Last Day of My Life

by Lani Lynn Vale

  “Your bike reminds me of a death cycle. Have you ever seen that Nicholas Cage movie where he’s a dead vigilante, and he’s hunting bad guys? Your bike reminds me of that scary looking bike.” I explained hesitantly.

  “Yeah, it does look pretty mean, doesn’t it? Got it for a song from some old man who couldn’t ride it anymore. Took me a while to get it running like I wanted, but the body was sound. I get a lot of looks when I’m on it, too. I promise it won’t bite.”

  His lean, muscled frame flexed as he swung his leg over the bike and turned to me, holding out his helmet. “What about you?” I asked.

  “I’ll go slow. Promise.” He soothed.

  I was hesitant, but the smile he’d plastered on his face made me cave, and I slowly fit the helmet over my head and walked forward. He held out his hand and I latched onto it like a lifeline. “Don’t make me regret this.”

  I lifted one foot and the tightness of my skirt stopped me from lifting it more than a foot off the ground. I raised my eyebrows at him and he laughed.

  Dropping my hand from his, both of his hands went on either side of my thighs, pinched the fabric of my skirt and yanked it up to the top of my hips; so far, that if I bent even in a little bit, the world would see my panties.

  “Yikes!” I said and started to yank it back down.

  He didn’t let me though; instead, he grabbed the back of my thigh and started to guide my leg over the bike’s seat. “Put your foot on the pegs, and scoot real close.”

  I did as instructed. Well, for the most part. I didn’t plaster my crotch up against his back. Instead, I left a few inches between us, and then wrapped my hands loosely around his waist.

  My mind instantly changed when he started up the bike with nothing less than a roar. My teeth even vibrated with the rumble coming from the motor. It didn’t take me more than a few feet away from the curb before I scooted so close to him; you couldn’t tell where I started and he ended.

  My arms tightened around his waist, and I could have sworn I could hear him chuckle.

  The ride to the apartment was quick.

  I registered for my classes while Jack flipped through channels on his TV. It took less than ten minutes, and I found myself at a loss.

  Should I get up and go sit by him? Should I tell him I’m ready to go? What is the protocol here?

  “You’re thinking too hard.” Jack’s deep voice broke me out of my silent questioning.

  My head whipped around until I was staring at the smirk that was tilting up the corner of his beautiful, luscious, lickable mouth. “Huh?”

  “You’re thinking too hard. Want to go for a ride?” He asked.

  I did.

  “Well, I still have the same problem that I had not very long ago. Skirts and bikes and all that shit.” I said sarcastically.

  He laughed. “Yeah, gotta live sometime though.”

  “Yeah, but you really should show more caution than that. You never know when you’re life will end. Why not take a few extra precautions just on the slight chance that it might save your life?” I asked.

  “You’re too young to be that jaded. Aren’t you supposed to be wild and carefree?” He asked skeptically.

  I’d never been able to be wild and carefree. My childhood didn’t allow for that.

  “Yeah, that went out the window the first time I had to fend off one of my mom’s suppliers from touching my twelve year old self. Stormy wasn’t so lucky.” I said before I even knew I’d done it.

  Why had I told him that?

  “What?” He asked quietly.

  Too quiet.

  “Yes, I’ll go for a ride, but you have to promise that you’ll go slowly.” I said before walking out his apartment door.

  My heart was beating a mile a minute. I’d never even told Stormy of what had happened that night. She thought she was alone in that regard, but she wasn’t. I might not have been raped that night but there was definitely some inappropriate touching going on before I’d hit him, using a move I’ve only seen performed.

  I remembered watching him fall as I hit him on the side of the neck. I was proud of myself a few days later, but at that instant in time, I was too terrified to do anything but hide.

  I was just glad I’d watched that YouTube video on how to incapacitate an attacker. They’d said that it was a great shot for someone that had surprise on their size and I’d definitely had that. The man hadn’t expected my tiny self to fight back and that was what saved me. Things could’ve gone a lot different for me that night.

