Remember Courage

by Ginny Sterling

  “Can I kiss you?” he said suddenly, grinning. He wanted to lighten the mood between them, knowing she would balk at it… and half hoping she’d say yes.

  “Go away, Dylan Evan Luka,” Eva groaned, stressing his middle name belligerently before rolling her eyes. It was all an act as she pretended to be annoyed before she yanked open the door to the café. He was glad he was still watching her because he almost missed the satisfied smile on her face.

  “Call me in a week.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he called out playfully, feeling much better. She liked him and remembered his name, which means that maybe she thought about their prior conversations almost as much as he did.

  He watched Eva disappear inside and felt lighter than he had in weeks at the idea that she might go out with him – and soon! Feeling like a complete heel at how he acted towards John but bursting with joy regarding what had just happened, Dylan moved to walk inside and saw a uniformed man leaving the café.

  “Look man, I’m sorry,” John began earnestly, his eyes concerned. “I’ve never intended to make…”

  “John – I should be apologizing to you! It’s my own issues I need to handle and I know you are just trying to help me out, but you’ve got to trust me.”

  “I do, but I’m scared for you too, because I look at you like you’re a kid brother to me. Lily would have my hide if I didn’t take care of you, and I wouldn’t be able to handle it myself if something happened under my watch.”

  “But you don’t have to watch me,” Dylan said fervently, hoping John would understand what he was trying to explain. He’d always looked up to the man and the thought of John thinking less of him… well, it hurt.

  “I need a brother, a friend, a coworker… not a nursemaid. I’m going to have slip-ups or make mistakes – but that is when I will need you the most. If you see me sweating or slurring my words, I need you to be ready to stab me with a glucagon pen or call emergency - not ask me if ‘I’m okay’ over and over again.”

  “Can I make a King-Kong noise and beat on my chest just before I stab you in the thigh with the pen?” John asked, smiling and holding out his hand towards Dylan as a truce. Dylan instead grabbed the older man in a bear hug, patting him on the back.

  “I hope you do just that – and I pray that someone records it for me so we can all have a good laugh,” Dylan admitted, grinning. “Now, let’s head back before I’m late for work.”

  Chapter 6

  Eva was glad the semester was almost over because as the days passed, the intensity of emotions running through her increased tenfold. She was nervous and stressed about the final exams, spending hours studying and re-writing her notes over and over again.

  She was anxious about what the end of the week would bring and discovering who Dylan truly was as a person. She couldn’t address any idea of commitment… but what did it hurt to have a little fun with a friend? The most overwhelming sensation that she realized was carrying her easily and making the days fly by – was that she was truly happy.

  She had something to look forward to.

  Just about every day she worked, around lunchtime, Dylan came by and grabbed something to eat. Sometimes he was alone, other times he was with his friend or a group of officers. He was always smiling, always laughing, and seemed to be so good-natured. It was when his eyes met hers unexpectedly in a moment that she felt something touch her soul - a jolt of happiness.

  Like today, she expected to have him battle wits with her – their normal bantering, teasing, and taunting that occurred every day for a few moments, but instead he seemed different.

  Genuine.

  “Do you have a moment?” Dylan said quietly, waving her from behind the counter away from her staff. She huffed for a second, thinking of how busy it was and that she hated to be drawn away for him to distract her, but that look in his eyes had her curious. Yanking off her gloves, she tossed them in the trash and stepped out, following him towards an empty corner near the exit.

  “Is something wrong, Dylan?”

  “I have something for you,” he said quietly, smiling in that infectious way that made her feel all giddy inside. “I know it’s stupid, but I also know you said that your final exams are coming up for the semester.”

  “Tonight - as a matter of fact.”

  “Then I’m not too late, am I?”

  Dylan held up a fist between them and unfurled his hand to reveal a small clear-looking stone laying inside. Glancing down, Eva’s eyes darted up to his in surprise. It was a four-leaf clover encased in a flat glass token.

