by Sierra Brave
Chapter Five
Caroline squinted, opening one eye as the morning sun poured through her bedroom window, forcing her out of her blissful slumber. She sat up and stretched. As she looked around and realized she was alone, her heart sank. All of Jake’s clothes were gone. She checked her nightstand…not even a note. She sighed sadly. What did I expect? I just met him. It was a one-night stand. At least he was nice enough to stay the night.
She got up and made her way out into the kitchen. She didn’t take much notice of the rattling plates at first until she glanced over, expecting to see Ryan but instead laying eyes on the blondie who she’d met at Jake’s table last night.
“Uhh…hi?” She wrapped her arms around her chest, suddenly feeling underdressed in her revealing nightgown.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Ryan’s asleep, and well, military guys are early risers.”
“So I noticed.” Caroline lightly sighed over having been left before the break of dawn. “But what are you…” She stopped in midsentence. Holy shit! Ryan’s gaydar is spot-on. Instead of asking Tanner why he was in her kitchen, she asked, “What are you doing?”
“I was just getting some plates out.”
Duh! I can see that, pretty boy. Caroline tilted her head and knitted her eyebrows. “Plates?”
“Yeah…after meeting up with Jake in your bathroom this morning and having a superawkward conversation, we decided he should go pick up coffee and bagels for our sleeping lovers.”
Caroline blinked, taking in Tanner’s explanation. “Oh…that’s sweet.”
She took a few steps back through the hallway and banged on Ryan’s door. “Get up, you rude little pig. You have company.”
A few seconds later, Ryan’s door flung open and in true Ryan form, he scowled. “Pig? I’ll have you know I still wear the same size I did my senior year in high school!”
“I was speaking of your manners. Case in point, could you put on some pants?” Caroline shook her head at her tight-navy-blue-brief-clad friend. She pushed him back into the room and shut the door behind them. While Ryan threw on a pair of red basketball shorts and a Carolina Hurricanes tank top, she took the opportunity to run back into the bathroom adjoining their rooms and throw the matching black-and-white silk robe over her black gown.
About the time she and Ryan were returning to the common area, there was a knock at the front door.
“It’s me,” Jake’s voice called out from the other side.
“Come on in.” Caroline tried to suppress how excited she was to see him as he walked through the door carrying a big brown bag from the bagel shop in one hand and a drink tray with four coffees in the other.
“Good morning.” Caroline smoothed back her hair nervously. “Thanks for picking up breakfast.”
“My pleasure.” Jake opened the bag and placed a huge box of assorted bagels on the counter before pulling out a couple of tubs of cream cheese, one plain and the other honey nut. “I didn’t know how you and Ryan took your coffee, so I just got them black and grabbed a bunch of creams and sweetener packets.”
Caroline smiled. “Black is perfect for me. Ryan will appreciate the cream.”
“I do like cream…” Ryan smiled at Tanner impishly, and the younger man’s face turned bright red.
Tanner looked away and fussed with the food arrangement, opening the cream cheese containers and placing a plastic knife with each one. There were only two stools at the counter so Ryan and Tanner stood in the small kitchenette to eat while Caroline and Jake sat.
As she spread honey-nut cream cheese on a poppy-seed bagel, she caught Ryan’s eye, and he lifted his eyebrows and smiled. This summer excursion appeared to be looking up for both of them.
After they ate, Caroline and Jake sat out on the deck for a moment, giving Ryan and Tanner a little privacy. Jake stretched his arm out along the back of the cushioned bench and caressed her shoulder. She glanced at him, taking in his smile and quickly looking away.
“What?” He tilted his head, attempting to catch her gaze again. “What is it?”
She turned back toward him, partially covering her face with her hand and scrunching up her nose. “I’m just a tad bit embarrassed about what I thought…earlier.”
“Huh?” Jake raised an eyebrow.
