***
He knocked at exactly seven o’clock. He was perfectly on time. Laura was still in her mirror with Jenna. They gave each other confident nods before breaking out in bright grins. She looked spectacular. The short kimono dress dipped down dangerously low in spite of the roll of garment tape they had used to make it more demure. Her stilettos made her legs look a mile long. Jenna had given her full vamp hair and makeup and they had worked out a plan if their Dad tried to stop her from going out like this.
She navigated the stairs carefully. The click of her heals brought her parents and Darren to a stop as she entered the room. Whatever her target, she hit it. Darren was actively trying to pick his jaw up off the ground. Her father was shades of red she’d never seen before. Her mother looked like she was going to swoon. And Sara looked like she was about to spontaneously combust.
Darren recovered first walking right up to her, standing too close and taking her hand saying quietly, “you look beautiful.”
“Ahem, yes, well, Laura,” her father’s stern voice was on fast recovery but it was immediately cut off by her mother
“Oh my, Laura, look at you, so lovely.” She held out her arms and embraced her daughter tightly. Laura felt a little like Cinderella under all of the attention. Her mom stepped back muffling her tears behind a hand and sending her father a warning glare to accept it or suffer the marital consequences.
That man’s shoulders slumped in resignation. He pecked her brow and watched helplessly as Darren slipped her summer coat over her shoulders. “Yes, well, not after midnight.” He warned watching his daughter leave mesmerized under the eyes of her current beau. “And you take care of her.”
Darren broke their gaze to assure the man with a firm handshake. “Yes, sir,” he said putting his hand on the small of her back and leading her down the stairs.
They pulled out leaving their audience standing on the front porch. Laura couldn’t help but giggle. “I didn’t think he’d let me out in this.” She tugged a little on the dress because it really wasn’t made for sitting.
He reached over and intertwined his fingers with hers. “I wouldn’t let you out in that if you were my daughter. But since you’re not, I’m really happy he let you out in that.”
She beamed and snuggled as close to his side as her seat belt would allow for. “You look really nice too,” she said enthusiastically. He did in his grey button down and grey slack, his sleeves rolled up to show the tan and muscles of his forearms. He looked delicious. She could tell by his smile he liked that compliment. They drove all the way down the mountain and about twenty-five minutes away into the nearest full fledge town. He pulled up to a restaurant that had the same city pulse she was used to back home. She almost would have preferred something quainter, quieter. It must have shown on her face because his smile fell as he helped her down.
“You don’t like Asian?”
“I do. I do!” She assured him leaning into him but not kissing him because she had a pound of fig colored lipstick on.
His arm wrapped around her tightly as he cocked his head. “You sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” She said confidently marveling at how nervous he seemed.
The restaurant had that dark mood lighting and soft pulse of house music. It reeked of her life back home, none of the quaint of the mountain town. They were seated at a corner bench table. It was more nightclub than restaurant. But the table offered them the opportunity to cuddle and flirt that a traditional one might not have. Darren ordered a couple of sodas then sat back with an anxious look.
“Are you sure this is ok?”
“Yes,” she nodded and slipped closer to him. “It was just surprising. I didn’t expect to find a place like this around here.”
He looked around and nodded. “Chow brought me here the first time. I guess when you move out this way you are forced to eat sushi until you can stand it. Then you kinda like it. And I don’t know what happens but at some point it’s an addiction. First time I ate a roll my eyes watered and I thought I was going to throw up. Now I can’t go a week without it.”
She laughed, “I’ve always liked it. But I’ve had it for years. It’s probably not a natural craving without some training.”
He tightened the arm slipped around her waist and used his other hand to sweep her mane of hair back from her shoulders. “I don’t know how to say how unbelievable you look right now.” He tilted in to kiss her then stopped and bent and placed a disappointing kiss on her neck. “I will say I’m not sure I love the make-up.”
Her face fell a little. “You don’t?”
“Ok, stop, that's not what I meant.” He kissed her neck again and let his hand linger along the curve of her collar bone. “You look gorgeous but I don’t know how to kiss you with all that lipstick on.” She smiled and crossed her legs. The dress parted and left the better part of her thigh open to the air. He groaned and his hand immediately slipped from her neck tracing her body down to massage her thigh and then sit heavily there. “I guess I did this to myself. I told you to look beautiful.”
