He pushed open the door to the barracks, stalking inside and making his way to his bunk. He flopped down on the thin mattress, groaning as his tired body sunk into the stiff springs.

He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind, tried to push thoughts of her out of his head. But try as he might, he couldn't forget the feel of her soft skin against his calloused hands.
He cursed under his breath again, his frustration growing.

What was it about her that was making him so damn flustered? Was it her attitude, her feisty determination? Or was it something else, something deeper?

He rolled over onto his side, his mind racing.

He couldn't deny that she was attractive. She had that fiery spirit, that defiant attitude that made her so damn appealing. But he had been around plenty of beautiful women before, and none of them had affected him like she did.

He let out a heavy sigh, his mind still reeling as he tried to make sense of his tumultuous emotions.

He knew he couldn't let himself be distracted by these silly feelings. He had a job to do, a team to lead. He couldn't afford to let some insolent rookie get under his skin and mess with his focus.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and forcing himself to relax. Get it together, he thought fiercely. She's just a rookie.

But as he lay there in the dark, staring up at the ceiling of his bunk, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be closer to her. To really get to know her, to see what lay underneath that fiery facade she wore like armor.

He shook his head again, trying to push the thought away.

No, he couldn't go down that road. He had to stay focused, stay professional. He was her superior officer, her team leader. He couldn't let himself get involved with her, no matter how much he might want to.

He took another deep breath, steeling himself against his tumultuous emotions.

This was just some silly crush, some silly infatuation. It would pass eventually, he was sure of it. He just had to stay vigilant, stay on top of his emotions and not let himself get too attached to her.

But as he closed his eyes again, he knew deep down that it was going to be harder than he thought. She had already gotten under his skin, gotten past his defenses. And he had a feeling that she was going to be a lot harder to resist than he had first anticipated.

He sighed heavily, feeling a pang of resignation in his heart.

This was going to be a long, difficult deployment. But he was determined to stay strong, to keep his emotions in check and not let himself get distracted by her.

He closed his eyes, trying to push all thoughts of her aside and get some sleep. But as he lay there in the dark, his mind kept drifting back to her, to the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled under that balaclava, the way her voice sounded when she spoke, the way her skin felt against his hand when he shook it.

damn it, he thought to himself. How am I going to survive this deployment?

He rolled over onto his side, trying to find a comfortable position in the narrow bunk. But even as he tried to relax and clear his mind, he still couldn't shake the image of her from his mind.

He gritted his teeth, feeling his frustration growing again. Why was he letting her get to him like this? She was just a rookie, just another new recruit. He had no business feeling this way about her.

He closed his eyes tight, mentally scolding himself for being so weak. He was a Lieutenant, for God's sake. He had seen and done more than she could ever imagine. He was tough, he was strong, he was experienced.

He shouldn't be getting so worked up over a cocky, insolent rookie.
Fuck she's more than that.

He shook his head again, trying to dispel the traitorous thought.

No, she was just a rookie. A stubborn, headstrong, damn attractive rookie.

He felt a pang of guilt in his chest at that last thought. He shouldn't be thinking those things about her. And yet, he couldn't help it.

"ghost..if you don't sit still in your bunk so I can get some sleep in going to have to put a bullet in you mate..why are you so squirmy?" Garrick asked From the bunk above him as his restlessness rocked the shared bunk keeping gaz awake

Ghost grumbled in annoyance, his already foul mood souring further.

"Mind your own business," he grunted, trying to quell his restless movements.

But he couldn't help it. He was too wound up, too worked up about her to settle down. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was her face, hear her voice, feel her skin.

"I'm bloody trying but it's awful difficult for any lad to sleep with you moving every 20 minutes" gaz says

Ghost grunted, realizing Gaz was right. His restless shifting and fidgeting was making it impossible for either of them to sleep.

He took a deep breath, forcibly relaxing his body and trying to still his movements.

"Sorry, sorry." he muttered, trying to keep his voice low so as not to bother the other soldiers in the barracks.

"thank you" Gaz Huffed and fluffed his pillow arranging himself comfortably to sleep

Ghost grunted again in acknowledgement, his mind still racing as he tried to calm his restless thoughts.

He listened to the sounds of the barracks around him, trying to drown out the thoughts swirling in his head. The soft snoring of other soldiers, the shuffling of feet, the creaking of beds.

But it all just faded into the background as he lay there in the dark, his mind fixated solely on her and the feelings she was stirring within him.

He knew he should be trying to sleep, should be resting and preparing for the next day's training exercises. But he just couldn't seem to settle down, couldn't shake the image of her from his mind.

He took a deep breath, trying to slow his racing thoughts and calm his restless heart. But it was no use.

She was always there, waiting in the back of his mind, taunting him with her presence.