  Jack and I rode for what felt like minutes, but turned out to be nearly an hour. We were somehow outside of my house, and frustration hit me like a wrecking ball. I swung my leg over more gracefully this time, and smiled sadly at him.

  “Wear jeans tomorrow, Winnie.” He laughed and then roared away.

  I watched him streak down the street as if he was shot out of a cannon, and my heart let out a little leap at the pace he set.

  Hands jittery, I walked inside and closed the door behind me. Stormy rushed up from the other room, and I started to tell her about Jack when her boyfriend, Peter, came in the room right behind her.

  The man was a freak of nature, and I hated the way he made me feel when I was around him. Hence, why I avoided him like the plague whenever he came over. Which, coincidentally, meant that I was ignoring Stormy as well.

  “Have a good night!” I said with false cheer.

  It wasn’t until I got to my room and looked into the mirror that I realized I was still wearing Jack’s helmet. The laughter at thinking that my sister probably thought I was a nut job died when I realized that Jack was riding without a helmet of his own.

  ***

  Two weeks later

  “Are you sure they won’t mind that I’m crashing their barbeque?” I asked for the fifteenth time.

  Jack shifted his body off the bike and stood beside it. I could feel him looking down at me, assessing me. “They’ll love you. I promise. And you aren’t intruding.”

  When I didn’t move fast enough, Jack bodily hauled me off the bike, yanked my helmet off, and started pulling me towards the door. Adam, Jack’s best friend, opened the door just as Jack was about to walk in, and I jumped.

  He eyed me speculatively. We hadn’t hit it off. I’d been laying on Jack’s couch waiting for him to get out of the shower when Adam had knocked on the door. It’d been only four days since we met, and I apparently hoarded all of Jack’s time.

  From the moment he entered the door, we got along like oil and water. He’d say something, and I’d disagree. I’d laugh at something; he’d say it was stupid. We seriously didn’t have one single thing we agreed about.

  Adam also thought I was too young for Jack. That I couldn’t possibly handle being eighteen and having a boyfriend in the army. He’d pretty much insisted that I would leave him as soon as the going got tough, and I’d break Jack’s heart while he was over there fighting for his life.

  I vehemently disagreed.

  It’d been two weeks, six hours, and thirteen minutes since we’d met. Each and every minute that passed, was another minute to my tipping point. I was extremely close to falling in love with this man, if not already, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Yes, I knew that eventually he would be deployed. I knew that he had a chance of dying over there, but I was determined to make sure we worked. To make sure I could be the soldier’s perfect girlfriend, I would support him in every way possible.

  “Hey,” Adam said, pulling him into a half hug before he pulled back away from him.

  Adam’s eyes slid over to mine, but didn’t offer to give me a hug. Adam’s cold demeanor didn’t seem to register with Jack, which I was forever grateful for; I didn’t want to come in between the two best friends. I wanted Jack to be happy, and I would try my best to make sure I got along with Adam, even if I had to suck in my attitude.

  “Hi, Adam.” I said solemnly.

  He nodded, then opened the door wide to let us ins
ide before closing it behind us. We entered into a house straight out of Southern Living. Everything was absolutely beautiful.

  From the outside it resembled an old pier and beam farmhouse, but on the inside it was modern, with hints of country living. The open floor plan living room and kitchen was absolutely to die for; the bar that separated the two rooms was filled to the brim with food. With what I assumed, were Adam’s parents and brother crowding around picking at the food as they stood leaning against it.

  I was proved right when a woman that reminded me of Samantha off the TV show Bewitched, walked up to me and gave me a huge hug.

  Not knowing what to do, I hugged her in return.

  “I’m so glad to finally meet you!” She gushed.

  “Mom,” Adam sighed. “How about you let her get into the house before you start the hugging shit.”

  “Language, Adam!” She snapped.

  She grabbed a hold of my hand and started to drag me towards the other three at the table. I knew instantly that the dark haired, exceptionally handsome one in a bright red skintight shirt and faded blue jeans was Tai, Jack’s brother. The other two were most definitely related to Adam.

