JUNE
Ruby Sector Patrol, 0718 Hours
The soldiers march in unison along the sidewalks, and I lead them. Me being the Commander of Los Angeles and the leader of Patrol 3, I have to be here with them to ensure they're doing their job correctly. They're supposed to be checking the streets for any stragglers. At this time of morning, everyone is to be in their homes.
"Commander Iparis."
I turn to see Captain Bermaas looking at me.
"Yes, soldier?" I ask.
"I have one."
"Where?"
"Intersection of Ruby Street and Daniel Street," he says.
I cringe. Daniel Street. That's Day's old road, the one where his childhood house sits. They named it after him shortly after he helped our country in the war. A new family now occupies the home. I don't know them, but the Princeps Elect, Marianna, has assured me they're worthy of living in such a famous place.
Day, Day, Day. I sigh. It's been difficult with him. When I met him again a year ago, he didn't remember anything about me. He didn't even remember my name. I've had to make sure that he only relearns what I want him to know. I haven't told him about his family yet, though. Honestly, he doesn't ever need to know.
"Whitner, Enlow!" I call, catching the gazes with each of the two soldiers. "Accompany Captain Bermaas. There is a woman at the intersection of Ruby and Daniel."
"Yes, ma'am," they say in sync, jogging off toward Wally Bermaas, who has already begun walking toward their assignment.
I watch them walk away. Bermaas is thirty years old, but he hardly looks it. Brown hair, green eyes, and a muscular build are what makes him stand out. He's certainly one of the more attractive captains. Due to my superior rank, we aren't allowed to hang out outside of work, but I think we'd get along fine.
I hear static in my ear, followed by a click. "June?" a voice says on the other line.
Day. My heart skips a little, and I'm almost certain he can hear it.
"Hey," I sigh longingly into the microphone.
"When are you coming home? I have a surprise." I can hear him smiling as he speaks.
"What is it?" I grin.
"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you! When are you coming back?"
"Yo, Iparis!" a deep, masculine voice interrupts my phone conversation. It's Captain Max Antony, shouting from across the street. He's in charge of Patrol 8, which runs into our patrol from time to time. We're pretty good friends, or else I would get angry from the disrespectful greeting. "That Day?" he asks.
"Yeah!" I shout back, smiling.
He grins back at me. "Tell the lucky man I said hey!"
"Will do!" I give Max a wink, then turn my attention back to Day.
"Who's that?" he asks me.
"It was Max, he said hey," I reply. "I'd say I'll be back around 09:00... Is that good?"
"Yeah. I smell something burning..." He sniffs audibly from the other end. "Oh, goddy apartment! Can't figure out how to use anything around here. I have to go, love you."
"Love you too," I say. I wait to turn off my earpiece until I hear Day click his off.
"How's lover boy doing?" Max says, approaching me.
"I think he's fine... But I'm pretty sure he caught our apartment on fire," I laugh. He sits down on the sidewalk next to me. Patrol 8 continues to march down the streets while their Captain talks to me.
"That's good," he chuckles. "You're coming to the ball tonight?"
"Of course!"
Tonight is the annual ball celebrating our Elector's birthday. With my high rank, I'm expected to be there. Not that I want to be.
"Are you sure you're okay with going, though?" Max asks.
For things like this, it's nice to have a friend to talk to. Day doesn't know that Anden and I were ever a couple, and I'd rather it stay that way, so obviously I can't talk to him. Max and I have known each other for years, since before Anden and I started dating. He's my go-to when I need to vent about anything.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I reply. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Captain Bermaas walking toward me, with Cadets Whitner and Enlow flanking him on either side.
"I need to get back to work," I say, smiling at Max. "But I'll see you tonight."
"Have a good day, Commander Iparis," Max says, bowing as is required to show respect, but in a mocking way that makes me laugh.
"And you, Captain Antony."
00000000
"I'm home," I call out as I shut the door to my apartment.
A tall, blonde-haired man rounds the corner of the kitchen to meet me and immediately touches his lips to mine.
"Hi," he says. "Come here."
He takes my hand and leads me into the kitchen, pulls out a stool for me at the bar area, and waits for me to sit. Then, he opens the oven and takes out a plate filled with eggs and pancake strips filled with bacon.
"You're kidding," I say in disbelief. I walk around the counter to kiss him, then twirl my fingers in his hair. "What brought this on?"
There's a sparkle in his eye as he answers. "Just doing something special for my one and only," he replies.
"I hope you know that fattening me up now isn't going to win me over when I'm trying to fit into my dress tonight."
"Please," he scoffs, "With your metabolism, you'd fit in that dress if you ate a cow five minutes beforehand."
I can't fight that, so I laugh. "Thanks," I say, smiling. He doesn't always remember every detail about me, but he sure can make me happy.
00000000
I splash water on my face and enjoy the feeling of the lukewarm water prickling against my cold, dry skin. A towel is wrapped around my body and my long, wet hair hangs down my back in a straight curtain.
