by Amy Stephens
What could that be about?
The last time I was here he’d been really nice but the feeling I got from his stare tonight kind of gave me the creeps, almost like I was doing something wrong.
Jaime and I continued small talk but it was mostly about the class and the assignment. We stopped just at the edge of the sidewalk. I spotted Hector talking with a brunette woman at the end of the building obviously deep in conversation with her. The lady passed him another cigarette then placed the lighter up to his mouth so he could light it.
Jaime noticed me watching them and told me they were friends.
“Oh. Okay. She’s not in our class is she?”
“No. I think she’s in another one.”
I’m not sure why it mattered. They were obviously adults so why should I care that they were talking unless there was something more to the two of them than I was aware of. Still, it was none of my business so I looked away. I wanted to bring up that I didn’t appreciate Jaime and Hector talking about me in Spanish but I decided against it. But you better believe if it happened again, I’d voice my opinion about it.
“So, what are your plans after graduation? You did say this was your last class right?” I tried to be nosy without being too obvious.
“I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I’ve thought about attending graduate school but I’m not sure my family could afford it right now.”
“Would you enroll here? I’ve heard they have a decent graduate program.”
“Yes. Even if the classes I needed were downtown at the other campus, the bus still provides a shuttle service for us. But if I did enroll in graduate school here, I wouldn’t be able to complete the program before having to leave.”
I was confused. First of all, why would he still have to take the bus? Why not drive himself? And secondly, what was the part about leaving before completing the program? It didn’t make sense.
Just when I was about to inquire more I heard the sound of the bus pulling in. Several of the guys heard it too and walked over to the edge of the curb. I was sad knowing he had to leave.
“I guess you’re leaving with them?” I asked and pointed to the other guys that were now boarding the bus.
“Yeah, I’ve got to go but I’ll see you Thursday night right?” He asked.
“I’ll see you then.” I replied.
And just like that, he stepped onto the bus. I didn’t want to look silly standing there watching him as he made his way down the so I casually made my way over to the parking lot to my car. I did manage to look back quickly but the bus was already pulling away.
Chapter Four
On Thursday night I pulled my wallet from my purse as I drove up to the guard gate at the base entrance. I flashed my ID over to the guy and recognized him from being on duty the last time I’d been here. I think he recognized me too because he barely even looked at my identification. He was young and cute but didn’t do much else for me. Right now, my sites were set on Jaime and no one else.
Jaime and Hector had given me directions to the library, which was only a couple of blocks over from the Bishop classrooms. Hector said he used the library quite often so he would save us all a table up on the second floor. As soon as my Geology class had ended, I rushed out to my car so I wouldn’t be too late getting there.
Since I had never visited the military library before, I had no idea what to expect. I hadn’t had a need to use the main campus library yet, but I had been told the military library was a top-notch facility and was hands down one of the best. There were plenty of cars in the parking lot, which surprised me being this late in the evening, but Hector said we’d be able to stay until ten o’clock.
I walked inside and couldn’t believe how huge it was. I spotted a sign for the elevators and walked over to push the button to take me to the next level. Once inside the elevator, I was shocked to see there were buttons for five floors. I pushed the one for the second floor and the elevator slowly made it’s decent up. When the doors opened, I stepped out and looked around. There were rows and rows of shelves filled with books in addition to lots of tables with computers. Several people occupied the terminals and paid no attention to me. I noticed a help desk just off to the side and a young lady looked up as the elevator door shut behind me.
I turned to the right and figured I’d look around for the guys in my group before I sought help locating them. Walking past several more rows of bookshelves, I noticed even more tables, some with computers and some without. I heard voices and when I turned the corner, there was Ray and Jaime. Several books were already spread out on the table before them.
“Hey guys. I got here as quickly as I could.” I dropped my things down in the chair next to Jaime.
“Hi Erica.” I loved hearing him say my name. I noticed the slight curl of the corner of his mouth as he spoke and I wondered if he was as excited to see me and I was him.
Stop it! I told myself. I needed a quick reminder that we were here to work on a project and nothing else.
Ray looked up and finally acknowledged me by tilting his head to the side. He had a pencil tucked behind his ear and his glasses were positioned low on the end of his nose. I hadn’t noticed him wearing the glasses in class before so I wondered if he chose to wear them just for tonight. He came across as annoying with the way he presented himself to others so it wouldn’t surprise me if he hadn’t just worn them for show.
Ray was very serious about our assignment so I didn’t waste any time catching up on the information they had already researched. I was serious about it too but I also wanted to be relaxed and not rushed like Ray was making me feel. Maybe this wasn’t just an elective class for Ray being the reason why he seemed to take it so serious. Either way, I planned to do my fair share of the work just like everyone else.
“Where’s Hector?” I asked. At first I thought maybe he just hadn’t arrived yet or that he was in the restroom but Jaime quickly spoke up saying that Hector wasn’t going to make it tonight. Judging by the scowl on Ray’s face, I knew this was obviously a sore subject they had previously discussed before I’d arrived so I figured I would ask Jaime about it later.
