Noah

 Because that’s what soldiers do. They stand their ground, even when the battle is already lost His POV:? They say the heart wants what it wants, but they don’t tell you how to silence it when it wants what it can’t have. Nobody teaches you how to cope when you’re in love with your friend.? A friend whose heart already belongs to someone else. I picked up my guitar, trying to find the right chord, but my hands refused to move. Sitting by the fire, I watched them together. His arm resting on the back of her chair, she was leaning forward slightly, rubbing her arms every so often. Her sweater looked too thin for the cool night air. He laughed, carefree, blissfully unaware of how much she cried because of him. As much as she hates to admit it, he’s the reason for every tear that fell from her eyes. And me? I’m the willing soldier, the shoulder she leans on. Armed with loyalty, bound by duty. Every battle I fight for her only brings me closer to defeat. Her heart wasn’t mine to protect, but I guard it anyway. I stand guard at the corners of her life, knowing she belongs to someone else. Knowing my place is not beside her, but behind her, ready to catch her if she fall. He stood suddenly, and my heart flicked with hope. Maybe he’d finally noticed. Maybe he was going to grab her a jacket, to drape it over her shoulders like he should have hours ago. But no. His steps veered toward the cooler, and my jaw clenched. Her voice broke through my thoughts. “Why do you look like you just lost a fight with your guitar?” she teased, nudging my foot with hers. Her smile lit up the night, and for a second, I let myself imagine what it would feel like if it belonged to me. “It’s just stubborn tonight” I replied, forcing a smirk. It wasn’t the guitar that refused to cooperate, it was my heart. I tightened my grip on the neck of the guitar and forced myself to breathe. I could just give her my jacked. It wasn’t complicated --