“Alright sure. Why not? I’ll send you my address overseas when I have it.”
He takes my hand off his arm and holds it for a second. The electricity that passes between us has me gasping, and my eyes flick to his. We stare at each other for a moment, our bodies calling to one another. I feel like I’m going to either melt or combust, the connection is so strong.
But the fantasy is cut short when he clears his throat and pats my hand, before gently letting it go.
“That’s really nice of you Susie. I appreciate it.”
I tilt my head to the side, puzzled. “No girlfriend or wife or anything?”
He shakes his head no, his expression shuttered.
“Nope, never been around someone long enough to get that serious,” he says with a wry smile.
I nod, understanding. “Interesting…”
“What’s interesting about it?” he asks, looking intently at me.
I shake my head. “Nothing, it’s just interesting that you don’t have someone steady. How old are you, may I ask?”
He grins.
“I’m too old for you.”
My cheeks blush because that’s the first verbal sign I’ve had that he’s thinking along the same lines at me.
“Come on, how old?” I wheedle with a coy smile.
He grins and finally states, “Thirty-five.”
“Thirty-five!” I say while pretending to wipe my forehead. “Whew! Well, I’m eighteen.”
“I told you I was too old,” Brady says, a bit grimly this time. “I’m almost double your age.”
I smile prettily.
“Almost, but not quite.”
He stares at me, taking in my flushed, curvy form, before shaking himself. Then he smiles easily. “What about you, Susie? Someone special in your life?”
I shake my head slowly, while putting on a pout.
“No. There are a few interested people but nothing serious.”
“Why not?” he asks lightly.
I look around, suddenly feeling like I’m under a microscope.
“I guess no one has ever caught my eye like that. I don’t know, I just never felt that special spark with someone, you know? And I want it to be special and not humdrum and boring.”
He laughs and shakes his head. Then, he looks at me sincerely.
“Oh, to be so young and full of hope.”
Cocking my head to the side, I pout, confused at his statement.
“Are you not full of hope? Do you not believe that there’s someone out there to give you that certain feeling that you just can’t explain? The proverbial butterflies in your stomach?”
He shakes his head, smirking. “Kid, after thirty-five years of life, you learn a few things that you don’t know at sixteen.”
Taken aback, I put more space between us, offended.
“I’m not a kid, I’m eighteen! I told you!” I protest.
He laughs again. “Sixteen, eighteen, it’s all the same, little girl. Didn’t you say you were in high school?”
“Yes, but my parents held me back a year since I have a summer birthday. I’m one of the oldest and most mature women in my class!” I feel myself start to flush. I so desperately want him to know that I’m old enough for his attentions. We already get along so well, so why is he harping on my age?
Brady nods, showing off that charming smile.
“Okay kid, I hear you. Well, thank you again for the care package, but I’ve got a few more things to take care of since I’m leaving soon. Plus, I think I just heard your parents pull up in the driveway,” he says glancing at the front and then looking my scantily clad body up and down.
I inhale sharply, nodding. Jackie and Jim are so traditional that they would be scandalized if they saw me talking to this grown man with barely any clothes on.
Brady grins and then chuckles to himself again.
“Yep, a full-blown adult, right? It was nice meeting you, Susie.”
I merely roll my eyes and make my way back towards my house.
“Bye Brady. Good luck on your deployment if I don’t see you before you leave.” I wave at him then dash into my house and up to my room to change. But when I rush upstairs, my cheeks are flushed and my bosom heaving. Brady Firestone does that to me, and I don’t want it to stop, deployment or not.
4
Brady
* * *
One week later.
“What’s up man?” my roommate, Tucker, asks as I walk into my room. “How was the patrol?”
I stretch and yawn, exhausted from patrolling all night. “Fucking uneventful,” I say shortly.
“Well, that’s the best kind of patrol. Pray that I get just as lucky. By the way you got a –”
“Hey man, I don’t mean to sound like a dick but I really don’t feel like talking right now. I’ve been listening to Carter blab all night about nothing, and then I gotta walk in here and hear you running your damn mouth too,” I say, getting more and more agitated.
He holds his hands up in peace.
“No problem man, just…” the rest of his words are muffled as he grumbles under his breath. He gathers all the stuff he needs and leaves the room, slamming the door behind him.