Tango Uniform Tango

The crisp November air bit through my dress blues as I strode into the ballroom. Two hundred years of Marine Corps tradition echoed in the polished floors and vaulted ceilings. *Nine months downrange, and this is what I come home to? A fucking ball?* I adjusted the medals on my chest, scanning the room. Officers and their dates swirled in a sea of navy and gold.

“Captain Pellecchia! Good to have you back in one piece.” Colonel Briggs clapped my shoulder, his grin wide. “Heard you did some helluva work out there.”

“Just doing my job, sir.” My gaze drifted over his shoulder, snagged on a flash of auburn hair. *No. It can’t be.* I squinted. *Ludovica? Here?* My pulse kicked up.

“Captain?” The colonel’s voice brought me back. “Everything alright?”

“Fine, sir. Just... saw someone I wasn’t expecting.” I excused myself, weaving through the crowd. Each step felt like trudging through quicksand. *What the hell is she doing on base?* We hadn’t spoken in over a year—not since she called off the wedding. *Focus, Tango. Breathe.* I stopped a few feet behind her, taking in the familiar curve of her neck, the way she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. *Still beautiful. Damn it.*

She turned, green eyes widening. “Roland.” My name hung in the air, a ghost from our past.

“Ludovica.” I kept my tone neutral, guarded. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

Her throat worked as she swallowed. “I... I’m working with Lockheed now. Communications systems. The contract brought me to Lejeune.” She fidgeted with her clutch, the silver sequins catching the light. “I didn’t know you’d be back for the ball.”

*Obviously.* The unspoken word hung between us. I’d emailed her about my return date months ago. No reply. *Let it go, Roland. It’s done.* “The exercise starts Monday. Had to report early.” I shifted my weight, the silence stretching. “You look... good.” *Understatement of the century.*

She smoothed her dress, the deep emerald a perfect complement to her eyes. “You too. The deployment agreed with you.” A faint smile touched her lips. “More medals?”

I shrugged. “They give ’em to anyone who doesn’t get blown up.” *Stupid. Why did I say that?* Her flinch was subtle, but I caught it. *Real smooth, Tango.* “So. Lockheed, huh? Must be... challenging.” *Jesus, could this be more awkward?*

“It’s different.” She glanced around, like she was searching for an escape. “Important work. I’m lead on the comms upgrade for the exercise.”

*Of course you are.* I shouldn’t have been surprised. Her brilliance had been one of the things I... *Don’t. Go. There.* “I’m sure you’ll do great.” Another pause. The band struck up a waltz, the opening notes familiar. *Our song.* My gut twisted.

“Dance with me?” The words slipped out before I could stop them. *Idiot. What are you doing?*

Her eyes widened. “Roland, I—”

“Just a dance, Vica.” The old nickname felt foreign on my tongue. “For old times’ sake.” *God, I sound desperate.*

She hesitated, then nodded. “One dance.” Her hand slid into mine, warm and familiar. I led her to the floor, pulling her close. The scent of her perfume—vanilla and jasmine—wrapped around me. *Home.* I tightened my grip on her waist. *Don’t. You lost that right.* We moved in silence, the music swirling around us. Her cheek brushed my jaw, her breath warm on my neck. *Fuck. This was a mistake.*

“Roland...” Her voice was barely audible over the music. “I... I missed you.” The admission hung between us, fragile as glass.

*Then why did you leave?* The question burned on my tongue. I swallowed it down. “I missed you too, Vica.” The pet name felt like a betrayal—to her, to myself. *You don’t get to call her that anymore.* The song ended, the last note fading into silence. We stopped, frozen in the middle of the floor. Her hand lingered on my shoulder, my fingers still pressed to the small of her back. *Let go. Walk away.* I forced myself to step back, my arms falling to my sides. “I should... I have an early briefing.” *Coward.*

Hurt flashed in her eyes. “Right. The exercise.” She pulled her wrap tighter around her shoulders. “Good luck, Roland.” She turned, disappearing into the crowd.