Their drinks came and they ordered food before silence fell between them. The restaurant had been nearly empty when they arrive but it was bustling by then. A DJ was setting up to replace the house music. She bit her lip wondering if dancing was in their future. She wouldn't mind pressing her body to his in a slow dance, but everything else she wasn't very good at. When she looked over, Darren was studying her with a smile.
“Yeah there’s dancing here too. Don’t worry I’ll show you how.” He had a confident smirk on his face as he put his arms out to demonstrate his sprinkler technique. She laughed guessing this wasn’t the sort of place he was totally comfortable in.
“I’ll show you how,” she assured him leaning close. His hand came up to trace the gap in the kimono wrap that opened almost to her waist. It was taped heavily in place but could not hide the full curve of her breast that was obviously not held in place by the usual undergarments. The back of his fingers lingered on her cleavage softly pushing the full curve, back and forth.
“Deal,” he said with a thick voice looking deeply into her eyes. “Have I mentioned how beautiful you look tonight?”
“Maybe,” was whispered with a bit of desperation. She breathed deeply. All she wanted was his talented lips on hers, lipstick be damned.
“In case I didn’t, you do. You look amazing.” Then he didn’t care either because his mouth opened over hers. When they broke, they were both wearing fig colored lipstick.
She laughed and wiped his mouth with her napkin as she asked, “How do I look? Am I smudged?”
“You’re perfect,” he kissed her quickly again. Then he settled her back into his arms so they could people watch. She melted into him, her soft frame welding to his hard muscles. “You fit perfectly with me.” He whispered in her ear giving her shivers and she had to agree. They were like puzzle pieces separated and now reunited, interlocked together.
“So you and John keep saying you’re training, for what?” She asked sitting up for a second to take a sip of water. She looked over her shoulder not prepared for the intense look on his face as he stared at her. She bit her lip insecurely. He shook himself and answered her.
“Yeah, sharp shooting. We both got some talent for it I guess.” He caressed her neck, sweeping her hair back.
“Are you a SEAL? Like that guy in the movie?” She’d seen the movie with her dad because she was the only one who would go. She’d actually loved it.
“Nah,” he laughed more to himself.
“Are you trying to be?”
“Nah, well, I mean I’m in the Marines. That’s the Navy.”
“Oh.” She felt foolish like she should have known that.
“It’s ok. A lot of people don’t know the difference. Anyway, we’re training to be snipers. They do it out here because it simulates the sort of environment we’ll probably b
e in.” She looked confused but he clarified. “We’re headed to Afghanistan next.”
Her stomach fell into the pit of her belly and her face dropped. “When?”
“About two weeks. See? We’re both leaving this joint pretty soon.” He kept caressing her neck softly running his finger up and down the curve to her ear and back.
“You’re going to Afghanistan?” She didn’t know a lot but she knew that could not be a good or safe place to end up.
“Yep, going to get some bad guys.” He sounded proud and excited.
“You’re not scared?”
He shrugged but then some of the bravado fell away and was replace with the truth. “Sometimes, I guess. But if I gotta die, then that’s how I want to go.” Her mouth was dry as she looked away. His finger came under her chin and gently forced her to look at him again. “I haven’t come this far to let one of them get me,” he assured her. “I have things I need to come back for.” They stared intently at each other for many long moments before he broke the spell laughing. “I swear you get me to talk about things and tell you things I wouldn’t whisper in my dreams. What are you doing to me? Making me soft.” He leaned forward and kissed her neck. She smiled raggedly happy to end that conversation terrified about what it meant for them.
They ate and then danced. Apparently he was highly versed in every middle school dance step out there. By the time he got to the running man there was a crowd around him clapping on encouragingly. She could only smile on the sidelines and laugh at his antics. The music finally slowed and he straightened up and took a bow. She saw him scanning for her when a girl threw herself in his arms. The girl was beautiful and she didn’t seem to notice the astonished look on Darren’s face as her hands roamed freely over his back and bottom. He finally caught her hands and yanked them down. The girl looked shocked.
