by Tina Maurine
The shop phone rang and, after a minute, someone I didn’t recognize answered it. “VP1602 Line Shack, Airman Dodge.” The airman looked around as though searching for something. “I’m not sure,” was followed by some Uhh-huhs and oks. “Is there a Petty Officer Christy in here?”
I’d already been following the conversation from where I stood and walked to the desk, taking the phone, “Christy here.”
“Hey Tessa, it’s Ari.”
I interrupted him, “Hey, sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to get that close.”
There was a pause. “You need to get your butt to the shop ASAP… AE1 and I want to talk to you.”
“What’s it about? Did I do something wrong? Is it Cai?”
“No, no… Tess, just get over here, OK?”
“Rodger that. On my way.” Before hanging up I quickly added, “Sorry again OK? We’re good?”
“Sure, baby girl. Aren’t we always just fine?”
The line went dead as Sammie breezed in. Fuck! I looked to Sammie. “Work calls, I’m outta here.”
“Adios, hooka!” Sammie blew me a kiss as I passed her.
I leaned into the heavy flight line door. When I pushed it open, a blast of icy cold air hit me in the face. I had left my jacket somewhere… maybe in the ‘Dunk’ or AE shop, and I definitely regretted it. The Arctic air blew through my coveralls like tissue paper.
Racing through the cold, I entered the hangar and a blast of warm air from the powerful heaters they’d set up hit me in the face. Thank God the heater’s on. Hope it’s on in the shop too…
I pushed open the doors and, there sat Ari and Dunnmoth.
Ari spoke first. “Have a seat.” He was smiling, so my trepidation subsided.
“What’s up? Everything okay?” I looked from Ari to Tim and back to Ari.
Dunnmoth began. “Christy, we have a squadron NATO detachment coming up, and Ari suggested you as his second for this one.”
I looked at Dunnmoth, “Really? Why would I get to go? I’m not even in the shop yet.”
“Well, we discussed it with your First Louie chief, and it would appear you’re being transferred to the Line Shack soon. We made the argument that since First Louie and the Line Shack are both pretty well staffed, now would be the perfect time for you to get some shop sign-offs; plus, we aim to get everyone on at least one detachment per deployment. As luck would have it, Petty Officer Benson here suggested that since you guys work well together, you should be his worker on the det. to Turkey next week.
I looked at Ari and back to Tim. “I don’t know what to say. That’s fucking awesome!” I stood up and did my silly little happy dance. They both laughed with me. I ran out of the shop and out to the Line Shack to share with Sammie, thinking as I went that today had turned into a pretty fantastic day.
The shitty thing was that the only person other than her I wanted to share it with was MIA. I hadn’t heard from Noah yet today—not that I exactly expected him to call me at work—but it was still a rough pill to swallow after everything that had happened over the weekend. I knew we weren’t anything official, but felt we had become so much… What a fucking mess.
23
“Tess?” Sammie popped her head through our open barrack-bedroom door. “Ace and Lucas are pulling out the lasagna.”
“Thanks.” I could actually hear them down the hall in our floor’s public kitchen, shooting the shit with someone while they cooked.
“Hey, what’s with you?”
I looked over at Sammie, now leaning against our door jamb. “I don’t know. It’s been almost a week, and I thought I’d have heard from Noah by now, that’s all.”
“Why? I mean, seriously? Isn’t he taking off to go see his baby mama anyway?”
I shrugged, knowing full well she was right, but after the way I’d left him lying in my bed the morning after our road trip, and my ‘just a feel’ on the way home in the bus… I’d thought I would at least find a note when I got home from work, or a call or… something in the past week.
“Hey, Tess, dinner is done… they’re waiting. Let’s go.”
I grabbed the key and pulled our door closed, heading into the kitchen. Dirk stood there, as did Noah. I pulled up short, blinking in surprise.
I made a quiet croaking sound, cleared my throat and said, “Hey, guys,” to Ace and Lucas. They nodded their hellos as they filled up our paper plates with food. Dirk smiled and greeted me. Noah just stood there drinking a beer.
Why the fuck is he being so weird? Why am I?