I watched her go, my chest tight. *What the hell was that?* I snagged a whiskey from a passing waiter, downing it in one gulp. The burn did little to ease the ache in my gut. *Get it together, Captain. You have a job to do.* I set the glass down, squaring my shoulders. *Time to work.* But as I left the ballroom, I couldn’t shake the feel of her in my arms, the scent of vanilla clinging to my dress blues. *Just like old times. Except nothing’s the same.* Would it ever be?

The next morning dawned clear and cold, the sun glinting off the dew-covered grass as I made my way to the command center. Sleep had been elusive, my thoughts consumed by Vica’s presence, the lingering scent of her perfume on my uniform. *Get your head in the game, Roland. This exercise is too important for distractions.*

I pushed open the heavy metal door, the hum of electronics and low chatter washing over me. And there she was. Ludovica stood at the front of the room, pointing out something on a large digital map. Her hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail, her face a mask of professionalism. *All business. Just like I need to be.*

Colonel Briggs spotted me, waving me over. “Captain Pellecchia, glad you’re here. We’ve got a situation.” He gestured to the map. “Our comms system is experiencing intermittent failures. Lieutenant Bell’s team is working on it, but I want you overseeing the project. Your field experience could be crucial.”

*Lieutenant Bell? Since when?* I kept my expression neutral. “Understood, sir. I’ll do whatever’s necessary.” My gaze flickered to Vica. Her posture had stiffened, her knuckles white where she gripped the edge of the table.

“Excellent.” The colonel turned to Vica. “Lieutenant Bell, Captain Pellecchia will be joining your team for the duration of the exercise. I trust you’ll show him the ropes?”

*You’ve got to be kidding me.* I watched a muscle tick in her jaw, the only sign of her inner turmoil. “Of course, sir. We’ll brief him immediately.” Her voice was crisp, professional. *No trace of the woman who trembled in my arms last night.*

The colonel clapped me on the shoulder. “Good. Keep me updated.” He strode off, leaving us alone in the crowded room.

Vica turned to me, her green eyes guarded. “Captain Pellecchia. If you’ll follow me?” She led me to a smaller room off the main hub, the space crammed with servers and blinking lights. A young airman looked up from his keyboard, his eyes widening at the sight of my insignia.

“Captain, this is Airman Miller. He’s been assisting with the diagnostics.” Vica’s tone was all business. “Miller, why don’t you take a break? The captain and I need to review the schematics.”

*Subtle, Vica. Real subtle.* I waited until the airman had scurried out before turning to her. “Lieutenant Bell, huh? When did that happen?” I couldn’t quite keep the edge from my voice.

She crossed her arms, leaning back against the server rack. “About six months ago. The promotion came with the Lockheed contract.” Her gaze met mine, a flicker of something unreadable in their depths. “I earned it, Roland. Just like you earned those medals.”

*Ouch.* I ran a hand over my close-cropped hair. “I didn’t mean—”

“I know what you meant.” She cut me off, pushing away from the rack. “But we don’t have time for this. The comms system is failing, and we need to fix it before the exercise kicks off.” She pointed to the schematics spread out on the table. “The issue seems to be in the encryption module. It’s intermittently dropping packets, causing the signal to degrade.”

I leaned over the table, studying the diagrams. *Focus, Roland. This is what you’re good at.* “Have you tried bypassing the secondary filter?”

“We did.” She tapped a section of the schematic. “It helped, but not enough. The problem keeps recurring.” She sighed, rubbing her temples. “I’ve been over this code a hundred times. I can’t find the flaw.”

*She’s exhausted.* I could see it in the faint smudges under her eyes, the tension in her shoulders. *And I’m not helping.* “Here.” I pulled up a chair. “Let’s go through it together. Fresh eyes, remember?”

*Just like old times.* The memory hit me like a punch to the gut—late nights hunched over schematics, her head on my shoulder as we worked through complex problems. *Don’t. Go. There.* I cleared my throat. “Start from the top. Walk me through the signal path.”

We worked in silence, the only sound the hum of the servers and the scratch of her pen on paper. Her perfume wrapped around me, vanilla and jasmine, just like last night. *Focus, damn it.* I forced myself to concentrate, tracing the signal flow through the system.