To Love a Soldier (8 page)

Counting the Hours

Mandy

Four weeks later…

The sound of my coffee pot chiming woke me up. I was still exhausted after spending most of the night awake with John, again. We were up talking, in between having sex. On top of that, I hadn’t been getting much sleep the last few weeks, not wanting to waste any time with him. My emotions were starting to take a toll on me. I was so happy about getting to know John, and I couldn’t help falling in love. However, he had just come into my life, and now he was going to be leaving already.

Stretching my arms above my head, I slowly climbed out of bed, tossed on a tank top and a pair of boy shorts, and headed toward the smell of coffee. John was standing in the kitchen making breakfast, wearing nothing but his boxers on.
I could get used to this!

“Damn, you are eye candy,” he said as I entered the kitchen. “I think I’ll nickname you EC for short.”

“Good morning, ass,” I chuckled. “Mandy will do just fine.”

“Roger that.” He laughed as he turned back to the eggs cooking on the stovetop. “Scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, and some toast for you this morning.”

“You want some help?” I asked, taking two plates out of the cupboard.

“Absolutely not.” He pulled a chair out for me. “You just relax and let me do all the work.”

I had a coffee crumb cake on the counter and noticed it was out of halfway out of its box. “Were you in the crumb cake?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah. I was starving when I woke up… I may have had a slice… or two,” he said with a boyish grin.

“You need to put it back or it’s going to get stale,” I sighed, annoyed, shoving the rest of the cake back in the box and wiping crumbs off the counter.
Slob
.

“Wow,” John said as he poked my rib. “Did you fall off your broomstick on your flight downstairs?”

“It’s not funny. The cake has its own little house,” I gestured toward the box.

John gave me a weird look. “Okay, logically that makes no sense because the box, or house as you call it, isn’t sealed, so it’s not going to keep it from going stale.”

I knew I was going overboard and being a bitch, but it was one of my pet peeves. He was right, though. I was angry and what I said didn’t make sense. “All right, I didn’t mean to snap. Sorry.”
Get a grip, Mandy! You don’t need to ruin the rest of your time together.

“It’s fine.” He smiled at me. “I like your little quirks.”

Grabbing my cell phone off the counter, I sat down and started thumbing from my missed texts. One was from Liz, and I had a feeling I already knew it was going to be about seeing Mike around. He had been making his sleazy presence known the past few weeks. While I had been doing my best to keep John occupied, so he wouldn’t go after him, it was only a matter of time before we ran into him, or one of his friends. Since John knew what he had done to me years earlier, it was a double vendetta.

So last night Brady and I decided to go play pool and guess who showed up while Brady was in the bathroom? Mike! He just stood there staring at me until Brady came back and then he was gone. I swear he’s getting brazen. If he’s looking to apologize I wish he
would just grow a pair and get it over with, so he can stay the hell out of our lives. Anyway, hope you’re having a decent night.

You there?

“Shit,” I accidentally said aloud.

“What’s wrong?” John turned quickly to me. “Who’s the text from?”

I didn’t want to lie to him. “It’s from your sister.” I smiled, not wanting him to worry. “Everything’s fine.”

“Your reaction didn’t sound fine.” He gave me a look while reading my expression. “Either she’s fighting with Brady, or it has something to do with that pussy Mike…” He trailed off, keeping his eyes trained on mine.

“Nothing happened,” I explained. “They were out playing pool last night, and Mike showed up. He left a couple minutes later. That’s all. Nobody did anything.”

“Yet,” John mumbled.

“John, relax,” I pleaded. “You have two days left before you leave. Don’t spend them looking for trouble.” I got up and gave him a hug, which he returned, almost crushing me. “Besides, I’m sure you could find better things to do with your time,” I whispered as I rubbed my palm against his bulge. I caught him off guard, and he jumped back.

I followed, though, pressing him against the countertop and resumed rubbing. Sneaking my hand into the front of his boxer shorts, I pulled his thick shaft out. It grew thick and heavy in my palm in just a few seconds. Dropping to my knees, I parted my lips slightly, moistening them with my tongue before bringing the head
into my mouth. He placed his hands on the countertop to brace himself. My boy shorts were becoming wet, so I slid them off in anticipation of him taking me again. As I was getting back on my knees, he stopped me, lifting me straight from the floor to the countertop. I spread my legs for him, as he kneeled down and began circling his tongue on my clit, occasionally dipping into my heat. Resting my heels on his shoulders, I couldn’t take too much more before I begged him to fuck me. A few more swipes of his tongue and I was doing just that.