I walked up to Noah and gave him a friendly nudge with my shoulder as I looked him up and down. He was still fine as ever; my heart skipped a beat just being next to him. He wore a plain black t-shirt tucked loosely into the front of his dark and perfectly distressed jeans. He had finger-combed his hair, and a five o’clock shadow had formed on his jaw line. He looked like a model for Hugo Boss. He stood there brooding, his arms crossed, holding his beer and leaning against the counter. I waited a second longer as he ignored me, and then touched his arm. “Noah?”
He pushed off the counter and set his beer down beside me. “Hey, Dirk, not really up for this. Sorry, man, but I’ll catch you later.” He addressed the room with a “Later.” His eyes drifted to mine briefly, and then he was gone.
That was it.
I grabbed my plate and sat down, stunned, trance-like.
What is it with me and guys? Is there something wrong with me? Did I do something the last time we were together. Maybe he’s upset that I left for work Monday morning without waking him to say goodbye?
“Tessa?” I looked up, surprised to see Dirk addressing me. I didn’t respond for fear my voice would crack and I would start crying. I just shoved a large bite of Stouffer’s Lasagna in my mouth.
“Tessa, don’t give it another thought… about Noah, I mean.”
I looked back up at him and cocked my head ever so slightly, encouraging him to go on. In spite of losing my appetite, I forced myself to take another small bite, hoping he wouldn’t expect me to talk. “He’s been talking to that Vi chick every day. Got his tickets earlier this week and leaves tomorrow.”
I nodded.
“He’s been a bear to live with… if that helps you feel any better.”
I shook my head, trying to keep my eyes from watering. I didn’t want him to report that I’d been crying.
“I just…” I cleared the frog from my throat. “Fuck, I just thought we were at least friends, that’s all.” I took another bite. Thank God for lasagna.
He nodded. “Let him work through this. She’s really fucking with his head. So is everything that happened last weekend.” He looked me in the eyes with a seriousness that conveyed he’d been informed of what transpired between us; then he looked to Sammie.
“Fuck, won’t someone clue us in?” Ace blurted, and Lucas tossed his fork on his emptied plate.
“Boy, this was a fun dinner.” Lucas stood to clean up and tossed his dish in the trash. He then grabbed a beer and sat down heavily.
“Seriously, Lucas?” I looked over at Ace, then Dirk, “Where do I even begin?” I laid my fork down on my half-eaten, unappetizing pile of food and took a long draw from my beer.
“If that guy from the club did anything to you...” Ace looked over at Lucas.
“If that guy did anything, you’d better let us know, cause it’ll be the last time that fucker gets away with it.” Lucas seethed.
“Hey, guys, you’re jumping to conclusions. Noah’s not even here to defend himself,” Dirk proffered reasonably, taking a long slug from his beer.
“Tessa, you can start wherever you feel you want to share, or you could start with how the story ends… how you guys, well… you know, and then how he’s now leaving?” Sammie offered. A kind gesture, but it irritated me that she advertised sex was involved in Noah’s and my relationship… when I didn’t even feel it was.
“Gee, thanks for that, Sam. Glad my secrets are safe with you. Besides, it wasn’t even sex,
sex.” I rolled my eyes.
“Never mind, so long as it was consensual… I got the gist and don’t care much for drama anyways.” Lucas stood up, gave Ace a pat on the back, bent over to administer a friendly kiss on the top of my head, waved to Dirk and Sammie, and then disappeared out the door to his room downstairs.
I shouted, “Thanks for dinner,” after him, but who knows if he heard.
Ace spoke first, “So… your weekend sounds pretty trying, huh?”
I looked up from the plate of food that I’d made an even bigger mess out of—by pushing it around with my fork incessantly. “Yeah.” I sighed heavily. “You have no idea.”
“Come on now, it wasn’t all bad was it?” Dirk had his hand under the table, probably on Sammie’s thigh, as he was grinning at her like a fool.