After an hour of intense note taking and reviewing some material Ray had already printed off for us, I leaned back in the chair. I was tired but we were already making good progress for the first time meeting.
I heard a vibrating sound and realized it was Ray’s phone. I hadn’t even thought about putting my phone on silent prior to arriving at the library and was thankful it hadn’t rang. Ray reached for his phone and excused himself from the table to take the call.
Jaime looked tired too and I admit, I was ready to call it a night. I’d been going nonstop all day since early that morning and had briefly stopped mid-day for a quick bite to eat. I’d gone straight from work to class, not having enough time to eat dinner, and I was starting to feel my stomach rumble. I was hungry and wondered if there was anything close by to eat. Not wanting to embarrass myself with a growling tummy, I thought about looking for a water fountain. If I could get a few swallows, it might satisfy my hunger pains for a little while longer.
“Do you know where the bathrooms are?” I asked.
“I think they’re back by the elevator.” Jaime quickly added.
“While Ray’s on the phone I’m just going to step away for a moment. I’ll be right back.” I felt him watching me from the moment I stood up from our table until I was out of his sight. I thought about turning around just to double check but I’m not sure how I would react if he had been staring.
Jaime was right about the bathrooms being near the elevators, and sure enough, there was a water fountain halfway between the men’s and women’s doors. Before returning back to our study area, I glanced at myself in the bathroom mirror. I eyes looked tired and my hair was starting to look a little frazzled so I finger combed it to add a little bit of texture to it. I pulled some lip gloss from my purse and reapplied it to my natural pink colored lips. Before walking away I sprayed a li
ght mist of my favorite Victoria’s Secret body spray that I always kept in my purse. Why on earth was I concerned about my appearance and the way I smelled right now? Seriously, it was late at night and that’s the last thing I should be concerned about. Who cared what I smelled like, right? Or was it because I wanted Jaime to notice?
I walked back to our study area and Jaime looked up at me with just a hint of a smile on his face. Damn! He had pulled the elastic band from his hair and it was now hanging loosely just below his shoulders. I couldn’t get over how shiny and healthy his hair looked and I wanted nothing more than to be able to run my fingers through it. I was glad to know I wasn’t the only one who was concerned with their appearance.
Ray still had not returned so instead of sitting back down, I stood next to Jaime as close as I possibly could without touching him. He was flipping through some pages of a book that wasn’t related to our assignment. At that moment both of us could care less about the project and I hoped Ray felt the same way when he returned. I hoped he would just go ahead and leave so I could spend some one on one time with Jaime before the library closed.
Jaime stood up and walked over to one of the nearby couches. I followed along and sat down first, surprised by how comfortable the couch was for it to be in a library. It wasn’t hard and stiff like I had anticipated. Jaime followed suit and sat down with less than a foot separating us.
“How long have you been here on base?” I asked him eager to find out a little more about him.
Jaime hesitated a moment before answering as though he was thinking carefully before he spoke. “I’ve been here for five years. I was at another facility down in South Florida before being transferred here.”
He was somewhat vague with his answer but I just assumed whatever he did pertaining to the military was probably top-secret and he wasn’t at liberty to discuss very much. I didn’t pry and he didn’t volunteer much more.
“What do you do when you’re not busy with work and school stuff?” I hoped I didn’t come across as being nosy but I needed to know more about him. I thought back about whether or not he was married and played around with the idea of how to broach the subject with him. I played it safe and looked down to see if he was wearing a ring. I was relieved to see he didn’t have one on. It didn’t mean that he wasn’t but I felt better about it.
“Well, I spend a lot of time at the gym working out.” He replied and I thought back to the first night I’d seen him. The way the jumpsuit had fit against his body had done wonders for my imagination. “I also hang out with Hector and a few other guys at the golf course. It’s our responsibility to make sure the grass and landscaping stay neat and clean there.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize there was a golf course here on base. So you play?”
“No, I don’t play. You know, all those captains and officers have to have something to do in their down time.” Jaime laughed as though it were funny but I guess I missed the joke.
“Do you ever go out?”
“Mostly me and my buddies just hang around and watch movies in the main room. There’s a theatre on base but we aren’t allowed to go. I do get to come here whenever I want to so I try to make sure I keep a couple of books on hand to read.”
I honestly thought there was more to military life than what he was saying but I’d never been around anyone who was enlisted to compare it to. I had a couple of family members who were in the Army but they didn’t live close by so I rarely saw them to know what their job entailed. Surely Jaime gets to leave the base at some point. There’s bound to be more to this job than what he’s telling me because it’s just not all adding up or making much sense.
He changed the subject and we started talking about music and who we both liked to listen to. I told him about the last concert I had attended with Monica back during the summer and Jaime shared with me he had never attended any kind of concert before. I felt bad for him and told him if there was one that came to this area any time soon I would make sure he got invited since he’d truly been missing out. I still didn’t like not knowing if he was married or not. Wouldn’t I look stupid asking a married man to a concert that he should be attending with his wife? I struggled with how to bring up his relationship status without looking like a complete idiot?
