Seven Letter Words #Wattys2016

Part 12

Juliet

Waking up is one of the hardest parts. While you sleep, the grief and pain of your loss seems to be tucked away in your mind. As soon as your eyes open, the thoughts and feelings all come slamming back into your consciousness. I woke up that next morning with a heart full of sorrow and a head swimming with thoughts of my brother. Maybe his funeral opened the door to this next phase of grief. I wished I could slam it shut.

Liam was already up. He was sitting at the small table with a cup of coffee. I could smell the fresh scent of soap and shaving cream. My eyes burned and I wondered how it was possible for them to feel so dry even though they were filling with tears. I moved the sheet up to my face and dried my eyes, turning over so I could look at him.

"Good morning, pretty girl." He said softly, leaning forward to see me better in the dark.

"Why are you up so early?" I asked. He shrugged his shoulders and reached for the coffee. The aroma finally worked its way over to me and I breathed it in.

"Used to it I guess. I did a little research on which way we should head out of here. When do you want to take off?"

"The sooner the better." I pulled back my covers and sat up. Liam watched me for a second, but then seemed to figure out what he was doing and looked away. He really was trying to be a gentleman. I appreciated that.

I grabbed a few things to rinse off in the shower before heading out on our long trip. I didn't know where he was planning on taking us, or where we would stay, but something about the way Liam carried himself made me believe I was safe wherever he was.

By the time we checked out of the hotel and fired up my brother's truck, the sun was already shinning above us and heating up the stale air. There wasn't even a breeze. I'm not sure when it was decided that Liam would drive the first stretch, but I liked that I didn't have to think about anything and could just stare out the window at my little town going by.

"So tell me a little about yourself." He said as he reached over and cranked up the air conditioning. My brother had loved this truck. He took really good care of it and had paid it off in full the first year he owned it. He used to tell me that buying a truck used was better than being the first owner because you could pay it off and put money into beefing it up. He didn't disappoint. He might have only owned it for a little while, but the roar of the engine was impressive even if you knew nothing about them.

"Well, I'm a senior and a good student. I have a small group of friends and I like to keep things pretty low key. I go to parties, but I'm not much of a party girl. I like watching Netflix over going out, and I love chocolate. That pretty much sums me up. What about you?"

He smiled at me and then turned his attention back to the road. I watched as his strong arms flexed to control the wheel as we left town and turned onto the main highway. "I'm nineteen. I joined the Corps right out of high school and love it. I was an average student in school and played on the football team. I was into parties when I was in high school, but now that I'm in the Marines, I like to just hang out in the beer garden on base or in someone's room. I'm getting more chill I guess the older I get."

"The beer garden?"

"It's a little area with tables where we hang out and have a beer after work."

"But you aren't old enough to drink." I knew that my brother didn't follow the rules, but I thought they had to be sneakier about it. Liam just smiled and shrugged a shoulder. That's all the information about that I was getting. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No." He glanced over at me again, and I nodded my head. "I had a girlfriend my senior year in high school, but we broke up before I went to boot camp. I've seen what some the guys went through when they were deployed and didn't really feel like getting hooked up seriously with someone before I deployed was a good idea so I've been single ever since."

"I get it." I was up to my eyes in boyfriend drama so imagining a life where I was single and free from it all sounded pretty amazing.

"Has your boyfriend tried to call you anymore?"

I looked at my phone log. He'd tried calling me a few times the day before, but so far today he seemed to finally be giving me some space. "Yesterday. He hasn't tried again today."

"Maybe he figured out what a douche he was and has decided to just bow out."

"Doubt it. No one breaks up with Garrett. He isn't going to let it go until he's sure we're ok." I tapped the top button on my phone and made the screen go black.

"Are you guys going to be ok?" He asked, his voice laced with doubt and concern.

"I don't even know if I'm ok. I have no idea how 'we' are going to be. All I know is that I can't go back to my life in Texas until I take care of my brother's wish in California." I set my phone into the cup holder and turned my head so I could watch the miles between the truck and my small town heartbreak fly by.