More Than I Wanted(6)

“Hey, it’s Austin,” he said, his voice thick with deep, smoky, undertones. I’m in trouble.

“Hi,” I sighed. It really was him.

“What are you up to?”

“Me? Now? I’m just watching old reruns. What about you?” Smooth. Great, I could barely think straight, I was smitten and amazed he was even on the phone.

“I’m a little antsy and was thinking about going for a walk. Would you care to join me?”

“A walk, now?”

“I could meet you somewhere,” he said. “Maybe we could get a bite to eat, hit a diner after the walk.”

“Umm, it’s kind of late, but I guess I could.” I quickly put my bowl of ice cream down on the table.

“Is now not a good time?”

“Can you give me fifteen minutes to get ready to go out?”

“Sure, take as long as you need,” he said. “I could meet you at the park entrance.”

“It’s kind of dark there,” I said. “They don’t have street lights.”

“Does the dark bother you?”

“No, no, the park is fine, or you could just come here.” I said it before I could take it back.

“That works, where do you live?” I was stunned; he was actually going to come over. Ah, he was coming over! I look a mess, and my place is a mess.

I gave him my address, and he headed over. I scanned the room, tossed some things into closets and drawers to straighten up, and ran like a crazed woman into the bathroom to touch up my make-up. A quick change out of my pajamas into casual lounge wear (read sweats), and I was ready when he got here, but just by a couple of minutes. Phew, that was close!

“Hey,” I said as calmly as possible, opening the door. Dear goodness, he’s cute. How do I possibly keep forgetting just how cute?

“Hey, are you sure you don’t mind me coming by? I get a little antsy at night and company is nice.”

“Not at all, come in. Can I get you something to drink?”

We settled into the living room with fresh drinks and slowly started the awkward dance of getting to know one another. I loved watching him talk, his facial expression, his voice resonating through me, and I knew I was going to fall hard if he stuck around long enough.

I hoped I didn’t bore him, but I kept up my end of the conversation, and before we knew it, a couple of hours had passed. I was afraid I wouldn’t know what to say, but everything seemed to fall into place. One conversation led to the next, and the more we talked, the more we shared.

“I should be going; I’m probably keeping you awake. I have trouble sleeping these days, and I forget other people need to sleep on a schedule.” He stood, and I hated to see him go. He explained how his sleep schedule got messed up when he’d do a tour, and coming home it always took him awhile to get back into a normal routine.

“Please stay, just a little while longer,” I was afraid that once he walked out the door he wouldn’t be back.

He didn’t try to kiss me, and oh how I wanted him to, but he didn’t. He was a perfect gentleman, talking, and really seeming to need a friend. He told me stories of his tour, pranks they’d play on each other, and his desire to retire from the military. He was good and ready to get out. He thought this would be his last tour, was pretty sure of it, and that suited him fine.

While he talked about his time overseas a little bit, he didn’t go into detail. The most he’d tell me was that his sleep patterns were off, and he had nightmares time to time, but other than that, he didn’t fill in the details. I knew it was wrong of me to ask, since we were only getting to know one another. I just let him talk, which he obviously needed to do.

As the night wore on, more and more time passed, and soon it was close to two o’clock. I could barely keep my eyes open, but didn’t want him to leave. At some point, I’d changed my position, and we went from sitting on two sides of the sofa to me leaning into him. It felt so natural, and yet he still didn’t make a move. He simply lifted his arm to the back of the sofa and let me rest my head, as I was getting sleepy.

I woke in his arms on the sofa about five in the morning. He was sleeping, his head tipped back, and with a small smile I tucked my head back into his chest and closed my eyes. I knew at that moment I wasn’t going to work in the morning. I wanted to spend it here with Austin.

Oh my gosh, my breath. I don’t want him to wake to my morning breath! I snuck off and brushed my teeth, before coming back and snuggling in. He sighed and shifted in his sleep, wrapping his arms around me like a stuffed toy. It was heavenly, whether he was aware it was me he was holding or not.