Elora's point of view:

About a month has passed and things had become increasingly routine. We didn't do much since the weather had been pretty breezy for the past weeks. I stayed home, doing whatever the day brought. I cooked, I listened to music, I read, I talked with my family, then I cooked again, then I went to bed. That was how most days went. However, this day was different.

We would be helping Lorelei and Mihn move into their new apartment today. All of us were going to put in some elbow grease and move a bunch of boxes into the two bedroom apartment on fifth street. It was the one that Lorelei and Mihn had debated over a few weeks ago. Now they had paid their down payment, and were free to move in. Even Flynn had volunteered to help out.

He and I had been routine as well. We didn't do much else after that night. He was busy now. He went training in the morning with my mother and sister, then he went to the army base with them. I stayed home all day and waited for him to come home at six every night. I would make dinner for everyone in the house, we would talk then, but then that would be it. It was starting to annoy me. No, he wasn't my boyfriend, but still, I thought there was something there.

I drove with my mother to the building. It was a good twenty minutes away from our house, but Lorelei and Mihn loved it and didn't let that stop them. The building was nice when I finally saw it. It was white stone, with black window frames and wired gates that matched it to complete tiny balconies. Small gargoyles sat on both end and the middle of the roof rim, matching nicely with the dark brown.

"This is nice," I said to my mother as we entered the building. She nodded in agreement and we took the old elevator up to the floor. Their apartment was on the seventh, which was the second last floor.

We went to their apartment, 7B, and my mother knocked on the door. It was Mihn who answered, with a smaller box in his hand. I heard music from Perry Como playing in the background. Yes, my sister definitely lived here. She was all about that singer. He greeted us kindly and let us inside to have the first look at their new place. It was nice, a little dark, but nice. I knew Lorelei would make it as bright and airy as possible with her decorating preferences. They already had the big furniture set up. The living room had the brown, leather couch and the small but functional television in front of it. A record player stood directly beside it, the music playing from it. The dining area which stood beside the kitchen was also ready with the table set up under the chandelier. It was mainly just smaller things that needed to be unpacked.

"Swank living quarters!" I exclaimed to Lorelei as she walked in with bottles of Coca-Cola for everyone. She handed me one and I thanked her as I gave her a hug.

"Thank you! I tell you, now that the hard work is over, this place is really starting to fill out. I'm so glad you're all here to help me finish it off," she replied. I chuckled and waved her off as she held my waist. Just then, Flynn and Jacob walked in. I cleared my throat when I saw him walk in, my eyes going to the floor as Lorelei left my side to say hello to the boys. My father couldn't make it, he was doing his physical therapy.

"Hello, Elora," Flynn said to me. I let out a smile of greeting but remained silent. I didn't want things to be thorny between us, and we had no reason to act that way, but something kept poking at me. The fact that he and I went out and had all that fun, only to find it met an untimely end, that was hard to ignore.

"Alright, should we all get started?" I heard Mihn asked as he broke the ice. I silently thanked him for intervening as we all nodded in agreement.

It took about three hours for us to get all the boxes in and unpacked. Lorelei said she would recycle the rest later on and we could all take a break. She was on the phone, ordering food as we all sat in the newly unpacked living room. It was decorated and clean, looking new and pretty. It was a comfortable setting that Lorelei and Mihn put all of themselves in.

"Elora, can I talk to you?" I heard the deep voice of Flynn say to me. I turned my head and saw him standing there, a few feet away from me. I nodded and awkwardly stood from the sofa, going to Lorelei and Mihn's new bedroom. I shut the door so we would have a private conversation.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He cleared his throat and crossed his arms around his chest.

"Nothing is wrong with me. It's you I'm concerned about. Tell me what is on your mind," he said to me. I became confused. What made him think that I was bothered by anything? I mean, yes, I wished that we still had the fire we had when we first met, even though we weren't together or anything like that. Even then, he didn't have to assume I was the problem here.

