Limitless

Chapter 3 (II)

Aarron recalled the past days back in time with his best friend during their training and held real tight to memories of these specific encouraging words.

"I believe in you"… "you can't let yourself down on this"… "No matter how big the fire is, we have the power to walk the f*ck through it"

He punched the punch bags in the heavy bag area with unwavering determination in his eyes.

His rage could be felt by his comrades, with his tense jaw and tight teeth. Sweat dripping down his face with red-rimmed eyes which obviously depicted an idea of him holding back from his emotions.

"Hey bud, I guess you're aware we didn't come to kill ourselves here"

But the pace changed due to something quite unexpected during his formation. Which had his mind not so engraved with his military objectives and lighter as well.

With the final days of training in the bootcamp coming closer, the air buzzed with tension. Sweat drenched the recruit's uniforms and every command from Sergeant Harris ran like a c***k of thunder.

Ahead she was, in the midst of chaos.

Flowers were birthed from her cracks. Gracefully Enmeshed between thin diamond threads. Oh but, how beautiful she was! Painful echoes beheaded by her bursts of laughter. The ache underlying her joy.

Her gaze mirrored the universe in its entirety. Tenacious, her contours took shape. Each and every training activity crushed, gender regardless. Her verses from within adorned her surroundings.

Among them was private Carter Emma, a fierce woman who had joined the army to prove herself. Pushed to the edge by her parents, she felt the need to outrun them by proving her strength.

She had always felt the pressure of being the only woman in a group of men but she was determined to push through.

Across the training ground, a few paces behind, was the one and only Aaron Standall. His eyes, though cold and distant, would sometimes flicker toward Emma. She was different from the rest. Her resilience, her unwavering focus– it fascinated him.

The moment came unexpectedly, it was in the middle of a brutal obstacle course. The recruits had to leap over walls, crawl under barbed wire, and scale netting that felt like it could tear at your very soul.

Emma, her face flushed with determination, struggled with one last obstacle: A high slick wooden wall. She had climbed it before, but the rain from the previous night made it almost impossible.

She jumped and gripped the top with all her strength but lost her footing. Her hands slipped and she tumbled back to the ground, hitting the muddy earth with a harsh thud. Pain shot through her side, and for a moment, she laid still, gasping for breath.

Aaron had been a few feet away, pushing himself across the same challenge. His heart clenched when he saw her fall. Without thinking, he sprinted toward her. "Carter!" He yelled, kneeling beside her. His hands hovered over her, unsure, but his eyes locked on hers.

"I'm fine" Emma said between breaths, though her face twisted in pain.

"Let me help you", Aaron insisted. He could feel the tension in the air shift. It wasn't just the urgency of the moment, it was something else, something unspoken.

He stood up, offering her his hand. She hesitated for a brief second before taking it. Their fingers brushed for the first time. And Emma felt a spark that left her breathless. Not just from the fall, but from something deeper, something she never expected to feel in the rough demanding boot camp.

With Aaron's help, Emma managed to scale the wall the second time. As they stood at the top, side by side, the world seemed to fade around them.

The muddy ground, the yelling sergeant, the other recruits— all disappeared. All that remained was the connection between them, raw and real.

Later that evening, after the gruelling drills they were given some downtime. Aaron and Emma found themselves at the edge of the barracks, the sun dipping below the horizon.The camp had quieted and the distant jarring of the base felt like a distant memory

"I owe you one" Emma said softly, her voice carrying the weight of unspoken gratitude. "Not sure I'd have made it without you".

"I didn't expect a thing from you, no worry" Aaron replied with awe pressed against his skin. Something he couldn't explain right away but a wondrous immersion of her being in his eyes.

Aaron leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, trying desperately to tone down what he felt on the spot. "It wasn't just about helping you make it over the wall" he replied, his voice low. "It was about something else"