Chapter 10: Riza's Sentiments

Meanwhile, Riza is almost finished with her paperwork. She looked at the clock on her desk.

"Time to check on Roy if he's working or not." She told herself. She arranged her desk and stood up. She is going to Roy's room bringing with her some documents needing Roy's signature. She was already in front of Roy's room when she heard two voices. One was obviously Roy's while the other sounds like Lt. Col. Hughes's. They were talking about something she couldn't understand. They were talking about liars or something that has to do with. She was about to knock when she heard them talk again. She thought that it was rude to interrupt them so she waited for them to finish. But the voices grew louder, enough for her to understand what they were saying.

"Tell me the truth now, Roy. Are you in love with her?" he asked Roy.

"You don't need to tell me that. I'll tell you the truth." Roy said.

"So what's your answer?"

"Yes." Roy answered.

"Finally, my friend has found his lady love! This calls for a celebration!" Hughes exclaimed.

"Hey, hey, Maes, calm down. I haven't told her yet." Roy told him.

"What! You haven't told her yet? I can't believe it! Roy Mustang, the certified womanizer of Central, is in love with a beautiful lady yet he can't tell her! Wow, is this the effect of being in love to you? You simply can't tell her?" Hughes laughed.

"Thank you very much for the compliment, Maes." Roy said.

"You're welcome!" Hughes answered back.

"Now, listen Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes. You know for a fact that she's not the same as the other girls out there. If she's like them, I won't love her the way I do now. I loved her because only she can make me behave in front her. I'm not "drooling" every time I see her which makes her unique." Roy told Hughes.

Riza was still outside Roy's room. "I envy the girl they are talking about. Roy's already in love with her." She thought. "How I wish I was that girl." She sighed. "Hey, wait a minute! Why am I thinking this way? I have no right to feel this way!" she shook her head for the thought go away. "I better go inside now." She told herself. She knocked on Roy's door. (Thump, thump, thump) "This is Lt. Hawkeye, Sir."

Roy and Maes heard the knock.

"She's here!" Roy whispered to Maes.

"I better go out now. It's up to you now Roy." Hughes said in a soft voice.

"Up to me?" Roy asked him.

"I'll go inside now, Colonel!" Riza said from outside. And the door opened. It showed Riza with documents on her hands. She saluted to them. "Good morning, Col. Mustang, Lt. Col. Hughes." She saluted to them.

"Good morning Hawkeye! Bye Roy!" Hughes said and went out.

"But Maes! What do you mean by that?" Roy asked again.

"It's up to you now!" he winked at Roy.

Riza saw all the winking done and she knows its meaning. The thought of Roy being in love with somebody else makes her heart ache. And what's worst? He already confided it to his best friend, Lt. Col. Hughes which means that he's really in love with that girl. All of these sent pain to Riza's delicate heart. All her pains showed a little in her face. Other people may not notice it but not Roy.

"Are you aright, Riza?" he asked with concern.

"Yes Colonel, why?" she answered. "Is something wrong?" she asked him back.

"Yes, there are. First, you called me Colonel again. It's just the two of us here. What did we talk about last night? But most of all, you seem sad. What's the matter?"

"Okay Roy, (she put emphasis on the name) I'm sorry for calling you Colonel. And I'm not sad." she answered and smiled a little to hide her sadness. "Yes Roy, I'm sad and it's because of you why I'm feeling this way. Why do I have to fall for you? You're just making my heart ache so much." She thought.

"Are you sure?" Roy was doubtful.

"Yes." she nodded and smiled bitterly. "Don't mind me." Her eyes are getting a bit misty by now.

"Riza, if you're sick you can under time today. Anyway, you had over time yesterday. I don't want any one of you here getting sick." He said. "Especially you." He added in his mind.

"I'm really okay, Roy. Don't worry about me." she told him.

"Okay then, if you insist though I'm not yet convinced." He said.

Roy sat down and started working with the documents. He sometimes takes a glance at Riza. "I don't believe that she's okay." he thought.

"I'll go out now, Roy. Please continue with the documents." Riza told him.

"Don't worry, I'll continue with these and try to finish them so you won't have to work over time next time. I think it's because of that that's why you look sad." Roy assured her. "I'm sorry about that."

"You have to say sorry to me, Roy. I had a good time last night." Riza said and smiled at Roy. "Why are you so concerned with me, Roy? If you continue this, I'll start to have false hopes that you love me too. Please stop this." she pleaded in her mind. "Goodbye, Colonel." She said and saluted to him. She immediately went out of Roy's office.