She bit down on her bottom lip. “When I first woke up and your clothes were all gone. I was alone, and I thought…”
Jake’s jaw dropped and his eyes widened as he cut her off. “That I’d sneaked out without a word like a big, shitty rat?” He shook his head. “Nah, that’s not me. I don’t just hop in bed with anyone willing. I felt a real connection between us, and I’m not looking to let it go.”
Caroline snuggled closer to him, resting her head against his shoulder. “I’m sorry for thinking the worst.”
“I forgive you, but can you try to have a little more faith in me?” He caressed her arm.
“Yes, I think I can do that.” Caroline looked up at him and smiled and he dropped a sweet kiss on her lips just as Ryan and Tanner were heading out the door.
“You ready to go?” Tanner asked Jake.
“I guess I need to be getting home,” Jake answered. “I’ll call you soon, Caroline.”
“You better.” She offered him a grin and he smiled back just before he and Tanner headed down the stairs.
Chapter Six
Jake chased the black shadow, getting it in his crosshairs. “Is this the one?”
The disembodied voice behind his shoulder boomed loudly, “Yes! Now! Do it now!”
“All I see is a shadow? I don’t know if I can get a kill shot?”
The voice was relentless. “You know the head is up north. Aim high!”
Jake followed the order, targeting again and pulling the trigger.
His shot fired, but there was no sound from his rifle, only the sound of a woman screaming and a child crying. “Who did I shoot?”
The voice was silent.
“I asked who I hit?”
“Doesn’t matter.” The voice was lower now.
Jake turned around, but no one was there. Panic set in, and he jumped to his feet before rushing off to find out who had been his mark. He used a rope to rappel down the roof where he had been stationed for his shot.
He ran and ran and ran for what seemed like an endless amount of time. He couldn’t be sure he wasn’t running in circles, but he kept going. His heartrate was erratic, but he couldn’t stop chasing the sound of the woman’s screams and the child’s cries. Everywhere he looked, there was blood splatter against the walls. Bodies littered the ground. Any one of them could have been his shot or someone else’s. There was so much carnage all around him.
Maybe the voice was right. With so much death all around, no matter who the bullet hit, someone was screaming and crying, lamenting the loss. The woman’s wailing was louder now and was joined by distinctly different voices, also wailing. The bitter mourning and gnashing of teeth closed in, surrounding him. He reached for the knife at his hip, placing the blade to his neck.
Jake’s eyes opened on a gasp, and he struggled to catch his breath. His body and sheets were soaked with sweat and his heart felt likely to explode. He pressed his hand against his chest, willing his anxiety to release the grasp it had around his throat.
“Fuck.” His voice was a whisper. The night he had spent with Caroline had given him a short respite from this kind of all too familiar awakening. At least he could look forward to the date he’d scheduled to enjoy the beach with her today. He was expected to collect her from her place around ten a.m., but it wasn’t quite three a.m. yet. “Fuck.”
There would be no more sleep for him. He got up and pulled his sheets off the bed, throwing them into a corner in his room before heading off to the bathroom.
He paid no attention to his surroundings, yanking off his perspiration-saturated boxer shorts as he headed for the shower. He didn’t even bother to warm up the water before getting in and turning it on. He endured the short bla
st of coldness before the temperature reached its expected degree. He closed his eyes, allowing the water to fall over his face.
Jake took his time, using lots of soap and hoping to scrub away his nervous tension along with the sweat. He picked up a bottle of lavender shampoo, opening it and taking a long whiff. The aroma was supposed to be therapeutic and calming, but he wasn’t so sure how well it worked. It couldn’t hurt though. He used it to wash his short hair, rinsing it well before turning off the faucet and grabbing a towel.
He dried off and put the towel around his waist, collecting his underwear from the floor on his way out of the bathroom. Dressed in a fresh pair of boxers, a gray-and-blue T-shirt with a screen print of the Crystal Coast lighthouse, and a pair of blue shorts, he gathered his sheets, cast-off clothes, and his wet towel and carried them to the washing machine, loading and starting the cycle. He looked around. The apartment would be still and quiet for a few more hours, perhaps longer since it was a Sunday and everyone was off work for the day.
