by D J Small
Val bit the inside of her bottom lip and fought back the wistful sigh that wanted to escape as she got lost in thoughts about how beautiful Summer was. “I can’t take it anymore,” Addison stated, interrupting Val’s distracting, but pleasant thoughts about Summer. “I need sleep, and after the day I’ve had I need to call Calvin.”
Val nodded. “I get it. Today was not an easy day, and I don’t think tomorrow will be any better.”
The two of them started to put away the paperwork they had been reviewing, and Addison said, “I’m going to check in with a few people to see how the budget and tax bills are coming along before I officially call it a night.”
“You can do it in the morning,” Val said a s she got off the couch. “Call your boyfriend. I’m going to have a late dinner and read up on the towns we’ll be stopping in tomorrow.”
“You should get some sleep, Val.” Addison smirked. “I hate to say this, but you looked like hell in that last town.”
Val instantly thought of Summer, but rolled her eyes and remarked, “Considering I had little to no sleep last night, I’m surprised I didn’t look worse.” She sighed. “I’m going to go. I’ll see you in the morning, Addison.”
They said goodnight to each other, then Val left Addison’s suite. Agent Banner fell into step behind her, and Val wondered if she should ask the question sitting on the tip of her tongue. It wasn’t long before her common sense lost the fight and she asked softly, “Kat, do you know where the colonel is?”
Agent Banner cleared her throat and replied, “In her suite, ma’am.”
Val nodded and chewed on the inside of her lip as they continued to walk to her room. There were several warning bells going off in her head, telling her to go to bed and ignore the reckless thoughts that had prompted the question, but Val had too many emotions weighing her down and wanted to escape them. She stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned to face Banner. “Can you take me to the colonel’s suite, please?”
Banner gave a curt nod, but her eyes told Val she didn’t agree with the request. The two of them walked past a few doors then stopped at one. Right as Val raised her fist to knock on the door, Banner murmured, “You should probably think about this, ma’am…”
“Be quiet, Agent Banner,” Val muttered as she proceeded to rap her knuckles on the door.
As the seconds went by and she waited for Summer to answer, Val began to wonder if she should have heeded the agent’s warning. Just as the thought of running away crossed her mind, the door to Summer’s suite opened and the sight of Nina answering it startled her. Summer’s assistant smiled as Val recovered from her initial shock. “Madam President, what can I help you with?”
Val clenched her jaw. The fact Summer allowed Nina to do whatever she wanted to didn’t sit well with her, and it caused her jealousy to rear its ugly head. “I’ve come to speak with the colonel.”
“Yes, come on in,” Nina said as she moved to let her in. “She actually went—”
“Nina, who was—Oh.” Summer came to a stop in the doorway for the bedroom. “Hey, did you need something?”
Val’s brain had a hard time processing the question. Summer wore only a t-shirt and a pair of Air Force sweatpants. Her black hair her was slightly curly from the air drying it, and Val couldn’t help but to be mesmerized. The moment was ruined when she glanced at Nina and noticed she wore the same casual attire, causing her jealousy to flare back to life. After taking another second to get a hold of the ridiculous emotion, Val cleared her throat and said, “I’m sorry to intrude. Summer, I wanted to see if you would like to join me for a late dinner, but it’s obvious you’re still working.” A surprised expression came to both Nina and Summer’s faces, confirming Val’s suspicion of how ridiculous her request was. She gave a slight nod. “Have a good night.”
“Val, wait,” Summer called out before she got the chance to leave the doorway. “We’re just wrapping things up here.”
“Colonel, are you sure—”
“Yes, I am sure, Nina,” Summer interjected. Nina moved closer to her, and the two of them had a quiet conversation that Val couldn’t quite make out. Summer smiled at her. “As I said, we’re finished for the day and Nina was about to head out.” Nina looked between the two of them, and Val couldn’t help but to feel smug as she left the room. When they were alone, Summer asked, “Do I need to change, or is this all right?”
Val smiled and replied, “I’m about to put on the same thing, so you would be overdressed if you decide to change.”
Summer chuckled. “Then I won’t. Banner, how are you doing tonight?”
“Doing well, Colonel.”
Val pressed her lips together to prevent herself from laughing. She knew where the conversation was headed. Summer got her room key, and as she headed for the door she asked, “How many times did you not have eyes on her today?”
Banner didn’t say anything, and Val intervened before Summer could continue. “If Banner didn’t have eyes on me, then Robinski did, and if he didn’t, Jennings did, and if he didn’t, then I’m sure someone else did.”
“But none of them are in charge of your detail,” Summer said as they began to make their way down the hall. “Are they, Banner?”
“No, Colonel,” Banner replied, and Val shook her head.
“Leave Kat alone, Summer.” An awkward silence fell between them, and Val didn’t know how to continue the conversation. When she had stopped to see if Summer would join her for dinner she hadn’t been expecting her to say yes, and she was afraid to ask why she had agreed to it. Instead of venturing into a dangerous topic, Val chose a safe one for them. “How were your visits today?”
Summer blew out a long breath. “Horrible. The areas affected by the earthquake are so damaged. It’s going to cost a lot to get enough relief into those cities and towns.”
