Emilee

[lewis nixon]

speaking of self discipline… lew does have it but he also chooses to ignore it most of the time, if he wants to kiss you then he's going to kiss you

so many morning kisses

honestly just anytime in bed because lew plays fast and loose with 'morning' and sleep cycles

absolutely never wants to get up, has to be coaxed with a lot of kisses and cuddling, it is a huge ordeal

he always kisses with some degree of mess, a little uncontrolled, perhaps a little desperate

a lot of sudden kisses too like you think you're safe and then boom he’s all of the sudden in the room, pulling you towards him

will take advantage of any opportunity no matter how small... does he have any shame? (no, not really)

lew does shockingly get a little shy sometimes about pda though

“i don’t want to rub it in their faces…" he'll insist, "y'know... what they don’t have”

sureeee... the blush on his cheeks says otherwise though

[carwood lipton]

carwood's speciality is definitely comforting kisses

lip is always paying attention to you and what you need and how you feel and that extends to physical affection

always wants you to feel okay, better than okay, great

and if a kiss can make you feel better then he’s more than willing to oblige

affection between the two of you is every casual and common, always kissing, holding hands, some sort of physical touch

constantly smiling in between kisses

he’s just that happy and loves you so much

but the comforting kisses & affection goes both ways

kissing the stress and worry away from his face and tracing his scar with your thumb before kissing it gently, your noses almost touching after you pull away to catch your breath, the two of you wearing twin smiles

and whenever you say goodbye or reunite, you both try not to make a scene, but it's always a little bit of a scene tbh... like having to be without carwood's kisses for a week is basically criminal

all the other men think it's extremely cute though, don't worry

[ron speirs]

stolen kisses (haha)

even his kisses are stolen!

he will always come out of nowhere and will always find time for a smooch

every time you think surely ron isn't in this area, he's supposed to be somewhere else, he's not in this building... you are proven wrong

is incredibly good at carving out time to see you... and finding private places for the two of you

like he's definitely scoped a few places out before he goes to find you

one time you were in his office kissing and someone knocked on the door and he huffs and pouts because he has to break away from you, even if it's only for a second- he's not happy about it

ron barks out, “not now," before returning to you will a warm, soft smile

heavy on kisses instead of words

ron is very physical...whenever you finally pull away from a kiss... you can always see things/emotions in his eyes that you know he's not ready to say yet and finds difficult to articulate

[don malarkey]

soooo many shy kisses

okay yes, don is kind of unhinged (stealing a motorcycle, drinking methanol, etc) but not with relationships... like flirting?? kissing??

he's still incredibly enthusiastic about your relationship... very much so

but he gets really shy around you, especially with kissing

turns beet red so easily, like you love kissing him and pulling away to see him blushing all the way up to the tips of his ears <3

it's just so fun and he's having a great time... and don cannot hide his emotions or what he’s thinking so whatever he's thinking always comes out when you're kissing

"god, you're beautiful. you should bring this dress to paris when we go next weekend. oh- y'know what, skip still owes me that $40 i lent him. i really need that for next week's pass so-"

"don," you interrupt gently, brushing a hand across his jaw

he'll blush and smile sheepishly, "right, i'm shutting up, back to kissing..."

he's shy yet so excited and wants to do everything right, willing to learn and wants to learn, and just wants his inner emotions and love for you translate with physical affection

and it definitely does! don is extremely endearing and you love him for it

[joe toye]

joe's kisses are always very intense

his eye contact, his touch, his raspy voice… everything is intense in the best way possible

his hands already feel like fire, so warm against your own skin

he loves just laying next to you in bed, just observing you and taking it all in

his passion definitely goes along with the intensity

he's also extremely private about affection with you, just because it means so much to him

tends to get vulnerable and emotional very easily

and really likes pillow talk and just listening to your voice, your stories, and your perspective

he likes your reassurance too, your love, he's never felt anything like this before

so whenever he can manage to have free time alone with you, he's always savoring it

joe could kiss you for hours, he truly loves taking it all in, going slow, and savoring the time you have together

[george luz]

late night kisses are a staple for the two of you

george gets so excited being with you he doesn't want to sleep

the biggest sleepover vibes

like you both very seriously decide to go to bed but then george says something funny or does his dike impression and then you both start laughing and talking again

and kissing again, sometimes the impressions are so good you have to reward him

you guys have a lot of late nights because of this

also do kisses for warmth and sharing body heat count?

huddling in a foxhole together, in the thick of it together, like yes they don't have much food, supplies, or ammo but george is not going to let them take kisses away from him too

oh my god, laughing in between kisses

sometimes he really can’t take himself that seriously

george is like don and gets very excited

he just feels so lucky to have you and has to kiss you accordingly

kissing you and just being with you can make him a little emotional… a happy little high

cigarettes have nothing on you and your kisses!

