47. Chelsi
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
chelsi
The past month of living with Alex has been nothing but spectacular.
It’s almost too perfect. We seem to balance each other so effortlessly.
There’s a part of me that keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop.
For something to go wrong. We eventually have to get out of the honeymoon stage.
We can’t live in complete bliss every day for the rest of our lives.
Or maybe we can?
Is this what happens when you find your soulmate? You’re perpetually in sync and able to work through any problems that arise without them snowballing into major issues.
That’s the type of marriage my parents have, and Kate and Jake have. Now I wonder if I’m lucky enough to be experiencing it, too.
I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face as I sit curled up on the couch in the living room, waiting for Alex to come home.
He’s been at Marine Corps Reserve training all weekend, and so busy it’s been almost impossible for us to chat.
It’s mindboggling how much I missed him after being apart for a few days.
How much harder it is to fall asleep at night when he’s not spooning me.
How he completes my life in a way I didn’t know was possible.
“Chelsi, you home?” Alex asks, opening the front door.
Unable to hold back my excitement, I launch myself off the couch and run straight into his arms.
“Seems like someone’s missed me.” He tightens his hold on me, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Any chance I can put my bags down?”
After releasing my grip on him, I take a step back to give him space and smile. “Just excited to see you. This place doesn’t feel like home without you.”
A huge grin splits his face. “The feeling is mutual, gorgeous. I’m so glad to be home. At least for a few days until I hit the road again.”
I groan, tossing my head back. The last thing I want to think about is Alex going on tour next week. The summer concert season is almost over, and I don’t think I’ve ever looked forward to fall as much as I do right now.
“How was training?” I ask, following Alex into the living room as he drops his camo duffel on the floor.
He runs a hand through his dark brown hair. “It was fine. Just the usual drills. Nothing special.”
A sigh of relief comes out of me, grateful to hear that he wasn’t preparing differently than normal.
With all the conflict in the world, I’ve become more concerned about the possibility of Alex suddenly being deployed ever since my dad brought it up last month.
It’s a nagging voice in the back of my mind that likes to remind me how quickly our lives could change.
“Did you have a relaxing weekend?”
“It was fine. Kate was with Jake, so I mainly stayed here and binged a few shows.”
His eyes narrow. “Which ones, Chelsi?”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t watch any of our shows without you. I’d never do something so egregious.” I place my hand on his chest, the dampness of his shirt touching my skin. “Unless you’d need to punish me for it. Then I might have a different answer.”
A low growl comes out of Alex. “Fuck, I’ve missed that mouth of yours. Being without you for a few days and unable to talk is detrimental to my well-being. I need a daily dose of my girl.”
“Is that all?” I ask with a smirk.
He steps forward, reducing the space between us until his nose trails up my jaw. “No. I prefer to have at least one serving of your pussy every day, too. I’m three days behind my doctor-prescribed serving.”
My breath hitches as heat pools in my core. “We’re definitely going to need to rectify that situation quickly. Wouldn’t want you disobeying your doctor’s orders.”
He peppers kisses on the pulse point of my neck, sending a shock of electricity throughout my body, winding me up in a way that only he can. “As much as I want to bend you over this couch and fuck you until you can’t walk, I should probably take a shower.”
Leaning my head against his chiseled chest, I inhale deeply and immediately scrunch my nose as the combination of dirt, diesel, and sweat mixed with his normal woodsy leather scent hits my nose. “Yeah. That’s probably a good idea.”
He kisses my forehead again, then takes a step back. “Wanna join me?”
“Normally, I’d love to, but I spent three hours on my curly hair routine this morning, and I can’t risk messing up my hard work.”
Alex flashes me a grin. “Not a problem, gorgeous. I’ll have my way with you once I’m clean. And fed. Definitely need some food before I spend the next few hours fucking the daylights out of you.”
I clench my thighs together, eagerly anticipating whatever he plans to do with my body this evening. It’s like he knows how to get my motor running, so I’m dripping wet and craving him before we take our clothes off. He’s basically a Chelsi body whisperer.
“What do you have in mind for dinner?” I ask, trying to get my head out of the gutter and not think about his mouth between my thighs.
“How about burgers and fries from the place down the street? For dessert, I plan on eating you out until you come on my tongue at least twice. Sound good?”
“Uh-huh,” I pant, squeezing my legs together tighter.
Alex takes out his phone and starts an online order. “Want to get our usual?”
I nod and smile, relishing the fact that we have “a usual.” Why is it that the smallest things can sometimes mean the most? Can hit you the hardest. Have the biggest impact.
“Done. Should be here in less than twenty minutes. I’ll jump in the shower, so I’m out before dinner arrives.”
“Okay. I’m so glad you’re home, Alex. I love you.”
“Me, too, Chelsi. It was pure hell being away from you. Can’t wait until that part of my life is over.” He gives me a quick kiss and a smack on the butt before heading into our bedroom.
Never wanting to miss out on the chance to see my boyfriend naked, I follow him and sit on the edge of our bed, mindlessly scrolling on my phone.
Alex’s phone rings and rings on the nightstand before stopping.
A couple of minutes pass until it starts up again.
“Alex, your phone keeps ringing,” I call out from the bedroom.
“Why don’t you answer it? It’s probably the burger place. They called last time when they ran out of the Colby-Jack cheese you prefer, and needed to know what replacement we wanted,” Alex shouts from the bathroom, his voice slightly muffled from the water pouring down on him.
I reach for Alex’s phone and answer.
“Hello,” I say, standing near his nightstand.
“Is Alex there?” an unfamiliar female voice asks.
“He’s unavailable. How can I help?”
She clears her throat. “Can you please ask him to call me back? He hasn’t returned any of my messages.”
That’s unlike him. He’s always good about getting back to people. She must’ve reached out about something over the weekend and assumed he was working like he usually does. He doesn’t tend to make it well-known to people outside his circle that he’s also in the military.
“Sure. He was out of pocket this weekend at Marine Corps Reserve training, so I’m sure that’s why he hasn’t had a chance to get back to you.”
“I doubt it,” she mutters, barely loud enough for me to hear her.
“Any message I should give him?” I ask, looking around the room for a piece of paper and a pen.
“Just tell him to call his wife.”
His… his what?
“It was nice talking to you, Chelsi,” she adds before ending the call.
His phone falls out of my hand to the ground as the room begins to spin out of control.
His wife.
He has a wife.
He can’t.
He wouldn’t.
Tears start streaming down my face as my heart cracks in two, an unbearable pain ricocheting through every inch of my body.
I have to get out of here. I can’t stay here.
After quickly grabbing my phone, shoes, and keys, I leave without saying a word, with no destination in mind, needing to get as far away from him as possible.