Military Love » Harry Styles

chapter thirteen

My fist tightly clenched together as the stinging pain of the cold water kept bothering me and never left me alone. It was like a sting of a bee, on a hot summer night, except for the fact that the water wasn't warm like those magic summer nights, but bloody cold. Also, there wasn't one place in particular which was stabbed by the water, it was all over me.

But I bit my lip and looked around. The worst thing was, how hard I tried to get used to the water, it somehow wouldn't let me. With every step I took, it kept bothering me. But also the horrifying screams from behind me weren't quite as motivating.

It came to a point when only a few of the ten people our group held, were left in the water, the others had fled out of the water, shivering, accompanied with the disapproval of Sir Styles.

"Congratulations, you would've survived if this was real life. By this time –about 15 minutes later- help would've arrived and would've gone out of the water." He smiled as we walked further into the water.

Since he was large compared to my petite body it took a while before he reached neck-deep water.

"The rest of you," he sighed giving the people who were shivering outside the cold water, holding themselves for the warmth which would never come, a look.

"would've been dead" his nose crinkled at the word dead, which was rare to me since he already must've seen the horror in his own eyes.

A relieved sigh left my mouth as I quickly tried to swim back with my numb body, to the finish line. As my body left the water, I felt a wave of achievement coming over me. But it also could've been the warmth that surely took over me too.

"Come guys, hurry up. We've got more on the planning." What surprised me, is how he had changed. Before the conversation about the woman on the picture, he was violent, angry and what slightly appeared depressed. But after, I had seen him smile, and even a small dimple in his left cheek was present to my eyes.

Before my thoughts could develop any further a familiar voice started speaking again. "So I now know how high your level of endurance is." A few clattering teeth could be heard from the back.

"We have to work on that." He chuckled.

"But, since that's done, I'll have to continue with something else which is new." Again a few cheers formed, knowing that everything was better than basic training.

He took us along to the woods, outside the official camp. Once we had walked for about ten minutes in our completely soaked suits, we arrived at an absolutely stunning place.

It was about three in the afternoon, seeing the position of the sun. The trees were high, only leaves at an immense level of height. Small and thin branches were spread horizontally all over the trees.

The few leaves laying on the ground were brightly brown and yellow. You could see the bright whitish sunlight beaming through the few free spots between the grand trees.

"Find a tree" He commanded us as he himself found himself a big and broad looking tree, well I found a rather small and thin tree, seeing it more fit my personality.

"Now climb it." He told us strictly, and I couldn't stop my laughing fit. The giggles couldn't stop from coming out of my mouth for half of a minute whilst I received several glances from Agnes and Melissa who tried to warn me.

It seemed that Mr Styles had noticed. "Something funny, Ms Rose?" His voice was sarcastic but so sad like something had cracked inside of him.

"No it's just-" Again chuckles left my lips, I didn't finish my sentence and let it die down because there was no particular reason for the laughing fit. I shrugged and turned around, finding that most of the boys were already high up in the three while I was still chuckling to myself. I made haste to follow them.

My nails dug into the rough-skinned trunk of the shaded tree as I tried to pull myself up, which was absolutely hopeless. The scent of nature escaped out of the tree against my nostrils, reminding me of the long trips me and my dad used to take in the woods.

My small hand would fit in his big hand as I tried to find the largest branch around and take it home, but in the end I would always end with taking a small one because dad didn't allow me to take a broad one home.

He was rarely home, but when he was, it was for a long period of time. Two or three weeks, that was a long time for me at that stage in my life. But I didn't care, I was just happy to spend the time I had with him.

In my head, I was already planning what I would write in my journal, the minute I could see everyone around me asleep.

"Are we still planning to climb or...?" The sentence died down in the man's voice behind me.

"I would if I would succeed" I muttered angrily about the fact that my hands had been craving in the tree for at least five minutes and still I hadn't moved up a centimetre.

"You won't succeed if you won't try"

"I tried"

"Not hard enough"

I sighed deeply, obviously annoyed by his ignorant answers.

"Why did you pick this tree anyway? It's small and not handy to climb in."

"Because it fits my personality" I stated him before turning around and attempting another jump which would help me to get higher in the tree.

"Numb and unstable" he muttered with a low chuckle, and I assume he was making a joke. But it hurt nonetheless. He was about to walk off to help someone else when I turned around and started to speak to him again.

"Excuse me?" I asked him obviously offended.

"I said you're numb and unstable," he said this time clearer. Once the words left his mouth, his eyes opened widely and I recognized the same shock that I had seen yesterday when I told him his eyes reminded me of my late father. He seemed to want to pull back the words out of the air and push them back where they came from, but I was already responding.

"Well Sir" I said with a sudden surge of confidence. I tried the words I was going to say on inside of my head and knowing what I was about to say, I would regret every single letter of them. "I am kind of sick of you, treating us like we're worth nothing." I huffed, gaining the attention of both my fellow companions on the ground, as well as high up the trees.

"I do not tolerate being spoken to like that!" His voice rumbled like the thunder from yesterday. Yes, of course, his superiority complex has shown up again. "I am your superior, and you will treat me accordingly."

I breathed heavily as he finished talking to me. I clenched my fist, trying to find every ounce of self-restraint in my body that held me from jumping him. 

I turned away and returned back to the tree, trying again. And again. And again. Once a minute had passed, I dared to look back to Sergeant Styles again. And there he was, smirking with his bright pink lips, and staring right at me.