I snap a few more, making sure to zoom in on their faces and some other body parts so it’s clear who they are and what they’re doing, when the passenger door of the SUV snaps open and Sean climbs in with an unhappy look on his face. I can barely hold in my amusement of the situation. I have to bite down on my tongue to keep from laughing outright. Maybe next time, he will think twice about saddling me with the early bullshit legwork when he’s got a hot date with a sure thing and my woman is deployed.
“This is not funny,” he snaps. He’s mad as hell and I know exactly why. Payback is a bitch, brother.
“Oh, I think it’s fucking hilarious.” I laugh.
“Mr. Watkins is into some seriously kinky shit,” he says, still holding onto his disgruntled demeanor. “And not even the fun slap and tickle kind. But the dark kind. And I meandark.”
I can’t help it. I can’t hold it in. I throw my head back and laugh. I laugh until tears track down my face and it hurts to breathe. When I finally get a hold of myself, I look over at my friend and lose it all over again. He’s so mad.
“Oh my God,” I gasp, clutching my belly. “Stop looking at me like that. I can’t take it. I’m dying.”
“This is your fault,” he pouts like a fucking toddler. A toddler who just so happens to be built like a linebacker for Detroit.
“No,” I correct him. “This is your fault. It was your turn to do the legwork, and you dumped it on me to go get your dick wet. This is your payback.”
“Ugh, fine,” he pouts. “Brandi was totally worth it. I’m seeing her again tomorrow night.”
I smile at him, then raise the camera again and snap a few more pictures.
“I’m sorry,” he says quietly. “I didn’t mean—”
“Dude, don’t be such a girl. I’m fine.” But am I? I’m kind of a moody bastard lately, pining away for my woman who’s far away and out of contact. I don’t miss the dating, the meals eaten in random spots, the bars, or the women who want a quick ride on my dick, I miss her. I miss the way she makes me laugh or the way she lets me hold her late at night or on the beach. I miss the smell of her on my skin and my sheets and the taste of her on my tongue.
“Is it weird?” he asks. “You know. Not being there.”
“It kind of is,” I answer. “I’m used to being the one on a mission, focused and out of contact. We were so busy that we didn’t think to call home, and now she’s too busy, and I’m wondering where she is or what she’s doing.”
He grabs the camera from my hands and flips through the pictures I’ve already taken. He cringes and makes the most ridiculous face, and I can’t help but chuckle again. He’s not wrong, they are not attractive when they fuck.
“Well, it looks like things are good on your end too,” he says. “Why don’t we go grab a pizza and see if we can catch the last half of the game?”
“That sounds good,” I answer, putting the car in drive. He’s right. I need to get out and be around people. I’ve been doing nothing but working and then going home to an empty house for the last few weeks. I know he was joking when he told Mack that I was becoming a shut-in while she’s been gone, but he’s also not that far offbase either.
I pull into the lot of the local restaurant and shut down the car. We climb out and make our way into the small hole-in-the-wall pizza place. It’s family owned and definitely not a chain restaurant.
The hostess leads us to a booth and hands us a couple of menus, but we don’t need them. We order a large pizza, wings, and a couple of beers and sit back to catch the last bit of a game on the TV that hangs over the bar.
“So…” he starts when she walks away to put our order in. “Are you really okay?”
“Aw,” I coo. “You really do care.”
“Don’t be an idiot,” he says rolling his eyes. “I’m serious.”
I sober instantly. “I know,” I say quietly.”
He looks away and then looks back to me. “So are you?”
“Yeah,” I answer seriously. “I think so. But I did need to come out tonight so thank you. You were right.”
“What was that?” he asks, holding his hand up to cup his ear. “I didn’t hear you.”
“I said you were right.”
“I’m sorry, what was that?”
“Fuck off, asshole,” I say, wadding up my napkin and throwing it at his face. “You know what I said.”
“Aw, love you too, cupcake.” He laughs.
