VIII "Every Day"

"What's the matter with you? You've been acting weird all day," Roy accused, retracting his hand from her shoulder when she jumped. "First you can't stop being angry at me, and now you won't answer me—"

There was nothing to do but stammer an apology. "I—I guess I wasn't as prepared for running into our old colleagues as I thought I would be."

"You realize I was trying to give Havoc a hard time…I suppose I didn't accomplish that very well, did I?"

"It's ok…I suppose I'm used to it by now. Riza returned his half-hug, images of that night in the desert still flashing through her head. "Ross was so curious when I mentioned I was going out with 'some guy' that I've half expected her to follow us. The whole company's here now, and I guess I'm a bit nervous about that too."

"But they've just signed peace agreements—"

"I know."

He fell silent for a moment, suddenly worried, probably not about the same thing.

"I suppose the whole base will know about us now."

"I didn't—"

He laughed. "Since when does any of our former comrades not find out everything? I'm not thrilled either, to be honest. That day in Ishbal was bad enough as far as we were concerned."

"It's funny you mention that," Riza said, amused at the coincidence. "I've been thinking about it a lot today."

"I think about it every day."

She stopped. Nine years was a long time for a memory like Ishbal to fade. They'd been stupid, gotten caught…but even severe embarrassment didn't brand the brain.

He reached over her shoulder again, twisting some of her loose hair between his fingers. He'd always said he liked it better on her long; back then it'd been very short. "I knew I'd found someone worth keeping, even then."

"Liar. You were drunk."

"What's your point?" He snatched her waist before she could react and pulled her against him. Now people were staring.

He was doing it deliberately, she knew, trying to turn her on out of guilt. He'd done it before; she suspected he enjoyed teasing her. She put her hand over his face and shoved him away, and he tried to bite her. She backhanded him lightly, admonishingly. "No biting. You haven't talked about it for years…now all of a sudden I'm supposed to believe you?"

"What was I supposed to do? Bring it up while I was doing paperwork? Harass you until you reported me and the whole charade unraveled like a poorly wrapped Christmas gift? I had enough trouble controlling myself before you decided to petition for reassignment to Central."

"You're the one that requested I do it!"

"I thought you a valuable addition to my list of allies."

"I was that irresistible, was I?"

"Like I said. I'd had you once, and I'd have been all over you but for our situation. It doesn't mean I didn't appreciate you on other levels. Or that I don't appreciate you even more now."

Damn him, she thought. I never win when he says things like that. "Let's go to your place."

"My place? This is sudden. Are you sure?"

"It's closer."

He laughed again—it like so many things about him refused to become mundane. "I like your way of thinking."