“I didn’t say it was bad, but for sure it was an all-around overload—too much food, too much drinking, too much emotion, too many questions—just too much of everything.” My shoulders slumped. I looked at Ace, then at Dirk and Sammie. “Why’d he leave like that? Fuck, Dirk! Why’d he leave me all week wondering what the fuck was going on? Don’t I mean more to him than that?”
“I can tell you this, Tess: FUCK HIM! You deserve better than that, and for any guy to not see what Lucas, Ari and I see… well, fuck. They’re just not worth your time.” Ace paused, getting his anger under control. “Tess, you deserve better than some guy who’s only goal was to exploit you and then toss you aside after the weekend’s over. But that’s just my two cents.” He shrugged—almost apologetically.
Dirk’s eyes caught mine, and I could tell it was taking all he had not to defend Noah to Ace—it seemed we were both in agreement that it wasn’t what Ace assumed it was—but only time would tell.
With such pleasant conversation, I wasn’t too surprised that our casual dinner party barely lasted another ten minutes.
“So, Tessa…” Sammie spoke as she and Ace stood up with their plates. “I’m gonna head back to Lucas and Ace’s room and watch a movie. See ya in a bit?”
“Yeah sure, no problem. I know I am not much company right now anyways.”
She smiled at Dirk and winked. He flashed her a gorgeous smile before they took off. I smiled awkwardly across the table at Dirk… can you say uncomfortable?
“So… what are you up to this weekend?” I mean what the hell else was I supposed to talk to him about?
“I have duty. Actually, Noah took this weekend off as part of his leave, since he flies out tomorrow around noon. Tonight is pretty much the only time we’ll get to hang out; besides, I’m on the schedule for gate duty Saturday and Sunday nights, 2230-0630 anyhow.”
“Mid-check, huh? How’d you get so lucky?” I asked, thinking back to when I’d worked those hours in Puerto Rico. Mid-check can be hard on some people, especially the really social ones, since life’s pretty much shut down when they’re up, and happening when they’re sleeping.
“It’s not so bad, especially on weekends. That’s when all the drunkards come through the gate. It keeps duty from being boring.” He laughed. “Boy, the stories I could tell you.”
I laughed. It felt good. “I know, huh? Like last weekend when Ian, Stu, Ari… all of them got dropped off by those underage chicks. I bet that made for a little fun harassment at the gate when they all had to walk through.” I chuckled at the visual. “I’m just glad they had enough wits about them to ditch the chicks before they’d had more than a couple of beers.”
“Yeah, no kidding.” I was watching Dirk; he had a fair amount of charm. He was no Dax or Noah, but I could see what drew Sammie to him.
“So, I was wondering…”
“Uh oh.” He laughed nervously.
“What’s up with you and Sammie? She’s been totally tight-lipped, I mean with the details between you two. So, what gives?”
“Who’s asking? You or her?” He joked.
I shrugged, “I’m just curious, I guess.”
“I dunno. We’re just, well… whatever we are. We’re all about keeping it easy and fun. No reason to get serious so soon.” His eyes caught mine and he looked uncomfortable.
“Yeah, but I mean, you guys got pretty serious when you checked into the bunk-bed motel last weekend… all weekend. I mean, every time someone asked where either of you were, you were in there together.”
He shrugged and laughed it off. “Why? Is Sam wondering what’s up?”
“Nope. Hasn’t really talked about you, actually,” I commented. I figured I’d make him squirm a little; you know… having a guy a little jealous is not a terrible thing.
“Yeah, so why’s she down there with what’s his name, when I came over for dinner? You guys hang out with them a lot?”
“Almost every night, ya know, dinner and a movie and stuff.” I shrugged. “I have no idea what she’s up to. Maybe you should ask her or go find her. Lucas is married though, so I wouldn’t worry about him.”
“That’s the one that she left with, then?” He watched me intently.
“Nope, that was Ace, and he’s single.” Serves ya right. What’s with guys not giving a shit unless another guy does?
“What floor did she say she was going to?”
I chuckled. “Second… their door is usually open.” As he stood to leave, I did too. “Hey, Dirk, say hi to Noah for me when you get a chance, okay?”
He looked back over his shoulder and said, “Sure thing.”