Jaime noticed this sudden shift in my mood and placed his hand over on my knee. I had placed one leg folded underneath me when I sat down so the other leg was planted firmly on the floor. It was a comfortable position and now that his fingers grazed my leg, I felt immediate heat coming from his fingertips. Rather than jerk my knee away, I tried to make myself relax and enjoy the feeling of his touch. God, please tell me he’s not married. I can’t have a married man putting the moves on me.
“So, Jaime, just how old are you?”
“How old do you think I am?” He wanted to play a guessing game with me so I figured why not play along. If he wanted to flirt this way, I was all for it too.
“Hmm. Let’s see.” I pretended to really think about it while I cocked my head to the side and giving him a flirty look. “I’d say you’re probably twenty-eight or twenty-nine.” While he did look to be about that age, deep inside I was hoping my guess was pretty accurate. I didn’t need to hear him say he was too much older than that. I’d really be pushing my limits if he was.
Jaime couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re kidding right?” His fingers slowly made circle patterns on my leg and I found myself wanting to slide over closer to him in hopes he might try something else. Was he a risk taker?
I felt my cheeks redden because I was obviously way off when it came to guessing his age.
“Don’t be embarrassed.” He told me. “I’m thirty-two. How old are you?”
“Wow. Thirty-two. I would have never guessed.” I felt like crawling underneath the couch cushions. Here I was flirting with Jaime, letting him caress my leg, and he was thirteen years older than me. Thirteen years older! Suddenly, I felt so young sitting here next to him.
“Don’t avoid the question now. I told you my age so what’s yours?”
“Oh. You don’t really want to know.”
Now, Jaime began to trace his fingers along the inside of my leg. I didn’t want him to stop but I also didn’t want Ray to walk back up and catch us flirting with each other either.
“Let me guess. You’re twenty-four.”
“Not hardly. I’m nineteen.” I looked down at his fingers moving over my leg and he pulled his hand back apparently caught off guard by my answer. “You don’t have to stop.” I told him.
Ray came around the corner at the same time and it was probably a good thing Jaime had stopped. “Sorry about the interruption. I had a situation with work.”
Jaime and I looked at each other then quickly turned away. If Ray had seen or suspected anything he didn’t let on.
Jaime looked down at his watch. “Guys, the bus is coming early tonight so I really need to be heading outside.”
I hated hearing this just when I thought we were making progress. Had my young age scared him off?
“I could take you home.” I quickly added.
Ray snickered and I suddenly felt like an idiot throwing myself out there.
“That’s alright. I don’t mind taking the bus.” Jaime glared at Ray and I pretended not to notice.
I stood up and began to gather my things from the table not wanting to show the embarrassment that had crept up on my face. Jaime stood next to me and I could feel his closeness. I fought back the tears that had made their way into my eyes. I would not cry in front of them. Obviously, I’d made an utter fool of myself and I was now convinced that Jaime was hiding something. Since he hadn’t wanted me to take him home, then there had to be someone else. A wife, a girlfriend, something he didn’t want me to find out.
“I’ll see you all in class next week. Have a good weekend.” Jaime told us both but he stared at me as he spoke his words.
“Bye Jaime.” I told him, not looking up. I didn’t want to be rude but my feelin
gs were hurt.
“Later, man.” Ray mumbled.
I was cautious with what I said with Ray standing here so I pretended not to be disappointed that our night was coming to an end. I really wanted Jaime to walk me out to my car so he could explain things further and so I could see him for a few more minutes, but he quickly made his way over to the elevator and I heard the ding as the elevator door opened. Now, walking towards the elevator, I was sad he hadn’t held the door for me but it closed just as I walked up. It was just as well. I mashed the button for the elevator to go down and waited for it to come back up for me.
By the time the elevator reached the second floor again, Ray was standing beside me waiting to go down as well. When the door opened, we both stepped on and didn’t say a word the entire way down.
“See ya.” Ray called out.
“Goodnight.”
I looked around hoping to see Jaime standing at the bus stop as I walked out to my car in the parking lot but there was no one around. He must have arrived just on time.
The entire drive home images of Jaime with his hand on my leg filled my mind. I kept asking myself, was it possible he was seeing someone and that was the real reason why he had left so suddenly when I had offered him a ride? It was the only thing that made sense.
I wish Monica were here so I could get her opinion. She’d be able to tell me what I needed to do.
Chapter Five
On Saturday I had lunch with my mom at one of those sandwich shops that serves all kinds of healthy meats and wraps. Since the divorce, she had distanced herself more from my sister and me. While we figured she was just dealing with the divorce in her own way, Beth and I weren’t stupid. We knew she was seeing someone, which was okay, but it felt strange to know your mother was dating or had a boyfriend. Things that had never really been important before, such as her weight, hair and makeup, were suddenly at the top of her priority list. Now, it was crucial that she ate healthy so she could be more conscious of her weight. It was no secret, I’d heard the rumors that were going around about my father seeing a younger woman and I was pretty sure my mom had heard them too. If my father wanted to date someone younger, it was his business but I didn’t want to hear about it right now. I had my own issues to think about when it came to age. Like thirteen years difference.