Help Our Heroes: A Military Charity Anthology

by T. L. Wainwright

  Ralph turns and walks towards me, but it's what's happening behind him that still has my attention. William reaches out to touch Rickie but Rickie pulls back, slapping William's hand away. I'm not an expert at body language but I have a feeling that William won't be getting laid tonight.

  “Would you take me to … fuck I don't even know.”

  My attention is pulled back to Ralph who's now standing in front of me. He doesn’t look as confident as he did when he walked away from William and I wonder if the shock is wearing off and reality is now hitting him. “I will take you anywhere you need to go.”

  Getting in the car, I wait until Ralph is in before speaking again. “So, do you know where I'm taking you?”

  He gets his mobile out and starts messing about with something on it. “A hotel would be fine, just give me a second to check availability.”

  “Do they not have somewhere on base you can go?”

  “Yeah, but I want a break for now while I'm not on duty. We always get some down time after being deployed, and it's nice to not be on base.”

  I get that. It would be like working all the time, even if you weren’t wearing your uniform. Like living in Tesco while not on shift.

  “Okay, this one has a room. I’ll book it online and if can take me there I would appreciate it.”

  “Of course.”

  “Thanks, if you just start heading towards the town centre.”

  I pull away from the kerb and head in the direction he told me to. We spend a few minutes in silence as he goes about booking the room. I want to ask him what he's planning on doing with all the belongings that are in my car but I decide that we will deal with that when we get to the hotel.

  “The fucking bastard!”

  I jump in my seat as his angry words echo through the car. I look over at him, a little shocked when I see his cheeks red with anger and his hands gripping his phone. I haven’t seen him angry before, not even when he saw all his belongings on the grass, but maybe he was just too tired to care then. Now he looks pissed off and ready to commit murder. I don't speak, scared of having all that anger pointed in my direction.

  “I can’t believe he did this. Turn the car around.”

  Now that I know I can’t keep quiet I look at him as I continue to drive in the same direction as I was. “Who am I turning around for you to kill?”

  He gives me a look that tells me who he's talking about but still, I continue onwards. “William. He's cleaned out our joint account. There is nothing in it. All my money is gone. Fucking low life fucker. I need to fucking hurt him, turn around so I can fucking kill him.”

  I want to comment on his use of the word fuck when he's angry but since I value my life, I don't point it out. “Do you have savings?”

  “No, everything I had was in there. The only money I have now is in my deployment account, the one I use when I'm away if I need anything, and there is only a few hundred pounds in that. Nowhere near enough to live off.”

  Holy shit. Just when I think Ralph's life cant get any worse, another page turns and the horrors increase. I can't even imagine what he's feeling right now, the anger that he must have against William, and that's the reason I'm not turning around and taking him back there. No, we will find another solution to this whole thing without him beating the shit out of William. “Do you have anyone you can stay with?”

  He drops his head against the headrest and sighs. “Fuck me.” He presses a few times on his mobile and puts it to his ear.

  I try not to listen as he speaks to someone on the other end of the call, focusing on the road as much as I can. The conversation carries on for a few minutes but I can tell it's not great news.

  “I totally understand, Dean. No, don't be daft, family comes first. Will catch you soon.” He hangs up and drops his phone onto his lap. I don't bother asking him how it went because it's really obvious. Instead, I just leave the motorway on the slip road and turn the car around, heading back towards my house.

  “Take me back to my house.”

  “No.”

  “God damn it, Aiden. Turn the fucking car around and take me there, or stop so I can get out.”

  “No.” I grip the steering wheel harder to stop my hands from shaking with nerves. I feel like I'm prodding a bear, and since I’ve only known the bear for just over twenty-four hours, I'm not sure how he will react. Deep down I don't feel that Ralph is any danger to me, but I’ve been known not to read people accurately. Not the first time I’ve had to call Jer to come and save me when a one-night stand has gone to shit.

  “Arsehole.”

  I relax when Ralph huffs back in his seat, muttering under his breath about me as I drive us home. I flex my hands to release some of the tension there. At least this time my intuition is working and Ralph isn’t going to be aggressive, or at least not towards me.

  Ten minutes later I pull into my drive and turn off the engine, sitting quietly not sure what to do. I brought Ralph here to put distance between him and William, but that's as far as my plan got. Now I’m flying blind. “What happens now?”

  Ralph turns towards me. “I had a plan but you wouldn’t help me with it.”

  I roll my eyes at his grumpiness. “Like I am going to take you over there to beat the shit out of William. I'm sure that would go down well with your job if you end up in jail.”

  “Stop being so fucking reasonable. I just want to hurt him a little bit.”

  I burst out laughing. I don't mean to but he sounds so much like a stroppy teenager right now that I find it extremely funny.

  “And now you’re laughing at me?”

  “I don't mean to. I'm sorry, honestly.” Even as I try to sound contrite, I know it's not working because Ralph is struggling not to laugh himself. I'm happy that I have managed to remove some of the stress that's been plaguing Ralph for the last few hours, his smile settling the part of my chest that's been aching for him. His life might be shit just now but he’ll be okay, I know he will.

