The place where the three soldiers were standing was very quiet for a while.

Colonel Arias stood still with a friendly smile with his arm still protectively wrapping around Ella's waist. Ella's eyes were glued to the table, feeling embarrassed by the situation but she had no intention to shove the man's arm away.

​​

Yelena glanced back and forth between her friend and the superior who suddenly introduced himself as Ella's boyfriend. Not even a day had passed since she returned to her job yet she was repeatedly surprised by these two people!

She finally fixed her gaze on Ella, demanding an answer.

"It's the truth," was all that Ella could say. She finally shoved Arias arm away and looked at him with an irritated face. "I told you not to come. Why are you so persistent?"

"Sorry." The Colonel said with a smile. His voice was very warm and appealing that he had no similarities to the Deputy Commander they met during the day. "You ditched me for your friend, so I had no choice. Besides..." He shifted his gaze to Yelena. "I always wanted to meet your only friend."

"That's just an excuse to see me." Ella frowned. She knew him too well.

"If you say so, then that's it." Arias nodded with a smile while Yelena dumbfoundedly stared at them. This was so unexpected! Who would have thought that the Deputy Commander was a lovestruck boyfriend?!

"Will you just leave? No one wants to have a superior around." Ella huffed as she abruptly sat down.

Arias turned his head to Yelena once again. "Did I make you uncomfortable? If that's the case, then I'm sorry."

Receiving an apology from a superior? Yelena doesn't know how to behave! She instantly shook her head saying, "No. It's fine." She inwardly blamed Ella for putting her in such a position! She should have at least give her a heads-up!

"See? Yelena is fine with it. Can't you just let me stay? I won't bother you. Besides, I came here as your boyfriend, not as the Deputy Commander." The Colonel pleaded Ella with a very gentle voice which made Yelena blinked in surprised. It was more than surprising to see that side of him!

"Fine. Just sit then." Ella bluntly said while putting on a displeased face.

Colonel Arias immediately sat beside Ella with a wide smile and Yelena quietly sit down as well.

Around two minutes had passed and what Yelena noticed was that the Colonel only had eyes for Ella! He keeps on gazing at her affectionately and though the latter seemed to be annoyed by his behaviour, Yelena knows that she was actually enjoying it! After knowing each other for six years, she knew Ella very well.

"I was about to tell you this but he arrived unexpectedly," Ella explained when she noticed that her friend still seemed to be confused. She was feeling a bit embarrassed to let her find out this way.

Ella didn't even tell him the address. She only said that she was at a restaurant which was precious to her and he showed up right away! It seemed like Arias remembered every detail about her.

"Then what about today?" Yelena asked. "You acted like you don't know each other." Come to think of it, she finally realized how Ella made her anxious by crossing the new Deputy Commander. Was all that an act?

"We still need to follow formalities. Besides, we wish to keep our relationship a secret." Ella told her.

"It's her wish, not mine. I don't care about telling others." Arias added. "We will keep it a secret until we get married."

"Who says we're getting married?" Ella frowned.

"Who says we're not getting married?" Arias retorted with a coy smile. "Your friend is very sly, Yelena. Whenever I made her upset while wearing a uniform, she always makes sure to get back at me when I take off my uniform. Just like today." He hinted to Yelena, faking a displeased expression.

"What did I do today? And why must we work in the same division?" Ella grunted as she looked at Arias.

"You ditched me for a friend. Besides, it's not my doing that we ended up working in the same division. I might be a Colonel but I don't have such a power." Arias explained yet he never once raised his voice at her. He was very patient in dealing with her whim.

The Colonel patience surprised Yelena. She was well aware of how men always find it hard to handle her whiny friend. She had many men who courted her due to her beauty, but none of them had the patience to deal with her every whim. But this Colonel who was also her superior did a great job.

Looking at Ella, she acted indifferently but Yelena saw through her. She could sense that Ella also truly cared for Arias.

"It's your fault today. You never told me that you met Yelena. But today, you said 'we meet again'. You deliberately keep it from me to provoke me, right?" Ella stated grumpily.

"Why would I do that? You know I easily forget things. I only happen to meet her at the exhibition." Arias put on an innocent smile.

"Yelena, did you see how she behave?" Colonel Arias helplessly shook his head. "This friend of yours. She might listen to me and obey my orders while wearing a uniform but I'm practically her slave in other times."

Ella abruptly placed a glass of alcohol on the table. "When did I ever treat you like that?" She scowled as she fixed her gaze on her boyfriend.

"You should ask when did you don't treat me like that." Arias corrected her with a playful smile and looking at Yelena, he said, "She also has a very bad temper."

Ella was about to protest but when him mentioning about the exhibition crossed her mind, she decided to not act up. She understood how much that exhibition meant for Arias. She might act indifferent but she truly cared for her boyfriend.

Though the Colonel talked to her from time to time, Yelena doesn't know how to respond. Apart from nodding her head or smiled at response, she couldn't do many things.

"Excuse me." Colonel Arias stepped out for a while when he received a call.

The moment he left, Yelena instantly let her displeasure known to her friend. "What is this? I don't even know how to behave. Ella, you're dating the Deputy Commander?" She asked, still finds it hard to believe even though the truth was right before her eyes.

"Ah! Don't get me started." Ella huffed. "It's already embarrassing enough to have to salute my boyfriend!" She complained about her dramatic situation.

Though Yelena hated to admit, she understood Ella's situation. She was in that position once when she met Felix as the VIP she must protect. Though she never said it, she knows how awkward it was to have a man you like as a superior. Besides, hierarchy in the army was no joke!

It was a relief that such awkward situation doesn't last long for her. She pitied her friend who would need to put up with the awkwardness for her life!

Yelena sighed and glanced at her friend. "Then do you love him? How did you end up together? I still remembered that you never wanted to date a fellow soldier, a superior on top of that." She asked as curiosity almost killed her.

More than the fact that the Deputy Commander turned out to be the boyfriend of her whiny friend, finding out that her friend was dating a fellow soldier was much more of a miracle.

"Later." Ella glanced at the entrance and said, "He's coming back."

It didn't even take many seconds for Colonel Arias to occupied his seat again. He furrowed a brow when his gaze landed on Ella. "Dear, don't you think that you drink too much tonight? You won't be able to hold it." He calmly said to her.

Ella ignored him and lifted her glass again but his next words instantly made her paused.

"If you get wasted, I will have to carry you home. Your father won't be pleased to see you in such a state." Colonel Arias stated with a seemingly serious face.

Ella halted the glass which was about to reach her lips. She scowled when she realized that he was saying the truth. She abruptly put down the glass and let out a groan. "I should move out of my family home." She uttered.

Arias chuckled when he heard her. He then shifted his gaze to Yelena. "You must be surprised today. In that exhibition, I recognized you right away because I had seen some of your photos and I also heard many things about you from Ella. That's why I took the initiative to talk to you." He explained.

"Back then, I wanted to introduce myself but I was not sure if Ella would like it. That's why I don't say anything about me." Arias added.

Yelena finally understands about that mysterious encounter. "That's how it happened? You called me by name that day and it made me puzzled once in a while." She said with a little smile yet her voice remained respectful.

Arias was about to say something but Ella's sudden action interrupted him.

Ella suddenly lifted Yelena's left hand with a surprised face. "What is this? I'm sure I heard the news about the breaking of your engagement."

Ella looked at the band ring on Yelena's finger. Then she realized something. When she met Yelena in the countryside, she was with a man and it happened after the news of her broken engagement. Back then, she didn't think much about the man because she was too occupied by reminiscing their past friendship.

"You already got yourself another man?!" She gasped with disbelief written all over her face.....