ares

Ares watched Liv laugh, his chest tightening with a secret that felt like lead. He’d signed the papers yesterday, seeking a way out of their small town. He had only three weeks before basic training began. He looked at her, the words "I'm leaving" dying on his tongue.The golden hour light hit the diner booth, but Ares felt like he was sitting in a shadow. ​"Liv, I did something," he blurted out, his hands shaking under the table. "I enlisted. I leave for basic in twenty days." ​The fries she was sharing went cold in her hand. The silence stretched until her eyes welled up, blurring the future they’d spent all summer planning. She didn't scream; she just looked at him like he was already a ghost. ​"Twenty days?" she whispered, her voice cracking. "Ares, you didn't even ask me if I could survive that."