Jake’s chest ached with emptiness and his heart pounded. He needed to find something to occupy his time without making too much noise. He started by brewing a pot of coffee. He couldn’t sit still to drink it so he took sips as he worked his way around the kitchen, scouring the sink, wiping down the counters, and sweeping the floor.
He’d feel a lot better once he got to see Caroline’s sweet face and could hold her in his arms. When he met her, his soul had been dying, and he had been running from the problems. With her in his life, he could find the courage to start facing his fears and make some changes.
He just needed to keep busy for now. He’d done all he could in the kitchen without making a racket, so Jake moved on to the living room. He folded a blanket one of the knuckleheads had left on the floor and placed it over the back of the couch. After tossing the bits of trash in the garbage, he looked around and sniffed. It could smell better in here. He walked back to the laundry room and grabbed a bottle of fabric refresher before returning to the den and lightly misting the curtains and upholstered furniture.
“If you’ve got time to girl around squirting up the sofa, you’ve got time to make me some eggs,” Brent said while standing in the hallway stretching.
“Shut your ass, sexist pig.” Jake scrunched up his nose at Brent.
Brent grinned, clearly only encouraged by Jake’s response. “What’s the matter? Did I hit a pink lacy nerve?”
“Fuck you. You make me eggs, bitch.” Jake stared Brent down until the other man averted his eyes. Satisfied, he returned the fabric refresher to its rightful spot before returning to find Brent in the kitchen heating some butter in a pan while whisking some eggs.
Jake chuckled lightly as he stepped into the kitchen. “I like my eggs fried.”
“Well, you’re getting your eggs scrambled,” Brent answered without looking up from what he was doing. “Get some bread out of the cupboard so we can have toast too.”
Jake glanced at the time as he headed over to get the bread. It was nearly six thirty a.m. At least breakfast would kill some time before he got to see Caroline. Plus as soon as the smell of food roused Tanner and Derrick, he’d have more company to keep him distracted.
After they ate, the atmosphere was rowdier with Tanner and Derek squabbling over who was going to load and unload the dishwasher. Jake laughed as he wiped down the counter again and cleaned the stovetop. Because he had cooked, Brent decided he was excused from after-breakfast chores and was spending his time basking in front of the television, watching old Tom and Jerry reruns.
Jake shook his head and rolled his eyes. What a dork. As he was finishing up his chores, his phone rang, and he picked it up from where it was charging next to the toaster.
He didn’t recognize the number right away but answered anyway. “Hello?”
“Jake?”
“Yes?”
“It’s me, Maya. Can you meet around eleven o’clock today?”
Shit! Meeting with Maya would mean breaking his date with Caroline. He wanted to see Caroline more than anything but he needed to see Maya more than he could say.
“She’s all ready to go, I guess?”
“That’s right. Her name is Goldie, and she really is good as gold, a sweet pooch.”
“And she’ll be able to help me?”
“Very well trained, if I do say so myself.”
Reluctantly, he answered, “Yeah, eleven is fine. Same address as before?”
“That’s right. See you then.”
“All right, thanks,” Jake said before getting off the phone. He glanced at the clock. It was close to a quarter after eight. If he had to break his date, there was no time like the present, but what would he tell her? He wanted to continue to be the strong soldier in her eyes, but how could he if she found out he needed a service dog to wake him up from bad dreams? I’ll look weak. I won’t tell her Goldie’s a PTSD therapy dog. I can’t.
* * * *
After getting out of the shower and throwing on her robe, Caroline danced around her room. She was super excited about going to the beach with Jake, but she needed to find the right bathing suit and cover-up. “Come help me, Ryan!”
Ryan poked his head into her room. “Help you dance to Beyoncé songs? I’m in!”
Caroline laughed. “Yes, but also help me decide what to wear.” She had placed some options on the bed. “The black one-piece is nice, but it makes me look a little hippy. I like the purple bikini, but I don’t want to send the wrong signal.”
