*Your POV*
You walk out of the mess hall feeling like shit.
"Fuck," you say to yourself quietly. You hear quick footsteps behind you and Ghost calls your name. Preparing yourself to be yelled at, you turn around, "I'm really sorry Lieutenant. I overstepped a boundary."
"Look, I can be a moody bastard. I'm the one that should be apologizing and saying thank you since you did compliment me. So..I'm sorry and thank you," he says and you wish you could see if he was smiling.
You give him a small smile, "I accept your apology and you're welcome." He tries to say something else, but someone calls your name and you both turn in the direction of the voice.
A soldier approaches, "Sorry for the interruption, sir," he says to Ghost then he turns to you, "You have a visitor."
"A visitor?" The man nods and walks away. You look at Ghost, telling him to walk with you and start following the man.
A visitor? Who would be visiting me? Who knows I'm here?
The man you're following approaches a car and someone gets out.
Holy shit! It's your boyfriend! "James?!" you say, shocked.
"Hey baby!" He hugs you and you can't even react.
"Wha-what are you doing here?"
"I came to take you home."
"Take me home? What do you mean?" You look behind you quickly and there's no sign of Ghost.
"I mean I'm taking you home. I know you were just doing this to prove something, but you don't have to anymore. I can get you out of here," James says. You're dumbfounded, "Prove something? I'm doing this because I want to."
He gets close enough so only you can hear him, "Let's not make a scene, just get in the car."
You pull away from him, "No, I'm staying." He looks at you as if you've lost your mind.
"I belong here, I'm staying right here."
"Have they brainwashed you or something?"
"I've only been here for a few days..."
"Why are you being so goddamn stubborn?" His voice is louder now.
"I'm being stubborn because I'm not doing what you want me to do?" You shake you head, "Just leave, James." You start to walk away and he grabs your arm,"Get in the car!"
"NO!" You push him and he falls to the ground. "You ever think that maybe I left because I needed to get away from you?! To get away from your need to control every fucking thing I do? You didn't even believe in me..." Don't cry. Be strong.
He gets off the ground and looks at you. "You wanna stay here? You're gonna get yourself killed!" he says.
"Yeah, well...that's a risk I'm willing to take. Goodbye James." You walk away with your head held high. You don't need him.
You make it inside to one of the bathrooms before breaking down...
*Ghost's POV*
He walked with her to meet this mysterious visitor. When she said his name and he called her baby, he figured that 'James' was her boyfriend and he snuck off to give them some privacy...sort of.
Ghost didn't consider himself nosy, but he wanted to make sure she would be okay.
He couldn't hear much from where he was standing, but he could read the body language and neither her or her boyfriend were very happy.
The man grabs her arm and Ghost is tempted to run out and tell him to keep his fucking hands off her. She handles it though by pushing the man to the ground. Once again he has the urge to cheer and he is not a man that cheers for anyone or anything.
They talk for a little longer and then she walks away. Ghost sees her head drop right before she enters the building.
He wants to help, but he has no idea how to deal with an upset woman. Do they need to be left alone? Do they need someone to talk to?
He walks into the building looking for her. The bathroom door opens and she steps out wiping her eyes quickly.
She doesn't see him yet.
She takes a deep breath and heads right in his direction. He tries to look as though he was there by coincidence. She looks up and stops in her tracks. "Ghost? Hey," she says feigning a smile.
"Hey. Everything alright?" Her eyes fill with tears, but she says yes.
"Where did you go?" she asks.
"I assumed that man was your boyfriend and I wanted to give you some privacy." She nods, "You saw everything didn't you?" How the fuck did she know?
"Yeah, I did. Loved the part where you knocked him on his arse."
She laughs and her face lights up.
The smile fades, "He wanted to take me home. He said that I didn't have to prove anything to anyone. I want to be here..." She stops and he knows she's getting upset again. "He doesn't think I'm good enough. He never did."
"But you are," Ghost says, "Everyone here knows it so what he thinks doesn't matter anymore. You've only been here a short time, but you're family now."
"That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."
"Don't get used to it," he says and she laughs again. He was starting to really enjoy that sound. "Weren't you supposed to be going to the gym?" he asks and she shrugs, "I really don't feel like it anymore."
"What else do you like to do?" he asks randomly.
"I like to read...a lot. And video games. I love playing video games."
"What kinda stuff do you like to read?"
"I like graphic novels and.."
He cuts her off, "Geek." She nudges him. "Are you a reader?"
"Actually, I am," he says, "It relaxes me. Helps me escape to another world for a little while at least."
"Beautifully put."
He looks at her. She no longer tries to hide her scar when she talks to him. "What?" she asks.
"Nothing, I'm just happy that you're smiling. I don't know what to do with crying women." She rolls her eyes, "Men..." His face actually hurts from smiling so much.
"So what do you think your boyfriend is going to do now?"
She sighs, "My EX-boyfriend will probably go find a woman he can control every second of every day. I'm kinda happy to be rid of him. He didn't look at me the same way after..." She touches her scar.
"He's a piece of shit," Ghost says. She nods, "Yeah he is."
They walk in silence and then she asks, "Do you know where I can find some good books?"
"Follow me." He leads her back to his room. I hope she doesn't get the wrong idea. He opens his door and walks in. She stands just outside the door watching him. "You can come in you know. I don't bite."
She walks in and looks around. She spots his table which is covered in books. "Wow, you really are a reader."
He hands her a book, "Here. Read this."
"House of Leaves. I've heard of it. Never had the chance to read it though. Thanks."
"No problem."
She walks to the door and stops, "Thanks for today." He walks over and opens the door for her, "Anytime."
She grabs his hand and squeezes it. "Goodnight Simon." His heart skips a beat. He hated being called that, but he didn't mind when she did. He watches her walk down the hall and turn the corner before closing the door and pulling his balaclava off.
He hated looking in the mirror, but this time when he did, he smiled.
