Leena looked at Kevin without saying a word. It was the first time that Kevin had exposed his emotional side to her. Kevin was a red-blooded military officer and always remained calm under all circumstances, so sometimes people forgot that he was just a human being, who could get sad and vulnerable.
"That's where I met Bruce. I was told that his father was also a soldier who sacrificed himself to defend our country when his son was little. Bruce didn't have much of a chance to get to know his dad. He admired his father and chose to be a soldier too when he grew up. That way, he could become a great fighter, just like his role model," Kevin said softly. An image of a fit and cheerful boy smiling at him surged into his head.
"Bruce worked very hard in training and soon stuck out from the crowd. He was promoted as our squadron leader," Kevin continued, lowering his eyes. The pain was written across his face.
The storyteller dwelt on this painful memory. His agony reverberated to his audience, who rested her chin on one hand and looked at him with worry. A frown marred her features.
"As the days passed by, we became experienced soldiers. Bruce was the best we had in the army. We were close, just like brothers. We promised each other that we would treat the other's parents with respect like they were our own. We imagined holding our wedding together on the same day. Our children would be brothers if they were boys and sisters if they were girls. But if there were a girl and a boy, we hoped that they would get together. If one of us died, the other would shoulder the responsibility of the child and take care of our parents until they passed away," Kevin said, tearing up. They had been young and ambitious in envisioning a beautiful future. Neither of them had expected death to come so early.
"You must have been heartbroken the day he died, right?" Leena asked. She was never trained in the army, but she could sense how great the comradeship had been between them.
"When the moment came; when the bullet lodged in his head and his face was covered with blood, everything suddenly became too real. I felt death stare a
d to act tough in front of their loved ones.
Kevin only spared one day for himself to feel sad. For the rest of the year, he was always on his feet. He knew Bruce didn't want to see him sad. He had sacrificed himself so that Kevin could lead a happy life and make his dreams come true, not for him to wallow in grief. Kevin couldn't let him down.
Leena couldn't fall asleep that night and rolled out of bed. She came into the den and took out her sketchbook. Her pen flowed rapidly across the paper and a beautiful dress was sketched. It was penned in deep blue and was reminiscent of a wide sea. It held a tinge of sadness to it. Leena drew the design in accordance with how she felt. As a fashion designer, everything could become her muse. It was Bruce's story that made her feel so down.
Like every day, Kevin opened his eyes at dawn and reached out to the woman who was usually by his side, but found that Leena was not next to him like he was used to. Startled when his hands landed on an empty space, he sat up and looked around to try and find her. He was a light sleeper and always woke up before Leena got out of bed. He must have slept in because he felt too sad yesterday.
"Oh, you are up. I made breakfast. Have a bath and come downstairs," Leena said when she walked in and ran into Kevin.
"Why did you get up so early today? You look terrible. Did you have a bad night?" Kevin asked, stroking her pale face.
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