Break Away (6 page)

“Good, let’s go to your place. Lead the way.”

My night-vision goggles illuminate the desert landscape in a soft green glow, and the headlights of the Humvee cast odd shadows along the edges of the desolate dirt road. We almost always travel at night, so this is the Iraq that we’re used to. The cloak of darkness offers a thin veil of protection that we don’t have under the blazing sun. The night air seems cool, despite the fact that it’s almost one hundred degrees and the scorching heat from earlier in the day radiates from the sand.

Cramped inside the armored vehicles and drenched in sweat, we pray for the slightest breeze that we know will never come. My muscles are tense from the burden of wearing my heavy armor for days on end, but it’s far better than the alternative of being vulnerable and unprotected. Often times, our protective gear is the difference between life and death.

I can see the small village in the distance, only a few hundred yards away, and I’m anxious to get there because we’ll finally have a chance to rest. The Humvee navigates over the rough terrain and with each rock and pothole that we hit, the rattle of grenades, bullets and weaponry fills the small space. It’s a comforting sound, in a way… a constant reassurance of the firepower that we’re armed with in case of an attack.

I look through the dirty bulletproof window, scanning the area ahead of us and to our flank, searching for anything out of the ordinary. No one has traveled this route in several weeks, giving insurgents plenty of time to camouflage roadside bombs along our path. Spotting something abnormal ahead of time gives us a greater chance of survival.

These roads have an eerie feeling and at night, in these desolate areas, there aren’t always clues or signs of trouble ahead. All you have is your gut telling you that something’s not right, and right now my gut is screaming at me that something is wrong.

Before I have a chance to stop the convoy, there’s a blinding flash and then a deafening sound as our Humvee lurches into the air.

I was jolted awake by my own thundering heartbeat. Covered in a cold sweat, I glanced around at my surroundings and found that I was lying in my bed, safe at home. I tried to steady my breathing and regain my bearings, reminding myself of where I was and how I got there.

As soon as the redhead and I were, well… finished… I’d made an excuse to leave and walked myself back home where I’d eventually fallen asleep. I didn’t do relationships, and I didn’t stick around for breakfast. Never anything more than a quick fuck.

Normally a night of drinking and sex led to a peaceful night’s sleep, free from the nightmares that had been plaguing me since I returned home from Iraq. But for some reason, tonight they found me.

It was always bits and pieces of the same dream. Parts of a night that I couldn’t escape. Almost every time I fell asleep I had to relive it—the sights, the sounds, the smells—it was as real as the night it happened.

The sun was only just beginning to rise, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep. Once my heart had slowed to a somewhat-normal rhythm, I got out of bed and dressed to go for a run.

In the light of day, I could hide from my ghosts, but the reprieve was only temporary. As soon as I drifted to sleep, they would chase me down again.

***

I let myself sleep in after my long night at the bar. I’d waitressed during the dinner shift, which hadn’t been as bad as I thought it would be. Sarah had been right about it all coming back, and Melanie, the waitress who’d been assigned to train me, had been friendly and extremely helpful. After a while, she realized that I didn’t need much training, and she threw me behind the bar to learn the ropes.

It was easy at first. The bar was slow during dinner and mostly consisted of making drink orders for the waitresses; however, once the tables were cleared and the place went from “restaurant” to “bar”, it got a little hectic. It took me a while to get the hang of things and find my rhythm, but once I did, it went smoother than I thought it would.

The Seaside had a great atmosphere, and everyone was really welcoming and fun to be around. Staying busy meant the night flew by, and I went home with a nice stack of tips. All in all, I liked working there.

Of course, working at the bar also meant that I would have no choice but to deal with idiots and assholes on a daily basis, like the jerk from the beach. Melanie told me that he was a regular who never went home from the bar alone and never with the same girl twice. None of that came as a shock to me. In fact, it only confirmed my assumptions about him. Melanie also mentioned that he typically steered clear of the girls who worked there, and she was shocked to see him direct his “attention” toward me. Whatever. I wasn’t about to analyze the situation. I had no idea what kind of game he was playing, but I did know that was all it was… and I didn’t want any part of it.

I was meeting my old roommate and friend, Nora Montgomery, for lunch, and I couldn’t wait to finally see her. Of course, I’d called her while I was on my way down south, but she was a songwriter and had been in Nashville recording a new song. She’d only come back last night. I hadn’t had a chance to fill her in on my whole situation. I knew she was eager to catch up and find out why I’d all of a sudden ditched my fiancé and my life in New York in order to move to a place that I’d only visited a couple of times. We certainly had a lot to talk about. With all the sudden changes that had occurred in my life, I was glad to have one relationship that I could count on.

Nora and her boyfriend, Jake, were living in her grandmother’s house in Charleston. It was the house we’d stayed in when we came down here during our college breaks, and I couldn’t imagine a more wonderful place to live. It was on Bay Street, right downtown, and was one of those great historic houses with big white columns and a front porch complete with rocking chairs. It looked like something out of a magazine.

