The waiters have just taken away all the plates and we have ordered another round of drinks.
"Ladies and Gentlemen" my dad says standing up across from me tapping a glass with a knife loudly making Casey giggles beside him making Zac laugh.
"Can I make a speech?" He asks
"My daughter Eden, it's your birthday. I can't say that I've been to the last few because well, you've been away" he begins
"Eden, is the most brave, beautiful young woman, most of us will ever meet" he begins and i smile, "with what she's done, most of us wouldn't have handled the pressure"
"Now I look at her, so so so proud of what you've accomplished" he says tearing up
"Dad please" i say with a slight chuckle, "you don't have to
"How often is it, that I can say in public how proud I am of my daughter?" He says and I tear up slightly, "how much I love you and how it broke my heart when I thought about you with..."
He stops talking and Casey puts her hand on my dads, "yeah I know sorry"
"I would have swapped places with you in a heartbeat if I could've done" he says and I wipe away a tear from my face
"Because you don't deserve that, you only deserve love" he tells me
"And how lucky are we that your back!" He says making people chuckle
"And you've got us now, to support you" he says
"Yeah with Max's help" I say and Max barks from the seat next to me and we all laugh
"I love you sweetie, so cheers to Eden" he says
Everyone raises their glass, "to Eden"
"So when are you coming back to school?" Ella asks us
"We can actually go back but we don't really want to risk it" Ethan tells her and she nods
"Or want to" i mumble and Ethan laughs
That and we don't want to go back at all.
It's alright for Ethan, he still has a career but mines future is very uncertain.
I think we are only staying in to get qualifications for when we leave the army.
"Come on! Come back!" James says and I laugh
"Just one day, and if not you can go again" Matt says and I look at Ethan and he shrugs
"How about I wait a week and I come in next week?" I suggest, "try to see if anything happens before then?"
"Deal" they all say and I laugh
"We better get going" Luke says and i nod and Ethan and I head over to them
"Hey man" Ethan and Cameron greet each other
"Nice work the other day" Cameron says
"All in a days work" Ethan says
"Well keep it up" Luke says and he smiles
"When are you going back?" I ask Luke and Cameron
"Tomorrow morning" Luke tells me i nod
"Have a safe flight" i tell them and they nod
I hug Cameron, "stay safe dickhead"
"Will do" he says
"You've got Terry some eye drops right? He usually complains about all of the dust" I say
"I told you we were forgetting something!" Luke says annoyed to Cameron
"I'll just get them in the airport" Cameron says, "relax"
"You won't be saying that when he comes charging all angry" Luke says and Ethan and I laugh
"He might not be able to see anything if he needs them so bad" Ethan tells Cameron
"We can only hope" Cameron says on edge and I smirk
"Stay safe, please" i tell Luke
"You know me, I won't do anything wreckless without you" he says and I laugh
I hug him and after a few seconds he talks, "Eden let me go"
"Fine" i grumble pulling away from him and I lean into Ethans side
"Woah woah woah, what's happening here?" Luke asks us
"Luke" I warn
"Oh shit sorry, your at that stage where you don't know what it is yet, my bad" he says and Ethan chuckles
"God I love you" i say and he smiles
"Love you too Eden" he says
"Bye" Cameron says as they walk past us
"Bye Max! See you next year!" Luke calls to him and Max barks at them wagging his tail on the chair
"Go say bye" i tell Max and he jumps off and runs up to them and he gets fussed over for a few minutes before Max rushes up to me and stand in between my legs again.
"Bye" they call
"Bye" Ethan and I say and they walk out of the door
"Listen to me" Ethan says turning to me, "before you start spirally and overthinking everything, they will be fine. They are bloody great soldiers so you have nothing to be afraid off"
I nod, "your right"
"Of course we are" he says
"We?" I ask
"Yeah, Max and I" he says, "I'm saying what he's thinking, isn't that right?"
Max barks and I laugh walking away back to my chair, "both of you, mental"
"She's rude" Ethan tells Max and i roll my eyes with a smile on my face and sit down
"Max, here" i say and he's instantly by my side
"So unfair Eden" Ethan says and everyone laughs
"It's not my fault he loves me more than you" i say
"Isn't that right gorgeous" I tell Max and he wags his tail
YOU ARE READING
Last Duty
ActionEden Martinez. Much more than your ordinary eighteen year old girl. At the end of her sophomore year she dropped out of college to join the army, and it was the best decision of her life. Yes it meant that she had to mature quickly, yes that meant...