[babe heffron]

babe is kind of like a baby deer, he's a little clumsy and sometimes unsure but he's definitely got the spirit

he is confident but he does tend to second guess himself when it comes to you, he just doesn't want to mess anything up.

like what if he uses too much tongue or he headbutts you on accident... he's just overthinking it

and sometimes you just have to grab his arm and pull him toward you and kiss him yourself

when you're alone, babe lovesss laying on your chest letting you run your fingers through his hair and kissing his forehead... but don't tell anyone

jk he doesn't care if anyone knows (and they absolutely do know)

and the guys can't even tease him that hard about it, that's much everyone loves babe... they're just happy for him tbh

babe definitely gets a little needy sometimes like where’s his daily kiss allotment :(

and he can get clingy... will 100% wrap his arms around, you pressing kisses to your neck and shoulder just because he hasn't seen you that much today

[eugene roe]

tired kisses are a doc roe staple

poor eugene, he's exhausted and jaded... a lot of the time… and the rest of the company gives the two of you space as often as they can because they know how much your presence helps him

tired kisses as in he is putting in effort but his lips don't move as fast or as needy

he's more languid and calm, and it's very enticing

forehead kisses too omg

he lovesss when you kiss his forehead; pull him against your body, your chest, your arms and he feels safe and secure

he likes kissing the top of your head too, his nose in the crown of your hair while murmuring something in french

you catch various words in french that after spending so much time with gene you can understand now

like mon ange, mon amour, ma moitié (my better half? sobbing)

your presence is so grounding for him and makes him feel more normal, like he's not constantly surrounded by death and pain

you make him feel like he doesn't have to be constantly on edge, like he can take his helmet off and not be on alert, like he hasn't totally lost himself in his job... your kisses are so grounding for him

[buck compton]

a lot of reassuring kisses

like sometimes he just has to kiss the worry off of your face

and vice versa, towards the end of the war it's not even just kisses but your presence and touch alone become extremely reassuring for him

but also... buck can be so cocky sometimes, he loves showing you off

you secretly (not so secretly) love it... like sorry it's hot

like once when the two of you were at a pub in england... he's gambling, he's drinking, he's smoking, and ofc he's kissing you!

what else is he supposed to do when he wins at darts or cards... come on

the guys hype him up and just hide their jealousy because you and buck very often seem like relationship goals

he's always touching you, like usually has a firm grip around your waist

always laughing together, everything you do together automatically seems so intimate

like in a room with the other guys... they do feel like they're intruding

just because you and buck are in the corner laughing and talking together, the love and intimacy feels like it takes over the entire room

it's just so passionate and obvious he's head over heels and that definitely comes across in his kisses

[joe liebgott]

joe's kisses strike me as tender but demanding and needy at the same time

he's a taker.... but also a giver so it evens out

some very, very eager kisses

like pushing you up against a wall, hand sliding up your thigh and mouth working down your neck...

joe is a great multitasker!

accidentally bites your lip once, it wasn't that hard or anything but he went bright red and was apologizing profusely, but also was like, "did you like it though..."

(you did but...)

bottom line is joe's just a tiny bit feral around you at all times honestly

you never know when he’s going to pull you into his lap and kiss you and you both loveeee when you sit on his lap

the men are very used to it by now

he also likes living on the edge, like who cares if the patrol's supposed to be back any minute now and could walk in at any time?

messy kisses like his mouth is just everywhere basically, he wastes absolutely no time

he is so noisy: whines, groans, moans, laughs, you get everything with joe

also loves when you tug and pull on his hair while kissing, he specifically requests it

but joe can also get incredibly soft and sweet and tender but that's strictly for your eyes only... he has a reputation to uphold ofc

he totally blows you kisses whenever one of you leaves the room... it starts ironically but now he really does enjoy doing it

[david webster]

oh david is just so romantic

like definitely over the top romantic... it's so serious to him

he's read enough (a lot) romance novels and craves that book and movie worthy relationship and love

his life IS a victorian romance novel and he will act accordingly

everyone else thinks it's incredibly cheesy but you think it’s really cute

it means so much passion whenever he's talking about you, talking to you, kissing you, etc

he's always trying to think of the right words to say and you’re like “david, just kiss me please”

ofc he obliges and he is very good at it

his touch is just always so tender, you can feel the passion and love through his kisses

he's a little hesitant sometimes, starts off slow but it's extremely easy to get him worked up and make him lose some of that self control that he works so hard to maintain and portray

