The coffee had gone cold. Neither Paul nor Veronica seemed to care. They were still sitting across from each other in Veronica's apartment, the conversation moving slowly between the present and memories neither of them had touched in years.
Outside, the city had become quiet. Veronica looked down at her cup.
-Do you remember the first time we actually went somewhere together?
Paul smiled faintly.
-You mean somewhere that wasn't a battlefield?
-Yes.
-I remember.
She raised an eyebrow.
-You do?
-I remember more than you think.
Veronica leaned back against the sofa.
-Then tell me.
Paul looked at her for a moment.
-That depends.
-On what?
-Whether you remember it the same way.
She smiled.
-Probably not.
Paul looked down. And just like that, another memory returned.
Years Earlier
The first few months after Paul and Veronica were assigned together had been strange. Not because they disliked each other. Quite the opposite. They had simply become accustomed to being around each other.
They trained together. They were deployed together. They argued over tactics. They ate together when their schedules allowed it. And somewhere along the way, something had changed.
Neither of them noticed exactly when. At first, it was practical. Paul would finish training and wait outside the facility. Veronica would eventually walk out.
-You're still here?
-Apparently.
-You could have left.
-I could have.
-Then why didn't you?
Paul shrugged.
-I'm hungry.
Veronica stared at him.
-You've been waiting twenty minutes to tell me you're hungry?
-I didn't know you'd take twenty minutes.
She shook her head.
-You're terrible at lying.
-And you're terrible at leaving people alone.
-Then we're both terrible.
They would walk toward the cafeteria together. The next day, it happened again. Then again. Soon, it became normal.
If Veronica arrived early, she saved a seat for Paul. If Paul finished training first, he waited for her. Neither ever discussed it. They simply did it.
Their colleagues noticed before they did.
One evening, Mpho walked past them in the cafeteria and stopped. Paul was eating while Veronica was explaining something on a tablet.
Mpho looked at them. Then at the two empty seats around them. Then back at them.
-You two are becoming a package deal.
Paul looked up.
-What?
-You heard me.
Veronica didn't even look away from the tablet.
-Go away, Mpho.
Mpho grinned.
-See? She already speaks for you.
Paul threw a piece of bread at him. Mpho laughed as he walked away. Veronica finally looked up.
-You know he's going to keep doing that.
-Let him.
-You're not bothered?
-No.
She studied him for a second.
-Why?
Paul shrugged.
-Because he's wrong.
Veronica smiled.
-Are you sure?
Paul looked at her.
-Why wouldn't I be?
She didn't say anything.
Neither did he.
Their missions continued. Some were easy. Others weren't. But they had developed an understanding that made working together almost effortless. Paul knew when Veronica was about to change direction. Veronica knew when Paul was about to ignore an order. Paul knew when she was pretending to be calm. Veronica knew when he was pretending not to be worried.
It was during one of those missions that Paul first realized just how much he trusted her.
They had been deployed to stop an armed group that had taken control of a heavily fortified industrial complex.
The operation was supposed to last less than an hour. It lasted nearly four. By the time the final resistance collapsed, Paul and Veronica were standing on opposite sides of the facility. Paul looked across the battlefield. He couldn't see her.
-Veronica?
Nothing. He tried again.
-Veronica, respond.
Static.
Paul's expression changed. A soldier nearby approached.
-Sir, the western sector is secure. We should regroup.
-Where is Veronica?
The soldier hesitated.
-Her unit was moving toward the lower facility.
Paul looked toward the building. The mission was already under control. His orders were clear.
Regroup.
Instead, he turned around.
-Ok, I'm going there.
-Sir?
Paul was already moving. He found her several minutes later. She was standing beside a damaged transport vehicle, helping another soldier whose leg had been injured.
She looked up when Paul approached.
-What are you doing here?
-Looking for you.
-I was busy.
-I noticed.
She stared at him.
-You abandoned the regroup order."
-Hey! You also did.
-I was helping him.
-And I've come to help you.
-You're not helping.
-Stop talking.
For a moment, they simply looked at each other. Then Veronica laughed.
-You're impossible.
-So I've been told.
She shook her head. But there was something different in her expression. Something softer. Something Paul didn't understand yet.
A few weeks later, De Nemo joined one of their training sessions. He had been around OPESTM for years, but he rarely trained with the others. There was a reason. Everyone knew he was different. Even among the Elite Super Soldiers, De Nemo stood above them. His strength, speed, and combat ability were on another level. Officers openly expected him to become a Grand Super Soldier. Some believed he could eventually lead the entire OPESTM army.
Paul had never been bothered by it. If anything, he respected De Nemo. After the training session, Paul watched him walk away. Veronica stood beside him.
-You know, she said, -you'll never beat him.
Paul looked at her.
-What makes you think that?
-Common sense.
-I have plenty of that.
-I doubt that.
Paul smiled.
-One day I'll beat him.
Veronica laughed.
-You're serious?
-Completely.
-That's adorable.
Paul frowned.
-Adorable?
-Yes.
-I don't like that word.
-I know.
He looked at her. She was still smiling. And for some reason, he didn't mind.
The first time they went somewhere together happened on an ordinary afternoon. There was no mission. No emergency. No briefing. No reason for either of them to be wearing their uniforms. Paul had just finished training when Veronica approached him.
-You busy?
-Not anymore.
-Good.
She hesitated. Then said,
-Come with me.
Paul looked confused.
-Where?
-You'll see.
-That sounds suspicious.
-It isn't.
-You're not going to kill me, are you?
Veronica rolled her eyes.
-If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't bother taking you somewhere first.
