"What?" Judy whispered back.

Joe didn't say anything but pressed his lips to hers.

"Mummy!" Lucy shouted when she saw Joe and her aunt kissing.

Judy quickly pulled herself from the kiss, and Lisa quickly came over to see what was happening.

"What is it, dear? Judy, what happened?"

Judy felt her cheeks burned, and she couldn't answer her sister-in-law's question. Neither could Joe.

Getting no answer from the two adults, Lisa asked her daughter again. "Honey, why did you scream?"

"Aunt Judy and him…" Lucy covered her face with her hands.

"What?" Lisa demanded.

Instead of telling her mother what she'd seen, Lucy quickly ran to the kitchen, with her hands still covering her face.

"So?" Lisa glared at Joe and Judy, who were still quiet. "Can someone tell me what happened?"

"Mrs. Blake, I… I was kissing Judy," Joe finally said. "And she saw us."

Lisa could only raise her eyebrows and mumbled an 'oh'. "I probably should go then," she said and went off.

After there was no one else, they looked at each other and laughed.

"I hope Lucy's fine," Judy said and got up. "Come on, let's have lunch."

Joe got up and followed her to the kitchen without saying anything. But deep down inside, he was still thinking about the quick kiss.

November 1943

It'd been almost two months since the people of Aldbourne first saw their guests, the American paratroopers. Nothing much changed really, except for the fact that the troops had to go through a more intensified training.

It was also the case with Judy and Joe, nothing really changed. Even though they never made it official, but those people around them knew that there was something between the two. They'd grown very close, closer than just best friends.

On one windy Wednesday, when Judy was having lunch, her friend Florence subtly asked her a question about their relationship.

"You have any plan on Saturday night?" she asked casually.

"No," Judy shook her head. "Not really. Why?"

"Well, me and Pete—we have a plan to go to Swindon this weekend," she said, smiling to herself.

"Well, good for you," she responded sincerely. "That'll be fun."

"Maybe you could join in?"

"Me?" Judy asked with raised eyebrows. "No, thanks, but third wheel isn't exactly my thing."

"I don't ask you to come all by yourself, sweetheart," Florence sighed. "I'm talking about you with Joe."

Judy scoffed but didn't say anything.

"I'm suggesting a double date, J," Florence continued. "Don't you think it'll be fun?"

"Undoubtedly," Judy agreed. "Double date could be so much fun, except for the fact that we're not having it."

Florence pouted. "Come on, ask him. He'll say yes—I know it."

Judy scoffed. "I will not, okay? You have fun there."

"Why not?" she still insisted. "I mean, you two go out together pretty often, no? This time will be no different."

Judy sighed dramatically. "Where should I start?"

"What?"

"Me and Joe—we're just friends."

Florence smiled and nodded. "Yeah, sure."

"Florence," Judy groaned. "I mean it."

"Okay," Florence tried to really listen to her friend this time. "But I don't see it that way."

Judy clicked her tongue. "I know, and I have no power to change your way of seeing it."

"And other people's way of seeing it. 'Cause I'm pretty sure everyone sees it the way I see it."

Judy bit her lip, thinking.

"Seriously though, you don't like him?"

"Of course I like him," she said in a lowered voice.

"And he likes you?"

Judy didn't answer.

"Of course he likes you. Silly me," Florence said in 'duh' tone. "What's the problem then?"

"I don't want us to be more than friends," she explained, suddenly feeling stupid saying it out loud.

Florence seemed not surprised. "Then don't be friends at all."

"It's not that simple," Judy frowned. "We practically live together."

"No," Florence stated. "It's because you love having him around."

Judy only sighed. She absolutely had no idea how to tell Florence. But Florence didn't need words to understand what Judy really meant.

"Judy," Florence said after a while and squeezed her friend's hand. "Surprisingly enough, I know what you really mean."

"You do?"

She nodded. "It's that same thing again."

"What's that thing?"

"You're afraid."

"Af—"

"No, don't say anything," Florence cut Judy off. "You know I'm right."

Judy just stared at his friend.

"Judy, love, it's not the first time. How many men have come and gone?"

Judy mumbled something unclear, but Florence didn't seem to notice.

"Those men in the past, I know you never paid any attention to them, but this time," Florence tilted her head to one side. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you do really like him, don't you?"

