Mission#1: Combat and Cafe's

Chapter 5: Exes and Eyebags

Solei knew something was off the second she stepped into the café.

Leo was already there—seated in their usual spot—with someone else.

And not just someone.

A girl.

Tall. Pretty. Military jacket draped casually over the chair. And laughing.

Solei stopped mid-step, her grip tightening on her tote bag. She took a breath. Her shoes suddenly felt two sizes too small, and her throat had that dry, scratchy feeling like she had just swallowed a quiz question she didn’t know the answer to.

This is fine. Totally fine. He has other friends. You are not dating. This is NOT a thing. Right?

Wrong.

Because the moment Leo looked up and saw her, he jumped a little, like he’d been caught. The girl turned too, and for one soul-shattering second, Solei thought she looked… a little too perfect. Her hair fell in waves that probably didn’t frizz in humidity. Her smile was easy, practiced. Her laugh sounded like it belonged in a commercial.

“Oh, hey!” Leo said, standing up quickly, a little too fast. “Solei, come sit—this is—”

But Solei beat him to it. “I was just grabbing coffee to go. You look busy.”

The girl tilted her head, giving Solei a once-over that made her feel like she was back in high school, standing in front of the class without a project. “You must be the nursing student. He talks about you a lot.”

WHAT?!

Solei smiled politely while mentally self-combusting. “Oh? Well, he doesn’t talk about you at all.”

Leo looked like he wanted to sink into the floor. His mouth opened, then closed.

“I’ll just… get in line,” Solei muttered, and turned away before her face exploded from heat.

She ended up outside, sitting on the curb with her matcha in one hand and a thousand thoughts crashing into her brain like exam week. Her bag was beside her, half unzipped, her phone buzzing with unread messages she didn’t feel like checking.

“Why am I mad? I’m not mad. Why would I be mad? We’re not even a thing!” she whispered to herself like a mantra.

But she was mad.

Not just because Leo didn’t tell her there’d be another girl.

Not just because that girl looked like a military-grade goddess.

But because for a second… she thought maybe they were something. Something real. Something close. Something more than study notes and green drinks.

She groaned and sipped aggressively.

“Why do I like green tea if it tastes like pain?!” she muttered. The bitterness clung to her tongue like jealousy.

A few minutes later, Leo came out.

Alone.

He spotted her right away, sitting on the curb like a kicked puppy. Quietly, he made his way over.

“Hey,” he said gently, hands in his pockets. His voice was softer now, a bit unsure.

Solei stared ahead, not looking at him. “I didn’t know I was interrupting.”

“You weren’t,” he said, taking a seat beside her, just enough space between them to leave her wondering. “She just dropped by.”

“Cool.” Her tone was clipped, neutral. She sipped her matcha like it held all the answers.

A pause.

“She’s my ex,” Leo said finally. “Ex-girlfriend. From before deployment.”

Solei blinked.

“Oh.”

“She’s getting married,” he added. “To someone else. She wanted closure, I guess.”

“Did you give it?”

“Yeah,” he said. Then added, “I told her I’m seeing someone.”

Solei turned to him, eyes wide. “You told her what?”

Leo just smiled and looked down at her cup.

“You’re drinking matcha again even though you said it tastes like grass. That’s love.”

She burst out laughing despite herself. “You’re insane.”

“And yet, you like me.”

“I do not!”

He leaned closer, voice lower. “You sure?”

Solei opened her mouth—then closed it.

Because honestly?

She wasn’t.

They sat like that for a moment—curbside, sipping bitterness and denial, hearts thudding louder than the traffic.

The air between them shifted, soft and tense all at once. She looked at him, really looked at him, and saw the vulnerability behind the smirk. He was trying. Maybe not perfectly, but he was.

And it scared her how much she liked it.

Meanwhile… at the bar counter. The barista casually updated their secret drink menu:

New Addition:

Matcha Jealousy — Comes with a bitter aftertaste and a hint of denial.

Solei stared down at the sidewalk, swirling her half-finished drink. “You shouldn’t say things like that if you don’t mean them,” she said quietly, not meeting his eyes.

Leo crouched beside her, resting his forearms on his knees. “I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t.”

She finally looked at him, searching for something in his expression—some sign that this was just another joke, another line. But all she saw was sincerity. That made it worse somehow. The lines between what they were and what they weren’t were starting to blur, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready to cross them.

Still, her voice softened. “You complicate things.”

He smiled, just a little. “Maybe. Or maybe I just make them clearer.”

And for a moment, sitting there on the curb with a matcha in her hand and chaos in her chest, Solei wasn’t sure if she wanted to run away from him—or run straight into his arms.