The Soldier & Me [Completed]

Chapter 2

[Phupha's POV]

I had stood there, watching him but realized he did not go in. I walked up towards him, him definitely not noting my presence until he bumped into me. I held onto him, looking at his face, expression that of fear, sadness, shock.

Before I could say anything, Pat pulled away from me and went back to the jeep. I watched as he put on his seat belt and stared determinedly straight ahead. I went off and got into the jeep. I drove off, back to the camp.

Silence was the memo during the entire ride back. Once we got back to the camp, he turned to look at me.

"I would like to stay on for these 3 months. I will do what's needed well and perfectly. Let me be here. Please."

I looked at him keenly. The heartbreak he must be going through, I could completely understand. Even though my partner didn't cheat on me, he had still left me and his loss is something I keenly felt even after 3 years. For Pat, its worse knowing his partner had cheated on him. He had seemed so sure earlier and now all I saw was disappointment and sadness etched on his face.

"All rights. You can stay for the 3 months. If you need anything, you can always come to me."

Pat nodded his head, taking off his seat belt and going to get his things. I told him to rest for the day and that we could start work tomorrow. He nodded quietly and went off to his trailer. But even his stoic presence couldn't hide the pool of tears in his eyes.

I went off to do my duties and was done at around 8pm. I was about to go off to my own trailer when I decided to check in on Pat. I went upto his and knocked on the door. There was no response. That's odd, there was a strict policy of no gallivanting after 7pm in camp. I knocked again but heard no response. I could see a shadow though so I knew he was in. What if the idiot tried to do something stupid?!

I just knocked down the door and went straight in. Pat was stunned to see me as he took his earphone off. Oh shit.

"I'm sorry. I knocked twice but didn't hear anything and I thought..."

"That I was trying to kill myself?"

I kept quiet, just looking at him sheepishly. I winced as I realized I had to replace the door for him.

"It's ok. Thank you. I was on a call with my parents. They wanted to check in on me."

"Do they know.."

"That I know? No, I didn't tell them. I am not sure on how to do that without breaking down. A part of me still thinks it's a lie. Though my 70 messages and 30 missed calls to Pran should have given me a good hint by now."

"Will you be fine?"

"I will be. Thank you for asking. The door though.."

"I will get someone to fix it in the morning. Please rest well."

Pat nodded and I went off, my face streaking red because of the so called idiotic heroic move I had pulled off. I went back to my bunker, showering and changing.

I sat down on my bed and looked at the framed photo of myself and Tian. It seemed like a lifetime ago but it has only been 3 years. It never got easier for me though I have learnt to live with it. So I knew exactly on how Pat was feeling. Pain isn't measured by the extent of its cause but the fact that it even happened.

I fell asleep holding that photo, waking up at 3am as usual. I went for a morning jog and was coming back around 4am when I saw Pat come out of his bunker. I saw him sitting outside his bunker, holding something in his hands. I walked closer towards him and saw him holding his phone, with a message that was open.

"Are you ok?"

Pat looked at me, his eyes desperately holding back his tears.

"I am."

I looked at him and his phone. He tried to smile and stood up, stuffing the phone in his pocket.

"We will go to the other camp later. Be ready by 8am."

Pat nodded and went back into his bunker. I sighed. I definitely knew he didn't sleep last night. I went back to my own bunker, thoughts of Pat filling my head, wondering if he will ever be ok.

At 8am sharp, my boys picked him up and he went off to the camp. I stayed back to do other duties and around 4pm, Pat came back, tired as fuck and wait, what the heck, nursing a injury. His left arm was in a sling. I frowned as I watched him hobble back to his bunker. I casually asked my boys what happened and they said a little shootout had happened earlier with one of the neighboring tribes from the forested area. Pat had been caught in the crossfire and had sustained an injury.

I clenched my hands in anger but tried to keep my emotions in check. I decided to check in on Pat before I went back for the day. Around 7pm, I was walking over to his bunker when I saw Pat coming out.

"Oh, I was just about to look for you."

"Is everything ok? What happened?"

"Just a small injury. Can I get some help though? Something appears to be wrong with my fan. Could you take a look or if an electrician is here? I'm kinda stranded with only 1 working arm."

I told him I would check it out. We went back to his bunker and I fixed the problem shortly. Just as I wrapped things up, Pat's phone rang. He looked at it, his face hardened and then he just declined the call.

"It's all fixed. You ok?"

"Yes I am. Thank you for this."

"How's the arm? I heard about it. Please be careful. Your dad will kill me if anything major is to happen to you."

"He wouldn't. The worst has happened to me and I am still alive. He's also privy to what happened and has hidden it. I don't think he has a say in my life anymore."

"Pat.."

"I'm fine. Thank you for asking."

I nodded. I took my leave, reminding him to reach out to me if he needed anything. He nodded his head, just a small smile on his face.

As I walked back, I realized how over the course of one day, Pat's entire demeanour had changed. His father and my father were good friends and his father had often shared about his antics, character and personality.

Such a fun, easy going and loving guy who always had a permanent smile on his face and was often goofing around. But now, all I saw was a serious guy who had all joy snuffed out of him.

In a way, he reminded me of myself. And that wasn't the best thing to be honest.