  “I need to call housing on the base and see if they have a room for me. I'm gonna end up rooming with someone, I can feel it.”

  “Aren’t you a higher rank though, doesn’t that get you better stuff?”

  “I only get better if it’s available. The last I heard the single rooms were filled when the new Warrant Officers transferred in.” He takes out his phone again but before he has a chance to press anything I cover his hand with mine. The heat from his skin shocks me, making me pull back instantly. I look at my palm as the tingles continue to spread over my hand.

  “Come inside to make the call.”

  He doesn’t speak, just nods before getting out of the car. I take another few seconds just staring at my hands, wondering what the hell I'm feeling. I shake my head and get out of the car, walking past Ralph so I can unlock the front door. I kick my shoes off before heading to the kitchen and putting the coffee machine. Ralph doesn’t follow me into the kitchen so I suspect that he's calling the housing people. I potter about cleaning up the mess from lunch, needing something to distract me until Ralph is finished. I check my watch, aware that I need to leave to go help Jer for a few hours, and not wanting to be late. An afternoon of cooking isn’t exactly something to look forward to this afternoon, but I promised last week when he asked.

  Chapter Eight

  Ralph

  I hang up the call and bang my head against the wall next to me. I didn’t bother to follow Aiden into the kitchen because he knew that I needed to make this call. I also needed a minute to work out what the hell had happened in the car when Aiden touched me. It was like there was lightening sparking all over my skin, spreading over my hand where we connected. I’ve never felt that before, and I'm not sure what to think about it. Nothing. I'm going to think nothing about it because the only thing that I should be worrying about is where I'm going to be sleeping tonight.

  I head towards the kitchen to find Aiden cleaning up the pan he used earlier to make me lunch. He's singing along quietly to a song on the r
adio, and I smile at how happy he seems with life. I don’t think I've met someone as sweet as Aiden before. He took me in, a complete stranger, all because I was having a shitty day. I mean who does that? Who opens up the safety of their own house because someone is in need?

  Aiden must hear me as I approach because he turns and grabs a towel to dry his hands. He looks at me expectantly and it takes me a moment to realise what he's waiting on.

  “Nothing. Housing won't have anything for a few days at least. It's okay though, if I get a cheap enough hotel then I can stay a few nights before I run out of money.” It will have to be an exceptionally cheap hotel, probably a crappy rundown B&B, but I'm sure I can push my money to go for up to maybe five days. I just need to make sure that I go back to the base to eat my meals.

  “Are you being serious right now?”

  Confusion takes over as I watch his face go from friendly to slightly pissed off. “Um, yeah?”

  “You think I'm going to kick you out to sleep in a shitty hotel until your money runs out? Do I look like that sort of person?”

  “No I don’t think you're that sort of person, but you’ve also done so much already. You gave me a bed last night when I was so tired I was pretty much out of it. You let me into your house when you didn’t know who I was. I think you're a fantastic person who I don’t want to put out any longer.”

  “Shut up.” It's all he says before he leaves me standing alone in the kitchen. I hear his footsteps on the stairs as he storms away.

  I don’t follow him, not wanting to start a fight before I leave, so I help myself to a cup of coffee from the pot on the side. I lean against the unit and sip it until Aiden returns. I'm not sure what I expected when he did, but when he walks into the kitchen, I'm shocked. He’s wearing a white chef’s jacket that is tight around his waist and the sleeves are rolled up to sit just under his elbows. I know he said he helped his brother in his café, but I always assumed he meant maybe a server. I don’t know why I thought that because we were talking about food at the time, so it makes sense that he's a chef.

  “You're a chef.” Damn, could I sound any dumber? I swear seeing him wearing that jacket has made me stupid. I don't typically have a thing for men in such a simple uniform, but he looks sexy with it fitting onto his body.

  Aiden looks down at himself before looking up at me. “Eh, well a cook, not quite a chef yet but that’s the dream. I thought I’d mentioned that?”

  “You did, but I didn’t think about you being one. Does that make sense? It's like telling someone I'm in the army, they know what I do, but once they see me in my fatigues, it suddenly clicks with them.” I keep talking, trying to distract myself from the boner that’s threatening to make itself known. I blame no sex for five months for my predicament. My tiredness is finally wearing off enough that my dick wants some action. That’s definitely why I'm getting hard, it can't have anything to do with the guy standing in front of me looking hot as fuck.

  “Well this is me. Trainee chef in my brothers café.”

  “You keep saying café, but I think it might be different than what I'm picturing. I see a little greasy spoon that serves cooked breakfasts and bacon rolls.”

  Aiden’s laughter doesn’t help my hardening cock and I want him to take me to a hotel so I can use my hand for some relief. “Don’t tell Jer that. It’s slightly nicer than what you think. I might say café but I suppose I should call it a Bistro, but I think that sounds pretentious.”

  “Yeah, a little fancier than I imagined. Once I get money sorted I should come and visit, see how well you really cook. It would be interesting to see if it's only sandwiches you’re good at.”

