Drowning

Guardian

Three weeks had passed since the boat trip. My injuries were healing nicely and my face was almost clear. Emmett and I had been hanging out almost every day. We had gone out to dinner only once, both of us usually choosing to stay in rather than interact with the outside world.

Emmett found out last Wednesday that he was up for another deployment soon, which I always knew could come any day, so it wasn't that much of a shock. He was home for another month, then gone for six. I know knew why he hadn't been able to stay in a relationship before. Most girls would not be able to handle their boyfriend being gone for six months, much less a few days.

He told me that morning while we drove to his apartment. His Mustang was warm and his hands were adorned in black leather gloves only adding to his rugged demeanor. He had his hair pushed back in a beanie and wore a short length trench coat. The weather had finally gotten to him, so he succumbed to winter apparel. I was in my favorite hat, a scarf, and a similar pair of brown leather gloves, my hands curled in my lap.

His face had been scrunched up since I first entered the car, and his brow continued to furrow the longer he drove. His apartment was on the other side of town; I wasn't going to sit in silence the entire drive. I reached over the console and pushed my fingers between his eyebrows, smoothing out the creases there. "Emmett, what's wrong? You look like you just drank lemon juice." He relaxed his shoulders a bit then let out a long sigh. "I found out this morning that I'm up for my next deployment."

He ripped the news like a bandaid. I was a little surprised, but I did the math and realized that it was probably about time he went out again. "Alright, how long and how soon?" He looked at me then out of the corner of his eye and I realized that this is what he was worried about. "I leave in a month," that isn't so bad, I guess, "and I'm gone for six." No, I didn't hear that right. Six months without Emmett. It had been about two months since he entered my life, and his leaving in such a short time was not something I wanted to think about.

Emmett was clutching the steering wheel tightly then, glancing between me and the road, I'm guessing trying to read my face. "Okay."

I don't think that was the response he was expecting, since he swerved a bit off the road while staring at me from his seat. "What do you mean 'okay'?" He was angry, and I wasn't sure why. "I mean just that: okay." "So that's it! That's all!" He was so mad, but I didn't say anything to cause it. I knew this was coming, so why was he acting as if it were the end of the world.

"What? Emmett, no. I mean okay, as in, I knew that this would happen soon enough. It doesn't change anything. If it had, that would mean I was just expecting you to tell them no and magically stay with me the rest of our lives and live happily ever after. As nice as those stories are, they are not real life. This is, and I understand that." His mouth was open and his eyes wide. "So, instead of crying about it, since I will have six months for that, I'd like to spend this last month having fun with you. We can start by spending the day at your place." I smiled when I said that, already imagining the cup of hot chocolate in my hand while curled next to him on the couch.

"Grace, I have never had a girl react that way. They always throw a fit and decide that they can't do it." "Well then, it's a good thing I'm Grace. I'm not stupid enough to lose you just because you have to go to work." I took his hand in mine then, looking out at the road ahead.

Once we got to his apartment, we did exactly what I imagined. He fixed us both cups of hot chocolate, and we watched a movie, taking advantage of the few days we had left. Looking at it from a distance, six months was hardly anything compared to all the days after. I didn't have to worry about him going into a war zone either, since most of the current disputes were currently inland, and many others lacked a Navy.