Ryan burst out laughing. “You already fucked him. Wear the bikini. You can pair it with that white sarong to avoid unwanted attention from other guys until you and Jake get in the water.”
Caroline gave him the side eye for his first comment but couldn’t argue with his fashion logic. Ryan had a talent for knowing what looked good. “Okay, I think you’re right.” She nodded.
As the next song played, Ryan grabbed her and gave her a twirl, and she laughed, giddy with anticipation.
“Someone is way too excited!” Ryan smiled at her.
Caroline’s cheeks burned. “I know! I know! I’m so pathetic. Is it really noticeable?”
“Only to me—it’s been a while since I’ve seen you so happy. I’m glad.” He pulled her in for a hug.
“What about you?” She gave him a playful pinch. “You and Tanner still getting along well?”
“Very but he’s still not ready to come out to most of his friends, so we’re meeting up later tonight once that boner, Brent, and Derrick are otherwise occupied.”
“Ooo, get some! Get some!” Caroline teased. “What are you doing today?”
He looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “What the hell do you think?”
Caroline snickered. “Shopping!”
“Yes, girl!” Ryan smiled, lifting his eyebrows just as Caroline’s phone rang.
She grabbed it off her nightstand and took a look. Recognizing Jake’s number, she answered. “Hi Jake!” She did her best but failed at trying not to sound too anxious.
“Um…hi,” Jake replied, his tone giving her pause.
Caroline’s heart sank, fearing the worst. “Is something wrong?”
“Yeah, something’s come up, and I’m going to have to cancel our date today.” His voice was a bit off, and Caroline couldn’t get a read over the phone. “I’m sorry.”
Sure enough—she was being blown off. She paused, waiting to see if an explanation was forthcoming, but when nothing materialized, she replied, “Okay.”
“I’ll call you soon, okay?” he offered.
She was unsure if he was sincere or if he was just trying to spare her feelings. “Sure.” With all her prior exuberance drained, she hung up the phone and looked to Ryan. He waited expectantly. “My date is canceled.” She looked down at the clothing spread over her mattress and sighed.
“Sorry, baby girl, did he say why?” Ryan patted her shoulder sympathetically.
“No, just that something had come up.” She shook her h
ead as she tried to shake off the disappointment.
“Well, on the bright side, now you can go for a drive over the bridge to shop at the outlet malls with me!”
Caroline rolled her eyes at how excited he was at the prospect of getting some deals on designer duds but nodded. “All right. I’ll get dressed.”
“Yay!” Ryan jumped up and down, raising his arms in a V.
“But there will be one stipulation…” she began.
* * * *
“I don’t know why we can’t go by the battleship after we go shopping.” Ryan’s expression was as pouty as his voice as he turned off to drive to the historic downtown area of Winston, a lovely town about thirty minutes away from Crystal Coast Beach.
“If I let you get to the outlet mall before I see the USS Longbridge, we will never make it there. I want to get some pictures to show my students.”
“Oh okay!” Ryan sounded resigned, if not won over. As he slowed down for a stoplight, something caught Caroline’s eye and she got the oddest feeling. It was one of those the-world’s-trying-to-tell-you-something sensations. She turned her head and gasped.
“What?” Ryan looked at her, and she lifted her head, pointing with her chin.
“Am I nuts or is that Jake walking up to that yellow Victorian-style house?”
Ryan took a look, and his eyes widened. “Looks like him to me.”
They watched as he knocked on the white door and was greeted by a smiling blonde woman. Caroline’s heart sunk. “Well, she’s pretty.”
Ryan didn’t reply but lingered, watching Jake cross the threshold into the woman’s home until the car behind them beeped its horn. As they drove, he found his voice. “Maybe it wasn’t him.”
“It was him.” Caroline looked out the window, too embarrassed to face her friend yet.
“How can you be sure?”
“As you said earlier, I’ve already fucked him. I know what he looks like.” She turned her head and gave him a small, tight-lipped smile.