“I’m not interested in dancing with you.” He assured her with a hard look and turned to Laura who was sidelined with a look of defeat. He smiled and her heartbeat started to calm as she smiled back. He gathered her into his arms and she melted in like she always did when he held her. “There, that’s more like it.” His whisper was hot in her ear and it brought the nicest shiver along her skin. “You're the only one who feels right in my arms.”
She melted closer. “You always say the perfect things.”
He laughed, “not usually. I usually screw these things up pretty quickly. But it's easy to get it right with you.” The basket of butterflies in her belly tipped over and reached to areas of her body that made her ache. She buried her face in his neck and tightened her arms around his shoulders feeling the short stubble of his close haircut. He accommodated her by folding her so close she could barely breathe. It felt like eternity that they swayed.
“You smell great,” she said because he did. His cologne was making her senses weak.
“You to.” He somehow brought her closer.
“You didn't want to dance with her?” She mentally kicked herself for bringing it back up.
He kissed her temple before answering, “no.”
She smiled. That was enough talking for the moment. She was standing at the bar awhile later waiting on Darren to come back from the bathroom when an unfamiliar hand passed along her hips to her bottom in a much too familiar way. She jumped immediately but she was trapped by the corner and the bar.
“Hi gorgeous,” he said in her ear and it didn't have the same effect as Darren’s voice in her ear.
“Umm,” she squirmed turning her back so that he no longer had access to her bottom. He didn't seem to mind. He put two long arms on either side of the bar completely trapping her. “M-my boyfriend is c-coming right b-back.”
He smiled at her with a hungry look in his eyes. “Well I'll just keep you company until he gets here.”
She shifted uncomfortably as he leaned closer. She hated that scared tears were threatening to spill. Sara would have kneed him in the groin. So would Jenna for that matter. But she was paralyzed with fear. Then suddenly he spun like a figure skater and fell to his knees with an angry cry of pain
“If you crawl away right now loverboy I'll do you the favor to forget this ever happened.” She only caught a glimpse of the steel look in Darren's eyes before he shielded her completely from view with his wide back. One of his hands reached back to sit on her waist and it made everything right again. She peeked around to see the guy half crawl, half limp away. Darren turned with a sigh. “You ok?” She nodded relieved. He leaned in like the guy had and smirked near her lips. “Now do you believe me?”
She bit her smiling lip putting her hands on his flexed biceps. “That I'm beautiful?”
“That you're fucking hot as hell.” He corrected and she laughed out loud before he kissed her.
They stayed a little longer then they drove home but not before stopping to star gaze for a while at a look out. In between his kisses and caresses, Laura was pretty sure this was the best night of her life. He kissed her again, rather chastely compared to the rest of the evening, when he left her on her front porch.
“See you tomorrow afternoon Princess” He had already told her he had something to do in the morning.
“Really, not till then?”
He kissed her with a smile. “I'll miss you too.” He turned her with a gentle push to her bottom to go inside and waited until she did.
She said good night to her parents who were pretending to read on the couch. Her mother looked like she was dying to get every last detail but she didn't stop her. Laura took off her makeup and peeled out of her dress giving herself an impromptu wax across her torso not that she had any hair there. When she crawled into bed she wasn't shocked to find Jenna. It only took a quick shake to wake her completely.
“Well?” She asked leaning on her elbow.
Laura sighed deeply before reliving every single detail right down to the color of the napkins. When she was finished Jenna was staring at the ceiling starry eyed. She had a hunch that her little sister had a sizable crush on Darren.
“He's so handsome,” she sighed.
Laura put her head next to Jenna's agreeing, “yeah.” She thought for a little before saying, “why now?” She shifted up to her elbow to look down at Jenna. “You know, like, why not some guy at home? Someone more like me? Someone who’d be there and not leaving? Someone... not so complicated?”
Jenna shrugged. “I don't know.” She hugged Laura tightly. “Maybe you don't need someone just like you. And this was your way of knowing that. For the future, you know.”
“You don't think we'll stay together?” Laura asked with a catch in her throat.
“I don't know. I didn't mean that.” She ran her hands through her hair. “I’m just saying that Darren is exactly the sort of guy you were supposed to be with. I guess I hope the rest of it works out.”
Laura smiled sadly at the ceiling and tilted her head to Jenna's “me too.”