Silent Ranks

by USMC Best Friend

  “I like him he’s a bit quiet but he’s a good guy” Ryder nodded “and Brit’s head over ass in love with him so we have to respect that”

  “And what’s with you and Ana?” I pulled the kets from my pocket for my truck as we walked over and got into it

  “She’s amazing” he smiled blushing a little “She’s funny and sexy and intelligent and hot and beautiful and damn hot”

  “Okay I get the picture” I held up my hand “You look cute together… I think she’s going to take it hard when you leave on Friday”

  “Why?”

  “Come on it kills me when it’s you guys leaving but you’ve seen how Mom gets when it’s Dad going” He rubbed the stubble on his face “I think you’ll be in pieces as well” I looked across at him his eyes already glazing over “See you’re a big softy under the tough outside” I chuckled

  “Always” he nodded “and I’m already a mess thinking about not waking up with her”

  “I can help organize a wedding” I teased

  “Okay now you’re going too far” he wiped his eyes “Not yet anyway”

  Chapter 75

  Another side of Ryne

  We had Marek and Ana rolling with laughter and Ryder hanging his head as Brit and I hustled pool against too guys from out of town pretending like we didn’t know what we were doing, but somehow each shot we took with the sticky thingy ended up with the pretty balls going into the holey things on the table. Britt was acting like the blond airhead and I’d put on a Texan drawl thicker than molasses.

  “Are you girls sure you’ve never played before?” One of the guys groaned and scratched his head as they lost for a third game.

  “Oh My God are you two hustling?” we all looked round as Ryne walked in shaking his head.

  “Okay busted” Brit chuckled handing back the $30 we’d won “And for that Marine you’re buying lunch” She poked Ryne in the chest.

  “Why ruin the fun?” I pouted

  “Because you’d still be here at midnight taking money” Ryne kissed me and looked at the two guys who were standing a little open mouthed at my sudden loss of accent and Brits none bimbo talk.

  “No at midnight I was hoping to be in bed with his guy that…” I trailed off and looked at him “Okay you left my Mom’s in Jeans and a T-shirt why are you in Uniform?” I forgot about the two guys we’d been playing pool with. Ryne tried to smile my favorite smile but failed my hands were clammy and slipping on the cue in my hand, My Eyes flicked to my brother who was watching and listening he closed his eyes and hung his head a little and said something to Ana sitting next to him. “Ryne?”

  “I thought you’d rather have to undress me out of this” he tried to joke. My whole insides were knotted to the point of making my stomach lurch. “I know what you’re like” His eyes gave him away as they swam with tears. I put my arms round him he buried his head in my hair and held me to him.

  “Hey are we going to play or is this goon in some GI Joe costume going to muscle in?” One of the guys bitched.

  “Back off dude” Ryder called over shaking his head.

  “Hey these girls played us we want to at least play fair and square”

  “You heard the Ryder” Marek got to his feet “Back off”

  “You want to make something of it” One of the guys snapped tapping the pool cue in his hand

  “I’ll make something of it” Marek nodded “You shouldn’t come into a Marine town and give Marines shit”

  “Marines aren’t all that” The second guy laughed “the title gives you egos”

  “Ego’s” Brit was now on her feet “You pussies are blowing in here to party on the beach. Getting drunk day and night and trying to get laid before you go and sleep safe” Ryder and Marek grabbed her as she lunged for them “If you don’t want to stand behind and support the guys that make your life easy then fell free to stand in front of then when the bullets are flying” She yelled “You disrespecting sons of bitches” Ryne and I pulled apart and looked at her, she was hurting from Marek having to leave to go back to the Island and with Jack still away and Ryder leaving in a few days she’s was a firecracker.

  “I think you guys should leave” Ryne said calmly “There’s a lot of tensions here right now because of things that you wouldn’t understand”

  “You going to make me leave big shot” the bigger of the two guys pushed me out of the way to square up to Ryne.

