"Hey Merlen!"
I called her out when she was at my arm's distance. We have been out every other evening and the amount of sweat I had to shed in front of Charles to burn the ice-cream calories was terrifying. If only she knew how much it hurts to gulp the sweet poison, she'd change over to protein shakes.

"I'm right here!"
She complained as I handed over her chocolate ice-cream.

"Did I ever tell you how much I love -"
"calling me by my name? Yes. And everytime you do that, you say it again!"
She said annoyed. She was just faking it, I knew she loved it everytime I did that.

"Don't you like when I call you Merlen?"
I used my most romantic tone and her eyebrows went up in amusement.

"If you call me in that tone, I'll not complain."
She replied and both of us laughed.

I heard the cough again. But this time, it wasn't just Neil's. A woman coughed at just the same time.

I turned around to find Neil burring holes through his eyes, into the skull of a girl standing between us and him.
Even he couldn't believe the exact same timing of their interruption.

"Merr!"
She whisper called my girl with wide eyes.

"Oh damn!"
Merlen ran and stood next to her.

"This is my friend, Lauret."
She said introducing me to her side kick.

"Hi..."
She replied meekly.

"Hey pretty one. I'm James. And that's my girl standing next to you."
I winked at her and Merlen laughed loudly.

"You're J. Stupid stupid J."
She snorted and came and stood next to me.

"That's my friend Neil behind you."
I introduced her to my side kick who stood frozen.
His eyes were still stuck at her head.

Lauret turned around to realise that he was looking at her without a blink.

"Umm.. Hey.. Neil..."
She whispered hesitantly.
Neil did not say anything.
He just stood quiet, with his eyes fixed at her face.
Suddenly he whispered "Pure" and started looking at her intently.

"Neil!"
I kicked him out of his stare trance.
That really worked because he jerked his head hard and closed his eyes for a few seconds before getting sober.

He composed himself and stood straighter.
"Good evening, Lady Lauret."
He said in his heavy but shaking voice. A smile was creeping up his lips that he tried to fight.

Both of them didn't move for few moments. They kept looking at each other.

No way!

I turned to look at Merlen who looked back at me. There was a glitter of laughter on our faces.

Merlen coughed loudly into her fist and I laughed loudly.
That's my girl!
Payback packed and parcelled right.

Neil looked at me angrily and then at Merlen who was grinning ear to ear.
Neil tried to make his face unreadable but still couldn't hide the pissed off expression while looking at my 'lady'.

Merlen left no chance to roast him everytime both of them met. He'd stay shut and take all her shit because he can't 'answer back to a lady'.
Nobody knows how much I get beaten up the same night in gym.

"Can you give Lauret company for sometime, Neil? She's a nurse, I'm sure she can help you with your occasional coughs. Meanwhile J and I will have a short walk. Thanks."
Merlen said using all the authority she knew.

"Yes ma'am."
Neil said with clenched teeth but red face.

I was loving this.
Though I knew I was going to pay for this prank of hers, but I was fucking loving this!

"Merr! You said we'll leave quickly!"
Lauret complained.

"Lauret please! Just ten minutes. I'll be back."
Merlen went and hugged her in a hurry.

Before Lauret could say anything else, Merlen pulled my hand and we walked away leaving the two of them there.

"He's smitten!"
She said and I couldn't agree more.

"I thought it was just me who felt that. Neil is like those 'hard to please' men. And Lauret seemed too simple and fragile."

"Opposites attract."
She said chuckling.

"Are we opposite too?"
I asked.
"I think so."
She chirped.

"I thought we were like-minded."
I said amused.
"How?"

"I reached out for you and you let me approach you. We're both frank. We prank with each other. We get on each other's nerves. Don't you think?"
"Yes. You are right, J!"
She said surprised.

I smiled at her genuinely this time.
My heart was fluttering with this new feeling I couldn't control.
Should I say it?
Should I tell her that I love her?
It's been on the tip of my tongue for so many days and today it's itching to come out.

I took a deep breath and shrugged my wish away.
Not today.
I need to think about it first. I need to know about her in detail first.

"You are too smart for your own good."
There she was - teasing me again.

"I'm much more than just smart, my Merlen. You don't know me enough."
I smirked.

"I know everything about you, best passing out cadet, uh, Lieutenant James Dwight."
She said smirking like a devil while I stopped and froze on my feet.

"How... How do you... How..?"
"How do I know your full name and KMA stories and your trial? Come on, this would have been too much freedom for a trial officer, won't it?"
She winked and my brain cells were on fire.

For the first time in months, I felt scared of her. Who was she? How did she know so much about me?
"Merlen.. I.. Who are you...?"
I said those words crushing my heart.

"J, I know all about you. One of the men in your CCTC is my family."
She whispered.

"What?!"
Now it was like a series of shocks.

"Who?!"
"You'll soon be a Class-I agent, find it out yourself."
She winked again.
I stood with my jaw open.

"Don't be so terrified of me. I'm not an agent, J. I'm just a normal girl. But yes, he is not a normal man, just like you aren't."

"Merlen what are you saying? Why did you not tell me this before?"
"I was testing you. Checking whether you wanted to take it seriously or you were just passing time with me."
My stomach curled up inside.
Please no. Not this question right now.

"And what do you think I was doing?"
I said before I could stop myself.

"You like me, but are afraid to admit."
She said with a cute little smile on her face.

"That looks like I failed your test. Still you want to keep me?"
I ask her, dying to know the answer.
But what she said swept me off the ground.

"I've decided to keep you. Now it's you who have to decide to keep me or not."
My heart started beating faster when I heard those words.

I looked into her eyes deeply.
"I want to keep you. But this... I just hope everything works out as I wished."

"I hope you stick to it."
She laughed lightly.

