Chapter 1: Love or Lust?

It just finished raining and he was outside late, on his uniform and surveiling the arena when he sighted her from afar with some of her colleagues. She noticed him staring and pretended not to see him but he approached her and blocked her in front with all her friends watching.

"What do you want?" She whispered.

"I thought you need some guard around somewhere. Right ladies?" The rest of the girls nodded.

"But I don't." She added almost as an argument.

"Can you all please leave. She will catch up with you shortly." He said still staring at Roselyn who bowed her head and can't look him in the eyes. The rest of the girls left and Roselyn was about to leave also before he grabbed her hand.

"I said they leave, you stay!" He yelled. He can be impatient a times. He was a very young and attractive boy in his early twenties. The youngest of the soldiers in the army on ground to encounter a tough war.

"You should be in bed soldier." She replied as she pulled back her golden-coloured blonde hair from her face. She was one of the most shy lady he had seen around. Definitely! His stares scared her alot and he liked it. She was very very pretty but not the prettiest. He had been torturing her since he noticed his stares frightened her. Roselyn was twenty years of age. Very honest and from a very poor and low esteemed family.

"Why should I be in bed? Will you force me?"

"Hm...mh! Huh! No I can't do that".

"I will only sleep if you come along with me." He smirked at her. He enjoyed tormenting her, his way.

"No! I won't do that." She scrawled.

"Then I will force you to lie with me and I will also spread the news to your friends. The ones on white."

"The ones on white? No you can't do that to me, it will be disgusting. I know you are not that horrible and you won't do that." She panicked.

"You are once again right. I am not a disgusting man. I won't do such. Just go to your ward Rose."

"Thank you Sir.. Sir..."

"Call me Fred. Fredrick is the name but call me Fred."

"OK Fred." She turned and headed to her ward. On her way she bumped into some of the other nurses, her friends on white who stared at her and paid close attention to whatever Fredrick said to her.

"You... You guys..." She said angrily. " I thought you all will be in bed by now. You all are impossible." She grumbled as they burst into wild laughter. That's it everyone suspected something was going on between those two, cat and rat.

Fredrick was every girl's dream. He had the charm to charm all but Roselyn. Roselyn on the other hand was a nobody, less attractive, she dropped out of her tertiary education when someone framed her for stealing and selling drugs but at the end, she was recruited to the troops deployed. She worked with the other girls as nurses to take care of the injured soldiers after or during war.

"Can't these days be any better?" She asked herself aloud.

"It can." A voice came behind her and she turned to see Cuddle, another soldier who had left his base to see her. "Don't be frightened. My name is Cuddle."

"You can't leave your base like that Cuddle."

"I know I just wanted to look for Fredrick. I know he will be around here stuck with women or he is drinking around."

"He isn't here. He must have left."

"When?"

"A while ago."

"Alright thanks Rose."

"How did you know my name?"

"Fredrick keeps saying it back at our base, he always say he will frustrate you. What did you do to him? Wait am I saying too much of information? Sorry."

"No it's fine. I didn't do anything to him. I will teach him soon."

A footstep was heard from afar and a man of an average height stood in front of them In the moonlight.

"Cuddle!" The voice ordered. "Lets go to bed and sleep leave the lady."

It's Fredrick. As he left with Cuddle.

The soldiers were on a break, the Chefs were busy, the nurses and their doctors seemed to be having some brief meeting at another set of table. They are examining an x-ray result of one of the soldiers.

"Their meal is gonna get cold." Said Fred.

"Leave things and mind your business Fred, you don't have to show yourself around here. The doctors or nurses are not meant to have anything worth discussing with we soldiers except with our boss." Replied Cuddle.

"I will go tell them."

"Fred wait! Stop right there! Fred!!"

Fred headed towards the doctors.

"Hello everyone." He greeted but was ignored at first. "Tough time though?" He was still ignored.

"Can you please leave." A small timid voice was heard and it was Roselyn.

"Came to tell you all your lunch will get cold not like I came to do anything more stupid." He replied angrily facing Roselyn.

"We have heard, now leave!" Another voice joined in.

"Leave Soldier." Another voice again.

"Leave!" And another.

"Get out!" And another. Fred kept watching the angered eyes of each of the doctors and nurses, he felt ashamed but won't bow to shame. He studied Roselyn's face for a while and walked out angrily after seeing her bow her head shyly.

"How could they?" He flare-up.

"Calm down." Cuddle replied sounding positive as always.

"Calm down? And why? Why should I be calm? I can take those goons to the war front and fire at them!" He charged and took a grip on the paper cup filled with coffee and squeezed tightly until all the coffee was spilled then he threw the cup. Took Cuddle's paper cup and did the same.

" And even that idiot of a girl had the lungs to say I should leave. I? I!" He sounded disappointed. "I only want to tell them to have their lunch and work later." He grumbled. " I will deal with her!"

"Her? Why her? What did she say wrong? What of the others? Especially the doctors? Don't you have the lungs to face them? Why her alone?" Cuddle added to calm him down. "I told you not to go at first remember?"

"Excuse me. I am looking for Sir Fredrick Luna." Said Roselyn as timid as possible.

"Yes! It's me." He shouted as he rose from his seat in a flash and looked at her deeply in her eyes. "What brings you here?" He alarmed pushing down his and Cuddle's table including the jugs and cups noisily and carelessly. With this he drew attention and everyone maintained silence, watching. Roselyn, filled with horror and fear could say nothing.

"I said what brings you here!"

"I was asked to work with you on lane 72. You keep guard, and I work." She said almost to herself as he smirked at her and picked up his wrist watch which he knocked down along with the table.

"Move out of my way." He whispered. "Move out of my way!" He shouted for the second, pulled her by arm and pushed her aside.

"I work at dawn. 11pm if fine by you." She muttered as he smirked again and walked out