  “Oh I wasn’t” Ryne sighed pinching his nose between his thumb and forefinger “But you just laid a hand my this Marines girl and that’s not okay”

  “She was hustling” the guy pushed Ryne’s shoulder.

  “And that’s a reason to push her” Ryne cocked his head “Because you got your money back and…” he balled his fist and floored the guy before he knew what was happening “it still doesn’t give you the right to push a girl especially not my girl” Ryne was over the guy and punched him again.

  “Ryder” I yelled as Ryne’s fists moved faster than I thought possible. Ryder and Marek both let go of Brit. Ryder tackled Ryne pulling him off the guy who was in a fetal position on the floor. Ryder pulled Ryne outside. Marek Put his arm round me and pulled me away as the guy uncurled himself blood pouring from his nose and from a cut above his eye

  “You see this is why you don’t disrespect the Marines” Brit shook her head “maybe you won’t be sore losers the next time and take a joke” I pulled away from Marek and hurried for the door Ryder was blocking the way for Ryne to get back inside.

  “What the hell was that?’ I pushed Ryder out of the way and stood in front of Ryne “He didn’t hurt me and you go and kick seven shades of shit out of a guy… it wasn’t Justin”

  “I know but he shouldn’t have done it and said what he said” Ryne yelled at me “I was defending you”

  “I noticed, but Ryne I don’t need you to fight ever battle and I certainly don’t need you getting in fights every chance you get” I held out my hands

  “It’s my job to look after you”

  “Job to look after me” I shook my head “Where the hell are you pulling this from?” I ran my hand through my hair “you see dating me as your job… wow should I be paying you”

  “Lose the sarcasm it’s not pretty” Ryne was still pacing and glaring at me

  “No and neither is having our relationship compared to being a damn job”

  “You know I didn’t mean it like that” he growled

  “Do I because this doesn’t make sense Ryne you come in dressed in uniform, You cried when you talked to me and I ask you about it” I swallowed hard “When?”

  “When what?” he stopped walking and stood facing me

  “The deployment” I demanded “You went to a meeting and everything about you has changed since you got here so when are you getting deployed?”

  Chapter 76

  Stormy

  “I think we should take this somewhere else” Ryder out his hands on my shoulders I shrugged them off and ignored him.

  “Come on when are you getting deployed Marine?” I folded my arms over my chest “Because you pull shit like you just did and your ass will be out of the Corps faster than your fists can move”

  “Tomorrow 8 am” he barked. I felt myself stagger back my heart in my throat “I leave at 8am in the damn morning to join a platoon in Afghanistan that have come up against a mine field in front of a school… They took heavy casualties because of it including the 2 EOD’s with them” He dropped his head.

  “Come on we don’t need to do this here” Marek said getting in between us. Ryder wrapped his arms round Ana who was fighting back the tears. I pulled the keys for my truck from out of my pocket Ryne took them from me and threw them to Ryder

  “We’re going back to mine” Ryne said flatly “We need to talk” I opened my mouth to say something

  “Aly shut up and just go with him” Brit’s voice cracked “You know it’s the right thing” I closed my mouth and nodded slightly. Ryne pulled Ana to him and
hugged her and whispered something to her that made the tears stream down her cheeks even more before he let go of her and waited for me

  “Aly we love you remember that and we’re always there” Marek squeezed my hand as Ryder dropped a kiss on my head.

  I walked after Ryne who was waiting by his truck with the door open. I got in he closed the door and walked round getting in without a word and starting the engine. For the second time in as many days the ride to his place was a quiet one only this time for a very different reason. We pulled up outside and I got out first before he’d turned off the engine the air inside the truck was heavy and depressing. The wind from the ocean whipped my hair as a rumble of thunder rolled over head and out to sea there was a streak of lightning, even Mother Nature sensed the mood of the evening.