Val nodded in agreement. “I’ve gotten preliminary numbers about the estimated cost to fix everything and a rough figure for the number of people who were affected by the earthquake if you would like to see them..”
Summer smiled at her. “I would, if they aren’t classified or anything.” The two of them chuckled.
“I’ll be going to a few of the towns up north tomorrow to see how everything looks,” Val said once she had calmed down. Summer began to chuckle once again. “What’s so funny?”
Summer chuckled lightly before she explained, “My parents will also be up north tomorrow.” Val didn’t release the groan she wanted to let out, but the momentary pause gave away her displeasure at the news. Summer started to laugh louder and as she tried to catch her breath she added, “I’m sure they won’t be in the same towns as you, Madam President.”
Val scoffed and muttered, “I seriously doubt that one, Colonel.” They reached her suite, and Banner opened the door for them. As they entered, Val asked, “I’m going to order dinner, what do you feel like?”
“The usual will be fine,” Summer replied.
Val nodded and walked over to the room’s holo-phone to call down their dinner order. Once she had finished placing it, Val didn’t know what to do next. Again, she mentally chastised herself for doing this. She and Summer didn’t have anything to say to each other, and if she were truly honest with herself, they were complete strangers to one another. Val sighed and walked over to the liquor cabinet. She retrieved a bottle of wine from the cooler and held it up. “Wine?”
Summer nodded. “Yes, please.”
Val gestured to the couch in the sitting room “Have a seat, and I’ll bring it to you.”
Summer went over to the couch and Val blew out a deep breath. She poured them both a glass, then walked over to the couch. After giving Summer her wine, Val sat down on the other end of the couch, angling herself in the corner of it so could sneak subtle glances at Summer.
She studied her as she peered over the edge of her glass and took a sip. There were new lines around her blue eyes, faint, but new. Val also noticed the tightness around her mouth, and wondered if it w
as stress or the fact life had been hell for her the last two years. But underneath all the new things she noticed, Val still saw the woman she had fallen in love with.
The longing she had felt earlier when she had been thinking about Summer came over her again, and Val sighed. “I was feeling sentimental.”
Summer turned her head to look at her, and her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “I’m sorry?”
Val chuckled and took another drink of her wine. “We kept running into each other today. It’s sort of like when we first met. You would get dragged to events by your parents who wanted to show you off, and I was trying to make my political career last longer than one term as senator.” She turned to face Summer better and placed her elbow on the back of the couch, resting her head on the palm of her hand. “It brought up a lot of emotions that I haven’t thought about in a long time.” She chuckled and added, “And then there is your damn hair.”
“What about my hair?” Summer asked as she mimicked Val’s sitting position.
This time, Val did release a wistful sigh before catching Summer’s gaze. “It is beautiful, and you are more than phenomenal with it.”
Summer grinned. “I told you once I was out of the service I was going to grow it back out.”
“You did,” Val replied. Her fingers twitched as the urge to run them through Summer’s hair became a powerful need. “I used to miss your long hair so much when we were together.”
Summer laughed, and the low resonance of it caused Val’s skin to warm up. As she caught her breath, Summer remarked, “I know you did. If I pissed you off on a bad day you would bring it up and stop talking to me for a while.” Summer smirked. “But you got used to it.”
Val grunted. “Barely. I was mad you cut it off and didn’t bother to ask me my opinion.”
“It was my hair, Val, and we had only been together for a year.” Summer laughed, “Would you had rather I continue to bitch about meeting uniform regs?” Val arched an eyebrow at her and Summer continued to laugh. “I had done it for several years and was over it.”
Val hummed in disagreement, and as she brought her wineglass up to her lips she muttered, “I’m still pissed about it.”
Summer took a drink of her wine and countered in a nonchalant tone, “I’m certain there are probably new things for you to be pissed about now.”
Val held the wine in her mouth as she watched Summer’s demeanor shift when she realized what she had said, and she began to withdraw into herself. A long and painful road stretched between them, and neither she nor Summer knew how to navigate it. Val swallowed the drink in her mouth then leaned over to place her glass on the coffee table. She gently cleared her throat and said, “I’m going to go take a shower and change before dinner.” Summer gave her a slight nod, but she continued to look lost as the monsters in her head continued to torment her.
Val got up from the couch and stared at Summer for a second longer, while her heart split into two. She turned to make her way into the master bedroom. With a hand pressed to her stomach, Val realized how easy it had been for them to fall into the natural way she and Summer connected, but at the same time, that very connection was damaging to them. It would lead them to topics and subjects neither of them were ready to deal with at the moment.
Val entered the room and closed the door behind her. She fell against it and drew in a deep breath through her nose. As she got ready for her shower, she kept reminding herself that this wasn’t her Summer, and that the person sitting in her suite wasn’t a Summer she understood, but as she turned on the shower, a faint voice in the back of her mind reminded her that this Summer still looked and sounded like hers. Val gave her head a slight shake, refusing to give the whimsical thought any further attention. It would lead to hope, and that would lead to her heart being broke a second time. Something Val knew she wouldn’t be able to survive again.