I cleaned up the rest of the kitchen and took it upon myself to put away the last of the clean dishes my shipmates had left drying in the rack. My thoughts took me to what Dirk had said about Noah. I began having second thoughts about inciting issues between him and Sammie. Hopefully, she didn’t find out I got his bees stirred, and that’s why he showed up downstairs, assuming he actually found Ace’s room. I left the kitchen and found myself in front of my door, which stood slightly ajar.
That’s weird. Sam must have gone back in and left it open.
The interior was dark with the blackout curtains drawn, so I didn’t notice the form on my bed.
“Tessa?”
I jumped, and a startled scream slipped out. “Who is…” I strained to see into the darkness. “Is that you, Noah? How’d you get in here?”
What? Not only is he totally absorbed with his own life right now, but he does some breaking and entering on the side? Boy I sure know how to pick ‘em.
“Do you have duty this weekend?” He propped himself up on his elbows, waiting for an answer. He watched me, training his intense stalker eyes on me.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded, my irritation thick enough to cut with a knife.
“What? No kiss?” Sarcasm oozed out of his perfect mouth.
I turned on the small lamp by our Blue Beast, barely rendering him visible.
He slid off the bed and moved with the ferocity of a wild beast about to take down his kill. I felt hunted, and I shivered with anticipation. I found myself backing away from him, until I reached the door. I could retreat no farther. In four lithe strides, he reached me, trapping me against the wooden structure with his body. He caught my wrists and pinned them, crossing them above my head with his strong, expert ones. I was his hostage.
Oh, my God. He smells so good, feels so good. What is wrong with me? He’s ignored me for a week! He’s chosen Vi! I can’t forgive him.
He slid his free hand down my ribcage to my waist, and then lower to cup my ass.
Oh. My. God…yes!
Who is this guy? Where did this animal come from?
“Tessa, I can’t go without saying goodbye.” His desperate mouth descended on mine, full of intense passion to which I gladly opened. I struggled to free my hands. I wanted them in his hair, around his neck. I wanted to feel him, but he kept them locked above my head. His hand snaked around my waist and lifted me, so I rested on his hips against the door, allowing him to control our kiss as he tipped my head back and brought his free hand to my jaw. I liked how he took charge and responded by ravishing h
is thumb when he teased my lip with its tip. This drew a low, desire-laden hiss from him.
His mouth then continued its expert exploration of mine. My body vibrated with awareness, and my soul hummed in its proximity to his. He’s so bad for me, he’s good. I didn’t want to overthink Noah and me, so I just let him dominate us.
“Why, Tessa? Why?” Noah growled out a gravelly plea; one that fell short, one I wouldn’t even bother trying to answer.
I could’ve just as easily asked him the same question, but didn’t want to waste my breath or interrupt the electricity sparking between us. When he moved his hand from my wrist and entwined it in the hair at the nape of my neck, pulling on it and driving me madder, I fisted his hair and caressed his face and neck. I felt like I couldn’t touch him enough, couldn’t taste him enough.
“I want… God, Tessa, I. Want. You.” Noah’s voice took on a different tone; higher, bordering on panic.
“Shhh, Noah. You have me.”
That was all he needed to hear. He pulled me from the door, still holding me up with his hand under my ass as he strode deliberately to my bed. He placed his knee on it and laid me down. His body, rigid with restraint, towered over mine. My eyes caught his; jade and sapphire meeting and clashing. He brought his mouth, at last, gently to mine. The soft graze of his lips sent tingling traces down my spine.
“I’ve missed you this week. I’ve missed this. Man, beautiful, I’m going to miss you.” The heartbreak in his voice devastated me to my core.
How could I care so much for a man, feel so entwined with him, after such a short time? I’ll tell you how; my soul is a traitorous bastard, not even checking in with my common sense for its input.
Noah shifted off me and lay at my side, our energies still connected, but his no longer felt predatory. I turned toward him, entwining my legs with his, snuggling my hips into the rigid length that begged for my attention. I bit my lip and held back the desire to take it out and move things further. He brought his arms around me, and I felt the sincerity in this gesture, in his touch.
“I fly out tomorrow morning.”