  “Aly” I looked over my shoulder to Ryne who was waiting at the foot of the steps for me “You’ll get soaked if you stay over there much longer?” he pointed to the grey haze in the sky that indicated the fast approaching rain.

  “You won’t see the tears then” I shrugged as the first drops hit with force.

  “Alyssa please” He begged holding out his hand to me “I don’t want or need to waste a minute tonight” he walked over to me “Alyssa you either get your stubborn ass into the apartment or I’ll carry you in there” a slight smile twitched on his lips. I closed my eyes trying to etch it to my memory. “Okay now I’m getting soaked and the white shirt you have on is leaving nothing to the imagination and I just know the pervy old guy from downstairs will be watching” I opened my eyes and looked at him

  “Why Ryne?’

  “Well I don’t think he’s had a girlfriend so he likes to oggle…”

  “Not the neighbor” I sighed the rain making my hair stick to my face “Why did you lose it so easily?”

  “Aly lets talk about this inside” he linked his fingers with mine “Please”

  Chapter 77

  Fear on both parts

  The thunder rolled sounding closer this time than it had before.

  “Aly” Ryne tugged my arm I took a breath and relented letting him take me up the stairs to the apartment. He unlocked the door and stepped back for me to walk through first. The coolness of the air conditioning made me shiver as it blew across my wet skin. “Let’s go get out of these wet things?” He put his hands on my shoulders “and we’ll talk” I walked across the living room and up the stairs “I’ll put the coffee on and I’ll be up in a couple of minutes” he called after me.

  I went into his room and fetched a towel from his bathroom and peeled out of my wet things. The rain was banging against the windows I opened the closet and pulled out one of Ryne’s button down shirts and slipped it on wrapping my hair in the towel. I walked over to the window and traced a stream of rain water as it ran down the window.

  “You know there’s nothing hotter than seeing you in my clothes” Ryne chuckled from the doorway. I looked round he was minus his shirt and holding two bottles of beer in his hands.

  “It smells of you” I murmured he walked over to me and handed me a beer

  “Okay is that a good thing?” he teased.

  “Ask your sister because I bet she’s worn your stuff when you’ve been deployed before” I sighed “You scared me tonight Ryne” I walked round him and sat on the end of the bed “I was more afraid of you than I was of the guy that pushed me” Ryne’s face fell “You saw red and that was it what if I’d gotten in the way… or what if I said something to piss you off” Ryne crossed the room putting his beer down on the nightstand and crouched on the floor by me.

  “I’d never ever hit you. I’d never hit a girl” he begged

  “What the hell happened?”

  “I Love you” he reached up and stroked my cheek.

  “That’s not an explanation” I shook my head

  “Fine” he stood up “I had everything taken from me once before and I’ve almost had to face the same thing with you when Justin tired to come after you” He paced the floor rubbing the back of his neck “I’m sorry but I’m not prepared to let you go and I’m damn sure no guy is going to put his hands on you when it’s not necessary”

  “But you have to realize I’m not some girl that can’t take care of herself” I moaned putting my beer down next to his “I can take on jerks like the one tonight, you know that I’ve taken you down” he nodded “Yes I needed help when Justin came back I’ll admit that but you don’t have to take down every guy that looks at me”

  “It’s not just that” Ryne groaned “I’m scared I’m going to go away and you won’t be there when I get back, I’m going away and I won’t hear from the girl that I’ve fallen in love with. I’m scared that my heart’s going to be broken again. You know the reason I do the job I do”

  “And you’re putting me in the shadow of some girl that didn’t understand this life” I snapped “You’re comparing me to the ghost of some girl that didn’t have the backbone or the heart to love you properly, to love a Marine means giving everything” I poked him in the shoulder “You knock me up and I’d never get rid of it just because it’s a way out. You deal with shit that happens and you put on the big girl panties and suck it the hell up” okay I didn’t mean to go that far but everything I felt for the girl that had hurt Ryne poured out of me. Ryne stood looking at me as if I’d slapped him I picked up the beer and sank half of it my heart was pounding in my chest.