  “John, this is Jack’s girl, Winter!” She said enthusiastically. “Winter, I’d like you to meet my husband, John. Are you thirsty?”

  “No, thank you. It’s nice to meet you, John.” I smiled at him.

  “You know, you kind of resemble that orphan girl that sings.” Tai said with a smirk on his face.

  “Very original. Ten points for you.” I snarled sarcastically.

  Jack laughed beside me and pulled me into his side. “Be nice, Taima.”

  Tai raised his lip at Jack. “Don’t start. Do you want me to tell your girl here your name?”

  “I already know Jackopa’s name, so you can’t use that threat.” I quipped.

  They froze when I said that, and I had to wonder what I’d said that made them all look at me like I’d grown a third nipple in the middle of my forehead. “What?”

  Jack sighed beside me. “I don’t tell people my name. It’s a sensitive subject.”

  Tai and Adam nodded like they knew what he was talking about, and it only made me that much more curious to find out what he was talking about. However, I decided to save it until later, just in case I had to torture it out of him.

  “I saw you had a pond. Do you have any fish in it?” I changed the subject.

  John nodded. “Just stocked it last spring with some bass. There were catfish in there from the last time the boys went to the lake, too. You can try to feed them. I don’t normally start this early in the year but it’s worth a try.”

  “Can you show me later? Stormy and I used to go to the lake all the time, but we finally gave up when neither one of us could stand pulling the hook out of the fish’s mouth.” I told them.

  Snorts of amusement followed my statement.

  “Why on earth would you go fishing if you weren’t willing to do that?” Tai asked the unspoken question on everyone’s mind.

  I shrugged. “We thought it was a good idea at the time. Neither one of us had a clue what we were doing. I caught a fish by sheer luck, not even sure what exactly it was, now that I think about it, but it was the most awesome thing in the world. That was until I tried to touch it and it wouldn’t sit still. Then it stung me or something. It died because I wouldn’t get close enough to it again to take the hook out. I ended up just cutting the line in hopes that it would live. I figured it would just be a cute little accessory. You know, like a lip ring.”

  Everyone digested that, and, finally, Adam spoke up. “You know, when Jack gets back from his tour in eight months, we should really go fishing, just so you know that it’s fun.”

  “Well, yeah. That sounds great. How do you know when he’ll be back when we haven’t even heard that he’s leaving yet? ”

  Silence.

  Cue the crickets.

  Jack took my hand and led me to the front door. “I’ll show her the pond.”

  Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.

  Ahh, hell. I was crying. I hated crying. It always made my nose stuffy and snotty, and since I was a redhead, that meant that my face got bright red. Almost as red as a tomato. I wasn’t a cute crier at all.

  “All right, Jackopa. Tell me straight.”

  He let out a small laugh. “I got my orders yesterday, but I hadn’t planned on telling you until tomorrow. I didn’t want to ruin tonight for you.”

  I was touched by his thoughtfulness. “When do you leave?”

  We both ignored the hitch in my voice. “I have another two months at Fort Sam Houston, and then I’ll deploy for six months.”

  My eyes closed and I willed myself not to cry. “Well, that just sucks a donkey toe.”

  “Donkey toe?” He laughed, pulling me into his embrace.

  My eyes traveled over to the pond and I watched as tiny fish came up to the water’s surface and ate the pollen off the top. “I was going to say donkey dick but then I decided that it wasn’t very ladylike.”

  His snort was incredibly obnoxious. “Since when have you ever been ladylike?”

  “Hey!” I said with indignation.

  Jack showed me the cane pole at the bottom of the pier, and then pointed towards the dirt. “Go find a worm.”

  He looked at me like he was waiting for me to object, but I wouldn’t be giving him that. Instead, I walked over, grabbed a stick, and started sifting through the leaves. It didn’t take long until I had a big juicy one in the palm of his hand.

  “Nice.” He smiled, working the worm on the hook.

