Help Our Heroes: A Military Charity Anthology

by T. L. Wainwright

  It was just a dream, I’m sure of it. He told me he wouldn’t do anything until I begged for it so I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t take advantage when I’m drunk. Right?

  This question rolls around my head the whole time I’m getting ready and throughout breakfast. I’m fairly sure it was all a dream. I’m desperate to ask him more, but at the same time I’m scared he’ll make me admit what I think may or may not have happened—or worse, the details of my dream.

  When we get to the bit of Gretna Green where they do all the weddings, there’s a bride and groom having their photos taken. We stop on a little grass bank and watch the happy couple posing and laughing. They look unbelievably happy about the new chapter of their lives they’ve just embarked on.

  Nothing’s said between us for the longest time as we sit and watch the world go by, so when Jay suddenly speaks up, it startles me a little.

  “Wanna get married?”

  “What?” I ask, thinking I just heard him wrong.

  “Let’s get married.”

  “It’s weird, because I thought you just asked me to marry you…twice,” I say with a laugh.

  “I guess I did. What do you say?”

  “I say you’re crazy. We can’t just get married.”

  “Why not? We’re here and this is where all kinds of crazy shit goes down, marriage-wise.”

  “You can’t just turn up here nowadays, say ‘I do’, and be on your way. You still need to register and stuff beforehand.”

  “Well, that wasn’t a no,” he comments with a laugh.

  “I’m not going to respond to your craziness with an answer, Jay. It’s totally insane.”

  “But the wedding night,” he pouts.

  “Seriously, you’re nuts.”

  His focus is still on the couple and photographer in front of us but he has this wistful look on his face that I haven’t seen since we started this road trip. The sudden moment of seriousness reminds me of everything I’m running away from and the plans I need to make about my future. It’s unrealistic to think I’ll finish uni next year and work with mum in her shop, because it’s going to be gone unless she makes some drastic changes. I need a plan for me, not her. If I’m going to focus on my jewellery then I need to find more stockists, look at going to trade shows, get my name out there, a million and one things really.

  “Ready to make a move?” Jay eventually asks, distracting me from thoughts of my future.

  “Yes.”

  We grab a couple of takeout coffees from a café before getting back in Peggy and heading farther up north.

  “There’s a classic car show this weekend, look,” Jay says excitedly as we drive towards Inverness. “Can we go?” I can’t help but laugh because he sounds like an excited little child.

  “Sure.”

  “We can stay here somewhere tonight, and then go tomorrow.”

  His excitement is infectious, and I find myself looking forward to a day staring at old cars—not because I want to, but because more than anything I want him to be happy, and right now he’s buzzing.

  We spend all afternoon driving around the country roads, taking in the scenery before heading into town to find somewhere to stay for the night.

  “What about there?” I say, pointing to a vacancies sign on the side of the road.

  We continue up the long driveway to reveal a quaint bungalow. It definitely doesn’t have the grandeur of the hotel last night, but equally, it looks loads better than the dilapidated farmhouse from the night before. We may have found a happy medium, even if it does look more like someone’s home than a B&B.

  We stand hand in hand waiting for someone to answer the door, and eventually an elderly lady pulls it open. She shouts something behind her but fuck knows what she says because her Scottish accent is so strong she may as well be speaking another language. I glance over at Jay, whose eyebrows are raised slightly, showing he has no clue either.

  “Good evening, come in,” she says to us. Thankfully, it’s slower, and easier to understand.

  She ushers us into their living room where her husband is sat watching TV.

  “Good evening. I’m William, and this is my wife Mary. Are you looking for a room?”

  “Yes, we saw your vacancy sign. I’m Jay and this is Erin.”

  I stand awkwardly as Mary looks us both up and down. She gives her husband a nod before he asks what kind of room we want.

  “Double would be great,” Jay answers without missing a beat.

  “I presume you’re married,” Mary says, looking down at my left hand.

  “Uh…no.” Thankfully Jay doesn’t elaborate and tell this obviously traditional couple that we’ve only known each other a few days.

  “You’re welcome to stay but only married couples will share a room under my roof,” Mary says when William fails to do his job by the look of the stare he receives.

  Jay looks over at me. The expression on his face makes me smile, because I can tell he’s begging for me to apologise and be on our way so we can find a double bed. Unfortunately for him, I do the opposite. I’m not sure if it’s for my own amusement or torture, but I tell Mary it won’t be an issue and that we’ll have a single room each. As the words leave my mouth, Jay’s chin drops and his eyes narrow at me. I just smile at him.

  “The rooms are next door to each other but there will be no sneaking into each other’s in the middle of the night.”

  “Of course not,” I say politely, earning me another death stare from Jay.

  We stand by our doors as we watch Mary retreat down the hallway after offering us dinner.

  “What the hell, Erin?”

  “What?” I ask innocently. “I didn’t want to carry on looking for us not to find anything, or worse, another shithole. This will be fine and it’s only for one night. I’m sure you can cope.”

  “You’re gonna pay for this.”

  “Maybe you should have told me what happened last night.”

  “Oh, so this is revenge, is it?”