  “I don’t know what to say…” she breathed, touched by the gesture.

  “You seem a little nervous and I’m sure it’s stressing you out. I know I get antsy before something big occurs. It’s not that I can’t do it, it’s the fear of letting myself down, that eats at me – but sometimes having a little luck doesn’t hurt things either.”

  “No, it doesn’t.”

  “It’s small enough you could put it in your pocket and no one will know it’s there but us,” he said, picking up the piece and taking her hand in his. He put the stone in her palm and closed it, laying his hand on hers.

  “I know I’m supposed to wait one more day to ask you out – but I thought that I might grab a drink tonight over at the Irish pub on Third Street at about eight o’clock. If you wanted to join me there to celebrate – I’d never say ‘no’ to having company.”

  Eva looked up at him standing there with the sunlight streaming in from the door behind him. He looked so genuine, so caring, that it made her catch her breath. He didn’t have to do any of this, yet he was asking her out in a way that allowed her to have the high ground. He was respecting her wishes but seemed overly excited about spending time with her – and she could see it. His hazel eyes watched hers with a fascination and wonder that moved her.

  “I guess it’s a date then,” she whispered, smiling up at him.

  “I guess so,” Dylan admitted softly. “I can’t wait – and good luck on your exams. I know you’ll do great.”

  Walking into the pub, Eva felt nervous and a little out of her element. She never came to these things and was surprised by the interior. She’d pictured some seedy bar with grimy floors and smoke-filled booths. This was a pleasant surprise.

  Stained glass windows and lilting sounds of music teased the spirit, while the stained and warmly waxed wood shades of the walls made you feel downright cozy. There were barstools in front of a massive bar that looked to be a hundred years old. A massive mirror lined the wall and lights illuminated the bottles, casting a further glow of warmth in the room.

  Looking around, she saw Dylan was sitting in one of the booths towards the far back corner. He was scrolling through his phone and happened to glance up, hopping to his feet as she walked over.

  “Well? How’d you do?” he asked happily.

  “Nailed it,” she bragged, grinning. “My official grade will hit online tomorrow, but I don’t think I missed any of the questions. We went over them before being dismissed. Are you hungry? I’m starved.”

  “I am. Do you want some fish and chips? It’s pretty good here.”

  “Let’s see. Irish bar, fish and chips… I guess we’ll have a pint too?” she asked happily, glancing at the menu as the waiter took down their order. “Does that sound pretty good?”

  “Everything but the pint. I’m going to have a whiskey,” Dylan confessed easily, “it’s processed differently in the body.”

  “Then let’s make that two of them since we are celebrating – oh, and a few glasses of water,” Eva said amicably, flipping the menu shut and smiling at Dylan.

  “Sooooo?” she began, “tell me about yourself and let’s do this ‘date’ thing.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever heard it referred to as a ‘date thing’ before,” he laughed. “We could sit here and talk, enjoy each other’s company, and just relax.”

  “So, we are going to be buddies then?” she said just as the waite
r walked over. He set down two small shot glasses with dark liquid inside, and two large glasses of water, between them.

  Dylan picked up one and arched an eyebrow at her in a silent challenge – and Eva wasn’t about to back down from one! She picked up the other one, keeping her expression completely neutral. She hadn’t drank anything in years, which is why she asked for the water with her meal.

  “To new friends, accomplished tasks, and the future,” Dylan toasted, holding the glass aloft towards her. Eva tapped hers against his and nodded.

  “To new friends!”

  They both downed the shot of whiskey quickly. Eva gasped at the deep wooden and nutty flavoring of the alcohol, shivering with disgust. She wrinkled up her nose and saw that Dylan was making a face too. His eyes met hers and they both cracked up laughing at each other’s expression.

  “Ugh, that is perfectly dreadful,” she gasped, feeling the warmth spread through her almost instantly.

  “I’m not going to lie, it’s a lot stronger than my normal stuff.”

