Waiting for Her Soldier
felt my whole body flush. Damn, the Marines had been good to him. He’d always been athletic. I mean, what would you expect of a starting quarterback? But I could see that his Spartan life as a soldier was chiseling his body nearly to the point of perfection. And that smile, how could I have forgotten that smile? It was the same smile he’d flashed every time we saw each other in the hallways in high school. But now he looked more grown up—a man who had purpose and knew the importance of his task.
    I could feel myself getting wet. I wanted to head upstairs to my bedroom and touch myself after staring at that picture for so long. But I fought the urge, telling myself it could never be; I knew Darren didn’t think of me that way. Besides, I’d put on weight since he’d last seen me—that was one of the negative effects of starting my own sandwich shop. I grabbed a pen and paper and decided to write him back instead.

    The weeks went by and my life became even more hectic. Things were getting busier and busier at the shop, especially after we launched our website and received a positive review by a food critic in the local paper. But as busy as my life got, I still always made time to answer Darren’s letters. The fact was that he was becoming a bigger and bigger part of my life. I didn’t want to admit it—I didn’t want to get attached when I didn’t know if he felt the same—but I couldn’t help it.
    I had Darren’s picture on my nightstand and every night, he was the last thing I saw before I fell asleep. I was falling for him, and the crazy thing is, it never would have happened if he hadn’t written me that letter. Through all those years in high school all we’d really felt was platonic friendship, but through his letters I was seeing the type of man he’d grown into. I wanted him to come home, and once he was home, I wanted him to be mine. But how long would I have to wait? And was it possible that maybe he felt the same about me?
    In late October, I received a letter that brought an even bigger and better surprise than the picture.

CHAPTER 8
———
    October 26, 2013
    Lauren,
    I’ve got big news. I’m going to be home for Christmas and I can’t even tell you how happy that makes me. I love my life as a soldier, but it’s a hard life and I’m ecstatic to finally be coming home to the land I love and the people in my life who mean most to me.
    I should be flying in on the night of December 22nd. Can you pick me up at the airport? I can’t wait to see you in person, there’s so much to tell you that I just never got around to saying in these letters. It’s going to be just like old times. And now I’ll finally get a chance to check out your new business. So glad to hear that things are still going well with that.
    I’ve got to go because we’re about to be briefed about our next night raid. And don’t worry, it’s pretty routine, so nothing for you to worry about. I know how concerned you get about these things, but I promise I’ll be fine. And think of it this way, in a couple months I’ll be home safe and sound—for good.
    See you soon,
    Sgt. Darren Henderson

    I read the letter three times before the full force of it finally hit me. I’d be seeing Darren in person. In less than two months, he’d be standing right before my very eyes. There was so much to do. My mind raced: how much weight could I lose in two months? I’d need to start dieting and exercising immediately, but where could I find the time? I was at the shop over ten hours every weekday, and recently I’d found myself going in on the weekend, too. The fact was that the place just couldn’t run without me. Ugh, I’d have to think of something. I needed to look good for Darren.
    But maybe I was kidding myself. There was a good chance he didn’t even feel the same way as I did. But there was something in his letters that gave my heart hope, some subtle tone to the things he said, a secret meaning that only I could

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