Seven Letter Words #Wattys2016

Part 21

                 

Liam

            We climbed into bed together like the married couple we had pretended to be. I turned on my back and rested my arm across the pillow, inviting her to lie on my chest. She didn't even hesitate. Her small frame curled into me and I kissed the top of her head because somewhere in my brain I was already programed for that. It was like my DNA was telling me that she was meant to be mine.

            Her hand swept up my chest and came to rest right on top of my heart. You know that feeling you get when you're very cold? That restless ache in your bones and a relentless shivering as your body tries to warm itself up? It might have been the perfect temperature in our room, but my hearts was reacting like we were in sub zero territory. It pulsed quickly and with a slight ache that immediately felt better once her hand was on top of it--like a hot blanket on an icy heart. She was melting me.

            "Were you and Pines always close?" I asked, running my hand along her blonde strands.

            "My mom says we were thick as thieves since the day she brought me home." Juliet smiled against my skin and I remained quiet so she would continue. "We did everything together. I know a lot of younger siblings get mad because their brother or sister treats them poorly, but Ken never did. He always let me tag a along with his friends and made sure I was happy at school.

            "We had some fights, of course, like any kids would, but those were just between us. Even if we were mad at each other, if someone else tried to say something against one of us, we'd both attack. It got a little bumpy when we shared the same high school. He didn't like some of the guys on his team hanging around me. I didn't want to listen to him because I thought he was trying to interfere too much in my life."

            I smiled because that was the Pines that I knew. He was so loyal to everyone. "How did you feel about him joining the Marines since that is one of your seven letter words?" I half tease.

            "Goodbye is a seven letter word. So are leaving and waiting." She sighed. "He always said he was going to do it. There was never anything else. From the time he was little he would proudly claim he was going to be a Marine."

            I knew that feeling. I had done the same. "Well, we're pretty badass." I tug on her hair and she glares up at me with mock anger.

            "Yes, the Marines are badass. But it's because of that that I cried when he signed. You are the first in and the last to leave. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out how dangerous that is. You aren't even allowed to buy yourself a beer, but you can be sent away and possibly die. It's fucked up." Her voice was fiery and I knew I was seeing a little window into how passionate she could have been when defending her brother.

            "It's an honor no matter the risks. No one could have talked me out of it." I told her softly. She nodded and went back to watching her hand on my heart.

            "I didn't even try. He had to do it. Sometimes we're given baggage from the generations before ours. We don't always get to choose what we carry with us. He was handed a big fucking sea bag full of duty, honor, and expectations. He's a third generation Marine. He picked that bag up and carried it without question."

            "And you?"

            "My bag was just as full." Her voice trails off a little and I knew she must've been thinking a million things inside her head. "My mom taught us to respect the military. She still flies both a Marine Corps flag and American flag on our porch when the weather permits. Even with all the heartbreak she had to survive with my dad deploying and eventually leaving us, she still showed us that it was all for something. The boys in my family had a greater purpose."