AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“The girls were right. You do look like something out of a dream in your uniform.”
“You like a man in uniform, huh?”
“I likemyman in a uniform.”
“I’ll put it back on after we finish dinner if you want.” That earns me a laugh. “We can role play.”
“No thanks. I’ll take you buck naked.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
We wrap the leftovers up after barely making a dent. We’ve been joking around and laughing, but the air is heavy with the goodbye that’s bearing down on us. She plates one piece of cake and pours us each another glass of wine. With the two shots I did with Eli before, I’m starting to feel my alcohol, so I vow to go slow. What happens between us tonight is going to comfort me and hurt me—there’s no way around it—but I want to remember every moment, the good and the sad.
She leads me into the bathroom in her room after we force ourselves to eat a few tasteless bites. Grace strips out of her clothes, turns the shower on and then steps into the steamy mist. I stand outside the shower watching as the water wets her hair and runs over her skin. She opens her eyes and reaches a hand out in invitation when she sees me still standing there, and as I tug the shirt over my head and push the sweats off my hips, I tell myself something I know all too well:This is the last time.
Having Grace in my life these past few weeks makes this all so much harder. I didn’t know what I was missing before, but now I do. I know what her skin feels like, slick and wet in the shower pressed up against mine. I know how she sounds when I make her come. I know what it feels like to wake up and see that some beautiful girl has been watching you sleep, and I know how good her kisses feel.
I know Grace and I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with her.
As she comes down from it, her back still pressed against the tiles and her legs still wrapped around me, I raise up a silent prayer that I’ll know this feeling again.
Chapter Sixteen
Grace
He usually leaves without a word, slips out in the middle of the night without making a sound.
I sit up with a start, dragging in a breath as my eyes scan the room. He wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye this time, would he?
My pounding heart calms when I see the bathroom light peeking out from underneath the door and I hear the faucet running. A minute later he comes back into the room, dressed except for his jacket and hat.
I turn my lamp on and wipe the sleep from my eyes. Looking him over, I take a moment to study the crisp pleats on his pants and shirt sleeves, the perfect shine on his shoes. I don’t know this side of Damien. And while I admire the impressive form Sergeant Erikson makes in his uniform, I’m saddened by it even more.
“They’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“I know.”
He takes a seat on the bed next to me. “I love you, Gracie girl.”
“I love you too.”
Damien rests his forehead against mine. There’s nothing left to say.
A minute passes before the glare of headlights turning into the driveway signals the end.
“Don’t walk me to the door,” he says, whispering the words into my hair. “This is too hard as it is.”
I nod, unable to speak past the lump in my throat.
He stands up, crosses the room and grabs his coat and hat off the chair. Damien doesn’t look back when he says, “Write to me,” before walking out and closing the door behind him.
* * *
I stay up and watch the sunrise. Watch as the sky turns from ink black to a cool pale gray. There is no sunshine, no clear blue sky, and I’m glad for it.
Listening to the saddest ballads on my playlist and keeping to my room to avoid my roommates’ well-intentioned words of comfort, I spend the day reading and rereading the letter Damien tucked into my top drawer last night.
I can barely catch my breath at times, his words hitting me so deep in my soul that it feels like a physical blow.
