- } ghost { -

6.

Playing: Somewhere Down The Road
1:03 |——————————————-| 2:57
"Sometimes goodbyes are not forever."
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– } Chloe walked through the door of her barracks room, feeling utterly drained. The place was quiet, just like the rest of the base. The scent of old furniture and the faint smell of disinfectant greeted her as she kicked her boots off and dropped her bag on the bed. Her feet ached, and her muscles felt sore from a long day of training.

She walked into the small bathroom, turned on the shower, and stripped down. The warm water felt good as it hit her skin, and she stood under the spray for a while, letting the steam fill the bathroom. She closed her eyes, allowing herself a brief moment of relief, hoping the water would wash away the tension in her mind.

She turned the water off eventually and wrapped herself in a towel, glancing at the mirror. The person staring back at her wasn't who she remembered. She was different now—tired, worn, as if she'd aged years since the last time she'd been truly happy.

She walked back into the room and dropped onto the edge of the bed. The quiet of the barracks pressed in on her, making the emptiness even more suffocating. She grabbed the remote and flipped through the TV channels, not really paying attention to anything. Her eyes kept wandering to the stack of boxes sitting in the corner of the room. They were all packed with her things—uniforms, books, keepsakes. All of her life had been packed into those boxes, and now it was time to sort through it.

The thought of it made her feel even more exhausted. She just wanted to lie there and do nothing. But after a minute, she glanced at the clock. It was still early—just after six. She could keep lying there, but something about the quiet felt too heavy. She sighed and stood up, walking toward the boxes.

She pulled the first one toward her and opened it slowly. The smell of cardboard filled the air, and the faint scent of old perfume drifted out from something buried inside. She reached in and pulled out a few of her uniforms, some still neatly folded, others starting to fray at the edges from countless washes. She ran her fingers over them, remembering the early days—the days when everything had felt new, exciting. Back then, it had been a dream. Now it felt more like a routine.

She set the uniforms aside and reached into the box again. It was filled with random things—books, photos, trinkets. She sorted through it, moving items into different piles. Some she'd keep, some she'd toss. It was a mindless task, but it gave her something to focus on.

As she dug deeper into the box, her fingers brushed against something small and familiar. She pulled out a worn photo album, its cover cracked and faded with time. She froze.

Her heart raced as she stared at it. The album had always been a part of her life, a record of memories she hadn't dared to look at in years. But she couldn't help herself. She opened it slowly, and the moment she did, she was hit with a rush of memories. There he was—Jay—his face smiling back at her. She could almost hear his laugh, the way he teased her but never in a cruel way. His dark brown eyes twinkled with that familiar mischief, always as if he knew something she didn't.

She turned the page, and more pictures followed—photos of them when they were both starting out in the military. They looked so young. There was one of them at a bar, her head resting on his shoulder, both of them laughing so hard it almost seemed like nothing could ever go wrong. Another was taken on a hike, Jay's arm around her waist as they looked at something far away, their faces full of happiness.

The memories hit her harder than she expected. She wiped her eyes, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill over. Jay had been her best friend, her soulmate, the one person who truly understood her. Losing him had left a hole in her heart that she wasn't sure would ever heal.

As she flipped through more pages, each picture pulled her deeper into a past she wasn't sure she was ready to face. It all felt so far away now. The laughter, the love, the promise of a future together—it had all been torn away from her in an instant. She couldn't hold it in any longer. Tears fell freely now, each one a reminder of a love lost too soon, of a future that would never be.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Chloe jumped, startled by the sound. She quickly wiped her face, trying to calm her breathing. She shoved the photo album under a pile of things, not ready to share her pain with anyone.

"Chloe?" Bradley's voice came through the door, sounding hesitant. "You okay in there?"

Chloe took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. She didn't want anyone to see how broken she felt. She stood up and walked toward the door, quickly wiping the last of her tears away. "Yeah, just unpacking," she called out, keeping her voice steady, as if nothing was wrong.

She opened the door to find Bradley standing there, his hands shoved in his pockets. He looked awkward, like he wasn't sure if he should be there, but he wanted to be supportive. He had no idea what she was really going through. No idea about Jay or the grief she was carrying.

"You sure? You've been quiet in there," Bradley said, looking around at the boxes scattered across the room.

"Just... going through some stuff," she said, trying to force a smile. "Nothing to worry about."

Bradley didn't seem convinced, but he didn't push. He sat down on the floor and looked at one of the boxes. "Need help with any of this?"

Chloe shook her head. "I'm good. Thanks, though."

Bradley gave her an uncertain smile. "Alright. Let me know if you need anything."

She nodded, appreciating his offer but knowing she needed to be alone. Bradley didn't know her well enough to understand what she was carrying. He couldn't know.

As he left, Chloe's gaze drifted back to the photo album. Her heart still ached with every turn of the page. She quickly closed the album and pushed it into the corner. Bradley might not understand, but she couldn't share this part of herself yet. Not with him.

The door clicked shut behind him, and Chloe let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She leaned back against the wall, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on her.

She missed Jay. She missed him so much it hurt. But there was no point in talking about it. Nobody would get it. She was alone in this grief, and that was just something she had to accept.

Chloe picked the photo album up again. Her hands shook as she opened it to the next page. There it was—the moment that would never leave her. Jay, kneeling in front of her, holding out a small velvet box. She was staring at him in shock, her hand covering her mouth as she realized what was happening.

It was the moment he proposed to her.

Her chest tightened as she traced the edges of the photo. That had been the last moment of happiness they'd shared. The last moment before everything changed. Before she lost him.

The tears came again, faster this time. She quickly closed the album, pushing it aside. She stood up, her body shaking, her mind racing.

In her haste, she knocked the album to the floor. Her heart pounded as she scrambled to find something—anything—to hold onto, something that could bring her back to that time.

Her fingers brushed against something small and smooth. A red velvet ring box. Her breath caught in her throat as she pulled it out. She opened it slowly, revealing the engagement ring Jay had bought her. The diamond sparkled faintly in the dim light of the room.

She couldn't breathe. The weight of everything hit her all at once. She dropped to her knees, clutching the box to her chest as the tears came harder than before. The proposal, the future, everything she had planned—it was all gone.

But the love? The love would never fade. She just wished he were still there.
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–}Ghost{–

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A/N:
Hey, everyone! I know this is a shorter chapter but I just wanted to take a second to remind you that loss and grief are real, and they don't follow a straight path. It's okay to feel messy and broken sometimes, and healing isn't something that happens quickly. If you're going through something tough, just know you're not alone. Thanks for reading, and take care of yourselves! ❤️‍🩹