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Ten
AURELIUS
“Finally!”
She stumbled into the kitchen, trailing the blanket behind her. Even bedraggled she looked incredible, all sleepy-eyed and bed-headed and dragging her feet.
“W—What happened?”
Dakota’s voice cracked as she rubbed the sleepers out of her eyes. Her makeup was everywhere. Contrary to what most women think they look like with smudged mascara, I’d always found it adorable.
“You crashed here last night,” I told her. “Between the jet lag and the white Russians you passed out mid-sentence.”
“I did?”
“Yes.”
Our sleepy blonde house guest grunted. “So attractive,” she yawned.
“Very,” I agreed. “Jace carried you up to his room and gave you his bed, then took the couch.” I pulled down a coffee mug and poured until it was full. “Milk or sugar?”
“Both, thank you.” She paused, looking around. “Where are the others?”
“Working all morning, on base. They’ll be back early this afternoon though.”
“Oh.”
She sank into the nearest chair. I slid her the mug, looked up at the wall clock, then made for the doorway.
“Drink that, then shower fast.” I pointed back to the staircase. “I left you towels in the upstairs bathroom. There’s aspirin in there too, if you want some. Your clothes are in the guest room, third door on the left.”
Confusion crossed her face. “My clothes?”
“Yeah, Merrick and I kinda took the liberty of lifting your hotel key and retrieving your stuff for you. Since we didn’t know what you needed, we brought it all.”
She stopped the mug halfway to her pretty lips and blinked. “My stuff ishere?”
“Everything that was in there,” I smiled. “By the way, what’s in that square box? It’s heavy as hell.”
She took a long pull from her coffee mug, her eyes closed the entire time. When she opened them again they looked clearer, much more lucid.
“I’ll show you later.”
“Fair enough,” I told her. “Now hurry, because we’re already late.”
“Late for what?” she squinted.
“You’ll see. Dress casual, and meet me outside when you’re done.”
I began walking the seven blocks it would take to bring the car around, taking my time with a leisurely stride. It was another gorgeous, seventy-two degree morning. The kind of morning where the sky was so blue it didn’t even look real, and the clouds were so stark by contrast they seemed painted on.
I’m going to miss skies like these, I mused silently.But definitely not the rain.
I breathed deeply, trying to remember my time in Greece. I was only seven when we left. The clear, dry summers were something that still stuck out in my fondest childhood memories, especially when compared to the never-ending rain of Washington state.
Growing up in America had been tremendous! Living in and around Seattle, even more fantastic. There was so much hustle here, so many people moving so quickly and with purpose as compared to back home. I grew to admire it, even emulate and revel in the aggressive work ethic. By seventeen I was a US citizen working the shipyards of Tacoma. By eighteen I was enlisted in the Navy, excelling so far beyond my basic class I was immediately shipped off to BUDS training.
But now…
