by Lauren Wood
“Haven’t I?”
She shook her head and said that she hadn’t heard it.
“I’m sure that you’re mistaken.”
“Then say it.”
“What?”
“Say my name.”
“This is preposterous.”
“It is. For a moment there David, I thought you were different.”
Now she was mad, and she left in a hurry, the whole while, looking back to give me a dirty look. This is why I leave notes and don’t do this face to face. Now I had a bitter taste in my mouth as I took a shower and got dressed. I hadn’t seen Marshall in years and I was hoping that a good visit from an old friend could pull me out of this funk I was in.
It wasn’t nothing that a few shots wouldn’t fix.
Chapter 3
Aria
“I don’t know where he is at the moment. You know how your brother is. He said something about going to a restaurant, but that was hours ago. He couldn’t still be there.”
“He could if they serve booze.”
I heard my mom’s voice change from my comment. That was one of those things that we didn’t talk about and I was immediately chastise without her having to say a word. She was talented that way and I knew that I was going to have to tone it down while I was in town.
“I don’t know if they do. It’s that Italian place on Lennox.”
I knew what she was talking about and thanked her. I was going to her house later, but I had to talk to Marshall about something. I needed him to help me out on a decision I was about to make. I wanted to re-up for another four years, but my boyfriend was telling me it was a mistake. He wanted to start a family, get married and I just wanted to travel and have fun. I wanted my brother to assure me that I wasn’t making a huge mistake. He had it all and I wanted to think that it was the same for women in service, but I wasn’t sure if that was true or not. I needed Marshal’s expertise on the subject and had taken a week off to see him while he was home for a bit. Another part of me thought that maybe I felt this way because Nick and I didn’t have much of a future together, no matter how good we looked on paper. There was just something missing. I don’t know what I wanted, but I hoped that Marshall would have some good brotherly advice to help me out.
Getting off the phone with mom was hard enough that I was getting a slight headache from talking to her. She had too many questions that I didn’t have answers for. She wanted to know when I was coming home, what I was doing with my life. I was reminded all the time that I needed to snatch Nick up and hold onto him like he was going to float away in the breeze like dandelion seeds.
When I finally did get her claws out of me, I put the address in the GPS of the rental car and followed the woman’s voice. I’d been using it a lot since I got in this car the day before and now I had to remember where Lennox Street was. It had been a long time since I’d been home, and I was unsure how all of the streets that I used to drive every day came together. It was weird to be lost in your own hometown. Things had changed since I’d left.
The address wasn’t as far away as I thought it was and I was there before I knew it. Before I could tell myself that there was something else going on, I was out of the car. I had a strange feeling and I wondered who my brother was meeting. There was no telling. He might have picked up an old girlfriend while he was in town. I know that he was married and supposed to be happy with kids, but I couldn’t see my brother being that way. It’d been years since we’d seen each other, and I was hoping that it wouldn’t be too awkward. I needed his advice and I needed him to be like he was before when I’d came to him for advice. He’d always delivered in the past.
The restaurant was packed, and I skimmed the room for Marshall. He was no doubt still in his fatigues because he liked to impress the ladies with it. I remember him coming to my graduation all decked out, trying to get my friends to hit on him. It was tragic and even worse when a couple of them took the bait.
He wasn’t in his uniform, but I did spot him at the bar. I wasn’t going to tell mom that I told her so, but Marshall had most likely not changed that much. He might be a family man now, but that doesn’t mean that he stopped being so damn thirsty.
I started towards the empty seat on the side of him and waited a split second before nudging him with my shoulder.
“Hey, what the hell…”
He saw that it was me and then he hugged me. “What the hell are you doing here Aria?”
“I came to see you. Mom said you left a while ago. Must be ten sheets to the wind by now. It will have to wait.”
“I’m fine.”
He wasn’t. Marshall was slurring and if I didn’t know any better, I would think that he’d lost some of his ability to down so much alcohol. Maybe he had changed because I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this sloshed before.
I motioned the bartender over and ordered a couple of shots. I didn’t figure that Marshall needed anything more than the beer that was in front of him, so I didn’t even try to get anything for him.
“So seriously Aria, what are you doing here?”
Another man next to my brother was eying me and he was paying far too much attention to me as far as I was concerned. I didn’t know who the hell he was, but I knew that his hot black-eyed gaze was hard to ignore. There was something familiar about him, but I couldn’t put my finger on where I knew him. There was no telling here in Castlerock. I had a lot of ghosts here that I wanted to forget.
“I came to talk to you. My contract is about to go off and I came home for a week. Like I said, we’ll talk about it when you’re a bit soberer. I don’t think you’re going to remember this tomorrow anyways, so your advice is most likely going to be crap right now.”
“You’re right most likely. I haven’t drunk like this in a while. I came out with David and now look at me. I can barely fucking function. I don’t usually drink anymore.”
The man that had been eying me smiled and I was to assume that he was David. Where had I heard that name before? It hit me suddenly that he was one of Marshall’s old friends that I used to wonder about. They’d been like aliens to me then, fascinating but way out of my realm of understanding. The age gap was big enough between us to make it so.