As soon as I stepped out of my car, Nora came barreling down the front steps, her long brown hair flowing behind her as she threw her arms around me in a hug.

“Liv!” she cried out happily. “I can’t believe you’re here!”

“You have no idea how happy I am to see you!” I said, giving her a squeeze before releasing her and following her toward the house. “How are you?”

I had missed this girl. She was truly the sweetest and most genuine person I’d ever met, just as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. It was such a relief to see her, and I could feel my eyes welling with tears. I didn’t realize until now just how desperate I was to have someone familiar to talk to.

“Never been better,” she smiled. “But right now, it’s your turn to spill. What the heck happened?”

Nora ushered me up the steps to the front porch, and we settled into the rocking chairs. I filled her in on the whole story, from beginning to end, while she listened with rapt attention. Her face filled with rage when I got to the part about catching Steven with another woman.

“Ugh! I always knew he was a slimeball. I
knew
it!” she when I was finished. “He got his claws into you early, like he knew that you were too good for him and he had to make sure no one else ever had a chance. Then, he was always dictating what you should wear and what classes you should take… God, I
hate
that guy!”

I couldn’t help but smile at how caring she was. I’d always known that she wasn’t a huge fan of Steven, but she kept it to herself because I told her that I was happy. I should have known that someone like Nora, who never disliked anyone without good reason, was right about him.

“You know what?” Nora continued. “I’m glad you’re done with him. He’ll get what’s coming to him, and now you can finally find someone who really deserves you and treats you right. As hard as it is, you’re so much better off!”

“I know,” I nodded. “It didn’t take me long to realize that I wasn’t truly happy with him and with my life there. I never let myself admit it though, because I was too scared to start over. Now that I’m here… I’m actually excited for a new beginning. I can do whatever I want now, without worrying about accommodating someone else or disappointing them. My life is finally about
me.
”

“I’m so proud of you, Liv,” she said, squeezing my hand. “You’re the strongest, bravest person I’ve ever known. There’s no doubt in my mind that you will be just fine.”

“Thanks, but I’m hardly brave—” I abruptly stopped talking when I caught the glimmer off of Nora’s left hand. “Holy shit!” I grabbed her hand and held up the stunning diamond ring to inspect it. “You let me go on and on about that idiot Steven Chambers and didn’t even tell me you’re
engaged?
”

Nora grinned. “I was going to tell you! I was just waiting for the right time…”

“Details, now!” I squealed, barely able to contain my excitement. I was beyond thrilled for my friend. No one deserved happiness more than Nora.

She and Jake had been high school sweethearts. Nora’s dad had never approved of them together, and orchestrated their breakup before Nora left for NYU. She nursed her broken heart all through college; never getting involved with anyone else and avoiding going back home where she would see him. After we graduated, she finally returned home to Beaufort, and it was clear that neither of them had ever moved on. When the truth about their breakup finally came out, they picked up where they’d left off in high school and had been living together happily ever since. Once Nora worked things out with her father, she was finally able to pursue her dream of being a songwriter. Now she was going to Nashville once a month to record her songs, and several had already been picked up by various artists. Jake had proposed to her last week before they left for the trip. It was easy to see just how happy she was. I hadn’t met him yet, but considering all the great stuff that Nora had told me about him, I knew I would like him.

The Nora who was sitting next to me now was an entirely different person than the one I’d lived with for four years of school. She’d always been wonderful, but there had been a veil of sadness below the surface. Despite how well she hid it, it lingered underneath the smiles and the laughter. There wasn’t even the slightest hint of it now. Everything about her radiated happiness, and she was practically glowing.

When she was finished telling me all the romantic details of the proposal, an old truck pulled into the driveway. That truck had definitely seen better days, and it certainly didn’t fit in with the elegant surroundings here. But the way Nora’s face lit up when she saw it, I might have thought it was the Publishers’ Clearing House, arriving with a check for five million dollars.

“Oh, good! Jake’s home,” Nora said excitedly. “I was worried you wouldn’t get a chance to meet him!”

Jake strolled up the stairs wearing the same happy smile as Nora. His eyes never left hers. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought they’d been apart for weeks rather than mere hours. If they weren’t so adorable, I would probably be nauseated by how in love they were.

“Hey, baby,” Jake said, leaning down to greet Nora with a kiss. Then he turned to me with a smile and surprised me with a hug rather than a handshake. “You must be Olivia,” he said. “Nora hasn’t stopped talking about you since she heard you were moving here. It’s good to finally meet you.”

“You too,” I smiled, liking him already. I turned Nora and said, “Well, now it all makes sense… I wouldn’t have been interested in any of the guys from school either if I had this waiting for me at home!”