ᴴᵉᵃᵛᵉⁿ ˢᵉⁿᵗ ʸᵒᵘ ᵀᵒ ᴹᵉ ~ ᴬ.ᴳ

𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕣𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕞𝕖 𝕔𝕣𝕒𝕫𝕪 ~ 𝟚𝟙

❝ 𝒪𝒽, 𝒷𝒶𝒷𝓎. 𝒪𝒽, 𝓂𝒶𝓃.

𝒴𝑜𝓊'𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝒾𝓃' 𝓂𝑒 𝒸𝓇𝒶𝓏𝓎. 𝑅𝑒𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒹𝓇𝒾𝓋𝒾𝓃' 𝓂𝑒 𝓂𝒶𝒹.

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓉'𝓈 𝒶𝓁𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓂𝑒. 𝐼𝓉'𝓈 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝓃𝑜 𝒻𝓊𝓈𝓈. 

𝒜𝓈 𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊'𝓇𝑒 𝓃𝑒𝓍𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝑒. 

𝒥𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝓌𝑜 𝑜𝒻 𝓊𝓈 ❞

𝕞𝕪 𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕗 𝕨𝕠𝕞𝕒𝕟 ~ 𝕞𝕒𝕔 𝕕𝕖𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕔𝕠

ᶠᵉᵇᵘʳᵃʳʸ ²⁸ᵗʰ ²⁰²⁰

Ariana's heart pounded in her chest as she tried to make sense of the surreal situation unfolding before her. She felt like a character in one of her own melodramatic music videos, caught between two worlds, two men, and a whirlwind of emotions.

"Dalton, this is..." Ariana's voice faltered, trembling as she struggled to find the words. Her mind was spinning, unable to process the fact that the soldier stood before her, alive and real. Dalton's expression darkened with frustration, his brows knitting together, shadowing his eyes with impatience.

"I don't care—" Dalton snapped, his voice laced with hurt and anger. He quickly caught himself, inhaling deeply to steady his frayed nerves. "Sorry," he muttered, turning towards Leo with an outstretched hand, his fingers trembling slightly. "Hey, man. I'm Dalton," he said, his tone a forced calm.

Leonardo stood motionless for a heartbeat, his gaze piercing through Dalton. He observed him, looking him up and down.

Really, Ariana? This guy?

For Leo, the moment felt both surreal and agonizingly real. He had rehearsed this meeting countless times during those endless nights in the desert, picturing Ariana's face and her reaction. But now, standing here, he felt a surge of emotions he hadn't anticipated—jealousy, anger, and an overwhelming sense of longing.

His eyes flickered to Dalton's outstretched hand, but he made no move to shake it. Instead, he focused on Ariana, trying to read her expression, searching for any sign that she had missed him as much as he had missed her. The weight of the medals on his chest felt like a burden, a reminder of the life he had lived without her.

After a tense pause, he grasped Dalton's hand, his grip firm and unyielding. His eyes, dark and intense, made Dalton feel as if he were under scrutiny.

"Leonardo Esposito," the soldier replied, his voice calm yet carrying an undercurrent of something heavy and unspoken. He released Dalton's hand and turned his attention back to Ariana, who stood between them like a deer caught in headlights, her eyes wide with shock.

The silence that followed was thick, suffocating, as if the air had turned to lead. Ariana's mind raced, the weight of the two men's expectations pressing down on her. She felt pulled in opposite directions, each man a gravitational force tugging at her heart.

Her breath hitched as she took in the two men before her, each representing different parts of her life.

Dalton, with his tousled brown hair and casual attire, exuded a laid-back charm that had once made her feel so at ease. His eyes, usually so warm and inviting, now burned with a mixture of confusion and betrayal.