Judy took a deep breath and slowly nodded. "I do, Flo" she exhaled. "And for that, I suffer."

"Judy, you don't have to suffer. I bet my life that he feels the same, too."

"But how could I?" Judy sounded very exhausted. "He's just like Rupert, Florence. He's a bloody trooper."

This time, it was Florence that went silent.

"He doesnn't even have any control over his life, Flo," she said again. "I hate thinking about it, but I know the possibility."

"Judy, babe," said Florence softly. "You don't know about it, we don't know about it."

"Florence, he'll be fighting the war in months. And it's not just another war, it's a big one—a huge one."

"Judy, there's always a possibility."

"Of him to survive? There's also a possibility of him to not survive."

"Everybody dies, Jude," Florence said, leaning forward. "Look, I mean," she tried to find the right words to knock some sense into Judy's head. "You won't go anywhere spending your time worrying about the future, hun. It's out of your control."

She didn't respond.

"I know what has happened, sweetheart. But you need to move on with your life."

Judy bit her fingernails, a habit that she had long broken. "I don't know," she said. "I don't know."

"Just think about it," Florence suggested. "Joe? He's worth it," she blinked and pinched her friend's nose lightly.

Judy knew she liked Joe, too, but she couldn't admit it. No, she couldn't get her heart broken. Not again.

That was also why she'd always kept a distance with Joe's friends. Except Skinny, of course—she couldn't avoid being his friend. It was because she thought that the lesser she knew those guys, the lesser it would hurt when they… when something happened in the battlefield.

She knew she was being such a coward, but she was still too afraid.

Was that wrong? Would someone understand?

"Mornin'," Judy greeted everyone as she sat down for breakfast. She had this strange feeling seeing Joe this morning after having such a heavy conversation with herself last night about him.

Everyone greeted her back with smiles on their faces.

She didn't talk at all during breakfast; she only smiled and nodded when someone was talking. She did notice, though, that Joe was looking at her quite intensely, as if noticing she was acting differently.

After finished, Judy came back upstairs to her room to grab her bag. When she was about to go downstairs, she found Joe waiting just outside her room.

"Hey," he smiled.

"Hi?" she chuckled. It suddenly felt so awkward being this close to him.

"How are you?"

She chuckled again. "You okay, Joe?"

"You haven't answered me."

She laughed and walked past him.

"You in a rush?" asked Joe, following her downstairs.

"Not really," she said as she continued walking.

"Then let me talk for a sec," he stood in front of her and blocked her way.

"Okay," she folded her arms. "What?"

"Umm…" he thought about something for a moment.

"Joe, tick-tock."

"Can I walk you to the school?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Wouldn't you be late for the training?"

He clicked his tongue. "No, I still got, like, half an hour."

"Okay, then," she shrugged. "I don't see why not."

"You seem different this morning," he said.

"Different?" she frowned. "Different how?"

"Something bothers you?"

Well, he observes well, Judy thought. "No," she answered shortly.

Joe pursed his lips, definitely not buying it, but didn't push it further. All he wanted was to be with her, and he didn't want to make her upset.

As they passed by the street, a lot of soldiers were on the street; some of them were just talking to each other or to the locals, and some were playing football.

"Joe," she called. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Do you ever sometimes… feel a bit… you know, tired of this?"

He frowned. "What's this?"

"You know," she shrugged. "Your training and battle preparation and all."

He chuckled, but there was still crease on his forehead. "No, I don't think so."

"Not at all?"

"Well, sometimes I do feel bored and exhausted and all, but other than that it's okay."

"Hmm," she nodded.

"Why do you ask?"

She shrugged. "Don't know. It's just, all the soldiers I've known my entire life seem so devoted and… I don't know, bound? I just wonder."

He smiled understandingly. "Then it means they love their job. Like me, I can never picture myself going to a school full of little noisy kids every morning."

She laughed. "Yeah, right."

"I guess it's just different for each person."

"Yeah," she agreed. "Then does it mean that you've chosen the right job for you?"

He squinted. "Honestly? I don't know."

She waited for him to continue.

"Well, before this, being a barber felt good enough," he said. "But right now, it feels great to be a part of my unit."

