by Amy Briggs
“That sounds great!” I exclaimed. I got out so little that the thought of having someone to have drinks with, even if it was just Rayne and I, was absolutely wonderful.
“I’ve invited my brother to join us. He’s stationed here too, and I figured it might be nice to just have a few drinks and get out for a bit.”
“Oh, Chase, right?” I remember Rayne mentioning him before, but I’d never met him.
“Yeah, that’s him. I think he may be bringing a friend from work, but I’m really not sure. It’s very casual. I just don’t cook much, which isn’t really a shocker, so I thought we could grab snacks and such while we’re out too.”
“That sounds nice. I really haven’t gotten out much, Rayne. I don’t know what it is with me lately, but I pretty much just go to work, and then come home. I stay in most weekends, and have all but lost my friends since we got back,” I confessed, hanging my head. Taking in a deep breath, I glanced back up at her. “I feel so lost, Rayne. And I’m not trying to be. I want to enjoy things. I just walk around scared all the time anymore, and I can’t shake it.”
Scanning over my face, she curled her legs up under her. “Sarah, what happened to us? It’s a big fucking deal. There’s no time limit on healing, and there’s certainly no expectation that it’ll ever truly fade from our memory. But you know what the good news is?” she asked me, her lips forming a smile.
“What’s that?” I replied, fighting back the tears that had begun forming.
“The good news is that you’ve got me. And I understand what you went through. You’re not alone, even when it feels like it. I promise you. Not every day is a great day for me; I still wake up having nightmares, and I won’t ever go to Egypt again. I know that what happened to us isn’t an entire country’s fault, but I don’t give a shit. And you know, you don’t have to either. You can do anything you want to do, Sarah. You’re not obligated to heal on the airline’s timeline, or anyone else’s, but your own.”
I thought over what she said, and felt a slight smile forming from the corner of my mouth. “You’re right, Rayne. I don’t know why I let the pressure of moving on quickly dictate my emotions. It’s so hard not to get caught up in making sure that everyone else is happy, ignoring my own feelings.”
“Sarah, we all do that. It’s human nature to want to please others. But you deserve to cut yourself a break. Honestly, coming down here this week is exactly what you need. Maybe by the end of the week, I’ll convince you to move down here and fly with me over at my airline.” She gave me a little wink as she giggled, lightening the mood.
Letting out a giggle myself, I nodded. “You’re right. Thank you so much for being the friend I need. I’m so grateful for you.” I leaned over to pull her in for a hug. She embraced me back, giving me the support I needed. Not a cordial, polite hug, but a real hug. I was so very lucky to have her in my life. Her understanding was priceless, and her optimism toward life and the future was the influence I needed so desperately.
“Alright, now let’s get you settled, so we can both freshen up and get out of the house for a bit. I’m thirsty, how about you?” She stood up, motioning for me to join her.
I grabbed my bag and wheeled it behind me toward the guest room as Rayne pointed out where everything in the house was along the way. They lived in a decent-sized ranch style home, with a backyard and a nice patio that I was looking forward to relaxing on. “Thank you so much. This is just great,” I said, as she pointed out my accommodations for the next week. “You’re sure this isn’t an inconvenience for you?” I had developed a nervous habit of looking for reassurance and this was no exception.
“Do not ask me again. It is an absolute pleasure to have you here, Sarah. We’ll catch up more on girl talk this week, and we can talk about what happened, or not. Whatever you want. But for today, let’s just drink and have some fun. What do you say?” She gave me a stern look with a tight-lipped smile.
Letting a grin form, I nodded. “You got yourself a deal.”
“Perfect. Now, my house is your house, so get yourself settled, and we’ll head out in about forty-five minutes,” she said matter-of-factly before turning to leave.
I shut the door gently behind her before tossing my suitcase onto the queen-sized bed she’d made up for me. As I methodically unzipped the bag, I let out a long, deep breath. I was feeling more relaxed than I had in months, and it had only been a short time I’d been there. I chalked it up to the fact that Rayne understood. She knew what it was like to pretend to be fine; she knew what really happened, and she made me feel like it was okay to not be totally okay. It was the most refreshing realization I’d encountered since our kidnapping.
I picked out a dark green silk tank top and tight jeans to wear out tonight. The green made the flecks of similar color in my hazel eyes stand out, and it was a color that always made me feel pretty. My work uniform was navy blue, like so many airline uniforms, and did absolutely nothing for me. It was nice to have a full suitcase of my clothes, no uniforms to be found.
Rayne arranged for a ride to take us to the bar, so that nobody had to worry about driving. It was such a wonderful thing, being able to pull out your phone and get a car service to show up in five minutes just using an app. Rayne mentioned that her brother would probably bring us back home, but she didn’t know when he was going to arrive to meet us. She was ready to get our show on the road, which worked for me.
On the way to the bar, Rayne leaned over to me in the back seat where we were both sitting. “I know it’s hard some days. We’ll have fun tonight, I promise.”