  He gives me the finger and I can't help but laugh at his reaction. He walks to the small table in the corner and grabs his car keys, prompting me to rinse my mug and put it on the draining board. I haven’t made plans about where he can drop me but I can search while we head into town.

  “Help yourself to anything you need, there is food in the fridge and juice in the cupboard. It won't be cold but there is ice in the freezer. I don’t know what time I will get home but it shouldn’t be too late.” He takes out his mobile and hands it to me. “Put your number in there and I will let you know when I'm heading home. If it's not too late, I will bring dinner.”

  I'm still trying to catch up but I grab his mobile and input my number. He smiles at me when I hand it back and a few seconds later my phone buzzes in my pocket.

  “And now you have my number if you need anything. I will grab your bag from the boot before I head out. Remember, help yourself to anything.” He turns and leaves the kitchen.

  It takes me a second to work out that he's leaving. I take off after him and meet him as he returns with my bag in his hands. It’s a little funny seeing him trying to carry my pack. The whole thing is about the size of him and I would bet all the money I have that it weighs more than him.

  “Holy shit, how do you carry this thing?”

  “It doesn’t weigh that much.” It weighs a lot less than it usually does when on deployment but I don’t tell him that.

  “Sure, you keep telling yourself that. Let's just say there would be no way that I could lift it without both hands and a good grip.”

  “So you are the liftee and not the lifter?” It comes out before I have the chance to check myself, my flirty, sarcastic remark coming out naturally. It's something I would say to my friends if we were bantering, but I don’t know if Aiden will take it as a joke.

  “That’s something that is found out and not told.”

  I sigh a little with relief when he jokes back with me, letting me know that even though his cheeks have coloured slightly, he is taking my joke in the way it was intended.

  He turns to leave and it reminds me why I came out here. “Aiden, what are you doing?”

  “I'm going to work. I told you that.”

  I roll my eyes at him. “Yeah I got that part, but why are you leaving me here?”

  “Because I can't take you to work.”

  I run my tongue along the front of my teeth. I know he's purposely being obtuse and I'm not impressed. “Again, I got that part.”

  “I don’t have time for this titillating conversation, Ralph, I'm gonna be late for work. Will see you at some point.” He turns and leaves me standing in his hall.

  Arsehole.

  * * * *

  I turn the water tap off with my foot, relaxing back into the hot water. I wasn’t sure what to do when Aiden left but when the urge to go and confront William wouldn’t let go of me, I decided that getting naked and having a bath might change my mind. I can’t exactly go storming out of the house if I have no clothes on. The added bonus is my muscles are more relaxed than they have been in months. The downside to the whole thing is my mind has time to finally think over everything that’s happened.

  Two years I spent trying to make it work with William. Two years of listening to him complain about my job and tell me that I need to think about him more. At the time I put it down to him missing me and not liking it when I'm away, but now I'm not so sure. If it takes two men to keep him entertained, I think it was more about him being the centre of the universe. I wonder if that’s why he cheated on me? Dean always told me that William was an attention seeker, that he wasn’t happy until everyone in the room was looking at him, and it seems like he was right.

  I went against my usual type when I went after William. He just wasn’t the man I would usually be attracted to but there was something about him that stood out. I genuinely thought he was the kind of guy that I could spend the rest of my life with. I can't believe I made such a huge fucking mistake. When I finally decide to get myself back out there, I'm going to go after the kind of man that I usually do. Small, slim but fit, with dark hair and a smart mouth. Someone that can challenge me and not let me away with my usual shit, but someone who cares enough to be there for me. Someone who might make me a grilled cheese sandwich after letting me sleep late.

  Groaning to m
yself I slip under the water, trying hard not to think about the hot little chef who is trying to sneak into my mind.

  Chapter Nine

  Aiden

  “One truffle mac and cheese and one smoked haddock and leek rarebit for table twelve.” I put the dishes up to the pass, making sure that the plates are still clean before the servers grab them. “We have one lobster risotto, one duck salad and one butternut squash risotto for table four.”

  “Yes, chef.”

  I turn back to the cooker and start on the lobster risotto. “How long to the pass for table four?”

  “Seven minutes, chef.”

  I turn back and add more stock to my risotto before shaking the pan. My mind is focused on the dish in front of me, the noise of the kitchen making me feel at home for the first time in days. The heat and stress of the kitchen soothes my soul, making me relax more than a good massage. I spent many years at University getting my degree in graphic design, and don’t get me wrong I do enjoy my job helping people with their website and merchandise needs with a large advertising company, but when my brother bought this place, I realised I had a hidden love of cooking.

  “Four minutes to the pass.” I shout out loud enough for my team to hear me and I listen for the responses. It's been busy tonight, apparently, the local theatre has a play on so people are coming for a pre-show meal, but I trust my team to work the way they should. Okay, so not my team, it's Jer’s team. It’s not often that I feel jealous of Jer and his life, but when I see the place he's created here I can feel that little pang inside. He found his love of food early on in life, allowing him to train with several fantastic chefs around the country before returning here to open his own place.