The Marine I Know

Chapter 20

Six months later

"Come on, Belle," Lilly says from my room. Tonight is the formal, and even though the gang has danced around the topic, I constantly reassured them that I'm going to be okay. He's serving the country that we all live in. I pull on my black, floor-length dress that has a high neck and lace with a design on it, my brown hair going up into a fancy up-do and I put some makeup on. I take a deep breath and let it out. I walk out of the bathroom, and the girls are looking at me with smiles on their faces.

"Oh, Belle, you look stunning." Clare gushes, and the girls following her lead.

"Thanks, guys, but I still don't know why I had to get all dressed up." I hang my dog tags on a hook that is surrounded by my most significant accomplishments in both track and volleyball. I put my heels on and grab my clutch to put my phone, keys, and money in it. We're all ready, and we make our way to the stairs. The guys are dressed in their tuxedos, each with corsages in their hands. Clare walks down the stairs to Quentin, and he puts the corsage on her wrist while she puts the pin on his suit jacket and the process repeats with Lilly and Autumn. Finally, it was my turn, and a feeling of emptiness hits me. I rub my necklace and then pull myself together enough to stand at the top of the stairs, but I notice one man with his back to me and looks vaguely familiar, and he's talking to Beckett. Beckett gestures towards me, and the man turns around, and my heart drops in my chest.

"Belle, you look stunning," Parker says, looking handsome in his marine uniform. His hair is slicked back, his broad shoulders apparent through his uniform and his hat tucked underneath his arm. I feel tears start to trickle down my face, thank the heavens for waterproof mascara and I walk as fast as I possibly can downstairs in heels and run right into his open arms. I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him with so much passion that we pull away, him smiling. "Holy crap," I smirk and lay my head on his shoulder.

"Damnit, I missed you," I whisper, and he puts a corsage on my wrist, kissing the top of my hand.

"I missed you too, my little duckling." I smile, and he holds out his arm for me to take, which I do, and we make our way towards a black limo. The chauffeur holds the door open as we file inside and take our seats. The door shuts, and Parker sits next to me, laying an arm across my shoulders.

"I have been waiting for Belle to smile since forever," Lilly says with a smile on her face. I nudge my nose up into Parker's neck, and then I lay my head on his shoulder, being careful not to mess up my hair. We arrive at the school, and we file out, and Parker offers his arm to me, our arrival catching the eyes of our classmates.

"No way is that him?!"

"He looks dashing in his uniform."

We make our way inside and make our way to a table to set our things down. Parker takes off his jacket, drapes it over the back of a chair, and I lay my clutch down on the seat while he puts his hat over it. The girls drag me towards the dance floor, and I reluctantly let go of Parker.

"You're fine. Go have fun." He whispers and kisses me on the lips. Lilly drags me away, and we start dancing, me with a goofy smile on my face.

"Oh, look at Belle, she's adorable." I hear Clare say, laughing. I dance, successfully not tripping over my dress. The song remixes into a slow song and the girls get swept up in their dates' arms. Parker comes up to me and offers his hand, which I gladly take as he gently pulls me into his arms. He has his hands on my waist and my arms around his neck, looking into his eyes.

'Don't you wanna stay here a little while? Don't you wanna hold each other tight? Don't you wanna fall asleep with me tonight.'

"Thank you for surprising me." I smile, and he lands a kiss on my lips. "If it wasn't for Autumn, I would've been curled up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn watching romantic comedies."

"I'm happy to see you happy." He twirls me a bit and then pulls me back in.

"Thankfully, we had enough room."I laugh, and we dance to the song and get swept up in each other's presence, and we hear someone clear their throat. We snap out of the trance, and it's Beckett, who has a smirk on his face.

"Is there room for one dance?" He asks and Parker nods, kissing me on the lips before letting me go, and Beckett replaces him. Another slow song appears, and I feel comfortable in his presence, but I catch myself looking over his shoulder when we turn to see Parker, his eyes showing sadness that makes my heartbreak. I feel his gaze on me, and I smile, which he returns.

"You're the perfect girl for him."