"Goodbye, Riza."

As soon as Riza closed the door, the sooner she leaned onto it. Tears rolled on her cheeks. She was enduring it in front of Roy but now that she's out of his sight, she just let them go. She thought she can bear with for a long time so she can see Roy work but when she felt Roy's concern on her, she knew she can't bear it anymore. So instead of staying for a long time, she chose to go out. She immediately went to the washroom to cry herself out. Good thing there are only a few women working in the military so she's not worried that someone will see her cry. She stayed there for several minutes just crying.

"Why do I have to feel this way? Why do I have to cry? Why?" she asked herself. She wiped the tears on her eyes and cheeks. She washed her face and checked if her eyed are red. When she saw that they're not, she started to fix herself. "No one should notice that I just cried." She told herself. She went out of the wash room and headed back to her desk.

She's now in front of their room's door. She breathed deeply and opened it. The room was as what she expected. The others are doing their stuff. Havoc is again having his "smoking break"; Breda and Fuery are playing checkers while Farman watches them. Grumman was the only one working. She went back to her desk and continued to work. When she saw a document intended for Roy, she felt sad again. "Why am I so emotional today?" she asked herself. She wiped the tears forming in her eyes. Grumman noticed her and became curious.

"Are you crying, Lt. Hawkeye?" he asked her.

"Huh? Me, crying? No, I'm not. Why?" she asked him. "Oh, no! He noticed it!" Riza panicked in her mind.

"I thought you were wiping your tears." He answered.

"Um, something went into my eye that's why it got itchy and I'm trying to remove it. Maybe that's why you thought I'm crying." She lied.

Grumman just nodded. He then remembered something. He got his bag and took a small paper bag from it.

"Do you like some strawberries, Lieutenant?" he offered to Riza. "Here, have some."

"Where did you get those from?" Riza asked him.

"They're from my mother. She sent these this morning. It's from our farm." Grumman answered.

"They look fresh and ripe." Riza commented.

"Why don't you try one to prove if they are ripe or not?"

Riza got one and ate it.

"They're so sweet!" she mumbled.

"Here, it's for you." Grumman gave her the whole paper bag.

"Why are you giving me all of those?" she asked him.

"Actually, all of you here have your own. I already gave them theirs." He pointed at havoc and the others. "Even Col. Mustang and Lt. Col. Hughes have theirs but I haven't given it to them."

"Well then, thank you." Riza said.

"By the way, did you see Lt. Col. Hughes?

"He was inside Colonel's room before he left." Riza answered.

"He left already? So that means I can't give these to him anymore. I thought he would like these and his daughter." He was disappointed.

"You can give them to Colonel. Anyway, Lieutenant Colonel usually comes here not just once a day." Riza told him.

"Really? He'll be back? Well then, I must give these to Colonel his share so I can give Lt. Col. Hughes's also."

Then someone entered the room.

"Speaking of Colonel Mustang, he's here." Grumman commented. Roy approached Roy. He noticed that Roy's face was very serious. If an artist would paint his face now, he would surely have a hard time.

"Why is he talking to Riza that way? It's already the second time to did that!" Roy thought.

Grumman went nearer to Roy. "Excuse Colonel, do you like some strawberries?"

Roy was surprised. "Strawberries? For me?" he asked Grumman.

"Yes sir! These ones are from our farm back home. It's all for you." Grumman handed Roy the paper bag.

"Thank you very much, Major."

"You're quite welcome, Colonel!"

Roy ate one of the strawberries. "This tastes good!" he thought.

"Um, Colonel, may I ask you a favor?" Grumman asked Roy.

"What is it, Major?"

"Can you give these to Lt. Col. Hughes when he passes by your office today? I hope you don't mind."

"No problem, Major. I bet he would be delighted and I think Elysia likes strawberries too." Roy said.

Havoc approached the two officers.

"What brought you here, Colonel?" he asked Roy.

"Ah, yes, I almost forgot. Does anyone here know where Fullmetal's report on his mission on Lior are? I need them now." He asked everybody.

"They are in the archives office, Sir." Riza answered him.

"Thank you, Hawkeye. So, I go out now. I still have much work to do today. Thanks again for the strawberries, Major!"

"You're welcome, Colonel!" Grumman answered.

Roy went out of the room. Grumman asked Havoc about something he can't understand.

"I thought you told me Colonel seldom works on time? What happened to him?"

"Even I Major, is puzzled. Maybe this day is one of those days that he's on the mood to work. Maybe tomorrow, he'll be back to his usual self, idling." Havoc answered Grumman.