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“What the fuck, guys!” Ryan yelled as he ran toward us.

“Tell him to get the fuck out of here,” I yelled, keeping my hands up as I bobbed up and down, blocking his additional hits.

Ryan stepped between us, while Rose stood off to the side, watching and looking dumbfounded.

“All of you need to leave,” she said.

I stared at Melvin, daring him to make a move.

He put his hands down, grinning like an idiot. “I’m out of here.”

As he approached the door, I stepped aside.

“That’s better,” Ryan said, following after him.

I hung back, looking across the sand at Rose. “Are you okay?”

As the other two men walked away from the quarters, she took a deep breath and shook her head.

“Well, I came because I heard you screaming. I guess I’ll go now,” I said.

“No, wait.” She put her hand on my arm.

“Yeah?”

“I’m leaving soon, and you seem to have little time for that romantic date you promised me. I need something to remember Afghanistan by.”

I smiled, my heart still racing. “Fine. I’ll stop by tomorrow. If you need anything, just yell and I’ll come running.”

“Clearly.”

“He won’t bother you again. I can promise that,” I said, seeing the anxiety in her eyes.

She removed her hand from my arm.

“Have a good night, Rose,” I said, already missing her touch.

“You too, Warren.”

I left her CHU, closing the door behind me. The half-full moon had risen in the sky as I walked to the sleeping quarters I shared with Ryan.

Melvin stood outside the door, punching his fist into the palm of his other hand and shrugging his shoulders a few times.

Do you want more? I thought. I’ll give it to you.

He tilted his head back and puffed out his chest.

I stopped in front of him.

“We can’t be fighting over pussy, bro,” he said.

“I’m not fighting over anything.”

He laughed. “Oh, so you didn’t sucker punch me?”

I sighed. “What do you want, Melvin?”

“I want to make sure you don’t open your stupid mouth to that reporter chick about what we got going on.”