[floyd talbert]

confident kisses

yeah... yeah, what more is there to say

floyd just has a way (from a lot of practice) with his mouth

he's also very attentive and is always surveying how you're reacting and feeling, always wants to make you feel good and lovesss watching your reactions

he loves when you make noises of surprise or pleasure, he always ends up grinning into your kiss, he just thinks it's sooo cute

however i do think the more serious your relationship gets and the more feelings that are attached, the more likely he gets nervous... just a little bit

but that's more with relationship things

the kissing he has down pat for sure

takes the lead, cups your cheek, always knows what to do with his hands and the perfect the angle to tilt his head

will sometimes stop super close to your lips and just grin, teasing kisses

floyd loves having all of your attention to himself, when you loop your arms around his neck, when your lips are on his face, when you're talking quietly only for him to hear, when you're the only one that actually calls him floyd, ugh he just melts

[shifty powers]

shifty is the absolute king of gentle kisses

like so so shy

especially at the beginning of your relationship, you definitely have to kiss him first and initiate everything

he's so scared of reading the moment wrong and messing everything up

which you always reassure him that he won't

he has literally the entire company hyping him up, they've been waiting for y'all to get together for basically years now

but once he's more comfortable, he's always wrapping his arms around you, smiling, and kissing you freely

he struggles to articulate all love and emotions he's feeling but you still love listening to him talk about it

he just blurts out "i love you so much" one day after kissing, when you're laying in bed in austria

and he immediately looks terrified, not that he regrets what he said because he most certainly means it, but he doesn't know what you're going to say

but it's only a few seconds before you grin and throw your arms around him, "i love you too," you mutter before kissing him, a little more intense, and with a little more fervor than your usual kisses

[bill guarnere]

his nick name of wild bill definitely applies to his kissing style

absolutely wild

sometimes borderline unhinged

especially if he's been drinking or partying

but also... if it's the two of you alone, having a mellow morning or night, bill does get soft

the other guys aren't even surprised by that, they know he has a soft and gentle side to him, they can see it whenever you're with him

bill is sporting a basically permanent smile while watching you

trying to burn the visual of you into his brain so he can keep it forever

his kisses are encapsulating and very distracting

he hates seeing you upset or stressed and he uses kisses and physical affection to help

loves holding you and being the big spoon

and you love it too

it's soooo comforting

and it's never easy to not be constantly reminded that you're in the middle of a war, about to jump into france, etc, but with him, his firm arms around you, it's a little easier to forget

[chuck grant]

chuck strikes me as very confident, kind of like tab

he just wants to appreciate you!

and shower you with love

he will never run out of ways and words to compliment you

he's been admiring you from afar for sooo long, now that your in his arms it feels incredibly surreal

his kisses are always firm and secure

and chuck really likes when you take the lead and take what you want from him

being away from you always stirs something extremely confident and desperate in him

really enjoys holding your hand

always having physical contact with you, that's a necessity

ooo... he loves having a hand on your thigh

especially if he can sneak it under the table during dinner or a meeting

just his hand sliding up and down, gripping and then releasing, and then looking at his innocent yet knowing smile...

that definitely leads to some intense kisses, your hands running through his hair, hand cupping his jawline, you leading the show

Part 2

December 1st,1944- Mourmelon le Grande, France

God I am so fucking stupid, really fucking stupid.

How dare I be so vulnerable?

I promised myself when I joined the Army, my private life would be out of it. Even George, who I consider my best friend, does not know the intimate details of my private life, how my family is, or how little we get along behind closed doors. I am just Charlie Anderson, a broad who was ballsy enough to join the Army.

But I had to be so fucking weak that I opened myself up to the one person that I least get along with.

Then he hugged me, wiped my tears away like a fucking knight in shining armor.

His embrace, his natural musk, the more I think about it, the more I crave…wait what are you thinking Charlotte Marie, you are supposed to hate him, bicker with him. He is nothing but a pompous asshole who thinks he is better than everyone.

“Charlie, sweetheart! You are supposed to be helping me beat Malarkey here,” George complained, and I shook my head, turning to face George who had an annoyed look on his face. I am sitting here with George, Malarkey, Muck, Penkala, and Frank in the mess hall playing poker, well they are playing poker I am just watching. “Goddamn Malark, I swear you are cheating like you always do.”

“I am sorry Luz, but no one can beat me,” Malarkey chuckled and set his cards down, a winning hand I might add. “Guess Charlie was no help here.”

“Remind me to not ask her for help next time,” George huffed playfully. Then he turns to look at me. “What is up your ass today?”

I glare at him playfully. “Watch it you ass, I may be your friend, but I outrank you.”

“No seriously, what is wrong Charlie, you are not your usual self lately,” George mentions, and the fellas agree. “Ever since that night in Holland, you are more serious, you don’t laugh at my jokes.”

I roll my eyes and chuckle. “Georgie, I will always laugh at your jokes, maybe I wasn’t in the mood that day. All this war shit and me not being platoon leader kind of gets to you.”

“Are you sure that it isn’t about a certain, brooding Captain who so happens to be an intelligence officer?” Muck teased.

My cheeks turn hot. “What are you talking about Muck?”