  “Are you done?” Ryne asked

  “You know what?” I turned round and looked at him “No I’m not” I walked back over to him “If you want me, if you want to date me, if you want me to wait for you Marine then don’t you ever compare me to Sarah ever again… I’m not her.” I held out my arms “I have what it takes to hold it together when you leave for months at a time. I don’t need to be babied. You want to date a ghost then let me know right now so I won’t hurt as much as I am. We shouldn’t be fighting right now I’m losing you for the next 7 months and maybe forever who knows” I stopped as I realized my own fears and laid them out.

  “You done now” he cocked his head to the side. “In fact I don’t care if you’re not done” he stepped up to me “I’m not comparing you to Sarah… I’m scared that you’ll find someone else”

  “Do you not see my wrists?” I held them up in his face “I know what it means”

  “Will you shut the hell up for one minute” He hung his head “I know all of that but it doesn’t mean I’m not scared”

  “You have to trust me” I dropped my arms “That’s all I can say you have to trust me” Ryne looked like a little boy right now that had woken up from a bad dream “You have to believe that this Marine brat will be waiting for her Marine to get home dirty camo and all” I smiled at him “And it sucks that I’m the one that’s having to piece back together this” I put my hand on his heart “it sucks that someone broke it in the first place no Marine should have to go away with it not in one piece”

  “I’m sorry I lost it tonight” Ryne closed his eyes “I never meant to scare you”

  “We have 8 hours before you need to be on base” I unbuttoned the shirt I was wearing “We’ve wasted enough time tonight. I need my EOD to rock my world” I dropped the shirt to the floor and was pulled into the arms of my Marine.

  Chapter 78

  First day

  I know we’d already trashed Brit and Jacks place but that looked neat and tidy compared to the mess in Ryne’s room right now. Ryne was lay on his stomach his breathing deep and steady. I slipped out of bed and grabbed the shirt from the floor and put it on the rain had stopped and the night become clear the storm gone for now. I opened the door and stepped onto the wet balcony and closed my eyes and breathed in the fresh salty air. I couldn’t sleep I was restless. Normally I had a while to get used to the idea of a deployment, this was horrible. I leant on the rail and looked at the stars that were lighting the night sky. I felt hollow and empty right now the more I thought about not seeing Ryne every day. I’d been told that it was
a whole different feeling when it was the guy you’re in love with leaving and everything I’d heard was coming true, it hurt like hell, it felt like I had a weight on my chest and someone was trying to pull my heart out by way of my throat. I sat on the edge of the chair and put my head in my hands. I felt the tears hit my knees as my shoulders shook.

  “You know if you do this I’ll start as well” I felt arms wrap round me and lips press to the side of my neck “I don’t know how the hell I’m going to sleep without you next to me” he murmured in my ear “All I know is I’m going to take every memory I have of you and make sure it’s the last thing I think of when I go to sleep at night and when I wake up I’m going to remember you as you are right now”

  “What half naked and crying on a balcony” I sniffed

  “No as my angel” he held my face in his hands “as the girl that finally gave me a reason not to be a reckless idiot, the girl that loves me enough to make me want to come home” He smiled with tears appearing in his own eyes “I told you before I didn’t care if I came home in one piece. I took risks that no one else would and I got punished for it hell I’m still a damn Sgt because of the shit I’ve done” He shook his head “I’m not going to do something stupid now I have you here waiting for me” I nodded “I’m sorry for scaring you, but I’ll never be sorry for defending you” he kissed me gently “Come back to bed” he got up and pulled me to my feet “we have a little over a hour and I want to hold you for as long as I can” he pulled me back into the bedroom and into bed wrapping me in his arms “This has to last us for a long time” he kissed my temple I snuggled in to him. The sun light began to fill the room leaving no trace of the storm from the night before. Ryne’s fingers were trailing up and down my arm as his phone rang. He reached for it.