A grin formed. She put me at such ease. “Thank you,” I whispered back, feeling like she was right.
Chapter 4
Colin
I met Chase at the bar a little earlier than I thought I would, but he was already there. He was always prompt. Of course, so was I and it was no surprise to find him sitting at the bar.
“Hey man, long time no see,” he chuckled when I walked up.
“Yeah, for real,” I grinned. Waving to the bartender to bring me whatever beer Chase was drinking, I leaned against the bar next to where he was sitting. “So, the girls not here yet?”
“They’re on their way. Rayne just texted,” he replied.
“Before you even say it, yes, I will behave. But do we know anything at all about this friend of hers?” Her name had been bouncing around in my head since Chase first mentioned it. I had no clue what she looked like, and I didn’t know her at all, but for some reason, I was anxious to meet her.
“I really don’t. Just that she was with Rayne in Egypt, and she still works for the same airline.”
I took in a breath, letting out it slowly. Nodding, I replied, “I was just curious.”
Chase turned his attention to the door, causing me to do the same. His sister was walking in, and a few steps behind her, Sarah. Immediately, her eyes locked on mine, piercing right through me. Even from across the room, I could see that they matched her green shirt somewhat, and as I scanned her body, I couldn’t help but notice her small but strong appearance.
Chase elbowed me, and grumbled, “Behave, dude,” under his breath.
I didn’t think I was behaving badly, then realized I hadn’t taken my eyes off her. As the girls approached, Rayne opened her arms up to both Chase and myself for a hug, knocking me back to the present. As I straightened my posture, I held my hand out to Sarah. “You must be Sarah. It’s very nice to meet you,” I said, as confidently and non-creepy as possible.
She slipped her small hand into mine, giving it a squeeze as she peered up at me. “Nice to meet you too. Colin, right?” she said softly. The way my name sounded as it slipped from her lips reminded me of a summer morning, when the first sounds of the day were music to your ears.
Still holding onto her hand, and examining her eyes, I replied, “Yes, I’m Colin. Colin Walsh.” She gave me a shy, small smile before gently pulling her hand away. Immediately, I felt the urge to take it back, and keep her close.
“Do you guys want to get a table, or just hang here at the bar?” Chase asked, suddenly reminding me there were other people in the room.
“Let’s get a table before it gets too crowded,” Rayne replied, looking to Sarah for affirmation.
“Sounds good to me,” she replied, shrugging her shoulders. She had long dark hair with soft waves that she’d swept over one of her shoulders. A colorful tattoo peeked out just beyond the edge of her tank top sleeve. I found myself straining slightly to get a better look at it, wondering what a shy, sweet thing like Sarah would tattoo on herself.
Chase secured us a table near the back of the bar where it was a bit less noisy, but we could still see the activity around us. The only seats left were booths, and instinctively, both Chase and I sat facing the door. It was just something you tended to do if you were law enforcement, military, special forces, or anything to do with intelligence. I needed to have an eye on the door, just in case. In case of anything. Rayne was in a relationship with a special forces guy, so it was no surprise to her, and she slid into the booth across from Chase, leaving me the pleasure of enjoying the view of Sarah sitting across from me.
Neither Sarah nor myself had spoken again since we were introduced, and as I listened to Chase and Rayne catch up, I suddenly wished that only Sarah and I were there. I observed her as she listened intently to their conversation, nodding and smiling, but never speaking. Her pale skin glowed under the dark lights of the bar, and as I continued to examine her features; her full pouty lips that held a soft smile, and her sparkling eyes, and I once again forgot that we were amidst a group until everyone turned their attention to me.
“What?” I asked, completely unaware of what had been asked.
“Daydreaming today?” Rayne teased, wide-eyed, and awaiting my reply.
“Uh, yeah, I guess so. I’m sorry, I didn’t hear what you asked me,” I managed to get out, slightly embarrassed at being caught in my own world once again. Clearly, I needed to get out more; I was mesmerized by this chick and she’d said exactly two sentences since I met her.
“I asked how your studying was going,” Rayne said.
Still attempting to recover from being caught off guard, I replied, “Uh, it’s going well. I haven’t been out in a while, actually. I’m usually home reading lately.” I turned my attention back to Sarah for some reason, and found her studying me.
“What are you studying?” she asked me.
This girl was making me stupid. I was fumbling for words, and I didn’t know if it was her intense stare that threw me off or if it was that I really hadn’t talked to anyone except the guys at work in as long as I could remember. “I’m learning Arabic,” I managed to spit out abruptly.
A look of surprise washed over her face, turning her pale skin ghostly white. “Oh,” was all she said quietly.
Unsure of how to read her response, I elaborated. “We work in counterterrorism, so I thought it would be helpful. You know, so I don’t have to go to an interpreter for everything all the time.”
Nodding her head slightly, she replied, “That makes sense. Is it a hard language to learn?”