“I mean, we saw you two hugging outside the barn back in Holland,” George mentions and wiggles his eyebrows. “Dare I say there is love in the air for our sweet lieutenant and our dearest Captain?”

A laugh escapes my lips. “Me and Captain Nixon? Ha, nice joke George, you’ll give Charlie Chaplin a run for his money. Well, I got to go back to my cabin, catch on some sleep because training you assholes is like taking care of children.”

Before they can say anything, I scurry outside into the dark, crisp night. I take a cigarette out and light it up, taking drags as I walk back to my cabin. Me and Lewis, so fucking stupid, it’s like putting oil and water together. It does not match, does not mix. All we do is fight like children and disagree on everything.

Speak of the devil, there is Lewis outside his cabin, smoking and drinking the night away. I find myself walking towards his cabin and standing right in front of him. “Why is it every time I see you, that you are alone lately? Is Dick boring you?”

“Well hello to you Charlie, didn’t your family teach you manners?” He asked sarcastically.

I scoff. “You are giving me a lecture about manners? Give me a break.”

“What do you want Charlie?”

I kick the rock on the ground and then look at him. “I just want to make sure that you don’t go around, saying about what I told you back in Holland. The fellas cannot know about my private life.”

He starts to chuckle. “Charlie for god's sake, I am an intelligence officer, I keep secrets in my head and no one can beat them the hell out of me. So do not worry, no one is going to know about your brother or the other life you have.” He looks up to the sky and then at me, feeling swarming in my stomach.

“Stop Lewis,” I whine.

“Stop what?”

“Staring at me.”

He laughs. “You are in front of me, you came here, who else I am going to stare at?”

“Smart ass, I swear to God. Well goodnight, Lewis, enjoy your drink and cigarette.”

I start to walk away, and his voice stops me. “Charlie, I know I may be an ass, but I will listen to you if you need anything. Anything you tell me; I will take to my grave. No one else will ever find out.”

I find myself smiling and feeling my cheeks hot for a moment. “Thank you, Lewis. Have a good night.” When I turn around and walk away, I can feel his eyes piercing through my back, through my soul even. I kind of like the way he stares at me.

But he cannot know that. Not one bit.

December 10th, 1944

“Finally done with these reports.”

I organize the set of papers together and hand them to Dick so he can review them. He takes one good look and nods. “I guess you are all set Charlie, and here is your pass for the weekend, and please stay out of trouble.”

“Okay big brother, I will,” I salute him and get up from my seat, grabbing my pass. “I hope they don’t send us out soon; I would hate to see replacements not come back home. Hell, I want this war to be over.”

He smiles at me. “Don’t we all? Sigh, go ahead and enjoy your days off. You deserve them.”

I thank him and I head out of the office. When I am walking down the hallway, Lewis walks past me, and I can feel him staring at me. “Charlie, may I have a moment with you please?” I turn back around and follow him to his office, closing the door behind me.

“I was wondering Charlie, if you would like to have a drink with me,” he asked.

My eyes widen. “You are talking to me, not some other lady?”

“Charlie, don’t start,” he began and placed his coat on his chair. “Would you like to have a drink with me?”

“Of course, I have nothing better to do anyway,” I said softly and crossed my arms. “I thought you were going to leave for Aldbourne to look for a lady.”

He shrugs and looks at his paperwork. “I just did not feel like it anymore, have more important matters here.” He turns to look at me. “Well, I will pick you up at 8 pm and please do not take forever.”

“I have to dress nice Lewis, being a lady is pretty difficult,” I smiled. “See you later then.”

I walk out of his office, and I start to feel nervous. What is going on? He and I for a drink, when did hell freeze over?

When I walk out of CP, Luz, and Frank catch up with me as I head to the cabin. “Hey Charlie, want to go on a train to Paris with us tonight?”

“No sorry fellas, I have plans this evening, you go and have fun,” I respond and walk ahead of them and head to my cabin.

Once I arrive, I close the door behind me and try not to panic.

“Don’t worry Charlie, it will all be okay, no worries.”

Hours Later

As I put on my lipstick, I hear knocking at my door. I get up from my chair and straighten myself a bit. “Just don’t be sappy and spread truths about your life, it will all be good Charlie don’t you worry.”

I take a deep breath and walk to the door; when I open it, I find Lewis standing there, smiling at me, looking dapper. However, the more I look at him, the more I find him handsome. The ladies must have been all over him before.

Here you go with those thoughts Charlie.

“You look pretty today.”

I felt myself. “Well thank you very much, you look handsome too, like a million dollars.”

“I am worth more than that, Charlie,” he chuckled and held out his arm for me.

“Don’t push it asshole. Let’s go before I change my mind.”

Closing the door behind me, we walked down to the local bar where there were servicemen and nurses alike, mingling with one another and the sound of Glenn Miller echoing throughout the bar. We find a table for us, and a waitress comes and greets us.

