I will always put you first (WangXian modern au)

3. "3 years, 1 month, 22 days, and 13 hours"

Lan Wang Ji, Yunnan:

We arrive at Yunnan base at 0800 hours. We have been in our military Jeep for over 24 hours. We made minimal stops on the way. To say my body is aching to stretch is an understatement.

The team residing at our Yunnan base guides us to our quarters. Two occupants are assigned to each room. They have tried to mix in the medical unit people with us soldiers. It is considered suitable from a safety perspective. It would also get two diverse groups to get to know each other and work together better.

If the sights on our way are any proof, we have a tough assignment. Although the torrential rains have stopped, the floods have already destroyed a lot. Yunnan looks very different from the last time I had been here.

I need to report to the seniors while my boys get settled in their quarters. On my way to the main office, several soldiers exchange salutes. It's good to see some familiar faces in them. My brain rarely forgets a face. This ability comes in handy on many occasions. It also torments me on many occasions - especially when it can not, will not, let go of one face in particular. My heart stirs uneasily before I school it to focus on the tasks at hand - get to the main office, report to seniors, and take our next set of instructions.

When I go back and collect my room assignment, I ask to check the list of all the residents. As a Captain, I needed to know that. What the Admin officer shares with me makes my heart skip a beat. Is this really happening?

D23 - Captain Lan Wang Ji - Dr Wei Wu Xian. That is my room assignment.

Can it be some other Dr. Wei Wu Xian? What if it is someone else? Wait, what if it is him? He will be here. He will be with me. He. Here. With me. At last!

"What will I need to do to make him mine?" I tremble at this thought. After meeting him for the first (and so far for the last) time, my addled brain has made only occasional appearances. Mostly at night, mostly when I was in my bed, mostly when I was alone. I realize this is its first appearance when I am in the company of others.

I school my expressions with some effort for the second time that day. Thanking the officer, I walk towards my room to get settled.

The insides of me are far from settled.

"Get a grasp, Wang Ji! You are not a middle school girl.", I mentally scold myself.

"Please, let's not ruin this before it even has a chance to get started. This is important. He is important. He is special. He is mine.", my addled brain is not much far behind and for once agrees with my logical brain.

It would be a couple of hours before they would get here. I give myself about 90 minutes to set things up in our room and get freshened up— 60 of those I spend deliberating - planning, unplanning, and replanning every little thing.

The room is modest, set up like a studio apartment. It has all the basic necessities - a kitchenette, a dining table for two, two single beds, a cabinet, a desk, and a chair. It also has an attached bathroom + laundry room. I debate with myself whether he would like the bed near the window or away from it, whether he would like the cabinet shelves at the top or bottom, whether I should keep my books on the desk or leave it empty for him. My heart wants only one thing - to make him comfortable here. To make him like it here. To make him like me. "Am I wanting too much?" I fear.

At the end of 60 minutes, I have not done much settling in. Huffing at myself, I decide to pick what I would like and do the opposite. Taking a quick shower, I get ready. It does little to calm my nerves. I pace in our room for the next half hour or more.

As minutes ticked by, I am only getting more nervous. Why isn't he here already? Unable to control my mounting anxiousness, I decide to pull on my facade of the stern Captain and enquire about the status of their arrival at the desk.