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“I don’t know if he’s completely mushy gushy, but he has been really sweet. Before he left for WESTPAC he wrote a letter to me.” Skye wasn’t about to tell her she had read it a hundred times and kept it with her wherever she went. The words melted her heart every time she read it. “He just does cute stuff like opens doors, he puts his arms around me when I’m cold, and he knows how I like my coffee.” She thought about all of the things he did without her prompting him. He just did them. Like lighting candles and stopping by with armfuls of flowers. Some mornings if he left work before her, he would leave notes on the mirror for her to find.
“I knew he would pull it together.” Faith looked happy.
“Did he talk to you about us? I guess he mentioned me.” The air was starting to cool and Skye pulled a blanket from the back of the love seat to throw over her legs as she tucked them behind her.
Faith laughed. “He did. I knew weeks ago that he was crazy about you.”
“You did? How?”
“Because, Ben’s not really the one-woman type.” Faith stopped. “Oh God, that sounded awful. I mean he never got serious with one person. It’s a compliment to you that he wanted to change that about himself. I meant it as a compliment.”
Skye sighed. It wasn’t as if she thought he was a saint. She knew he was skilled beyond her level of experience; she just wasn’t thrilled to hear it.
Faith rested her wine glass on the coffee table. “I’m sorry. I love Ben to death. I would never say anything bad about him, or say anything about him to upset you.”
“No, it’s ok. I knew he was a flirt, and I knew he wasn’t used to dating.”
“But he is now.” Faith smiled. “He is completely head over heels for you. It’s so awesome to see him like this.”
“You think?” Skye settled back into her seat.
“I know he is. How about another glass? I think I’ll bring the bottle out here.” The screen door latched as Faith walked into the kitchen.
Before Ben left for WESTPAC, she couldn’t imagine a life without him in it. It hadn’t occurred to her he might be trying to imagine a life with her in it. If she was the first girl he had taken the time to date, was he ready for this relationship? Skye swallowed the last sip of wine and tried to dismiss the nagging idea that she was Ben’s relationship experiment. They were more than that.
Faith appeared with the bottle and a plate of cheese and crackers. “I had to turn the oven up. It might be a few more minutes on dinner.”
“That’s ok.” Skye forced a smile.
“Uh-oh, I really did upset you.” Faith sat across from her. “Deployments are hard. You’re going through the roughest part right now. I’ve been there.”
Skye straightened her shoulders. Nothing she had experienced could compare to Faith’s loss. Suddenly, she felt like an idiot. “I’m fine. Really. See?” She pointed to her mouth as the corners turned into a smile.
Faith giggled. “Take it from me, doubt is your worst enemy during deployments.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s over there. You’re over here, And you have all of this empty time to yourself. You start wondering if he’s thinking and feeling the same things you are. You wonder if you made up the whole relationship in your head. If things were really as connected and as serious as you thought they were before he left. Because I know, right before a deployment things are intense. You connect on every level and can’t imagine breathing without him.”
“You are reading my mind right now.” Skye reached for the wine bottle and topped off her glass. She tucked her feet behind her. “When he was here I knew exactly what we had. I had no doubts. But now that he’s gone I’m questioning everything.”
“And I just made it ten times worse by that stupid comment. I’m sorry. Don’t let what I said take away from Ben’s feelings for you. It definitely is real. He wouldn’t have wanted me to call you and invite you over if he wasn’t worried and thinking about you.”
“He did that?” Skye assumed the call was Faith’s idea.
“Mmm…hmm. He called me a few days ago worried that you would spend all your time working at your office if I didn’t intervene.” She winked. “Trust me. He is thinking about you too.”
Skye felt her shoulders slide down her back. Wine with Faith was exactly what she needed. “Thanks, I do feel better.”
“Good. Just remember any time you start to doubt it you can call me. I’m happy to remind you how crazy he is about you.”
“Thank you, I’m afraid I might have to take you up on it.” Skye wondered how much harder the deployment would be. She was barely surviving the first week. She didn’t have time to think through it. Ben threw it at her. She had two choices: either end everything with him and let him go to Japan, knowing she wouldn’t be there when he got home or follow what her body and soul were telling her. Body and soul won.
“Anytime.” Faith’s expression turned playful. “You know I have a feeling you might end up with a ring on your finger.”
“What?” Skye clutched at her wine glass.
“I just know these things. You’re crazy in love with him right?”
