More Than a Soldier

Chapter 9 - Barbeque

Y/n's POV:

Sleep was hard to come by last night. For some reason, I kept dreaming about the day of the mortar attack, but this time I couldn't get out, no matter how hard I tried. It doesn't help that the softness of the bed is oddly disconcerting after spending the last three months on a hard camp bed in a sleeping bag! From about 4am I just gave up on trying to get back to sleep so switched my attention to my beautiful fiancé.

Her head is resting on my chest, her mouth slightly parted as cute little snores fall from her lips. My arm is tightly wrapped around her and resting on her side, so I start to slowly trail my finger over her exposed skin. The sensation causes her to cuddle in closer to me, her arm falling over my stomach and gripping my shirt.

I don't realise how fast time goes as I happily enjoy being close to Scarlett, feeling safe in this moment. It's about half eight when Scarlett starts to stir. I watch as her eyes slowly flutter open before landing on me. She lets out a content sigh and pulls me in as close as she can. "Morning Angel." I greet, running my hand through her hair. "Morning Bella." She responds in her perfect morning voice, placing a kiss to my neck. "How long have you been up?" She asks getting comfortable.

My gaze falters slightly at the questions which causes Scarlett to frown at me. "Be truthful?" She states, lifting herself up so she's rest on her elbow and able to look at me. Her eyes boring into my soul. "Since about 4." I admit quietly. She lets out a small gasp and cups my cheek with her hand. "Did you have a nightmare?" She questions whilst running her thumb over my cheek. "Yeah. But it wasn't as bad as I've had in the past. Just couldn't fall back asleep." I tell her truthfully, not wanting her to worry too much.

"You look tired." She observes which makes me chuckle. "And you look beautiful." I compliment which makes her roll her eyes. "I wish you had woken me up." She grumbles. "And what would that have achieved? Both of us awake and tired." I reply which just earns a huff. "I could have comforted you." She almost whines like a child, her movement on my cheek not faltering. "You did comfort me. I had a nice morning just watching you sleep." I admit, before cringing a little. "It's not as creepy as that sounds." I defend but Scarlett's already laughing.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asks, turning back to the topic at hand. "Not really." I share, it's not something I want to relive in this moment. I see Scarlett look disappointed at my answer. "It was just about the attack. It really wasn't as bad as ones I've had in the past." I try to comfort her. She just hums and lies back down, her head on my shoulder.

"Can we talk about Ava's birthday instead?" I suggest and that gets her attention. "Of course!" She responds enthusiastically. "I know I'm not here, but I still want to make sure she knows I'm thinking of her." It makes me sad knowing that I'm missing her birthday. "I've never missed a birthday before." I share, a wave of sadness washing over me.

Sensing the shift in emotion, Scarlett adjusts us so she's now lying on her back. She then pulls me into her so she can comfort me and I'm so grateful for it. "She knows that you'll be with her in spirit. She'll never doubt that." She says giving me some comfort. "What would you like to get her this year?" Scarlett asks, not allowing us to linger too long in the sad feelings. "I noticed that she's growing out of her bike, and she's also been talking about getting a scooter. What do you think?" I suggest then turn to look at her for her response.

"A bike is definitely a good idea as is the scooter. She loves being outside. I also noticed that they have released a Marvel Lego game on the switch. Sounds like something she would like." Scarlett adds her own idea which instantly gets my ears to prick up. "Really? That sounds so cool!" I refer to the game and she laughs. "Babe. It's a gift for Ava not you." She teases and I pout, which she quickly kisses away.