Behind Close Doors

Chapter Thirty-Seven

I NERVOUSLY BIT MY LIP as I sat in the lounge chair waiting for Lester's return. He went in line to submit his written application for the marines a half an hour ago and then joined another group to go to the testing room. I don't even know why I was nervous for him. The last time we talked it sounded like he felt confident he was going to do well.

Nevertheless, I was about two seconds away from getting up and pacing around the room when the same group of people Lester was with earlier emerged from the testing room. I tilted my head at different angles, trying to spot Lester's figure among the pack, and sighed in relief when I found him. I rose from my chair and met him halfway.

Instantly, I could tell something was off. I noticed his head was hung low, and his hands were stuffed into his pockets, a pout on his lips. I wasn't sure whether or not I should ask him what was wrong right away, so I decided to take another approach.

"Hey, how'd it go?" I asked with a neutral expression on my face even though I was dying to know on the inside.

"It was alright," Lester shrugged as we made our way toward the exit.

That's not a good sign. "Um..." I took a deep breath before continuing, hoping my question wouldn't upset him. "Did you, I mean do you, think you passed?"

"Well..." He trailed off with a frown, opening the door for us to leave. I felt my stomach drop and reached out to comfort him with my hand when his frown suddenly morphed into a smile. I retracted my hand, confused by his change in attitude.

"The Sergeant pulled me aside and told me that I got the highest grade in the group," Lester declared with the widest smile on his face. "I'm on my way to joining the marines!"

I gasped and swatted his arm. "You little shït. By the way you were acting I thought you failed," I told him.

He shook his head at me with a chuckle before embracing me tightly. I wrapped my arms around his neck just as tight as he spun us around a few times before setting me back on the ground, so that I wouldn't get dizzy. I couldn't help but notice the way our noses slightly brushed against each other's and the hitch in his breath. I awkwardly cleared my throat and began walking backwards on the sidewalk.

"Let's go to Amelia's diner. My treat," I offered him while heading over to his car.

Lester gave me one more smile before joining me. He opened the passenger door for me and then walked around to the driver's side once I shut the door. I buckled in my seatbelt and watched him do the same before roaring the engine to life and backing out of the parking lot.

"You know, I'm so proud of you, Lester," I told him, meaning every word. "The marines is lucky to have you."

His cheeks reddened once he heard my compliment, and he bit his bottom lip before saying, "Thank you."

§

When we arrived at Amelia's diner, I requested the booth Sia and I would usually sit at when we came here and for Ethan to be our waiter. He was pleasantly surprised to see me since the last time I had visited the diner was with Malaysia before Thanksgiving break, and we hadn't spoken to each other much in school.

"What can I get for you guys today?" Ethan asked with a charming smile.

I let Lester study the menu a while longer before telling Ethan what I'd be getting. "I'll have the chocolate chip pancakes with sausage and scrambled eggs."

Once he finished writing ny order down, Ethan shifted his attention unto Lester.

Lester looked up from his menu and told Ethan what he wanted with a smile.

"I'll be having the same thing as the lady except I want my eggs sunny side up and bacon instead of sausage," He informed Ethan.

"Alright. And how about drinks?" Ethan asked while flipping to the next page in his notepad.

"Can I have water with a slice of lemon on the side?" I requested.

Ethan nodded his head and wrote on his notepad while asking, "And for you, sir?"

"I'll just have an Arnold Palmer," Lester said, grabbing our menus and handing it to Ethan.

He thanked him with a smile and told us that he'd be right back with our drinks and food. Lester and I passed the time by making small talk and discussing the next steps for him getting to join the marines.

"All I have to do now is stay fit until I'm shipped to one of their bases for basic training," He explained with a smirk. "Shouldn't be too hard since I'm pretty ripped right now."

"Cocky much," I muttered under my breath, making Lester laugh.

"Just stating the facts," He replied.

I playfully rolled my eyes at his statement and shook my head at him with a smile. I still couldn't believe that in just a few months he'd be shipped out of Silver Springs and start training to serve his country somewhere else. As I sat across from him in our booth, I made a silent promise to myself to cherish the rest of the time we had together and to do my best to make it memorable for him.

Author's Note:

Hey everyone. I just hit you with updates back-to-back (see what I did there?). I've been feeling really inspired lately so hopefully I'll be able to finish this story sooner than I thought. Can you believe that there are only twenty four chapters left? I can't either. This chapter was a filler, but the next one will be more interesting, I promise.

Feel free to vote, comment, follow me on wattpad, or share this story with a friend. I'd really appreciate it if you do. Also, be sure to check back on the chapter titled "UREGENT!! YOUR INPUT NEEDED" since I updated the list of stories to include two more. The newest stories to join the list are Carolina and Diana :)

Question for my readers: The Watty 2017 awards are accepting nominations beginning Thursday, and I was wondering if any of you would vote for this story if I entered it in their contest?

Let me know in the comments section.

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Kaylandia