~~~
“Prince Viktor took me horseback riding because he found out I liked to ride,” Val said as she tried to contain her laughter. “During our ride, I told him I actually learned some Swedish before my trip. Of course, he encouraged me to recite what I learned,” Val couldn’t contain her laughter any longer, and as she laughed Summer watched her with a smile on her face, completely enraptured by her. Val drew in a deep breath and continued the story. “Needless to say, the phrase that came from my mouth was about how his mother is a grotesque pig who I wouldn’t have sex with.”
Summer began to laugh and Val joined her. It took a while for them to calm down, and when they did, she asked, “How did he take it?”
“In stride,” Val said with a slight nod as she set down her wineglass. “He asked where I learned such colorful language, and I told him Addison had gotten me a dictionary of terms to listen to, and it turned out she had gotten me the vulgar edition of Learning the Swedish Language.”
Their shared laughter continued, and as they relaxed Summer realized she had missed so much in her time away from Val. She felt guilty for it, but hearing Val’s story had justified her decision to leave. She had thrived without Summer holding her back. Val sighed and finished her story. “He then told me the proper way to say the phrase I was aiming for, and in return, I taught him some slang from the twenty-first century.”
Summer groaned. “Valarie, the term ‘lit’ will not be joining us in the twenty-second century. It died eons ago, and it needs to stay that way.” She laughed and shook her head. The one thing she adored about Val was her love of other languages and the history of them, but when she had discovered slang from the twenty-first and late twentieth centuries, Summer’s life had become more than annoying.
“‘Lit’ was an amazing term, before some people took it and used it to describe everything under the sun.”
Summer grinned. “Ah, yes, damn us white people.” She took a sip of her wine then remarked, “You really need to get a new line—I have grown bored of that one.”
“You sound like your mother,” Val muttered under her breath.
Summer glared at her. “I am nothing like my mother.”
Val tilted her glass towards her. “Oh, everything about that statement screamed Cassandra.” She snickered. “What’s next, a garden party?”
Summer’s scowl worsened and she sniped, “Perhaps, and maybe it will be held before the annual fundraiser thrown by the Hawkins family.”
Summer laughed when Val rolled her eyes. Their dinner hadn’t been a horrible one, and once Summer had managed to escape the dark thoughts in her mind, both she and Val had a great time. Not once did they engage in the vicious backbiting they had fallen into when she first came back. When Summer had agreed to have dinner with Val, she had done it to be polite, since the White House had coordinated everything to make sure she and her people were well taken care of. Her mother may have been a drunken WASP, but she had instilled some manners in her—well, her nanny had.
The thing to take her by surprise was the nostalgia and comfort she felt while being around Val. It was something she had unknowingly missed, and she didn’t want to leave the protective bubble the two of them had created.
“If you’re finished, we can go into the sitting room.”
Summer nodded and the two of them got up to go sit in the living room. As they sat down on the couch, Summer thought about the other side of being comfortable around Val. It led to a false sense of security, and that was something she didn’t want to happen for either of their sakes, but their conversation and banter came too easily and was familiar. Summer couldn’t resist the urge to lose herself in it. Val let out a deep breath and asked, “Can I ask a question that won’t have you ripping my head off?”
“Depends on the question,” Summer remarked with a small smirk
Val nodded and said, “It’s a pretty innocent one, but I’m not sure how you will take it.”
Summer sighed. “Just ask the question, Val.” Val didn’t say anything, and Summer glanced at her. The apprehension on her face and the way she bit her bottom lip caus
ed Summer’s smirk to return. She had no idea what Val wanted to ask her, but she did find the expression absolutely adorable. “Val…”
Val blew out an exasperated breath. “Your leg, why aren’t you wearing it?”
Summer rolled her eyes and took a drink of her wine. She was going to get cards made explaining why she didn’t wear her prosthetic all the time. She met Val’s gaze and said, “Like I told Nina, it’s like wearing a bra—it’s annoying to wear twenty-four seven. Sometimes it’s just downright annoying.” Summer grunted quietly. “I probably move better without it.”
Val nodded then a slow smile formed her on her face. “Speaking of your assistant…”
“I did not steal her,” Summer stated while pointing a finger at Val. “And might I add, it wasn’t my idea to bring her in. That was Addison’s. I just did what I should have done once I got settled.”
Val chuckled and shook her head. “I wasn’t talking about that, but I’m glad you didn’t take her when you left.” She paused and grinned at Summer. “She has a crush on you.”
Summer gawked at Val for a brief second, then a fit of laughter came over her, which was made worse by the glare Val directed at her. As she got it under control, Summer remarked, “You’re only saying that because you’re territorial. Nina doesn’t have a crush on me.”
“I couldn’t be too territorial since you were able to whore around the world for the last two years,” Val countered with a slight huff.
The smile on Summer’s face vanished, and the obvious pain in Val’s eyes tore at her heart while guilt began to eat at her. There were no words that would fix the damage she had caused to their relationship or the hurt she had put Val through, but Summer believed she needed to say something to alleviate the pain in Val’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Val,” Summer said softly.
Val broke the gaze she shared with her. “It’s too late for your apologies, Summer.”