  “Maybe,” I say as I unlock the door and walk into my room. I put a little extra swing to my hips, leaving him muttering about getting me back for this.

  When the door shuts behind me and I’m alone in my room, I can’t help but feel like I’ve made a mistake. I suddenly feel lonely and I don’t like knowing he’s the other side of the wall. I sit down on my bed and let out a sigh.

  I have a quick shower before changing and knocking on Jay’s door.

  When he opens it, he’s only in his boxer briefs, giving me a great show of what I’m missing alone in my room next door.

  “I know what you’re doing, and it’s not working.”

  “Really?” he asks as he bends over to put his jeans on.

  I want to look away and not be affected by the show he’s putting on but it’s not working. Damn him.

  By the time we get to the dining room, Mary and William are sat waiting for us with a steaming cottage pie in the middle of the table.

  “Sorry, he wasn’t ready,” I announce when we walk in.

  We spend the next few hours chatting away. We learn all about Mary and William’s five children, as well as their nineteen grandchildren. Yes, they may be a little old fashioned, but they stay true to what they believe in and they’re such a lovely couple, I can’t help but warm to them.

  “I guess this is goodnight, then,” Jay says when we stop by our doors.

  “I guess it is. Sleep well.” I go to push open my door but my wrist gets grabbed and in seconds, I find myself up against Jay’s chest.

  “I don’t think so,” he mutters before slamming his mouth down on mine.

  I worry for all of about two seconds that we’re going to be caught, but as soon as I feel his tongue against mine, all thoughts vanish as I lose myself in his kiss.

  When he pulls back, we’re both panting with need and the images I still vividly remember from my dream last night are at the forefront of my mind. I desperately want to follow him into his room and let him get h
is hands on me, but I know we can’t, so instead, I bid him goodnight and bolt to the safety of my room before I do something Mary and William wouldn’t approve of.

  I change into Jay’s shirt, because I can’t imagine wearing anything else to bed now, and toss and turn as I imagine what we could be doing. I should be using the time to do some work but all I can picture is him looking down on me.

  I eventually fall asleep at some ungodly hour, but it’s fitful and full of lustful dreams I shouldn’t be having in this religious couple’s home.

  After being treated to a home cooked English breakfast, and somehow agreeing that we’ll spend tonight with them, we head off to find the car show. Jay’s like a kid on Christmas morning as we queue to park in a muddy field. I don’t share his enthusiasm as it’s cold and drizzly out. The last thing I want to be doing is walking around in the rain looking at cars. I think my lack of sleep—and lack of Jay—has made me a little moody.

  I follow him around for just over an hour before he suggests I get a coffee and sit in the café to warm up while he continues to ohh and ahh. I’d love to share his excitement but they’re all just cars to me.

  I pull my sketchbook out and sit there coming up with ideas as I look out at the cars in front of the marquee.

  I get lost in my car inspired designs and jump a mile when Jay places his hand down on my shoulder hours later. “Sorry,” he says, sitting down next to me and grabbing one of the fresh coffees I notice he’s placed on the table. “Let’s have a look.”

  I hand over my sketches and he flicks through the pages. “These are incredible. There are loads of female car fanatics who’d love something like this.”

  “You think so?” I ask sceptically.

  “I know so. I know it’s none of my business but I think you need to let your mum deal with her business, and you need to focus on this. You’ve got a talent you could really make something of.”

  I let out a breath, because the reminder of what I’ve left behind sits heavy on my shoulders. I’ve had a couple of texts from Mum telling me she’s had more final demands come through. I’ve been too scared to call her back and find out how things are really going. It’s much easier living in denial as I flit around the country with Jay, but with every day that passes, I get more and more aware that I’m closer to going back and dealing with it all once again. Unfortunately, these two weeks will only last so long before I fall back to reality with a bang.

  “What are you two all dressed up for?” I ask when we arrived back at the B&B later that evening to find Mary and William all ready for a night out.

  “Susan’s nephew runs a dance class at the village hall on a Friday night. Highlight of our week,” Mary says happily. “Oh, you two should come. We’ve been working on a rhumba; I think you would enjoy it,” she adds with a wink.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” I say, thinking Jay’s going to tell them where to go, because I can’t imagine him wanting to go ballroom dancing.

  I almost get whiplash where I turn to look at him so fast when he says, “Sure, sounds like fun.”

  “Fantastic. We need to leave in ten minutes, so go and get changed quickly.”

  “What the hell?” I ask Jay once we’re out of earshot.

  “What? I thought it might be fun, seeing as we’ll be sleeping apart again tonight. I’ll get to have my hands all over you.”

  A shiver runs through me at the thought. Okay, so credit where credit’s due, he does have a point.

  “Doesn’t seem such a bad idea now does it?”

  “I guess not,” I say on a sigh, trying to appear less excited about it than I really am. It’s been years since I danced properly, but the prospect of doing it with Jay definitely piques my interest.

  I quickly change into my black dress and red shoes. Mary and William are looking dapper, ready for their night on the tiles, so it was my only option. When I meet back up with Jay in the hallway, I find him in the same outfit as that night as well.

  He comes to a stop in front of me and runs his eyes from the top of my head all the way to my toes. He gives me tingles without even touching me.

