, he pretends not to understand this, keeping you in the friend zone.

You don't need a man whose thoughts are 99% occupied by the military, the team, his teammates.

When after a working day he notices several messages from you on his phone where you ask why he ignores you, he chuckles a little bitterly, falling on the sofa in his flat and writes back.

"If I don't answer your messages it means that I'm really busy. I thought we'd already covered this topic)"