Lewis starts to order his drink and then the waitress turns to me.

“A rum with Coke please, don’t go easy on the rum,” I spoke in French, and she smiled before she left.

Lewis looks at me and chuckles. “Oh right, you have been to France before. Did you go to boarding school here?”

I nod. “Oh yes my dear Lewis, I was here in France for a while.” I take out my cigarette and place it between my lips. Before I could light it up, Lewis was already doing it for me. “I was a disaster. My brother did keep good company when he would visit. Like I said before, cabarets and Moulin Rouge were on the itinerary.”

The one thing that you told yourself not to do and yet you are doing it.

“Moulin Rouge,” he said before he blew the smoke in the air along with me. “That place is not for a lady.”

I snort. “Of course, you would know. I wouldn’t be surprised if you visited it before. That’s why you stayed quiet when Bill asked about Lulu’s. You fellas are just a surprise to me every single day.”

The waitress comes with the drinks, and I take a sip while I hold on to my cigarette in the other hand. “And you Charlie, you are the most surprising of them all. Under my nose, you hid yourself well.”

“And how did I do Captain Nixon?” I asked and batted my eyelashes at him, causing his cheeks to pink up a bit. “Did I outsmart the intelligence officer?”

“You did, so cheers to that,” he smiled and clinked his glass with mine.

He stares at me for a moment then takes a deep breath. “Why do you keep your life a secret? I know what happened with your brother, is something I wouldn’t even share. But everything else, why?”

I take another sip of my drink and think about it for a moment. I could say that for one, my parents do not care for me, second, they beat the crap out of me and third, my whole being is just ruined but I always try to have a smile on my face.

“I just don’t like to share about myself, it’s not worth talking about home,” I simply answer.

But knowing Lewis, he wasn’t satisfied with the answer. “Is everything okay at home Charlie?”

“Lewis, I don’t want to talk about it,” I began. “I really don’t want to open up like that.”

He sighs frustratingly. “See, this is what I don’t understand, you are only open about a few things, and when others try to get to know you, the real you, you just block yourself. You are not a child Charlotte, grow up.”

“God,” I huffed. “We were having such a good night then you want to ruin it with all this bullshit, and what gets me angrier is that you make it about you. Like the rich, pompous jerk you are.”

I down my rum and drop a tip on the table. Getting out of my seat, I march away from him, from all of this. However, I did not notice until minutes later that he was following me back to my cabin. “Why don’t you just answer me, Charlie, what is going on at home?”

“Go away Lewis! I don’t know why you care so much!”

Once I reach my cabin, I open the door and when I try to close it, he barges in and closes it behind him. “Why don’t you just talk to me, Charlie? I told you; you can tell me anything, anything you want. Talk to me, Charlie!”

Angry, I take off my jacket and throw it on the floor and I start to unbutton my blouse. “You want to know why, you pompous jerk! Here is why I don’t like to talk about my life. Or what I feel.” I throw the blouse on the floor and turn around in circles. So, he can see all the scars I have from home. “You like what you see Lewis, all these fucking scars on my back? Now this is what happens when you break a porcelain teacup and be a fucking nuisance in your parent’s life!”

I didn’t even realize I was in tears. “This is why I don’t talk about home. Imagine your parents writing to you Lewis, after not hearing from them in a long time, telling you that your brother died, yet they preferred for you to be dead instead? Imagine that shit.” I start to walk towards him and shove him. “Imagine that Lewis, imagine that!” I shove him again, angry at this world, at this life. He grabs me and holds me. “Let me go Lewis.”

“No.”

“I said let me go! No one loves me, the only one who loved me is dead.”

I tried to struggle in his arms, but I was too weak to fight him off. “I said let me go, Lewis!”

“I can’t,” he shouted.

“Why not?!”

“Because I care about you Charlotte that is why!!!”

I stop struggling and look at him straight in the eye. He is angry now and lets me go. “You know how hard it is, to care for someone so long, even when you never noticed how much you did care? Really fucking hard.”

He lets me go. “I don’t know what you do to me Charlie, but you are all I think about even when I don’t want to. Hell, I even love fighting with you because I like seeing the way you scrunch your nose and hearing your voice. So yes, I care about you Charlie and I am sorry that you had to go through that.”

I could see his chest rise, out of breath but keeping his stare on me. “You care for me?”

“You have no idea,” he whispers.

I wipe my tears and walk up to him. I stop myself and start to walk back when he grabs me gently by the wrist, turns me around, and plants his lips on me.

Our lips start moving in sync with another and I wrap my arms around his neck. His lips feel rough but soft at the same time. His hands were caressing my small waist, and then he traced his fingers on my back, touching every scar.

He lets me go for a moment and looks at me. “If we continue, I don’t know if we will be able to stop.”