  I felt sympathy for the little bugger, but that all flew out the window as soon as I caught my first bass. And what a big bass it was, too.

  Jack’s laughter was delighted when he saw the utter awe on my face after he unhooked the massive thing.

  “It’s still just a baby.” He chuckled.

  I glared, and let my fish go.

  We returned to the party twenty minutes later after feeding the fish in the pond. There were indeed large catfish. So large that they resembled small dolphins. Not that Jack agreed with that comparison.

  “John! I caught a bass!” I squealed in delight, practically shoving my phone into his face when I got up to his side.

  He laughed and grabbed the phone to push it away from his face. His whistle made my smile all the brighter. “That’s a good catch. That one must have been the brute of the lot. He’s nearly three times the size of the ones I always catch.”

  I gave Jack a smug smile, and all he did was shake his head and laugh.

  Later that night, as Jack set the stand on his bike, he told me that I’d made his night. “I’m glad you got along with them. They mean the world to me.”

  “Why didn’t your dad come tonight?” I asked as I swung my leg over the seat.

  The sadness in his eyes eluded to old pain. “He doesn’t really get out much. The bar’s his life now. After Cat died, he changed. I’m lucky to get him out to dinner. Tai and I alternate weeks getting him out and about; even if it’s just to get groceries or pick up some fast food.”

  “I’ll keep him busy while you’re deployed. I won’t let him turn into a recluse.” I smiled and gave him a peck on the lips.

  His hand captured the back of my neck and pulled me back, taking control of the kiss. At first, it was just a soft innocent kiss on the lips; then it turned into something so heated, I didn’t even realize when he pulled me across his lap to straddle his thighs.

  My ass took up position on his gas tank. Even though it felt uncomfortable to have a gas cap digging into my butt, I reveled in the feel of his strong arms around me. His callused hands traveled up the outsides of my thighs, until they came to rest with the majority of his fingers disappearing under my short shorts.

  A high-pitched whistle pierced our fog, and we broke apart as if we’d been shot.

  “Fuck,” Jack said, eyes scanning our surroundings.

  He did that a lot. Alwa
ys scanning. Watching. Making sure trouble didn’t lurk in the shadows. He’d pull me to the opposite side as we passed a dark alley. Or when I slept over last week, he put me in the corner with the wall at my back.

  The man was super protective, but I found that I liked someone that cared about my safety. It made me feel safe. Secure.

  It was something I hadn’t felt my entire life. Sure, Stormy did her best, but there was just no substitute for this. I wasn’t even aware of the feeling until I met Jack and felt the difference.

  “That will make a cute picture.” Stormy said from the doorway, her trusty 35 millimeter in her hands. The woman was a genius with a camera.

  “Your sister annoys the shit out of me sometimes.” He grumbled against my neck.

  “Yeah, but just think of the benefits. You’ll get pictures while you’re over there, and they’ll be professional quality. In addition, I won’t have to take them to be developed at Walgreens. Which means I can make them as racy as I want.” I said wiggling my eyebrows.

  ***

  Two months and two days later

  Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.

  I repeated the demand in my head, hoping beyond hope that I could keep the tears at bay. Today was the day. The day that the love of my life leaves me. Going off to a country that is hostile. That could possibly take him away from me.

  I followed behind Jack as he led me to the bleachers set up in the midmorning sun. We’d said our goodbyes in the parking lot ten minutes earlier; now I was just taking my seat so he could get into formation with his fellow troops.

  Although we’d spoken about our fears, doubts, hopes, and dreams in length over the last two months, nothing could have prepared me for the actuality of deployment.

  There was a pall of sadness that hung in the air. Children, mothers, fathers, and other various family members cried as they let their loved one go. It made me even more determined not to do that to Jack. He didn’t need to worry about me, when he should be worrying about himself.

  After he let me go, I took my seat and watched as he walked away with my heart. My hands clutched the brown paper sack as if my life depended on it. He’d given it to me before he left with the instructions not to open it until after his plane was in the air.