  “What do you normally have?”

  “I try to have the local beer wherever I am. In Ghazni, there is no drinking at all so if I had anything it was stuff like Coors or whatever they could bring in cheap. Back in Seattle where I grew up, there’s a lot of microbreweries so you could try a flight of beers just to get a sample of everything. I like to try it - I don’t like to get wasted. It’s like anything else – I want the experience, not the repercussions. What about you?”

  “Oh, I haven’t drank in a really long time. Alcohol is really expensive. I would rather have internet at my place or a steak dinner than to spend money on stuff like that. This is a gross tasting treat, to be quite honest.”

  “Would you two like another round?” the waiter asked politely, setting down two large plates filled with fried fish and covered in French fries. Dylan and Eva looked at each other, grimacing.

  “No.” they said at the same time and began laughing.

  “Tell you what,” Dylan said easily, “Could we have two Diet Cokes? Is that okay with you or would you rather have a regular?”

  “That sounds perfect.”

  Eva felt a languid ease seeping into her as they began to eat, taking time to chat between bites. She noticed that Dylan had stacked some of his fries off to the side and was focusing on his fish instead.

  “This is a ton of French fries, isn’t it? I may need a to-go box and take some of this home with me, but the fish is amazing.”

  “You can have part of mine too, if you want it,” Dylan smiled, and gestured to his own plate. “I was a little low earlier so I’m able to eat a good portion but I want to make sure I don’t run high tomorrow unexpectedly. The dietician at the VA has me mostly eating grilled meats and vegetables - but by golly – sometimes you just have to have French fries.”

  Eva smiled and nodded, shoving another fry into her mouth and chewing as she listened to him talk. She wanted to pat herself on the back for getting him to open up about what had been bothering him without him getting defensive. She’d see him get frustrated that one day and understood how he felt.

  She used to get really upset when kids would pick on her about not having a family. It just was something she had to deal with and something she considered almost ‘the norm’ for her now. The less of a big deal that people made of it, the easier it was to feel like you fit in.

  The conversation turned to her and Eva found herself talking about her past - how she’d met Paula, landing the job at the café. It really felt like fate sometimes, how things seemed to fall into place. Every time a door closed, a window opened in her life. It just took courage to recognize it, and persevere onwards, when sometimes all you want to do is give up sometimes.

  Quitting was never an option with her.

  They sat there for hours, talking about anything that happened to come up and laughing quite a bit at each other’s past. Apparently Dylan was quite a prankster when he was in the military. Eva had water go down the wrong way as he confessed to coloring unibrows with Magic Marker on his squad one evening while they slept.

  “Man, they were really mad at first,” Dylan said, laughing easily, “but there is a photo of us all standing there together in uniform with unibrows. The problem is when you pull a prank like that and you color fifteen guys foreheads – you have to color your own or you end up getting caught.”

  Eva wiped her eyes. She was laughing so hard at the mental image he was painting for her. She could see it in his eyes how much he really treasured that time out there in the desert with his team. He always seemed to talk about them fondly.

  “So, there I was - at three in the morning climbing back into my bunk, when I realized what I’d done. I hurriedly scribbled right here,” he giggled, pointing at his forehead, “and gave myself a big bushy unibrow too. I never confessed it either, because I knew they’d gang up and get me back.”

  “They don’t know?” she gaped, giggling.

  “I sure wasn’t going to tell them!” Dylan balked, putting an innocent expression all over his face and a hand on his chest, before he winked at her.

  “Oh my gosh, Dylan!” she gasped, laughing riotously.

  “You are breathtaking when you laugh,” he admitted easily, changing subjects. “I like making you smile.”

  “You’re a really nice guy so far – and very funny.”

  “I like to think so.”

  “See? There you go again!” Eva teased, smiling.

  “I’m serious,” Dylan said quietly, reaching across the table to take her hand in his. The gentle way his hand curled around hers, made her catch her breath.