“I see you’re still a bad influence on my brother.”
“You recognized me?”
“No, but I remember that name. You were the one that was always getting my brother in trouble with my mom. I see things haven’t changed. He gets around you and he is back to his old self.”
It was a split second that it took to realize who the hot guy was. He was bigger and taller now since I’d seen him last and there was an air about him that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. He certainly dressed different and I wondered what he was doing nowadays. It looked like whatever it was, was profitable and I wasn’t sure what to say. He was a sight for sore eyes and my mind went to other things as the fire in my throat started to dissipate from the shot.
“I guess so. I hear that your brother is the family man now. Can you believe that? I can’t see Marshall this way. It’s nuts.”
I smiled at the question because I’d been thinking about it earlier. I couldn’t believe it because it didn’t make any sense. What made sense was that David was still a troublemaker. He’d been the quiet type, the one that watched and waited. Maybe he was the one stirring thing up in the background all the time.
“So back to why you are here for your leave?”
I didn’t want to talk about it now. Not only was he a little shit-faced, but I didn’t want to talk about it around David. I don’t know why, but I didn’t want to talk about my boyfriend and my dreams of my fashion career in front of a guy like him. I wanted to instead catch up and I pushed the conversation to the back of everyone’s minds.
We talked about old times that I only saw from a distance and then me and Marshall talked about the military. It was hard to imagine that we’d be here, and I was wondering if I still wanted to do it. I could now do what
I wanted, but like Marshall, the military was in my blood and it had called to me. Maybe now though, I’d had enough of a taste of it and I was ready for civilian life after all. The possibilities were certainly vaster outside of the uniform.
I helped the two of them get out of the bar. Neither one of them were fit to drink. I couldn’t get a clear answer out of David to find out where he lived, because the address he kept giving me came to this huge place. He was passed out and there was just no way that he lived there. I knew David when he was younger and his parents. I don’t think that he is suddenly, a millionaire. That certainly didn’t mesh with anything I knew about him from the past.
So, I had to take him back to my place. Mom wasn’t going to let some half-drunk guy get dragged into her house. She would have woken up the whole neighborhood giving everyone a talking to and I wasn’t in the mood for that to happen. I didn’t want to see her like this because I had drunk a little too much as well.
Dropping off Marshall at Mom’s. I didn’t even get out and he was able to get up and walk in. He was drunk, and mom was going to know, but it wasn’t going to be that bit of a surprise. Looking back at the man in the backseat, I wondered how I was going to get him up the stairs of the place I was renting for the week. I’d needed privacy, learned that on one of my last visits. And I was especially thankful for it tonight. I didn’t want to have to explain this to anymore.
Chapter 4
David
I woke up with a blaring headache and no idea where the hell I was. I looked around, but I didn’t recognize anything around me, so I had no clue where I was. There was a picture on the nightstand that might help as a clue, but if I knew anything about before, it didn’t always mean that it was going to help me know who it was. Sadly, I’d found myself in strange rooms and strange beds before, but usually I had some recollection of how I got there. Right now, I had nothing.
Usually when I woke up in a weird room and in a strange bed, there was usually a strange woman that was there next to me to help jog my memory of my past transgressions. I was alone waking up today and it saddened me for some reason. I wanted to at least know why I was here. I had no idea what happened last night.
Groaning out loud, it was hard for me to get up because as soon as I did, my head hurt ten times as much as it had before. Hanging my head in my hands, I waited until the world stopped spinning before I opened them up again.
The people on the nightstand were not recognizable at first. It was a family of people, but I didn’t know who they were. As my eyes started to adjust though, I realized that it wasn’t strangers at all. I saw Marshall’s smiling face in the picture and then it all started to come back to me. It started to occur to me that I was in a hotel. I don’t know why that hadn’t hit me before. It was a stay longer sort of place with a small kitchenette and a separate living room, but it was clearly a rental. I should have recognized the furniture if nothing else. I’d been to a lot of places like this.
“Hello?”
I had to wonder if I’d embarrassed myself last night and why I was in a motel with someone that had a picture of Marshall. I called out again, hoping that Marshall was somewhere around, and we’d been too drunk to get home. I hadn’t been that drunk in a while, not since I’d lost a couple grand that way and ended up without a car one night. I’d learned my lesson, but obviously not well enough because I was sitting here with no recollection of how I got here. It wasn’t a good feeling to have at all.
No one answered, and I put my boots on. Everything else had been left on, but someone had been nice enough to take my boots off. I don’t know why that part of it stuck out at me like it did, but there was a part of me that wanted to just leave. It wouldn’t have been the first time and it would have been Plan A, but I had to know because it was related to Marshall somehow.