"There's nothing bothering me. Are you saying I'm causing a problem?" I asked. He shook his head and walked closer to me. For some reason, I wanted to be as far away from him as possible but near him as well. I wanted to feel him touch me, but at the same time I wanted him out of my sight. How does one feel two emotions so different at the same time?

"I'm not saying anything like that. You aren't understanding what I'm saying. I just thought something was bothering you. I didn't mean to offend you," Flynn replied. I shook my head and told him it was alright. I didn't mean to fly off the handle, I just didn't know what to think right now. Everything was so all over the place, what was I to say to him?

"Nothing is bothering me. I've just---I don't know what to say to you. I never seem to know what to say to you," I replied with a small and anxious laugh. He seemed sympathetic to that, even though he had no idea how hard it was for me to talk to him properly.

"What do you mean you don't know what to say to me? Do I make you nervous? Do I scare you?" He asked. I shook my head and as he tried to reach for my arm I pulled off, turning to face away from him.

"You could never scare me. I just, for some reason I'm unsure of how to act. I don't know what to say and when I do talk it comes out all stuttered and all nervous. I've never done this before, I see men all the time and I'm always fine with them. I just didn't know why you made me act the way I did," I said. Now that it was out of the shadows and up in the air, I didn't feel so weighted anymore. But I also began to become a little frantic, wondering to myself why I was so honest like that.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I said that. I'm going to go," I said as I began to leave the room. Just when I reached the door, he said the words I would never want him to say right now.

"I'm going back to Vietnam," he said. I stopped with my hand on the doorknob and my heart cracking in half. I took a deep breath and turned back around.

"When are you leaving?" I asked.

"Tomorrow," he replied. Did he just get the call or was he hiding the fact that he had to leave from me? That was the only question running through my head right now.

"Why so soon?" I asked. He shrugged his shoulders, having no explanation for his deployment.

"I was supposed to leave in the middle of May, but there was an ambush in the base in Saigon. I have to get there and fix things, then command a fleet," he replied. I nodded and gulped down the tears that I knew were coming on. He was leaving, and I had no idea for how long he would be. I know he didn't know either. Three of my family members were in the army, and they never knew when they would come out. Maybe he had the luxury of the opposite?

"When will you come back?" I asked.

"I'm the commander, so it could be a while. Odds are, on average, I'll be gone for six months," he replied. Six months. Six entire months without seeing him in the morning when I cooked in the kitchen. Six months of him not putting on Putting on the Ritz and listening to me hum to it. Finally, six months of him not making me smile every time he told me a joke, making me feel entirely better about my day.

"Alright. Well, be safe then," I said to him and then stormed out of the room. I wanted to do so much more, but that was a mistake. I couldn't have one night with him and then lie in wait like some old lush waiting to be ravished. I couldn't do that to myself nor could I do that to him. It was best if I just avoided him completely for a night, and then waited until he came back.

•••

Flynn's point of view:

I was left alone in that room. She left, and there was nothing more. I didn't know what to do with myself. I felt alone but at the same time I was pretty confused. I was leaving in the morning, and I wouldn't be seeing her for months. Why did she think to leave like that? Don't get me wrong, but for some reason I would think she'd like to spend some time with me before I left. I know I wanted to spend time with her. She was just so all over the place, I didn't know what to do. Maybe there was nothing to do at all?

I didn't see Elora again that night. She had vanished to her room and didn't come out. Hilda volunteered to make dinner since she had some cooking experience. I ate with everyone but my appetite was frozen. All I wanted to do was talk to Elora, but her door was locked and she wouldn't let me go. So I couldn't do anything, she didn't want to see me and I had to respect that. So, I went to bed early that night, trying to keep my sleeping calm, although it was turbulent.

Five in the morning reached the clock, I had to get ready to leave. Hilda would be going with Lorelei as well in about two weeks. I had to go early so I could clean up the mess from the guerrilla ambush. I wished that I could spend the two weeks having fun with Elora before I left and killed a bunch of people.