I continued to look at her seriously not over the megavolts she gave me and she became quiet.

"Is there anything else you're going to bombard me with? I never expected something like this to hit me one fine day."
I won't lie, I was heartbroken that she lied to me.

"No, J. That's all that I hid from you. Afterall you did the same."
She said crossing her arms over her chest and I felt stupid to feel so offended.

"I'm sorry.. I didn't have any other option. I couldn't give away my identity. And I couldn't let you go either. So all the lies.. I hope you.. underst-"
"I know your situation, J. You guys can't tell about yourself to anyone. That's why I'm giving you a chance."
She said gently.

She knew everything about me all along and I lied to her hundred times more than she did - my job, my residence, my friends - everything!
If anything, she had the right to be mad at me. But instead she let me be around her.

Life's crazy!

While I was talking to my stupid self, she called me out.
"Hey J..."
"Yes?"

Her next words cut my breath off.
I stood anchored for a few moments.
She looked into my eyes with hope while I looked back in pure fear.

"Time to go back?"
I hurried and changed the topic.
I needed to go.
I needed some space and time away from her before I said anything stupid.
I needed to fucking leave.

"Okay."
She said in a blink behaving like last ten seconds of our lives never happened.

We hurried back to find Lauret sitting and Neil standing next to her.
Both of them were having Ice cream.
Goddamit!

"Ma'am .. Your friend.."
Neil gestured towards Lauret having a little smile on his lips.
Merlen went and pulled her by her arm and both of them walked away without a second word.

Lauret turned around to look at Neil.
My girl didn't even turn back.

"What happened? Looks like I need to worry about something scarier than the ice cream calories."
Neil was confused, all smiles vanished.

"She knows everything about me. Possibly about you, too."
"What!?"
Well that was first.

"But how?"
He asked shocked.
Ofcourse, his identity was in question!

"One of her family member is working at CCTC."
"WHAT!?"
That was two.

"Who?"
"I don't know. She didn't tell me. Told me to find it out myself."

"Then why did she look so heartbroken instead of you?"
His observation was on point.

"I didn't react to something she said."
"What did she say?"

"That she loves me."
"WHAAAT?"
Yeah. Surprise number three.

************************************

The jog back to CCTC was the most tensed one.

My feelings were leaping from seventh sky to six feet under - from Holy shit she loves me to what the fuck have I done!

While I fought with my inner demon, Neil's brain was boiling over the fact that we never came to know about her.

Before we could fully enter the bar, his questionnaire started.

"Did she ever tell her full name? We can track her."
"No."

"Did she ever talk about her family? Her home town? Anything?"
"No."

"Do you think he's an instructor? He can be an officer, a soldier...Damn it he can be one of the civil staff! You have any clue?"
"No."

"Should we sneak into the records room? Check family details of every single human present at CCTC. Though it will take atleast a week and chances of getting caught are cent percent."
"No."

"What the heck should we do, then? How to know who's he? You don't seem bothered by the fact that she knows everything about us! What is wrong with you?"
Neil asked me annoyed.

"Neil. Merlen loves me. Do you think anything else matters right now?"
I stressed each word still in shock.

He took deep breaths to calm down.
Then he came and sat in front of me.

"Drinks!"
He called out to the bartender.
The next moment we both were gulping our alcohol down.

"Weren't you planning to tell her first?"
He asked.
"I was thinking about it. But she.."

"She has courage like no other woman I've ever seen. You lied to her all these months and she knew everything. She unfolded her cards and let you know her truth. Still she expressed her feelings first. Needs guts."
He said and I couldn't agree more.

"But who is that man?"
I could feel alcohol inside my brain waking up the Class-I agent in me.

"I'll put my birds on watch."
Neil said taking another huge gulp.

"But it wont be easy. Merlen's too smart. She never let me suspect her even once. If she had tested me for my agent skills, I would have gotten a huge round zero. That man has to be smart too."
"You're right. It will take few days atleast. Till then?"
He asked confused.

"I won't meet her. I can't look into her eyes not knowing who she is."
"Are you stupid? She just said she loves you and you... Wait. You said you didn't respond. What was that?"

"I left right after she said that."
"Are you serious? You ran away?"
He asked bewildered.

"It's not that way."
"Then what?"

"I... I don't want to talk about it."
I said sternly.
He was making me question myself and it was killing me to take a double dose. I was questioning myself over and over too.

"Fine. But tomorrow, we're going to talk about it. Be a man and face it. Till then, we need to find this imposter!"
Neil chugged his beer down and left.

I drowned myself in dark sky with stars. Merlen loved me. Was that a dream?

************************************

I don't know which part to talk about - Neil and Lauret OR  Merlen's family OR James's dream turned true?
Because OMfG so much happened up there!
I need to breathe!

************************************

What are your guesses?

Will Neil and Lauret end up together?

Who's the 'him' related to Merlen?

Why is James running away from Merlen when she has expressed her feelings?

Vote and COMMENT your views.

************************************

To all the readers thinking that the story is focusing solely on James and Merlen -
Barbed Lives  IS James's story. All of it.
How he rose from the fire, kept on burning, melting and toughening, saw both good and bad times that changed his life each passing moment - it's all HIS story about how he turned from Cadet James into the Colonel James you all know.
He didn't train all day all his life, rather met so many people who shaped him into the man he turned out to be.

I've highlighted this fact once before and I'll like to repeat this - there won't be as many training scenes as 50PM. Barbed Lives is all about the people in James's life, including himself, and their journey.

(Don't worry, nobody pestered me. I just thought I should make it clear as to what should the readers expect in future.) 😁

PS - I LOVE WRITING THIS BOOK! When I first started Barbed Lives, I thought it will be boring. But I am in AWE with James and his emotions! I love him more than ever before! I hope you love him as much as I do. ❤️❤️