I smile at him. “Then don’t stop.”

He continues kissing me and my fingers slowly start making their way down to unbutton his jacket, then his blouse. My bare hands caress his chest and his shoulders; for someone who didn’t really do physical workouts, he was beautiful in every sense of the way.

His hand reaches for my back and unclips my bra, leaving me bare right in front of him. I try to cover myself, but he stops me. “You look beautiful in every sense of the way Charlie, don’t be ashamed.”

I nod and he continues kissing me, as he backs me on the bed. My bare back hits the bed and he is on top of me, kissing me down my neck, between the crevasse of my breasts. A soft moan escapes my lips when he kisses my stomach. Then his hands pull down my skirt, along with my panties, leaving me bare.

“You are going to be on top of me,” he mumbled. “I want to see how beautiful you are when you come undone.”

He took off the rest of his clothes and lay on the bed right next to me before pulling me on top of him. I grab his cock and gently sink on top of it. A moan escapes both our lips and as soon I adjust myself, I start to move on top of him. He sits up and his lips attack my neck, savoring every inch of my hot skin. Hearing his moans, and his grunts is music to my ears. God, whoever has been with this man, has been a lucky lady.

And for all this time, instead of fighting and admitting we cared for one another, we could have been enjoying each other, savoring every minute we had before we went into war. But now it’s not the time to look at the past, we are here together, right now and nothing exists, just us.

His lips find my own and he plants his feet on the mattress, thrusting upwards. “Come undone for me doll, I want to feel you drain me.” My toes immediately start to curl, and I hold on to him tightly as a scream escapes both our lips, milking everything out of him.

When we feel our body relax, I can feel him pepper kisses on my sweaty neck and holding on to me tightly.

“I am sorry for being such an asshole Charlie.”

“Why are you saying sorry, I was equally a bitch to you. So I am sorry.”

He laid us both down and he gently started tracing his fingers on my back. “You know things are going to change between us now, Lewis. There is no going back anymore.”

Lewis shrugs and looks at me. “That is fine with me, I prefer it that way.” He smiles at me, and I peck his lips before I lay my head on his chest. “We just have to make sure Dick does not notice, he has the damn eyes of a hawk, he notices when things are slightly off.”

I start to chuckle. “Indeed, he does. We got to be careful with that man.”

“Now don’t go running off telling Luz,” he warned me playfully. “That man is a chatterbox.”

I roll my eyes. “I am not stupid Lewis; I know how my best friend is.”

We both laughed and then looked at each other again. “After the war, if we both make this work and out, I want you to come with me. I do not want you to go back to that place ever again.”

“But Lewis, we are just barely starting, and you haven’t said I love you yet.”

“I will one day,” he said as he tucked a hair behind my ear. “I know I will.”

“Okay, whatever you say.”

We enjoyed each other’s company before he had to leave. I walked him to the door and before he left, he leaned in and gave me a good night kiss. “Since you have a couple of days off, we can escape town and have fun.”

“It’s a date.”

“Don’t pack anything, it won’t be necessary.”

I roll my eyes. “Whatever you say, Captain.”

“It’s an order.”

Part 1

October 1944 – Schoonderlogt, Holland

“Lew.”

I groan and don’t even bother looking at the time on my watch. All I want is some sleep but Dick being Dick, he is up and ready as usual. Sometimes I don’t know why he and I are friends, he is an on-time person, while, I personally don’t give a fuck if I am late or not. But for some odd reason, he and I understand each other.

“Wake up, they want us back at the regiment.”

God, the one damn time I find a comfortable place to sleep that isn’t a foxhole, I get woken up.

“Come on Nix get up.” He claps his hands and that irritates me even more. This man can go on little to no sleep. “Let’s go.” He opens the curtains next to the bed and I can feel him leaning over, looking at me.

Probably thinks I am hungover. Then again, cannot blame everyone, everyone thinks I am a damn drunk.

“Come on, something is up, Strayer’s orders.”

This damn regiment, it wants and wants yet does it let me sleep? No.

“Okay go ahead, I’ll be right down.” Hopefully, he goes away. “Let’s go come on, you have ten minutes.”

I groan for the millionth time this morning. “Go away.” I hold on to the pillow for dear life. I don’t want to leave; I need this sleep. The job of an intelligence officer is not easy; calculating the risks of every tactic we want to use, and making sure it does not blow into our faces, is damn difficult.

“Come on big guy, let’s go.”

“Ah, leave me alone,” I mumbled.

He sighs frustratingly. “Okay.” Then I feel something wet and cold spill all over me, causing me to jolt up.

“God damnit,” I complained and took a whiff of my hand and it infuriated me, causing me to sit up on the bed. “Oh, that’s my own piss for Christ's sake!” Grabbing the pillow, I wipe myself with it before throwing it at Dick’s face.

