"I know it's not what you want to hear..." he said, hand combing through his short dark hair.

Her mouth hung open as she stared at him in confusion. A thousand things ran in her mind of what he would say and it made her shiver in anticipation.

-----

They were sent together for a rescue mission with a few more to a forest to retrieve a lost briefcase containing some of the most important papers of the government. The briefcase ended up in the middle of a thick forest after the official chopper of the government blasted mid-air. It has been terrible news to hear of the losses for the government but more to the loss of the papers. God knew what those papers contained and those papers had them walking into a thick jungle with nothing much but the colour of the briefcase—black.

A black briefcase, how was it even possible, she had grunted when her higher officers told her team and her about their trip into the forest. Being a forest ranger, she sure knows the way in and out but to search for a lost briefcase was absolutely a tedious job. "We can't do it in such a short period of time, sir," she said, disagreement to get into the crazy mission plastered on her face.

"Of course, we can. No matter how long it takes." A voice from the back of the room rang. Footsteps of the speaker approached the front.

She would cheat herself if she says she hadn't recognised who the voice belonged to but her heart however, refused to believe it was him. Heartbeat raced with the approaching footstep. She stood rooted to the ground not glancing at the man standing next to her with a wide table between them. From her peripheral view, she noticed he wore an ash-green t-shirt with a pair of military pants, hands clamped at the back of him—an absolute army material.

"We just need the rangers to provide us with a map of threats they are certain to be likely waiting for and where we can find clearings to put up at night. The rest of the search will be done by us." His voice may have sounded confident but to her they were a challenge. "The rangers don't need to come with us."

Did he think his team and him could go in and out of the jungle with just a map? The hell he would, not without us.

"Not a chance!" She let out a breath and turned to address the man herself. "Even with a map if we have one, we can't assure you a tiger would be only waiting for you in one particular spot." She imagined a flicker of longingness flashed in his eyes before they turned cold. "They are tigers not humans to have a certain building to call home. The entire jungle is their home and they can be anywhere. It's not just about tigers, we have the elephants, the monkeys, bears, snakes, poisonous plants. We can't list everything for you." She crossed her arms across her chest, putting her foot down. They can't go in without the rangers, she has no idea why the armies aren't welcoming them in the mission.

He tore his gaze away from hers, his lips stretching to a thin line., clearly showing he wasn't liking the underlying meaning of her comment. Was it their commander's decision to leave the rangers and go on their own or his? She cared less about it anyway. It's a place she and her rangers are familiar with and it has to be the wisest choice to let them go together.

"It's our mission and it is best if we don't involve other parties."

"A mission is nothing without teamwork."

"There is no way we want to risk the rangers' lives for a briefcase. Just share with us the possible map you can come up with."

"We are forest rangers for a reason. We are coming with you." She turned and addressed the governor who had been silently watching them bicker over the upcoming forest expedition. "Sir, the final decision is yours," she said.

Despite him standing in an angle so he could see both the governor and her, she could sense the coldness he was emitting towards her. His tight jaw, clenched fist and the almost cold stare came out of him as the governor gave his orders to send both the army and rangers to the mission.

The way he let out a frustrated groan and a deadly glare at her soon after the governor left got her irked. How did he have the nerves to show a ranger, they aren't welcomed in the team despite orders given? He undeniably disliked her presence more so her physical involvement in the mission.

There was no time to dwell into such a devastating mood, they had to finalise the rangers going to the forest and segregate them into teams. And then move along with respective teams of the army troop which their ranger leader assigns them.

The conservator of the forest had taken the job to list the potential ranger who will be joining the armies the next day. Taking the task from although had lightened her workload it has also given space to allow the indifferent treatment he had given her earlier on the day creep into her mind.

As to her consciousness, she had made the right choice five years ago, to end their relationship which was neither moving forward nor back. Everything between them seemed halted with each one dedicating their lives to want their jobs. With neither one available to reach out when one was needed, she thought it was best to end things between them rather than get into an argument for not being there for one another.

He had been stubborn not to end their relationship. "We just need time to adjust to this weird phase of our lives. We can work it out," he had said.

Can they fix it? Maybe if she hadn't been petulant about him constantly not available for her neither through person nor calls. With their stretching distance, she had no hope in their relationship to survive so, she ended it against his will.

Did she regret her choice, not when she did but now, perhaps she was as tears spilled from the corner of her eyes. She had no reason to mourn for the loss she consciously made yet there she was looking at the darkening sky hoping to get closure from her lonely life in the forest. It was getting too lonely, she agreed to herself. She had grown out of love with the forest she once found fascinating.

*-*-*-*-*

He had intentionally avoided any confrontation since the day his team and he reached the forestry department where they were expected to go in search of the briefcase. He had known she worked there since forever and when his higher officers mentioned the particular forestry department, he was reluctant but had no choice but to decline.