Something falls in the next room, muffled by the closed bathroom door, and Day shouts, "Goddy door jamb!"
I giggle. He's constantly stubbing his toe on the door jamb in our bedroom.
"You okay?" I call out to him, cracking the bathroom door just enough so that I can peak my head out to see.
"I'm good," he replies, walking over to kiss me.
"No!" I say. "Wait until after I'm ready!"
"Now what's the point in that if I'm just going to have to undo it all?" he asks, winking at me and shooting a sideways smirk.
"Stop!" I whine, opening the door a little wider so I can smack him with my towel. "Go away, I need to finish."
"Fine."
I shut the door back, open a cabinet, and pull out my makeup bag. I don't wear a lot of makeup, and I can't remember the last time I actually wore it regularly. It'd probably be back when I was still training to become Princeps Elect. I was expected to look well-kept daily in those days.
Now, as the Los Angeles military commander, I get to look however I want whenever I want. If I want to wear makeup - which I never do - I can. If I want to wear a torn t-shirt and shorts, I can. It's one of the best parts about being in charge.
Of course, I don't usually dress down for work on purpose. I'm always in uniform, but I know that if I don't want to be, I don't have to be.
I sigh, applying a bright red lipstick that Day insisted I wear. This morning after breakfast, I tried to convince him that it wasn't my color, but it's hard to argue something I know isn't true. In all actuality, the lip color looks good on me. I just don't like to wear it.
When I'm done, my eyelids are silver, my eyelashes are full and black, my cheeks are a natural flush color, and my lips are crimson.
A few minutes later, after walking to the closet and pulling out the dress and heels that Max's wife Ann picked out for me, I'm ready.
I walk out of the bathroom, my heels clicking against the floor. A sigh escapes the lips of the man standing across the room.
"Wow," Day whispers. "You look-"
"Not anything like myself," I laugh. "You look nice, though."
Day is wearing a black suit and a blue and white striped tie. The colors that government workers are supposed to be wearing are red and black, in order to show respect to our country. But since Day doesn't exactly work for the government, he can wear what he wants.
"I wouldn't be caught dead wearing this on any other occasion, I hope you know that," he says.
"Neither would I, so I think we're clear." We both laugh.
Day doesn't have any memory of Anden besides the ones I've recounted to him and the ones he's made over the past few years. The Elector tries not to cross Day's path too much, for what reason I'm not sure. After all, whether he remembers it or not, Day is the reason Anden is still the Elector. He's also the reason why the Republic of America is still alive today.
Forty-two minutes later, Day and I are climbing into a jeep that the Elector has sent especially for us. Whether he actually sent it or not is a mystery to me. Marianna probably sent them out of guilt, but then again, I don't know this for sure.
There's some part of me deep down that hopes it was Anden that sent the jeep, some part of me that hopes he still cares. I broke his heart, and as a result mine was broken, but surely he still thinks about me. Surely he wonders, when he can't sleep, what we would be right now if we were still together. What our future would hold.
I know I do.
I shake my head to clear my thoughts. Of course he doesn't. Anden is the Elector of the Republic. He has much more important things on his mind than me.
And besides, he has a girlfriend now. Natalie. I think that's her name. They've been dating for almost two years now. They seem happy and from what I've heard, he thinks she's a keeper. Natalie's father is a senator, Senator Micks.
I was silly to wonder if Anden called in the jeep. Of course he didn't. And even if he did, it wasn't for my sake, it was for Day's. Anden is in constant fear of Day suddenly remembering everything and turning on him. Not that that would ever happen since he's the reason Day's brother is alive right now, but the fear is still there.
On our way to the Elector's mansion, the jeep stops in front of an apartment complex down the street from ours. It's smaller than Day's and mine, but it's still nice.
A tall, skinny boy with wavy hair and glasses emerges from the building's front entrance. The soldier in the passenger seat of the jeep gets out to hold the door open for him, and I watch as Eden gets in and buckles his seatbelt.
"Hey, guys," he smiles at us, his eyes glistening. I remember when we thought those eyes would never see again.
"Hey, Eden," I greet him, smiling back. "You look nice. Are you excited?"
"Thank you, June. You look very pretty. And yes, I was so surprised when I got the invitation to attend from the Elector himself!"
"Well, he can be generous like that," I respond, but my voice cracks.
"Are you okay?" Day asks, putting his hand on my leg.
"Yeah, I just need to clear my throat," I say, coughing to go along with my story.
One of the soldiers turns around and looks at me. "Ms. Iparis? Everything okay?"
"Yes, thank you."
And as we ride along, drawing closer and closer to the party, I force myself to believe it. I drill my story into my head until I could recite it in my sleep.
Day and I have been doing fine. We found each other again last year. We live together now. Eden's treatment has worked wonderfully and he has restored vision in both of his eyes. My career is going great, I've never been happier.
These are the things I will say to the Elector of the Republic. These are the things I will say to make him think I'm fine. These are the things I will regret saying later.