-That makes me feel much better.
She smiled.
-Are you coming?
Paul followed. They left the OPESTM facility and walked several blocks before reaching a small restaurant.
It wasn't expensive. It wasn't particularly impressive. It was simply quiet. Paul looked at the place.
-This is it?
-You expected a palace?
-I expected something less... normal.
-That's exactly why I picked it.
They sat across from each other. For the first few minutes, neither knew what to say. They had spent months talking. But almost everything they talked about involved missions, training, weapons, strategy, or work.Now there was none of that.
Paul looked at Veronica.
-So.
-So?
-Why did you bring me here?
She picked up her glass.
-I wanted to eat.
-You could've eaten at the OPESTM cafeteria.
-I didn't want to.
-Why?
She looked at him.
-Because I wanted to eat here.
-With me?
-Yes.
Paul nodded slowly.
-Okay.
Veronica smiled.
-You're making this awkward.
-You made it awkward first.
-I invited you to dinner.
-Exactly.
She laughed. For the first time, Paul noticed how different she looked outside the military environment.
There was no armor. No weapon. No mission waiting for them.
She was simply Veronica. And he realized that was the version of her he wanted to know. They talked for hours.
About their childhoods. About the places they wanted to visit. About what they might do if they weren't soldiers. Veronica wanted to travel. Paul wasn't sure what he wanted.
-That's depressing, she said.
-Why?
-You've never thought about life outside OPESTM?
-Not really.
-You should.
-Maybe I will.
She smiled.
-When?
-When I find something worth thinking about.
She looked at him.
-Maybe you already have.
Paul went quiet. For a second, neither of them looked away. Then the waiter arrived.
-Dessert?
Veronica immediately looked down. Paul laughed.
-What?
-Nothing.
-What?
-You're avoiding the question.
-What question?
-You know.
-I don't.
-You do.
She smiled.
-Maybe I am.
They walked back toward the facility later that evening. The sun had already disappeared. The streets were quiet. Paul kept his hands in his pockets. Veronica walked beside him.
-You had fun?
-Yes.
-Really?
-Yes.
-Good.
They continued walking. After a few seconds, Veronica spoke again.
-Paul.
-Hmm?
-Have you ever wondered why we keep doing this?
-Doing what?
-This.
She gestured between them.
-Training together. Eating together. Going places together.
Paul thought about it.
-No idea
-You haven't?
-Na-uh
She looked disappointed.
-Why not?
Paul stopped walking. Veronica stopped too. He looked at her.
-Because I like it.
Her expression softened.
-That's it?
-That's it.
She looked away.
-Okay.
Paul watched her for a moment. Then continued walking. She followed. Neither said anything else. But both of them were thinking about the same thing. Something had changed. They just didn't have a name for it yet.
That night, Paul couldn't sleep. He lay in bed staring at the ceiling. He thought about the restaurant. The conversation. The way Veronica had looked at him. The way he had felt when she laughed. He had fought soldiers stronger than himself without hesitation. He had walked into situations where death was almost certain. Yet somehow, understanding what he felt for Veronica seemed harder than all of it. He closed his eyes.
What is happening to me?
He didn't have an answer.
Not yet.
The next morning, Veronica was waiting outside the training facility. Paul approached.
-You're early.
-You're earlier than me.
-I've been here for twenty minutes.
-I know.
Paul looked at her.
-You knew?
-Yes.
-How?
-You always arrive twenty minutes early when you're nervous.
Paul stared at her.
-I'm not nervous.
-Sure.
She walked past him. Paul followed.
-Where are you going?
-Training.
-Right.
They entered the facility together. Neither mentioned the previous night. Neither needed to. Something had already been said without words.
Present Day
Veronica was still sitting on the sofa. Paul had gone quiet. She watched him carefully.
-You remembered.
Paul nodded.
-The restaurant.
She smiled.
-You hated that place.
-I didn't.
-You said the food was pretty bad
-It was bad.
-Yet you ate everything."
-I was hungry.
-Same excuse as ever.
Paul smiled.
For a moment, they were no longer two soldiers sitting in an apartment after years of separation. They were simply two people remembering a time when everything had been easier. Veronica looked down at her hands.
-When did you realize?
Paul frowned
-Realize what?
-That you loved me.
The question hung between them. Paul didn't answer immediately. He looked toward the window.
-Can't say.
-That's not an answer.
-I know.
She waited. Paul finally looked back at her.
-I think... I knew before I understood.
Veronica's eyes softened.
-And when did you understand?
Paul smiled faintly.
-Later.
-How much later?
-Long enough.
She laughed quietly.
-You were always slow.
-Maybe.
A silence settled between them. But this time, it wasn't uncomfortable. Veronica leaned back against the sofa.
-I miss that.
Paul looked at her.
-What?
She looked around the apartment.
-Us.
Paul said nothing. Because he missed it too. The difference was that years ago, they had never understood how valuable those ordinary days were.
They had thought they would have thousands more. They had thought there would always be another dinner. Another mission. Another conversation. Another morning.
They had been wrong.
But for the first time in years, sitting across from each other, neither of them was thinking about what had been lost. They were remembering what had once existed. And perhaps that was enough to begin. Veronica looked at him.
-You know what?
-What?
-I think that was when it became us.
Paul smiled.
-Maybe.
She looked at him for a few seconds. Then quietly said,
-I'd like to remember the rest.
Paul nodded.
-So would I.
Outside, the city continued to sleep.
Inside, two people who had once believed they had lost everything were slowly discovering that some things had never completely disappeared.
To be continued...