She nodded.

"Tell me what's on your mind," he asked.

"Hmm? What?"

He chuckled. "Your head seems full of… I don't know, wonders?"

"Questions," she corrected.

"Well, if you let me, I can probably help you find the answers," he shrugged.

She looked at him immediately, hearing that answer, and smiled. "Yeah, thanks. I really appreciate that."

He put both his hands into his pockets and walked next to her in silence until they reached the school building.

"So," she smiled. "Thanks so much for guarding me here."

He chuckled. "Pleasure is mine, Ma'am."

She nodded. "I'll see you at dinner then?"

"Yeah, see you at dinner."

She entered the gate then turned around and yelled, "Have a nice day, Joe!"

"Yeah, you too," he said, waving his hands.

"Wake up, you dirty head!" Frank Perconte said, throwing bread crumbs to Joe who had been busy with his own mind.

"Goddammit!" Joe threw a cigarette butt to him while the other men were laughing.

"Joe and his dirty mind. Again," laughed George Luz.

"Shut up!" Joe frowned.

"Seriously, the sun's still up, Lieb. Can't it wait?" George said again.

"Whatever," mumbled Joe.

Normally, Joe would throw a lengthy rant and curse when the men teased him, but not today. Knowing that he was not in the mood to be bullied, the men left him alone.

Joe performed really badly on the field exercise today that Lieutenant Winters felt it was necessary to talk to him.

"What did the Lieutenant say?" asked Skinny when they were both on their way to back the Blake's house.

"Nah, it's alright."

Skinny scoffed. "Thank God it's Winters though, not some megalomaniac like Sobel."

Joe chuckled. "Yeah, right."

"What happened with you though?" asked Joe hesitantly. He knew that this friend of his had never been fond of talking about feelings, but it was worth a try anyway.

"What?"

"You were shit today, Joe. You shot to no direction, and you almost threw your grenade to Lipton."

Joe only scratched the back of his head.

"Is there something you want to tell me?"

Joe raised his eyebrows and looked at Skinny as if he'd just said something in Persian. "What?" he chuckled. "No, Skinny, I don't need some mentoring session right now."

Skinny slapped Joe's head lightly. "Asshole."

Joe shrugged. "Been said."

"Hey," Joe said as Judy was doing the dishes.

"Hey," she smiled.

"Need any help with that?"

"Not really."

"Good then. I'm not really in the mood anyway," he grinned.

She said nothing but splashed him with some water.

"God," he said, wiping his face with the sleeve of his shirt. He didn't mind though, for she was laughing to see him like that.

"Where's Skinny?" she asked.

"Outside. Smoking, I guess," he said, starting to help her with the dishes.

She nodded and let him help her.

"Hey, Jude," he called.

"Hmm?"

"So, I…" he hesitated a bit. "I have a weekend pass and am planning to go to London…"

"Yeah? Good for you! London's such a nice place."

"You been there?"

"Yeah, a few times," she nodded.

"You wanna go there again?"

"Yeah, sure. It's been long."

"Well," he bit his lip. "Why don't you go with me this weekend?"

"What?" she honestly didn't think that he'd ask her. "To London? That's very kind of you, Joe, but…" she squinted. "I don't think so…"

He frowned. "Why not?"

"Because… it won't be cheap," she bit her lip.

His frown disappeared, and he chuckled lightly. "Don't worry about it. I've been saving up."

"What? No, Joe," she shook her head. "I'm not using your money."

"I won't give it for free though," he said. "You're gonna have to do some things for me while we're there," he smirked mischievously.

"What are those things?" she challenged him.

"Like…" he looked up, thinking. "Not falling asleep on the train, showing me good places to visit, having a fancy dinner with me—"

"That sounds easy," she shrugged.

"Well there's more. Don't flirt with other soldiers—or other men in general," he finished.

"What?" she scoffed. "Now that, I can't promise you."

He shook his head. "Dammit."

She laughed seeing him.

"So? I take it as a yes?"

She pursed her lips, pretending to think very hard. "Do I really have to do those things though?"

He nodded in a very serious expression. "Yeah, of course. Nothing comes for free, you know."

"You're right," she nodded. "Alright then, count me in."

And Joe smiled the widest smile he had ever made in his entire life.