When all my bags were packed and in the car to get going to the base, I went back into the house for one last time. I climbed up the stairs and walked down the hallways. I passed my bedroom and stopped when I reached Elora's. I felt the smooth wood of the door on my fingers as I contemplated opening the door. I had to go in, I had to say one last goodbye to her. So I opened the door and walked in as quietly as I could.

She was lying in her bed, fast asleep. I quietly stepped to her bedside and let myself watch her for a while. I couldn't be there for too long or it would seem a little odd to be watching her. I leaned on the floor as she turned around to face me, her eyes closed in peaceful sleep. I moved her sultry hair out of her face, staring intently at her calm features. I moved my face to hers and kissed her forehead, lingering for the few seconds I could in order to relish in the last contact I would ever have with her for a long time. It may even be the last time.

"Goodbye, Elora," I whispered to her. I stood up and watched her as I walked out of the room. I waved to her as I reached the door, leaving as I tried not to go back.

The car took off as I watched the window of Elora's bedroom. It took me off guard when I saw her move the curtain over and reveal herself there. She stared down at me from the window, and my eyes widened. My hand was on the window as I watched her, her hand going on her window as she mouthed my name. I wanted to go after her, but then she vanished from sight.

The base was the next thing I saw, and when the car pulled up Powell was there to greet me. I saluted him as I approached him. "Colonel Powell, how are you?" I asked him.

"Fine, thank you. There's actually some things we should talk about before we deploy you," he replied as we walked down the pathway and into the base. I opened the door for him as we walked inside.

"What exactly do we have to talk of? I remember you saying I would be back in Vietnam, no fuss no muss. I didn't think there would be further detail," I replied. He chuckled and nodded.

"You have a point. However the talk will be short. It's of promotion," he said. I stopped as we walked in the halls. Did he say promotion?

"I'm sorry sir, what promotion are we talking of?" I asked. He stopped and chuckled.

"Alright we can talk about it now. You see I've been talking to some of the commanding generals and they see you and your potential. They were thinking captain, but I pulled some strings and I managed to convince them to give you lieutenant colonel. However, you really have to get this right if you want it," he replied. I nodded and became excited about it. I've been commander for a while and with my devotion to the army I wanted a promotion. Lieutenant colonel will be ideal, captain would've been fine too. Either way it was a promotion.

"I would be honoured. However, what exactly can I not fail at?" I asked.

"Nothing specific. We want you to end this though. You have the six months here, and we want you to catch as many south guerrilla troops as you can. We'll give you leave to see your family, and then we will send you back. I don't know for how long then, but we want you to finish off this war. The promotion will be yours if you can manage it," he explained. I could do that, if Elora wasn't in the mix anymore. Had she become such a huge part of my life that I didn't want to go back to fighting this war I had worked so hard to fight? Had she become such a part of my life that I was jeopardizing my career because I wanted to see her without the army lying in wait?

"Thank you colonel. It really is an honour to be working here," I replied. I almost lied to him a little. Elora was on my mind now, running around like she was the only memory I had. I wanted to go back into that car and take her with me, but I couldn't do that, she had to be here. She was safer here.

They sent me to Vietnam the next day after training a little. I reunited with my regular troops and after reminiscing they shipped us off. The day after, we arrived in Vietnam at the base. There, I met again with General Loan. I hadn't worked with him in a while, but he and I did well and we got the job done. No, he didn't really like Americans, but I suppose I was this special exception. I had also been told by Hilda that he has a soft spot for Lorelei and her. I suppose it was easy to take advantage of that when it came to getting what they wanted.

The whole time, even when we arrived in Vietnam, I thought about Elora. I found the time at night to carve her name into my shotgun that my father gave me. I would lie in my tent and carve at it until her name clearly showed there. It was the only way that I could have something that related to her. I had to think of something to keep her next to me even if she wasn't there. I just wanted to see her again. Was that really so much to ask?