“Son of a bitch,” I muttered and got up from the bed, pushing him while he was laughing at me.

I am going to get him later, that is for sure.

“Dick, are you guys ready, they need us at headquarters!” I hear a female voice call from downstairs and I groan internally. Of course, he had to bring his little sidekick with him just to torment me and rush me.

That is so Dick and Charlie.

When she walked inside the room, Charlie scrunched up her little nose and started to take a whiff around the room, until she was right in front of me, then proceeded to glare at me. Not without her pinching her nose.

“Oh, poor Lewis. Did he literally piss the night away or what?” She teased and chuckled. “God Dick.” She turned to look at him. “I told you many times to watch over our dear intelligence officer. Don’t want him to fall in a pool of piss again.” She backed away and crossed her arms, keeping her stare on me.

I smile forcefully and wave at her. “Always the damn charmer Charlie, can you go somewhere with your insults and let the adults do the work?” Dick shook his head. “We don’t need children interrupting.”

She scoffed. “Hey, fuck you rich boy. At least I am not falling into piss or into things like you always do. Besides I am close to the same age as you, asshole, only off by three years. So, I am an adult as much as you both are.”

I groaned. “Can you just get out Charlie?! I want to shower right away.”

“Pssh well good luck with that, this house has nothing but cold water anyway,” she huffed and then proceeded to walk downstairs.

It is always like this between Charlie and me. If she wasn’t attractive, I would find her even more annoying than…wait, what the fuck are you saying Lew?

Dick turns to look at me and rolls his eyes. “You two need to get along for God's sake, your bickering is going to get a lot of us killed. Plus, you know as much as everyone else, she is one of the best lieutenants this company has ever had. Hell, even the men like her, she is lenient but hardworking when it comes to training them.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, Charlotte is the best, blah, blah. Can I go shower now?”

Dick rolls his eyes once more before he walks out. “No one is stopping you, Lew.”

*****

After finishing my shower, which was fucking cold, we all headed back to headquarters. As I was ranting to Dick, I could see Charlie mocking me along the way and shaking her head. I wonder sometimes how in the hell she became a lieutenant, better yet getting promoted to 1st lieutenant.

When we got off the Jeep, Charlie stood there with her arms crossed. “Do you fellas want me to pick up your mail?” I smirk at her.

“You can get me a cup of coffee while you are it.”

She scoffed and proceeded to flip me off. “I am not your fucking maid, get your own damn coffee.” Charlie marched away and I could see Dick smirking while shaking his head.

“What? She offered if she could get us anything.”

We walked into battalion headquarters and got to talking with Strayer, Moose, Colonel Sink, and Colonel Dobie, who was part of the 1st British Airborne. Turns out, Dobie needs help with the rescue of 140 of his men who are trapped across the Rhine River. So now we are sitting in his office, trying to coordinate an operation.

We are discussing the tactics, when suddenly, Charlie walks in with a coffee and sets it right in front of me. But she doesn’t say anything, she is quiet. When she sat right across from me, her eyes were red-shot, puffy. Like she was crying. She was happy and chipper this morning, teasing me but now she is quiet and somber.

That oddly had me worried. I even felt my heart sink a little. God Lewis, you are stupid, you and this girl are supposed to have out for each other and now you care about her feelings and how she feels. You are stupid. Besides, she is probably on her period, and she is being a negative Nancy right now.

“So tonight then,” Colonel Dobie asked.

I nodded. “Yes, the sooner the better it will be. You do not want to waste any more time.” Then I turned to Charlie and Moose. “Moose, would you mind if Charlie goes along with you and Harry to help with the rescue operation?”

“I have no problem. Charlie, would you like to help with the operation?”

Quietly, she got up and walked out of the room. Of course, she would throw her tantrum here. I excused myself momentarily and followed her outside headquarters.

“Damnit Charlie, this operation is important for you to be acting like a child. If something is asked of you, I expect you to follow fucking orders.” I turn her around for a moment and she is in tears. Her once, light green eyes, turned into an emerald color.

“Look Charlie,” I sighed. “You cannot be acting like a child and if you are on your period…”

Her tiny nose flares up and she shoves me away. For a small lady, she is damn strong. “Oooo nice one, rich boy. What other insult can you come up with besides me being on my period and being a child?” She sniffles. “I don’t know how the fuck you became an intelligence officer, so damn out of touch with fucking people. If you must know everything, I just got a letter, my older brother is dead. As for me following orders, of course, I will go, Captain.” She salutes me sarcastically and walks away.

Charlie did not even give me a chance to say anything, she was gone. Aside from her extroverted demeanor, she never really talked about family to anyone, not even Luz who is her best buddy.

“What was that about?”

I turn to Dick and shrug. It’s best not to say, no one needs to know.

“Nothing Dick.”