Their first encounter was the day she had put her foot down to go into the forest for the search with them and he was least happy about it. Not because they did not need them but because she would nonetheless be in the team for the long number of years of her service.

Would she be a distraction for him to concentrate on the search? Damn, yes!

He was technically trying his luck to stop her from joining them but failed because she was right. It was a thick jungle and a ranger knows better of the terrain than them. And a map won't help much, nature tends to grow and expand quicker most of the time but a ranger would. Although she had made it into the mission, he had hoped they wouldn't end up in the same team. Alas, what a miracle.

While segregating his troop into four teams, he had purposely put him in the fourth, calculating her to be on the first since her name would top the list. It turned out she had planned the same as him. How very the same?

He had formally nodded to acknowledge her presence in the team and said not a single word. The team consists of two rangers and sixteen soldiers entered the jungle at farther east after a brief explanation on what to be careful of and where they could most likely anticipate wild animals.

She led the team trailing into the forest like one would in a park all the while marking the trees, they have passed to track their way back. She had not said a single word either and it stung him. Maybe he shouldn't have been too cold to her the other day, he thought as he followed right behind her while the other ranger chatted with a few of his men at the end of the line.

The journey recalled a memory he had kept close to his heart.

It was during one of his holidays, he was asked to drop his nephew off on a trekking and camping trip since he was the only one at home. He met her there, dressed in a dark green uniform, black hair braided neatly under a dark green cap. She came out as one of the rangers who will be showing them around. It was the spark at first sight, a hint he called it.

As an army he had not much time to indulge in small talks attempting to mingle to find the right one, at least for him. He often went with his instinct, it happened twice and the relationship was good as long as it stayed. He was a family oriented man, spending time with his parents and siblings was what he did on his holidays which made it hard to get a girl to date.

"How sad." His friends had commented each time they met.

But he hadn't let his friends' comments let him make hasty choices. He was focused to follow his instinct and the hint popped once again when he met her.

She had a charming aura, full of life, loved her work, showed excitement to something she must have seen every day, and he assimilated in his first twenty minutes of observing her. The assigned teachers were still waiting for students and they were discussing whether to allow those parents who were insisting on joining their kids.

That would be a wonderful idea, he thought. Going in with the kids would give him enough time to try his luck. Alas, after the stubborn parents' arguments, the teachers agreed not wanting to waste much time. There weren't many who joined, just him and two more parents.

As the night falls on the second day, the rangers brief them on what to do and not to do again after dinner. She had been the friendly ranger one would love to have around, chirpy, jovial, talkative most of the time. She always had stories to share, he observed.

Lights at the camp were left on to avoid wild animals entering the camp. Long after everyone had retired, he stayed out and watched the stars little did he know he was to get accompanied by the girl he had been watching all day.

"You like stargazing?" A sweet voice, asked. She sat next to him, her cap in her hand, without it she looked more beautiful.

"Yes. It reminds me of home especially during deployment. There isn't much to do either, stargazing has become something I look forward to every night," he said with a chuckle.

"I stargaze too but I forgot home." She blurted as a matter of fact. "Don't ask me why?" She instantly added with her eyes wide as she possibly could.

He shook his head in response, finding her amusing in their first exchange of words. She had to be one of the friendliest people he has ever come across because no one ever walked to him for no reason. They sat on the picnic blanket he had laid for himself in a comfortable silence. He had not wished to start a conversation with her just yet but only to appreciate her company for the moment.

He laid on his back to catch the view of the dark sky better, in a way he could see both the stars and the back of her watching the stars with him without much effort too. He wondered what compelled her to forget home but did not bring it up since she said not to. Did she had bad experience at home or did she have no real home to call?

"What do you think of stars? And the moon of course." She giggled softly as she pointed to the waxing crescent moon behind the clouds.

"The moon and the stars, I think, are story keepers. Millions of years' worth of story from billions of people are safely tucked with them. The most secured source to trust when one wants to spill their heart's content.

She spun around so quickly; her braid flew to the other side of her and slapped lightly on her cheek. She looked unbothered with the slap; her eyes glimmered with wonder as she stared at him.

He sure felt goosebumps forming on his arms with her intense gaze. "Why?" he asked, pushing himself up to sit.

"How do we have the same thought about them?" she asked, not withdrawing her eyes from him. She perhaps would have found it amusing as she shook her head in disbelief, returning her gaze back to the sky. "One of them must be watching us tonight, ready to record our story for the night."

"I bet they would, maybe for more such nights to come," he affirmed boldly, after gathering a little confidence in him.

A small smile with a layer of shyness played on her lips. He knew then they might have a chance to know each other more.