Location: Medic Unit Base – Periphery of Sector Z
3:42 AM
The silence after the letter didn't last long. Love never gets to breathe in peace when the world is at war.
A sudden BOOM shook the safehouse.
Alarms screamed. Lights burst. The enemy had traced them.
Vashti threw the letter into her jacket and grabbed her gun. "They're here."
Shabd didn't hesitate either. "Stay close."
"Don't tell me what to do," she snapped—but her hand brushed his as they ran.
---
The Firefight
Smoke filled the corridors. Red-laser sights crisscrossed through the dark. Miafel shouted directions over the comm.
"South exit compromised. Repeat—South is HOT."
Vivek wheezed into a mask beside her, barely able to stay upright. But his eyes… were fire.
Vashti and Shabd burst into the main hallway—right into the line of fire.
Bullets rained.
Vashti tackled Shabd, rolling behind cover.
"Still think I'm reckless?" she panted.
"I like your recklessness now," he said, reloading. "It's kind of sexy."
She stared at him for half a second too long.
Then smirked.
"You're not gonna die today, Shabd Heer. I still have to kiss you properly."
---
Flashback Interruption
1 Week Ago
Shabd had written his own letter.
Never given.
It was in his coat pocket.
> *"If I fall before I tell you...
Just know that I've loved you longer than I'll admit.
I was just too scared to love someone who could ruin me with a single smile."*
---
Present
They broke cover.
Vashti flipped into the next hallway, taking down two soldiers with sharp shots. Shabd followed her move-for-move, eyes on her more than the bullets.
But then—a sharp whizz.
A bullet grazed Shabd's shoulder.
He stumbled.
Vashti screamed, "NO!"
She ran to him, shooting wildly, shielding him with her body.
He hissed, grabbing her hand. "It's just a graze."
"I don't care," she snapped. "You bleed—I break."
He pulled her close, despite the pain. Their faces inches apart, war raging around them.
"I never got to kiss you," he whispered.
Vashti's eyes burned.
"You still can."
And in the middle of gunfire, explosions, and chaos—they kissed.
Fierce. Desperate. Real.
---
After the Kiss
Reinforcements arrived. Miafel led the squad. The enemy fled into smoke.
The battle paused.
But something had changed forever.
---
Later That Night
Shabd sat beside the fire, Vashti patching up his shoulder.
She didn't say anything.
Until she reached into his coat and pulled out… his letter.
Their eyes met.
And for once—there was no storm. Only quiet thunder between two hearts that finally beat in sync.
---