“See ya, Doc.”
I bit my lip and my eyes traveled to his. One last kiss would be totally cliché in this moment, but I didn’t care.
I ran towards him and reached up on my tiptoes, planting a soft kiss on his lips. It surprised him and I grinned, stepping backwards. He flashed me a smile, showcasing all his perfect teeth, and bent down to pick up his hunter green duffle bag, slinging it over his shoulder as he walked to the bus. He was the last one to board, and I continued to stare at the white, obnoxious vehicle, waiting to hear the engine roar to life.
I scanned the windows until I saw the glass sliding down near the back of the bus. Luke’s head popped out and he yelled, “Take care of my house and car! The keys are under the front mat.”
I laughed and rolled my eyes, giving him a thumb’s up. Families were waving all around me and hooting and hollering at their loved ones to be safe.
As soon as the bus was seconds from pulling away, I yelled, “I’m not paying your bills, Soldier!”
I watched him laugh and he yelled back, “All my mail is forwarded to my mom’s. Relax!”
I laughed again, and then they took off. The reality of the situation washed over me quickly. I put my fingers on my mouth, kissing them and then blowing it towards him. He gave me a curt nod and then I felt my heart drop to the cool, black pavement.
* * *
The next morning after my shift ended at the hospital, I slithered into my warm bed, cuddling up with Luke’s shirt, taking a huge whiff of his smell. He wasn’t in Afghanistan yet…I knew that, but he would be soon, and then he would be faced with all kinds of obstacles. Dangerous obstacles.
I also knew he was a strong man, an amazing Marine and leader. He would be fine. He would have to be. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself, and that’s what I would continue to tell myself until he was back on American soil, safe and sound. It’s what I had to keep telling myself because if I let my mind wander to anything else, it would be like a swift kick to the groin. Staying positive was key.
I hoped.
My laptop pinged from my dresser and I sat straight up in bed, blonde hair flying past my face. I quickly crawled over my covers, planted my bare feet on the floor, and rushed over to it.
My hands moved so fast that I quadruple-clicked the email icon flashing in the lower, right-hand corner. My heart was thundering as fast as a racehorse in my chest and my stomach was rapidly filling with nervous jitters. The more I stood there, waiting for my computer to load, the more they jittered around.
Could it be him already?
But how would he have gotten my email address?
Usually what happened when a military member deployed was that the Family Readiness Officer would send out their assigned contact information (email included) to those who were wanting it, per the military members’ request. They typically had to fill out a form before they deployed listing the names and phone numbers of those who wanted to email them while overseas. So, it’s probably not him. It’s probably just an ad from Victoria’s Secret.
But my stomach flipped when I saw the word “Unidentified” in my inbox. I swallowed and double-clicked the email. My foot pounded the floor uncontrollably, waiting for it to finally pop up, and when it did, I squealed:
From: (Unidentified) [email protected]
Subject: Soldier Boy hearts Doctor
Body: I like-like you too, Cammie.
Well, it was nice knowin’ ya, heart.
Twenty-One
THREE MONTHS LATER
Was it possible to fall in love with someone from seven thousand miles away? Or was the love always there, and I had just been shooing it away like a little gnat hovering over a ripe banana? To think that I’d fallen in love with Luke in such a short amount of time made me feel like I was the star in a Disney princess movie. Even as a child I’d thought it was completely absurd that Cinderella fell madly in love with the prince after only ONE night at a ball. Like, get real, Disney. They weren’t fooling me.
Until now.
Admitting to anyone that I had developed these deeper feelings for Luke was out of the question. Even if JoJo kept pestering me about it. Even if Becky was teasing me constantly, singing love songs every time we weren’t near a patient…that is, when she wasn’t droning on about how I was a workaholic who needed to get laid.
The getting laid part was right. I could only fantasize about Luke so many times with my vibrator before I started to ache for his actual touch. He made it even worse by sending me dirty emails.
&nb