Chapter 6 #2
“The washroom and closet are over there,” she pointed out, raising a finger toward the doors. “I know it’s not a lot, but the military isn’t exactly one for extravagance, as I’m sure you’re well aware.”
“Not a lot?” Theo echoed, crossing the room and peering into the washroom and closet on the opposite side. “At Hillseth, the captains still had to use the communal washrooms like everyone else. Only leadership had their own.” He turned to face her again, his eyes wide with awe.
Jade grinned and leaned against the bed. “If only they could get us bathtubs. Then this really will be the lap of luxury.”
Theo laughed, and a sensation Jade couldn’t quite pinpoint struck all her senses.
The smell of newly cut grass mingled with the perfume of roses.
Gentle fingers running through her hair.
The soft comfort of freshly baked bread.
Water trickling over her bare feet in the creek. A woman’s voice, calling her name.
The sound of Theo’s laughter connected her to her old life, the life where two playful children lived in homes down the street and a mother protected and provided for Jade.
In all her time in the military, Jade never imagined such strong memories to be possible again, but Theo had brought with him a magic that returned her to her past.
Seeing him standing there before her, a man with the same eyes and smile as the boy from home, brought a surge of feelings that she had previously believed snuffed out.
She saw the friend she had caught frogs with to pit in a race against each other.
The friend who always appeared after dinner for a taste of whatever dessert Mama had made that evening.
The friend who had held her as she cried at her mother’s burial.
The boy who always supported her, encouraged her, and cared for her, whom she had once thought she might have a lifetime with.
Theo appeared to notice the change in Jade, tilting his head and losing some of his grin as he stared at her across the room.
“I really am glad you’re here, Theo.” The words were little more than a whisper, her use of his given name breaking down the walls of military formality surrounding them.
In three strides, Theo had returned to Jade and wrapped her in an embrace without hesitation.
She twined her arms around his neck, closing her eyes and inhaling his scent.
It had changed—the starch of his uniform jacket and aroma of the military-issued soap pronounced—but there, underneath it all, was the soft, earthy scent that she so closely associated with him.
He dipped his head into her neck, murmuring against her skin, “I missed you.”
Jade swallowed, willing the pricks behind her eyes to refrain from turning into tears. “I missed you, too.” She hadn’t realized how badly she’d ached for his presence. How little his letters compared to being with him. How much she never wanted to let him go again.
Theo pulled back and met her gaze, his eyes searching hers like he could read her entire story in them. His hands dropped to her waist, his touch delicate over the stiff fabric of her jacket.
Something in the atmosphere shifted. He’d never held her like that before, his hands gently circling her waist. Jade’s heartbeat quickened.
Every ounce of affection she held for Theo came rushing to the surface.
Could this be real? Could the one thing she’d dared to hope for and ultimately gave up on be within her reach now?
“Jade,” he whispered, their gazes locked, “you have to know—”
A clamor of voices carried from down the hallway as what was most likely a group of troops from Hillseth entered the barracks. Jade’s and Theo’s heads whipped to the open door of his bedroom at the same time, and Jade stepped backward out of his gentle grasp, bumping into the bed.
“Let me know if you need anything,” she mumbled, pushing off from the bed and finding her way around Theo. “I’m happy to show you around the base, or—”
“Jade.” Theo grabbed Jade’s hand as she tried to slip past him, tugging her back.
She glanced up to meet his surprisingly intense gaze, and his mouth opened as to finish his sentence.
But the voices grew louder as doors near them began to open.
Theo bit back his words, the muscles of his jaw clenching as he pressed his lips tightly together.
He seemed to reconsider, then finally murmured, “Where can I find you?”
“Capernaum barracks, to the right.” Jade smiled softly again, and one side of Theo’s mouth tipped up in reply. “Settle in. I’ll see you at the meeting later.”
Jade spun around and marched away, the soles of her boots clacking on the wooden floor. She heard the soft click of a latch behind her and knew Theo had closed his door. Without the sense of his eyes on her back, she sucked in a breath through her nose and released it in a huff through her mouth.
What was he going to say?
She knew what she had hoped to hear, but she couldn’t give credence to it. Not yet. Not until she heard those words from his lips.
But he’d come here for her. His gentle touch had sent warmth racing through her. Perhaps he wanted the same things she had all those years ago.
Jade squeezed her eyes shut for the briefest moment. She didn’t want to get her hopes up. But Theo was here now. There would be another opportunity for them to talk privately. She wouldn’t have to wonder forever.
She swung open the entrance door to the barracks and strode out, the mid-morning sun hitting her face and pulling her back into reality. The busyness of the base as the newcomers unloaded helped distract her as she wound her way through the commotion toward Command.