“It is harder than I thought it would be, but totally worth it in the end. Like anything that requires some work, right?” I tried to lighten the conversation, as it felt like it had taken a weird turn into an area that made her uncomfortable.
“Yes, I suppose you’re right,” she mused.
“Colin here is one of the most dedicated guys I’ve ever worked with,” Chase interjected.
“Thanks man,” I replied, not taking my eyes off Sarah. I softly smiled at her, meeting her eyes. There was a lost look to her, as if she was hiding something in those beautiful green pools, and in that moment, all I wanted was for her to tell me what it was.
She turned her face away, breaking the spell that had me locked on her briefly. The mood at the table wasn’t as relaxed as I thought it should have been for four people having a night out, and Chase must have read my mind.
“Ladies, how about if we head back over to the bar? The service over on this side is super slow, and I’m way too fucking thirsty to be waiting for a drink this long.” Chase jumped in to fill the awkward moment.
“We haven’t been sitting here that long, but it does seem like it’s better over there, and there’s still some seats at the bar left,” Rayne replied, before turning to Sarah. “That okay with you?”
“Of course,” Sarah smiled sweetly. She was either extremely indifferent to what we did, or she was incredibly shy, and I intended to find out. I was never a bumbling idiot when talking to women and I couldn’t figure out why I was so drawn to her. But if I was going to toss out a night of study, I was absolutely going to dig into what Sarah’s story was.
Chapter 5
Sarah
We had spent most of the evening just small talking and drinking. I caught Colin staring at me several times throughout the night, which normally would have bothered me a bit. I didn’t generally care for being on the receiving end of attention like that. But he was extremely attractive, so it was rather welcomed, and I even found myself catching his gaze with my own several times.
After we’d had our share of being out, Rayne invited the guys over to her house for a couple more drinks, but they politely declined.
“I’d love to, Rayne, but it’s getting late, and I have to take care of a few things at home,” Colin said. Then, turning his attention to me, he added, “Sarah, it was lovely to meet you tonight. If you’d like to get together again while you’re here in town, let me know.”
“Okay, thank you, Colin,” I replied, feeling a bit flushed from the thought of seeing him again. While we didn’t talk much, he seemed smart and interesting. A far cry from most of the men I’d had in my life. As we walked to the parking lot, we found ourselves at the back of the pack while Rayne and her brother were talking about something.
“Can I see your phone?” Colin leaned into me and whispered.
Without completely thinking it over, I dragged my cell phone from my pocket and handed it over to him. “Sure,” was all I said, a small smile forming across my lips.
Taking it from my hand gently, he softly asked, “the code?” While grinning.
I was examining his eyes as he watched my lips answer, “2323.” He quickly unlocked my phone, and started typing. I would normally never give a stranger my phone code, but something about him was trustworthy and earnest. I felt at ease handing it over.
He reached down for my hand, placing it in his large palm before sliding my phone back into my possession. “I added myself, and sent a text to my phone, so that we can talk. I’d like to know you, Sarah.” He closed my fingers around the phone, and slowly set my hand free from his. As I looked down at the phone, as if it would tell me what to do next, I realized how much I liked the feel of my hand in his. “Let’s get you back to Rayne’s now,” he said, gently placing his hand at the small of my back, leading us to catch up with Chase and Rayne, who were standing at Chase’s truck.
“Okay,” I whispered, feeling like time had stood still for a moment.
“You ready?” Rayne asked.
“Yep, sure am,” I managed to spit out, feeling almost guilty. I hadn’t done anything wrong, but I still had a forbidden feeling about the phone number exchange that had just happened. I wondered if Rayne had seen it.
“Okay cool, I’ll drop you guys off so you don’t have to call for a ride. Colin, see you later, man? Don’t study too hard,” Chase chuckled in his direction.
“Sounds good, I’ll catch you later.” He leaned in to give Rayne a friendly hug goodbye before turning to me. Drifting toward me, he wrapped his arm around my back, pulling me in for a hug and whispered in my ear. “I’ll talk to you soon, Sarah.”
Completely speechless, I managed to reciprocate the hug, feeling his huge bicep around me. His warmth was inviting, and as I caught a whiff of his cologne, a tingling in my core was stirred. He was a strong and silent type most of the nig
ht, just observing and listening, but in that moment, he became determined that we’d talk again, and it was downright sexy. He stood and watched as we piled into Chase’s truck, where I was still clutching my phone.
As we drove away, I tried to memorize his features. His shaved head, the tattoos peeking from his shirt collar, and his amazing body. He was muscular in all the right places, and I couldn’t help but linger just a bit as he hugged me goodbye, running my fingertips along his shoulder and down his powerful arm.
“So, what was that all about?” Rayne asked, giggling, as soon as we pulled away.
“Who, me? What?” I felt my face flush.
“Oh, you know what. I saw him take your phone. I’m not a dummy, Sarah,” she replied, teasing me.
