AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We arrive at the Boardwalk twenty minutes later. Hard to believe she’s never been here, the one place most people know about Virginia Beach with its 28-foot-wide cement walkway that spans three miles along the oceanfront. It’s such a touristy thing to do but I don’t care. I just want to spend the day with her.
We make our way toward Neptune Park where a 34-foot-tall bronze statue of the sea god stands with a variety of sea creatures at its base. As Claudia takes pictures, I can’t decide if I want to kiss her or toss her over my shoulder and check in to one of the hotels a few yards away.
But this isn’t that night at Hot Tuna anymore. This time, I want to do things right. I want to take my time with her, get to know her better, and hope she feels the same way about me. It’s crazy but I want to court her the old-fashioned way.
After checking out the statue, we take our time strolling down the boardwalk. It’s nice to be outside and feel the sun and the ocean breeze against our faces. It’s nice to be home.
“I’m really glad we ran into each other again,” I say. “Since that night, I’ve often thought about you and wondered how you were doing.”
“Is that how one-night stands work?” she asks, chuckling. “Just kidding.”
“You’re a tough one.”
“You’re pretty tough yourself,” she says. “But I’d be lying if I told you I haven’t thought about you, because I have. I wondered how you were doing, too. I hoped you were safe and that nothing bad happened to you and your friends.” When I don’t reply, she continues. “I wanted to ask you how the other guys are. How are Bennett and Quinn? Are King and Tessa married now? Any kids, because she told us they wanted to start on that right away.”
My throat tightens and I turn my attention to the ocean in front of us. “Bennett and Quinn are fine.” My voice cracks and I clear my throat. “But there was an accident… and King was killed.”
Claudia stares at me, horrified. “Oh, Trevor, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
“That’s all right.”
She reaches for my hand. “And you? How are you?”
I don’t answer right away. Do I tell her I spent weeks in the hospital and that there’d been talk about me never walking again? That I’d gone through four surgeries and spent months going through rehab? That I’d started drinking to drown out the demons that told me no one would ever want me again? No, she doesn’t need to know all that. Not right now.
“I’m good,” I reply, my gaze straight ahead. “I’m here.”
“Do you still have to deploy?”
I shake my head. “I work in the private sector now. I still travel if I need to but it’s nothing like being deployed for months.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss, Trevor,” Claudia says as she lets go of my hand. But I reach for her hand and squeeze it, relieved she doesn’t pull away.
“Thank you. That means a lot to me,” I say, forcing myself to smile and steer the date toward something more positive. “Anyway, you ready to get something to eat? I’m starving.”
We head to the fishing pier and snag a table facing the water at Ocean Eddie’s. We talk about her first few days at the rehab center (“challenging”) and what I did since I first ran into her in the elevator (“sleep and appointments”). She tells me about how she loves living at Leigh’s instead of having to rent a studio for three months.
After lunch, we take a stroll on the pier to see what’s biting. From what we see, Atlantic croaker is plentiful though Claudia has never heard of it. She laughs in amazement when she hears one of them actually croak, hence the name. I love watching her reel one in and she does so expertly. She wasn’t kidding when she said she’s done this before.
As I watch her, I haven’t felt this happy in a long time. It’s as if the last year and a half never happened—the accident, King’s death, and the surgeries. The adjustment to my new life. Being with Claudia makes all those things fade away even for just a moment.
We make one more stop at the gift shop where she loads up on postcards and souvenirs like shot glasses and T-shirts. Half an hour later, we make our way back to my truck. We’ve both clearly had enough sun, enjoying the blast of cold air from the A/C the moment we I switch it on.
I want to take her to other places in the area but I stop myself. As much as I want to spend the rest of the day with her, she’s got work tomorrow. I also remind myself to slow down. Take things one day at a time.
One date at a time.
This isn’t the one-night-stand we had where we both knew there was an expiration date to the time we were to spend together. There’s none of that right now, at least, not for another three months.
My leg’s also killing me, and I need to get off my feet. If I hadn’t pushed myself past my limits during the mission, I wouldn’t feel this way but what’s done is done. I have to pace myself even if it means I have to cut our date short.
I drive back to the apartment, our conversation now shifting to music as Claudia goes through my playlists. Clearly, she’s not a fan of heavy metal but we find a middle ground in Meat Loaf, Bruce Springsteen, and The Allman Brothers Band.
By the time I park the truck in the garage,Soulshineis playing. We sit in the cab to listen until the song ends before I get out to open her door. We barely talk as we make our way to the elevator. The feel of her hand in mine tells me everything I need to know. Her smile as we step into the elevator, the way her gaze lowers when I look at her. The slow blush on her cheeks when I turn to face her as we stop in front of her apartment.
“I had a wonderful time today,” Claudia says. “Thank you for showing me one of Virginia Beach’s main tourist attractions. Five stars. Highly recommend.”
“You’re very welcome.” I grin. “I could take you to a few other places that aren’t too mainstream, if you like.”