  “You look hot as fuck in this dress,” he whispers in my ear when he steps up to me. “Do you know what’s sexier, though?”

  I shake my head, knowing he’s about to tell me anyway.

  “Taking it off you.”

  My mouth goes dry, and I have the sudden urge to drag him into my room and demand he does just that when I hear a voice asking if we’re ready because we’re going to be late.

  “Fuck,” Jay mutters before I watch him rearrange himself in his jeans. He must feel my stare because he looks up at me. “What? I can’t help it. Have you seen yourself?”

  I shake my head at him because I don’t want him to know how happy it makes me to know I affect him so much.

  The village hall is exactly like I was expecting. Every surface is covered in pine panelling, and the chairs and tables around the edges of the room look like they should have been replaced about thirty years ago. At the far end of the room, there’s a guy who stands out amongst the elderly couples, not only because of his age but because he’s wearing skin-tight black trousers and a shirt undone almost to his belly button. I guess he’s the instructor.

  “Are we ready to go? Do you all remember the moves?”

  “Wait!” Mary shouts. “We’ve brought some friends.”

  The guy’s eyes light up when he sees us. I can only presume it’s because we’re close to his age.

  “The more the merrier. We’ll soon get them caught up.”

  He starts the music and the sounds of Aerosmith’s ‘Don’t Want To Miss A Thing’ fills the hall, and all of a sudden each couple pairs off and starts a well-choreographed rhumba routine. I had plenty of dance lessons as a kid so I know what a rhumba looks like, but I was not expecting these elderly church going couples to move quite like this. This instructor must be having a whale of a time getting couples of this age moving their hips quite like that.

  “Holy shit,” Jay mutters next to me.

  “It’s quite a thing, huh? You’re never too old for a little bit of that,” the instructor says, wiggling his eyebrows and nudging Jay’s arm. “How about we get you some tonight?”

  “Uh…” Jay stutters as the instructor grabs both our hands and pulls us on to the makeshift dance floor.

  “I’m David, by the way,” he says. He teaches us the first few moves as the couples continue with their dance. I’m amazed when I find that Jay’s a natural dancer and we move together flawlessly.

  “How much Viagra do you think is in this room tonight?” Jay whispers in my ear when David walks off to see how the others are doing.

  “Oh god, don’t,” I say with a laugh as I look to the side to see the couple closest to us grinding away against each other.

  “It’s a good job they’re all past it. Otherwise, there could be more than ten kids conceived tonight.”

  “Oh, please stop.” The image that brings into my head is too much. “Anyway, where’d you learn to dance?” I ask, because this clearly isn’t his first time.

  “Promise you won’t laugh.”

  “Of course.”

  “A year or so ago, my sergeant was getting married. He’d been having lessons with his now wife but when we got deployed a few months before the wedding, he needed a partner.”

  “Oh my god,” I mutter quietly, trying not to smile. “You took her place while he practiced?” I really want to laugh at the image of two strapping army men ballroom dancing around whatever war torn country they were in, but what he did was too cute.

  “That was so nice of you.”

  “You never say no to a favour when the next day that man could be the one to save your life,” he says, but I can see he instantly regrets bringing his reality into this.

  “Well, you’re very good.”

  “What about you?”

  “I had dance lessons until I was about fourteen.”

  “That’s it, perfect
hip action,” David says as he stares at Jay’s arse a little too intently. Jay narrows his eyes at him and I try to hold in my smile.

  The dance class goes on for two hours. I never would’ve thought some of those old couples would’ve lasted that long, but they all look more awake than I feel.

  “Right, one last time, all the way through from the top,” David announces after everyone’s had a quick drink.

  Jay pulls me flush against him and places one hand on my waist and the other in my hand. He lowers his head so our noses are touching and he looks deep into my eyes as we wait for the music to start. We’re not saying any words, but I feel like we’re having a conversation, communicating just through our eyes how much we’ve come to mean to one another after only a few short days.

  I don’t hear the music start, I’m too lost to him, but when he starts moving I quickly catch up.

  “Don’t step away from me,” Jay warns when the song comes to an end and the other couples separate.

  “Why? We’ve finished.”

  “Unless you want David and everyone else in the room to know as well as we do how much I want you right now, you’ll stay here.” To nail his point home, he flexes his hips and pushes his erection into my stomach.

  “We can’t stay like this all night.”

  Once all the couples have walked past us, Jay pushes me in front of him and we head over to join them, me acting as his human shield.

  “I can’t believe we’ve got to sleep in separate rooms tonight,” he whispers in my ear. “You’ve no idea how badly I want you right now. The thought of making you come again is fucking painful.” His words don’t help the throb that’s going on between my thighs, nor his hard on that’s now pressing into my back.

  Jay fidgets the whole journey to the B&B in the back seat of Mary and William’s car. I feel for him because he must be uncomfortable, but I’m equally amused by the situation.

  “Would you two like a nightcap before turning in?” William asks once we’re all inside.

  “That’s very kind of you, but I’m exhausted,” I respond, thinking Jay won’t be up for it, but to my surprise, as I say no, he says yes.