The Program [COMPLETED]

Chapter Twenty-Six

Aiden woke up from his sleep to find Zariah lying beside him. He sighed in relief, fearing everything that had happened between them the night before had all been just a dream. But, there she was, by his side, breathing steadily. Her chest rose and fell in a constant, soothing rhythm that made Aiden relax slightly. She looked peaceful when she was asleep. Rested, and at ease. He kissed her head, playing with a loose strand of her hair in his fingers.

He was careful not to disturb her slumber as he crawled out of bed, grabbed a pair of pants from the closest drawer and ducked into the bathroom to shower and change. He combed his fingers through his untidy brown hair, inspecting himself in the mirror. Aiden's grayish eyes clouded over as all the thoughts from the past few weeks replayed in his brain. He turned on the faucet and cupped cold, transparent water in his hands before splashing it onto his face. His skin tingled from the icy droplets, but Aiden hardly noticed. He couldn't help but think about Rhys, Zariah's former love interest. The way Zariah had talked about him made Aiden slightly envious. Rhys seemed like an exemplary soldier, selfless and clever. Sure, he may not have been able to save everyone, including himself, but he was able to save the person he loved. So far, Aiden wasn't doing such a great job at that one.

He hated to bring it up again, but he missed Jayda. She had been such a bright and brave recruit. No, she was more than that; she was his lifelong friend and companion. She and Theo had been together for a long time, and the two of them were practically inseparable. Aiden flinched when he thought about how Theo would be handling her passing. He'd loved Jayda more than words could describe. Aiden could see it in every little gesture Theo made in Jayda's company, the look in his eyes when he saw her approaching. They had always talked about leaving the Program and getting married, maybe even having a few kids once they were discharged. Now their future together was fractured, because Jayda had made the ultimate sacrifice; one that Aiden couldn't help but feel could have been avoided if he'd acted differently. Aiden had felt so high and mighty when he confronted Zariah the night before, even though truly, he was scared shitless. How was he supposed to protect his friends when he could barely protect himself?

"Hey, you," Zariah said from behind him. She leaned against the entrance to the bathroom. Aiden dried off his face, loosely hanging the towel on the nearby hook. She looked pretty, even in the morning, when he figured most people didn't look very attractive. She had borrowed a shirt from one of his dressers and pulled it on as makeshift clothing. Meanwhile, Aiden had only really put on a pair of pants and socks. He'd been fixing up his hair, so he hadn't thought to bother finding himself a shirt. Zariah didn't seem to mind. He supposed that even with the lack of clothing, he didn't look too indecent. After all, the prolonged years of intensive training made every guy in the Program look muscular and fit.

"Hey," Aiden replied, offering her a sheepish smile. He assessed Zariah's small figure in his much larger shirt. "You look nice in my clothes."

Zariah cracked a smile. "You look good without them," she remarked coolly. "You're thinking of Jayda, aren't you?"

"Are you a mind reader, in addition to being a professional bad-ass?" Aiden scratched his head. His fingers brushed past an old scar he'd gotten years ago etched into the base of his skull.

"It's a talent," Zariah dismissed. Aiden gave her a skeptical look, and she elaborated. "You get this... hazy look in your eyes. Like someone hollowed you out from the inside, and left you like that. I see it like this personal mirror you carry with you. That's how I know it's Jayda."

Aiden pressed his lips together, unable to respond accordingly. Zariah sighed, standing on the tips of her toes to give Aiden a soft kiss on the lips. She peered into his eyes with a curious, comforting expression. Her warmth made Aiden melt on the inside.