Standing up, he was perfectly level with my bare pussy. Gliding his thick head against my
slickness, he pushed forward and slid inside me. It was my turn to brace as he began to go deeper. My ass pressed on the countertop like a suction cup, and he began to thrust harder. He leaned in and kissed me. I opened my mouth and accepted his tongue, while he ravaged the rest of me.

I could feel his cock thicken more and twitch. His pace picked up
, and I knew it was time. He moaned deep as I felt his come flow into me, sending me spiraling. Grabbing at his hips, I kept him moving inside me while I finished my orgasm.

“That was the best breakfast ever.” I kissed his cheek.

“Glad to hear it.” He laughed, pointing to the stove. “Because the eggs are over there burning.”

“I’m going to call Liz and make sure everything’s okay,” I told him as I picked my boy shorts off the floor and headed to the guest bathroom.

“Good, do that. I’ll try again on breakfast,” he said as he dumped the burnt eggs into the garbage.

After I
cleaned up, I called Liz, making sure I was out of earshot from John. She explained the same thing that was in the text.

He had gotten his way with me and thankfully never bothered me after that. Maybe he was stalking her to finish what he started, or maybe he was looking for her to apologize. I had no idea, but I didn’t want to put anything into her head, either. Everything other than that seemed fine, so we made plans to all hang out for the day and then take John out for drinks on his last night home. I couldn’t believe six weeks had passed so quickly. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye just yet.

Saying Goodbye

Liz

Brady and I hung out relaxing and watching TV all morning. Other than seeing Mike, we’d had a great night. Mandy had finally gotten back to me. She seemed weirded out by the story, but she didn’t know what to make of it. I’d be thrilled not to be stalked by that loser
, and I certainly didn’t want an apology, if that’s what it was about. I was still pissed off about the whole thing. Pissed at him for what he had done, pissed at the cops for letting him go, and pissed at the system for being so fucked up. I knew there was nothing I could do, though, so I just wanted to move on with my life, without him around, making trouble.

I was taking John to the airport tomorrow
, so today would be the last day I really would get to spend quality time with him. Mandy and I had decided that we would all get together for lunch and figure out what to do from there.

“I better get off my lazy ass and start getting ready,” I said to Brady, pulling myself up and off the couch.

“Don’t use all the hot water,” he teased.

“Maybe you shouldn’t risk it and just come in with me now,” I flirted.

“Babe, you wiped me out. I don’t think I’d survive another round. Besides, we don’t have enough time and I feel like surviving the rest of John’s stay.”

“All right, all right. I’ll get you later.” I winked and made my way upstairs to take a shower. I rushed to finish and get myself together. I got a clean towel and washcloth and left them in the bathroom for Brady. After I was ready, I headed downstairs to let him know I was done. I watched as he tossed his phone onto the coffee table. He didn’t acknowledge me coming into the room, so I knew something had his thoughts.

“What’s up?” I casually asked. “Was that John or Mandy?”

“No. Actually, it was Bill.”

“Bill?”

“Yeah, one of the guys from work,” he said, running his hand through his hair. “He wanted to let me know that he saw Mike again, hanging outside the jewelry store.”

“What the fuck?”

“I know, babe.” I could tell he was trying to stay calm. “Listen, I think I should go grab John and head to the mall. We really need to have a conversation with this guy.”

“No!” I shouted. “Ain’t happening. No fucking way! You’ll get arrested and John will get thrown out of the Marines. Bad idea! Just no!”

“It can’t be a coincidence that he’s there again, Liz,” Brady said. “I want to make sure whatever intentions he has are ended.”

“What, by putting him in the hospital, or worse?” I lashed out. “It only takes one stupid mistake, and John’s hopes of a military career are over.”

“Calm down, Liz,” Brady snapped. “I love how there
are no side effects to my life if I go to jail.”

“Fuck you, Brady. You know what I mean. I can’t have anything happen to either of you!”

“All right, let’s just drop it before it ruins our day,” he pleaded.

“Consider it dropped,” I said with a clipped, bitchy tone. “Now get ready before you make us late.”

