Her Boyfriend, My Husband

CHAPTER 33

Yusuf's POV

Like always, I was the first cadet to arrive at the Academic Branch. My course mates, juniors and even seniors were dozens of meters behind me and would probably arrive at the classes in this building we conveniently called A-Branch, completely drained of energy from the run and then inevitably sleep off the whole lecture. But I couldn't blame them, the classes were the only place serene enough we could afford to have an hours worth of sleep.

I sat down heavily on one of the many wooden chairs in the now empty classroom and took a generous gulp of water from the water bottle in my rucksack. After I had steadied my breathing and paid the oxygen debt 4 km of running forced me to take, I straightened up my uniform and made sure not a piece was out of place. There were no excuses for untidiness in the military. The other cadets started pouring into the classes one by one with their panting breaths and sweaty bodies and in no time, the classes started.

In two hours, the class was wrapped up and we were to report for field duty, which I'm sure most of us enjoyed more than the boring academics. The sun's glare was merciless as usual but it didn't hinder our superiors from handing out rigorous exercises to us. But this being my fourth year as an army cadet, there's hardly any kind of suffering my body wasn't accustomed to. At 21 years old, I have been pushed way beyond my breaking point and have been put out of my comfort zone so much that now, it mostly made no difference to me if I slept on shrubs on the ground or a bed.

Today was sanitation day and we were to be in groups of two for particular tasks and it was my ill luck that I ended up with someone as notorious as S. Usman as my partner. Even though I know at the end of the day, I was the one that would do all the work, I complained to no one and just went ahead to start the task of clearing a part of the field at the back of A-Branch while she just stood and watched me as she picked on her nails.

Around a half hour into the work, a boy who no doubt must be a first year cadet stumbled into and shoved himself into the pile of dried grass I had gathered, making it scatter and spread all over the field. I have no idea whether it was a mistake or he had done it on purpose but I didn't even care about finding out, I just sighed and knew that I would have to start all over again with no help whatsoever guaranteed from S. Usman.

"Hey!" S. Usman shouted at the boy who was peeling off the bits of grass that stuck to his camo. "Are you mad? Can't you see we were working?"

I knew Usman wasn't going to let it go like I had and I shook my head at her when she said "we".

"Can't you hear me?" she screamed at the boy, "What is your name!?" she demanded with authority and sinister intention lacing her tone.

"Benisheikh Ma'am, H. Benisheikh." I could see the fear in his eyes as he mustered the courage to look back at her.

I knew that look on S. Usman's face, she was the type that greatly enjoyed showing off and imposing their seniority and power on weaker cadets. That may be why she did everything she could to lure one of the most senior and brilliant army cadets in the whole Academy and wooed him into being in a relationship with her.

"You are a fresher right?" Usman smirked, "I can smell it on you." she made a show of clapping her hands as she walked around the kid.

The boy gulped and stood transfixed to his spot while fixing his oversized helmet on his head. I should intervene, I felt but the fact that I was too busy told me to stay in the shadows where I've always been, this is none of my concern.

"Yes, and you? What's your name? Are you also a fresher?" H. Benisheikh said surprising both me and Usman with the coolness of his tone.

Her eyes widened and she looked at the boy as if stunned into silence. How dare he, she must have been thinking. "I'm three years your senior, Cadet, so know how to speak to me." Usman gritted her teeth.