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She held out her water bottle, curious if he would accept it. He hesitated, but took it and sipped before handing it back.
They stared at each other for a moment, the clock ticking loudly on the wall behind them.
“Aero’s not your real name.” After his last visit, Sam had reread the information Peggy had given her. “Aero” wasn’t listed, of course, but she wasn’t sure which name belonged to him.
“No,” he confirmed, but didn’t say anything else.
“Why do they call you that?” She was curious about all the club members’ road names and how they got them. A few of the men excitedly shared a funny story or a personality quirk that had led to their name. On the other hand, some were more reserved or not as easy to figure out. Aero was the latter.
“I was in the military.”
“And I went to college,” Sam said, “but that doesn’t mean I have a nickname.”
A shadow of a smile passed over his features but disappeared just as quickly.
“Aero means air. I used to work on planes,” he said, keeping it vague but giving in to her curiosity. He wanted to tell him more, a realization that made him shift uncomfortably.
Sam hmm’d, as if that explained everything, but it didn’t.
She wasn’t surprised he had been in the military. He had the strong build and quiet, stoic disposition of a soldier, and he moved like a ghost.
“My older brother was in the army,” Sam shared, thinking fondly of Anthony. She hadn’t seen him in a long time but hoped that small connection might get Aero to open up a bit.
“Was?” Aero asked, looking down at her hands. Like the rest of her, they were small, but her nails were clean and neatly kept. Her hands looked exceedingly soft. He found himself wondering what it would feel like to have her small, soft hands stroke his skin.
“He served for ten years, then became a corrections officer in New Mexico,” Sam shared, taking a sip of the water.
Her voice pulled him from his inappropriate thoughts, and he rasped, “That’s impressive.”
Aero thought about it and realized he must be about her brother’s age. He, too, had served ten years.
“I’m so proud of him,” Sam smiled, and Aero’s chest constricted.
Her smile floored him. Not perfect, like in a toothpaste commercial, but natural and pretty. Her lips looked smooth and soft, with the bottom one more plump than the top. He licked his own lips in reflex.
“Do you have any siblings?” Sam asked, wanting to keep him talking. This was the most she’d heard him say since first meeting him, and she didn’t want him to stop. His deep voice was rough, as if he didn’t speak often, and that made it even more entrancing when he did.
“Two sisters. Both are younger.”
McKenzie and Bethany had been his pride and joy growing up. Now, they rarely spoke and usually only did so through texting. They didn’t know where he lived or what he did; they just knew that he was still breathing and that he missed them.
“What do they do?” Sam asked as the bell rang. Aero stood and took a step backward toward the door.
Sam felt her chest pitch at his abrupt departure. She wanted him to stay, to keep talking, and to let her in. She wanted to be his friend.
“I’ll see you later,” he said, looking into her hazel eyes once more before exiting the room.
Sam smiled as she watched him leave. Her students soon arrived, and she switched to teacher mode to begin their math lesson.
Chapter 2
Sam stayed late at school, organizing her lessons and copies for the following day. Eventually, her stomach rumbled with hunger. Glancing up, she realized it was after five o’clock.
Gathering her belongings and turning out the lights, she locked her classroom door and turned, promptly shrieking in surprise and terror.
A dark figure was at the end of the hall, eerily illuminated from behind by the light in the gym — a large, black shadow in the dim hallway.
“Sam, it’s just me,” Aero said, stepping toward her, his hands held up in surrender.