He just shook his head and walked upstairs. We hadn’t had many arguments in our time together, but the few we’d had had taught him to walk away, quickly. For the most part, I was a sweet girl, but when someone pisses me off I go from sweet to bitch in the blink of an eye. I really needed to work on that, since I’d been known to say hurtful things without thinking. I knew I could never take those words back.

I opened the blinds in my living room and took a seat on my couch. I sat patiently, waiting for Brady to get ready
, while staring outside. It was warmer than average for this time of year, but I was secretly hoping for a bad storm to roll in so John’s flight would get cancelled, giving me that much more time with him. Thoughts swarmed in my head as I continued to stare beyond my front lawn.

I’m really going to miss my brother… again. I’m so proud of him for becoming the man he is and accomplishing the goals he set for himself, yet I can’t help but be saddened that he chose the same path that our father did, which got him killed. I worry about him all the time when he’s away. I wish I would let life distract me from it. It gets especially hard when I don’t hear back from him for days, sometimes weeks. He thinks that when he tells me not to worry
, and that ‘my brothers have my back,’ it will make it easier. What about me, John? Where is my brother having my back? Then there’s what Mike did. I need to stop thinking about this; it’s making me nauseous. My relationship with Brady seems to be growing stronger each day, but now this whole Mike stalking me thing is fucking things up a bit. I was a little hard on Brady before. Maybe I should apologize…

“Everything okay?” Brady interrupted my jumbled thoughts.

“Everything’s fine.” I turned my head to face him. “I’m sorry about before. There’s just been a lot going on in my head lately.”

“Understood.” He smiled and walked to me with open arms. “You don’t have to apologize, babe. I get it.”

I hugged him back.
That was easier than I thought.
We grabbed our coats and keys and headed out to meet John and Mandy for lunch. We met up at the Olive Garden. Brady, Mandy, and I were treating John for his last day home. Lunch was uneventful, and we decided that we should just spend the day at home, since my mom was leaving work early and not taking a second shift so she could spend the evening with John.

As we started heading back, John and Mandy took a detour so John could pick up some beer. When Brady and I pulled in, my mom was already home. We climbed out of the car and headed inside.

“Hey guys,” she said with a smile. “Where’s John?”

“He stopped to pick up some beer. He should be here in a few minutes.” I went and grabbed some old games, figuring it would be something to pass the time while we visited. I set them on the coffee table in the living room, where Brady and my mom were sitting. I plopped down by Brady, wondering what was taking John and Mandy so long. Another 45 minutes passed and I was
getting concerned. I picked up my cell to text them both when I heard a car pull up.

“Finally!” I ran to the window. It was Mandy’s car. “What the hell took them so long?”

“Relax,” my mom said. “They probably stopped for a quickie.”

“Mom!” I yelled. “That’s so gross!”

Brady’s face turned red and he just kept his head down. The front door opened, and Mandy and John walked in.

“Sorry we took so long,” Mandy said, annoyed. “We ran into a little trouble.”

“Actually, his face ran into a little trouble,” John spat.

“What happened?” I asked, looking down at John’s bloodied knuckles.

The room erupted; everyone was talking excitedly at the same time. I could hear bits and pieces before getting distracted by a louder voice each time. John said something about running into one of Mike’s friends at the liquor store. Mandy bitched that he wouldn’t listen to her. Then Brady was trying to talk John into taking him back with him. My mom was yelling at John for being stupid as she left to get some stuff to clean off his hand. Before I could get everyone to settle down, I saw a police car pull up to the curb.

“John!” I yelled, getting everyone to be silent. “The cops are here.” My stomach dropped
, as I looked at him with fear. I didn’t know exactly what he had done, but I knew if he got into any trouble, it would be the end of his military career.

“Relax,” John told me as he walked over and hugged me. “It’s all good.”

He let go and escorted me into Brady’s arms. I was shaking. He walked outside and toward the policeman waiting at the end of my driveway. We all watched like little kids spying on their parents. I saw the policeman move his hand over his gun, as John got closer. John raised his hands and walked quicker towards the policeman.

“Fuck!” I let out. “What the fuck?” It looked like John was going after the cop and the cop was going to pull his gun to protect himself. I ran to the front door and threw it open.

“Stop!” I yelled, but John kept going.

I watched as the policeman met with John on the driveway’s edge. Brady and Mandy hustled out the door and stood by me.

