Post by Aldrich Abbott on Aug 17, 2023 13:57:03 GMT -5
[For @veda ]
Aldrich had taken two sick days the morning he had woken up after having read Nadine's letter, and after having visited Regan Lassiter at night. Everybody, except for probably Regan, would hear and believe that he had the flu. But in reality, he was dealing with his feelings. Something he would never admit to anyone, for he thought it was not manly to experience feelings like these. He had truly believed that he had found the woman that was meant for him, but apparently it just wasn't meant for him.
The two days had passed by quickly, but they had helped. Aldrich was able to focus on his job again, and day-to-day business was doable. Sleeping at his own home wasn't, though. So for now, the Lieutenant lived in his room in the military wing. He couldn't handle being at home. It reminded him of Nadine too much. He hoped that feeling would pass, and it probably would. It breaks your heart when who you thought was the love of your life leaves you, but if you're able to replace that heartbreak with resentment, the grief disappears into the shadows, slowly. Nadine hadn't just left him. She hadn't just hurt him that one time when she had slept with his brother while he was deployed, but she had gotten pregnant twelve years ago, even before his deployment, when they were friends with benefits. She had managed to hide this pregnancy for nine months, and once the kid was born, she had him as an offer to Moloch, the enormous creature she had summoned in a battle. Him. He should be thinking 'it', but for some reason he felt like the baby had been a boy, although Nadine hadn't specified the gender of the baby, and it was based on absolutely nothing. He had never thought that he'd feel like a father, or want to be a father, but now the opportunity had been ripped away from him.
And Nadine had only told him because she couldn't handle being married to him with this secret. If he hadn't proposed, maybe she would never have told him. But now she was gone.
Aldrich walked around the military wing with a cigarette in his mouth. He had trained earlier that day, so he was wearing an A-neck shirt, pants and boots, but no jacket. He looked at the tiny scars on his arms, from battles and brawls and drunken cigarette burns. He went around the corner in the corridor and almost bumped into someone.
He didn't recognise her right away, but then he did, "Chaudhari", he said, greeting her. He had trained her as a drill instructor, a little during mandatory training but mostly once she voluntarily came back. What he remembered most about this woman was that she belonged to a coven that not a lot was known about. Maybe he wasn't 100% back to being himself, because a question popped into his head and he asked it. "You believe in the Twofold Goddess, right?" He hadn't been thinking about it before, and the tone of his voice made it clear that this was just something that had come up in his head right then and there.
Aldrich had taken two sick days the morning he had woken up after having read Nadine's letter, and after having visited Regan Lassiter at night. Everybody, except for probably Regan, would hear and believe that he had the flu. But in reality, he was dealing with his feelings. Something he would never admit to anyone, for he thought it was not manly to experience feelings like these. He had truly believed that he had found the woman that was meant for him, but apparently it just wasn't meant for him.
The two days had passed by quickly, but they had helped. Aldrich was able to focus on his job again, and day-to-day business was doable. Sleeping at his own home wasn't, though. So for now, the Lieutenant lived in his room in the military wing. He couldn't handle being at home. It reminded him of Nadine too much. He hoped that feeling would pass, and it probably would. It breaks your heart when who you thought was the love of your life leaves you, but if you're able to replace that heartbreak with resentment, the grief disappears into the shadows, slowly. Nadine hadn't just left him. She hadn't just hurt him that one time when she had slept with his brother while he was deployed, but she had gotten pregnant twelve years ago, even before his deployment, when they were friends with benefits. She had managed to hide this pregnancy for nine months, and once the kid was born, she had him as an offer to Moloch, the enormous creature she had summoned in a battle. Him. He should be thinking 'it', but for some reason he felt like the baby had been a boy, although Nadine hadn't specified the gender of the baby, and it was based on absolutely nothing. He had never thought that he'd feel like a father, or want to be a father, but now the opportunity had been ripped away from him.
And Nadine had only told him because she couldn't handle being married to him with this secret. If he hadn't proposed, maybe she would never have told him. But now she was gone.
Aldrich walked around the military wing with a cigarette in his mouth. He had trained earlier that day, so he was wearing an A-neck shirt, pants and boots, but no jacket. He looked at the tiny scars on his arms, from battles and brawls and drunken cigarette burns. He went around the corner in the corridor and almost bumped into someone.
He didn't recognise her right away, but then he did, "Chaudhari", he said, greeting her. He had trained her as a drill instructor, a little during mandatory training but mostly once she voluntarily came back. What he remembered most about this woman was that she belonged to a coven that not a lot was known about. Maybe he wasn't 100% back to being himself, because a question popped into his head and he asked it. "You believe in the Twofold Goddess, right?" He hadn't been thinking about it before, and the tone of his voice made it clear that this was just something that had come up in his head right then and there.