He hadn’t wanted any money, didn’t even know that I was doing what I was doing. Marshall just wanted to reminisce, and I’d had a good time, or I had a good time for what I could remember about it. His hot ass younger sister had popped up after a couple of hours and she’d been more fun than Marshal was. I remember thinking about all the naughty things I would have liked to do with her, but she wasn’t really giving me the time of day. She certainly wasn’t acting like most girls. I never had to pursue anymore, the woman doing it for me, but there was a side of me that wanted to pursue her. It was most likely because she hadn’t tried to come on to me. That would have been more of what I was used to. Or I was tired of never getting to chase and hunt anymore. I didn’t always want it handed to me on a silver platter. Sometimes it tasted better when I had to work for it a bit.
Then it got me to thinking that maybe she was the one that was staying here. I looked towards the hung clothes by the bathroom and sure enough, there were women’s clothes hanging up, as well as a couple of uniforms. Now I knew that I was in her room, but where was she? If I would have been naked, I would have assumed that we’d done something, but that wasn’t the case. I was fully dressed, so I could at least rule out anything romantic going on. I wasn’t sure if I was happy about that sentiment or not. I know that she would have been fun in the sack but getting it on with my best friend’s little sister was undoubtedly not part of the plan.
Marshall had in fact changed and it was good to see him so happy. At one point I’d thought that he was pulling my leg, but it was quite clear that it wasn’t the case. He was turning over a whole new leaf and truth be told, he seemed a whole lot happier for it. He didn’t want to talk about anything bad. No, Marshall was all pushed towards the positive and I had to believe that there was something about the girl he’d met that must have changed him. Marshall himself was convinced that Stephanie was the perfect one for him.
I’d agreed to meet her, but a lot of the conversation was all jumbled up. I wanted to track down his sister and find out what was going on before I started in with anyone. I wanted to make sure that I hadn’t done anything embarrassing that I would want on a warning on before calling my friend. I felt bad a little that I’d gotten so sloppy.
The room door unlocked and opened, and I looked over at Aria. She was just as hot as I remember, and she had a smile on her face when she saw me, so I was going to pretend like it was a good sign and go with it. The grin on her lips was hard to ignore and I smiled at her because I couldn’t stop myself. She was wearing her uniform again, hair up and crisp, but it didn’t hide the woman underneath all of the formality. I’d met that woman intimately last night and Aria had been a gem.
“Good morning sunshine, I was wondering when you were going to get up. I was about to leave you a Dear John letter and tell you to find your own way home.”
“I was waiting around to see if you would tell me how I got here in the first place. I don’t remember much, and it was weird waking up in this room. I don’t even know where my car is.”
“Everything you need is in my car. I knew that you were going to want to go get your truck, but it’s at the bar from last night. You had a truck last night David, not a car. I would have had Marshall drive it, but he was too drunk to drive as well. He has to go pick his vehicle up too. Do you want me to take you guys down there before I go see my mom?”
I told her that I would be thankful, and I was checking her out when she cleared her throat to let me know that she knew what I was doing. Aria was pretty when she was younger, and I’d seen her last, but the last couple of years she’d really rounded out and became so womanly. It was hard to keep my eyes off her, no matter what I did to try and fight the urge to look. She just had this way about her. She was so sure of herself and I liked the confident streak in her. It was subtle, but certainly there if one looked close enough.
“I’m sorry for passing out on you. That really doesn’t happen that much anymore. We’d been there for a couple of hours when you got there, and I don’t know when we left, but it had been a while. I should have switched to coffee hallway through. I need about three cups of it now to get me right again, maybe an energy drink.”
She didn’t agree or disagree, just slid me one cup in a Styrofoam cup and I didn’t have to open it and smell it. I knew it was coffee and I was thanking her with my mind as I took the first sip. It was black and bitter, but that didn’t matter. I knew that it may not be able to erase it all like the fountain of youth, coffee was at least going to make it all a little more tolerable and the headache that was running rampant in my head would finally be silenced. That was what I needed the most.
“Thank you, Aria.”
“Sorry that there is no cream and sugar in it. I think there are some packets around here somewhere or maybe downstairs if you want me to go get them for you. You look rough and you look like you do need about three cups.”
“No, this is fine Aria. This is perfect really. I owe you one. You really saved me last night and this morning. You’ll have to let me take you out or something while you’re in town.”
“Sounds good. Call me sometime and let me know. Marshall has my number. I have to get going to mom’s and then I have an online interview I have to do.” She paused and smiled, waving me off. “Listen to me babbling. You don’t care. Let’s get you back to the bar so you can grab your ride. I will call Marshall on the way before I swing by and get him.”
“Thanks Aria. I mean it, we’re going to have to do something so that I can thank you properly. I showed my ass last night and I know that it would have been worse if you wouldn’t have helped me.”
“It’s nothing, really. Let’s get going so I’m not too late.”
I agreed and stumbled out of the hotel room with a little more pep in my step. It was hard to really think about everything that had happened, as opposed to what could have happened if I’d been with the wrong people. I was quiet as we drove to pick up her brother. I don’t know why, but I felt weird that I’d stayed the night at her house and I felt strange that I didn’t even know what the hell happened. Here, I had been worried about how Marshall was going to be when I met him, and I was the one that passed out and had to stay at his little sister’s. It just didn’t look good and I was hoping that I would be able to redeem myself somehow.