“Oh, that’s the cop who showed up at the liquor store,” Mandy said, casually. I looked at Mandy and then back to John as I saw the cop extend his arm and give a quick handshake and then a one-armed hug.

“What the fuck?” I asked, again. “I’m shitting myself here, thinking my brother’s about to get shot by a cop and they fucking
hug!”

“Sorry,” Mandy offered. “He told me on the way back the cop who showed up was a buddy he went through boot camp with years ago. This is all my fault.”

“What’s your fault?” I asked. “We don’t even know the full story.”

“We were leaving the store
, and I saw one of the guys Mike was with at the party,” she started to explain. “I made the mistake of telling John and, before I could even blink, he was dragging this guy out of his car and around the side of the building. I ran over to stop him, but by the time I got over there, John had already hit him a few times and was tossing him into a dumpster. I mean
completely
tossed him in!”

“Which guy was it?” I asked.

“Brandon,” she said. “I guess someone saw and called the cops because he pulled up as we were leaving. In retrospect, I guess the cop was being professional and not acknowledging they knew each other. John told him that he saw Brandon digging through the dumpster and fall in and he had tried to help him out, but his hand slipped and he accidentally hit the guy in the face and he fell in again.”

Brady burst out laughing. “Sounds plausible to me.”

We all headed down the driveway to find out what they were talking about. John introduced us all.

“Elizabeth,” the cop said and smiled. “You don’t remember me, do you?”

“I’m sorry,” I said, confused. “Have we met?”

“A few times, but it was a long time ago.
I used to pal around with your brother in high school. He’s the reason I signed up for the Marines. I’m Joe. Joe Reed.”

“Oh, Joe,” I somewhat pretended. The name was sort of familiar, but he must’ve looked very different because I didn’t recognize him. “Yeah, I kind of remember you being around.”

“Well, it’s nice seeing you again. Sorry it has to be under these circumstances though. I’m real sorry to hear what happened. Don’t worry, he’ll get his.” Joe turned back to John. “Okay, so I pulled that scumbag out of the dumpster and tossed him against the wall. I explained to him what would happen if he reported any of this. You’re good to go, John.” He smiled. “Just remember - next time, don’t do it in public.”

“Thanks, man,” John said, giving him another hug.

Joe looked back as he was getting into his car. “John,” he called out. “Be safe out there.”

John shook his head in acknowledgement. “Semper Fi, brother.”

We all watched in relief as Joe pulled away.

“See, you worry too much,” John said, taking me under his arm and we walked back to the house.

“How’s Joe doing?” my mom asked, smiling at me because she had known it was him all along.

“He’s doing great,” John answered.

“I can’t believe you knew this guy and didn’t say anything!” I yelled at my mom.

“Yeah, I see him now and then at
the hospital. He keeps in touch with John, and he also always asks how you’re doing.”

“I don’t really remember him, so that’s weird.” I noticed Brady looked concerned and a little jealous.

“Relax, peashooter,” my mom said to Brady.

“Oh, what? It doesn’t bother me,” Brady said, clearly lying.

We went on with our evening, playing games and just having a good time hanging out. It wasn’t until around 11 that everyone decided to call it a night. John was going back with Mandy for the night, and I would meet them in the morning to take him to the airport. Brady and my mom had to go to work, so they would say their goodbyes tonight. Brady’s was the expected ‘it was good meeting ya, be safe,’ while my mom’s was an emotional rollercoaster. She said goodbye to John for 30 minutes. I had to hold her, so John and Mandy could leave.

We retired to bed quickly after. Brady and I laid there, listening to my mom whimper. It was heartbreaking, but it was something I’d grown used to over the years. We listened as she cried herself to sleep.

“Oh, my God,” Brady whispered. “I feel so bad.”

“I know. She’s strong, so don’t worry. Go to sleep. You have to get up in a few hours for work.” Leaning over, I kissed him goodnight. I closed my eyes
, and after a few breaths I was fast asleep. Only a few hours later, my alarm clock went off.

I got up with Brady and we both hustled to get ready. My poor mother was already at work. Brady finished first and gave me a kiss goodbye.

“Stay strong, babe. I’ll see you after work.”

“I’ll try.” I smiled, hoping I could keep it together for just a little longer.
Bullshit. I was going to fall to pieces like my mom did.

I finished getting ready and left for Mandy’s.