Hours Later

When the 140 men were rescued across the Rhine, Dobie decided to celebrate and invited Easy Company to celebrate along with his men. As the men are competing amongst themselves, climbing rope and whatnot, I look to my right and Luz is trying to convince Charlie to come and join the rest of the group.

She gave him a smile, a beautiful smile I might add, and she shook her head. “You fellas have fun, don’t let the party pooper ruin a good time.” Luz gave her a smile and then joined his friends while Charlie made her way outside.

I decide to follow her outside the barn, and I find her leaning against the wall, looking at the beautiful, starry night.

“Come to bug Lewis, I don’t need your pity,” she sneered and turns to look at me. “As you can see, I am not in the mood to talk at all.”

Reaching for my pocket, I grab the pack of cigarettes and try to hand them to her. “I come in peace dear Charlie of mine.” She tries to reach for them, but I pull them back towards me. “But first, you tell what is going on then I will hand you the pack of cigarettes.”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “I already told you, my brother died, there is nothing more to it.”

“There is if it has you riled up like that,” I retorted, and she sighed. “And walking you out of a meeting like that. I know you act like a child, but you are the one to listen to superiors when told something to do.”

Charlie huffs and backs herself against the wall again. “For someone who calls me a child sure pays attention to what I do half the damn time. Do not tell me our dear, old intelligence officer has gotten soft.”

I huff and lean against the wall with her. “Me, get soft, you have to be shitting me, Charlie. I am not a soft guy, now if you want someone that is in touch with his emotions, go talk to Dick or Harry, hell go talk to Luz if you want.”

Then it got quiet, except for the noise inside the barn and the occasional crickets chirping. She turns to look at me and shrugs. That somber look appears on her face again. “My older brother, Anthony, was with the 4th Marine Division in the Pacific. A fucking radioman like Luz, hell even happy and cheery like Luz. You wouldn’t shut him up even if you wanted to.” She sighs and looks at me with tears in her eyes. Out of nowhere, I find myself wiping the tears from her cheeks, ever so gently. Charlie is taken aback but continues her story.

“They killed him during a night raid assault back in Saipan; they found him along with his radio right next to him. My parents, being the assholes that they are, did not let me know until August and I just received the letter this morning.”

She shook her head, and I could not help but feel an ache in my chest. “He was always so happy, so loving and caring. Tony would sing along and dance to Fred Astaire, Billie Holiday. I remember one time when we went to Paris, he managed to sneak me into a cabaret to watch Josephine Baker dance the night away. We got in so much trouble, but we laughed about it after.”

“Wait a minute, Paris, cabaret…” Now it dawns on me, oh Charlie is a sneaky one. I should have known from the start. “Whose family do you belong to rich girl?”

She chuckled softly and looked at me with a gleam in her eye. “I am not Charlotte Anderson, I am Charlotte Rossi, from the Rossi family back in New York City. You never met me because I was in boarding school half the time along with the rest of my siblings. Anderson is my mother’s maiden name. I am surprised that it took you this damn long, especially being an intelligence officer.”

“I did look up your family, I did not find anything on you,” I admitted. “Anderson was a really good cover-up.” She shook her head and started laughing. I look at her in shock, for one minute she is sad and the next, just laughing the night away like nothing.

“You are a strange creature, Charlie,” I snorted and started laughing along with her. She really does have a contagious laugh. Why did it take me so long to see it?

Things got quiet between us, then I decided to speak up. “I am sorry about your brother Charlie, I really am. He sure did sound like a good fella. But him taking you to a cabaret? Really Charlie?”

Charlie nods and looks at me, with a sad smile on her face. Even then she looks beautiful as hell.

God Lewis, again?

“That was Tony for you, fun, loving, smart, and overall, a great man,” she sighed and little tears sprinkled on the ground. “We were supposed to survive this, you know, have a drink when this was over. Sigh, I am going to miss him.”

Slowly, I turn around pull her into an embrace, and let her cry on my shoulder. I hold her tightly, closing my eyes. Even though she hasn’t showered, she still smells like roses. A scent that just does not fit with anyone but with her, it just did. Why did it take so long to notice these things?

“Am I interrupting anything?”

We both let go of one another to only find Dick starting at both of us, with a cheeky smile on his face.

“No, no interruptions whatsoever, touch me like that again Lewis and I will beat your ass,” she huffed and walks away back to the barn with the rest of the fellas.

Then Dick crosses his arms and just stares at me. “Is there something you want to tell me, Lew?”

I groan and take a swig of my decanter. “About Charlie? Nothing is going on and please wipe that smile off your face before I do.”

Dick lifts his hands up in defeat and gives me a smile. “There is nothing wrong with liking Charlie, I like her the men like her…”

“Okay enough, don’t you have paperwork to be done or what?”

Dick just chuckles and then walks away back to the command post and leaves me outside here with my thoughts.

I place the cigarette between my lips and light it up.