Chapter 19
If it were just her body I was after, I wouldn’t feel a physical ache just from being away from her. -Brian
Brian
I wait anxiously for the computer to boot up. It’s been almost a week since I talked to Reina on the phone. Things got a little hairy for a while here and my team was on a mission that took us to some incredibly remote places. I sent out letters when I could, but there’s nothing like seeing my girl face-to-face or hearing her voice on the phone.
Finally, her face appears, and I smile. She’s got a wide smile on her face and her dark eyes have a sparkle in them that makes my heart beat triple time.
“Hey, stranger,” she says in a sweet, soft voice. “It’s good to see you.”
I touch the screen, tracing the outline of her face. “It’s so fucking good to see you, sweetheart. I’m so happy I get to see your gorgeous face this time.”
She giggles. “Brian Richards, aren’t there like twenty other Army guys around there? Should you be talking like that to me?”
I glance around. Everyone here is engrossed in conversation with their wives or girlfriends, or the occasional weeping mom. Nobody gives a shit what I’m doing.
“They’re way too busy to worry about me, babe. Besides, if they were sitting where I’m sitting, they would say the same thing. You’re beautiful.”
Her dark skin reddens, and she looks down. “I can’t help but like it when you sweet talk, but I never know if you mean it.”
“Hey, look at me, Reina. Look up,” I beg.
Her gaze finally meets mine again and I breathe a long breath out. “Reina, I swear I mean every word I say. I’m not bullshitting you or trying to get into your pants. I can’t make you believe me, but I promise you I never say anything I don’t one-hundred percent mean.”
She nods and bites her lower lip, a lip that I would give anything to be able to touch and suck. “I’m trying to believe you.” She pauses. “Amit was here this weekend. He said I should believe you. He said I should give you a chance.”
I smile broadly. “I knew he sounded like a good guy.”
She brings her thumb to her lips and curses when she starts chewing on the nail. “I’m trying to stop this habit,” she says ruefully.
She looks away and then back at me again. “You really don’t mind that my best friend is a guy? It doesn’t bother you anymore?”
I admit, I was jealous as hell. But from what she says, he’s been a good friend to her, and Reina guards herself so closely that I’m happy she has more people there for her. If she wanted to step out on me, she would. There’s not a damn thing I can do from over here. But she doesn’t strike me as someone that would do that.
I shrug. “I trust you. And you said you don’t feel that way about him. If I can’t trust you, then this wouldn’t even be worth it.”
A shadow crosses her face, but then she tosses me a big grin. “We had the best time. We played a ton of Scrabble. We used to play all the time when we were kids. Have you ever played?”
I roll my eyes. “Reina, I am the Scrabble champion in my household. Has Sophie not told you about this?” I flick an imaginary piece of lint from my shoulder. “It’s just one of the many cool things about me. I once scored four-hundred points for the word quizzify.”
She raises an eyebrow. “That is not an actual word,” she scoffs.
“Yes, ma’am it is. Look it up. It means to quiz someone. Sophie challenged me on it and lost badly so she’ll sure as hell never forget it.”
Reina giggles and I close my eyes for a second just to enjoy the girlish sound.
“You’re so smart, Brian. Why didn’t you stay in school instead of joining the Army? You had to have the grades to go to college.”
My smile drops. I hate talking about my troubles at school, but this is Reina, so I tell the truth.
“I had horrible grades. I, um, have ADHD. I couldn’t sit still if my life depended on it. The Army gives me a chance to do physical things and do different types of work. I’m patient with long term things,” I almost add, like us, but think better of it, “but with schoolwork it was always hard for me to finish tasks. My teachers hated having me as a student because I just couldn’t sit still. Besides, the Army will pay for me to go to classes after I’m done with all this. I’m hoping to get my degree in computer sciences.”
She leans forward and nods. “I’m impressed soldier boy. I’m so not technical. I still have trouble getting on Zoom calls.” Color appears high on her cheeks again. “I had to get your sis to help me figure out Skype.”
I chuckle. “That’s fine, babe. I can always help you with that kind of stuff when I get back.”
She licks her lips and I swear the sight sends electricity to my cock. I shift in my chair.
“Speaking of when you get back, any timeline on that?” she asks curiously. I can tell she’s trying not to appear too anxious, but damn I can’t wait to go home too. Especially to her.
“The Army is unpredictable, but I’m hearing it could be as early as around Thanksgiving. That’s only a month away. So, only a month from finally getting to see you again in person.” Only a month until I can hold her in my arms. Until I can taste her.
Her eyes widen. “That’s soon.”
“That’s a good thing, right? I can’t wait to see you.” My stomach knots at the possibility that maybe she isn’t quite as excited to see me in real life.
She glances down again. “Hey, look at me, Reina. What’s wrong?”
Her head snaps up and her teeth clamp over that beautiful bottom lip again. “What if you don’t like me as much in person? What if all this is so easy because we’re so far apart?”
I shake my head. “Not possible, beautiful girl. You’re forgetting I became obsessed with you when I met you in person. We’ll be fine, babe, I promise.”
This time, she touches the screen. “I hope so, Brian, because I really want to see you. I didn’t know it was possible to miss someone so much especially someone I haven’t been around that much in day-to-day life.”
A warm feeling passes through me. Reina never says stuff like that to me. I place my hand on the screen so that our palms appear to be touching. “I miss you too, sweetheart. And everything will be perfect, I promise.”
I sit there in the uncomfortable office chair long after we’ve clicked out of Skype. What if I can’t make everything perfect for her? What if she always has doubts that I can be there for her? My stomach roils with panic at the thought. What if she gets tired of waiting for me and decides that it’s not worth it? Am I just like my dad? Am I abandoning the women I care about most in the world? Sometimes it sure feels that way.