  “I’d like to go out with you again. This is the best time I’ve had in forever and I’ve got so many other stories that I’d like to share with you, Eva. This has been a terrific evening.”

  “And I’m guessing it’s over now?”

  “Not at all, but I’ll need to test soon and I wanted to see if you’d like to see a movie with me tomorrow night or something. Do you want to get out of here and walk around for a bit?”

  Eva looked down at her watch in stunned silence. It was nearly eleven and she had to be at work at five in the morning. “I can’t – but not for the reasons you are gonna assume. I’ve got to be at work really early, and I need to get some sleep.”

  “How about we compromise and I walk you to your car?”

  “That sounds great.”

  Dylan quickly paid the bill and they slid from the booth. Once standing, he held out his hand to her and Eva shyly grasped it. It was just so nice having someone to talk to this evening, and it meant more to her than she’d ever admit. He held open the door for her and slowly walked her to her vehicle. Her heart was beating rapidly as she fumbled for her keys in her purse there in the moonlight. Grabbing them, she hesitated and smiled at him.

  “I had a great time tonight. Thank you.”

  “I did too,” Dylan said softly in the moonlight, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear. “Can I kiss you?”

  “No,” she teased, laughing easily. “I don’t want to mess things up.”

  “I don’t want to either.”

  “Dylan – I never kiss someone on the first date. I’m old- fashioned like that, I guess. I’m sorry, but I just can’t.”

  “I’m not sorry. I’m glad we think alike,” he admitted, grinning at her response – as if he was inwardly pleased with her answer. He stepped away from the car and waved politely before she heard his words.

  “I can’t wait to pick you up tomorrow.”

  Chapter 7

  Dylan was on cloud nine the entire way home. He’d thoroughly enjoyed himself immensely over dinner. He was in awe at how lively Eva was when she was relaxed and away from work.

  Her response about how she never kissed on the first date made his toes curl in anticipation and happiness. Everything that was said or done, every smile, each laugh, couldn’t have gone better if he’d orchestrated everything himself. It was like meeting someone th
at just understood you, someone who was on the same wavelength.

  Flipping on the radio to his truck, Dylan found himself humming along happily to the music and tapping his hands on the steering wheel in time with it. He couldn’t think of any date that he’d ever been on in his past that made him feel just so brilliantly alive. He knew that the memory of this evening would be a shining moment in his mind forever.

  Hopping out of the truck, he took the stairs to the apartment he shared with Ethan two at a time. Still humming, he unlocked the door and assumed that Ethan would be asleep, only to see him up and watching the news.

  “Hey man, what are you up to?”

  “Well you look awfully chipper! What are you up to?”

  “I think I met the most awesome woman ever.”

  “Daisy?” Ethan teased, his eyebrow lifting in a mock challenge.

  “No, you can have her – she’s got eyes for nobody but you and I prefer my girls a little more outspoken, fun, and…” Dylan stopped, searching for a word to describe Eva. “…Incredible.”

  “Nerd alert! The man’s got a huge crush – oh, let me tell the rest of the guys,” Ethan teased, picking up his phone and pretending to text. Dylan grabbed the phone and looked at the screen, flushing guiltily as he handed it back.

  “So, who is this mysterious incredible woman?”

  “It’s none of your business, and you don’t know her anyhow.”

  “Is it the girl from the café,” Ethan said mysteriously and ducked as Luka threw a bolster at his head.

  “John sure talks a lot.”

  “Actually, he’s pretty happy for you and said she’s seems really nice. He also told me that she wasn’t afraid to put you in your place and that you’d made a total ‘noob’ of yourself the first time you met her. Is that true? Smooth-with-the-girls-Luka is a huge dork with this particular chick?”

  “Oh yeah,” Dylan laughed, plopping down on the couch beside Ethan. “I’ve got it pretty bad with this one. Dinner was amazingly fun and her smile is breathtaking.”