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“Work has been busy. California is hot.”
“Well, at least you’re staying positive about the move,” she comments.
I laugh, surprising both of us. The truth is that I have been focusing on the negatives. I don’t want to get used to being here.
“Have you eaten yet? I’m going to order something if you want to join me.”
“What are you having?” I ask before I can stop myself.
“How does pizza sound?”
“Sure.”
I know I shouldn’t agree, that I’m already too interested in this girl, but I can’t hold myself back any longer. I’ve been thinking about Lila way too much. She pops into my head at the strangest times. I’m in the pool, supervising a group, and I picture Lila swimming next to me. I’m running alongside the guys, and wonder what she’s doing right now. I even dream about her. Every night since I moved in.
“Is pepperoni okay?” Lila asks me, and I nod.
She’s already ordering the food, so I take a moment to look around her apartment. The layout is the same as mine, with the living room up front and the kitchen in the back. Her hallway goes to the right, and I know that our bedrooms must butt up against each other through the wall.
An image of Lila, half naked and tangled in my sheets, flashes behind my eyes, and I clear my throat, shifting on my feet to try to hide my erection.
“Thirty minutes,” Lila says, tucking her phone back into her pocket.
“I’m going to head home and shower, get changed and all that.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be here when you’re done.”
I force myself to turn and leave her apartment and head into my own place. It’s bare and cold feeling compared to Lila’s. I head into my room, pull off my uniform, and toss it in the hamper. I need to do laundry soon, but I’m too tired to do it tonight.
I shower and pull on a clean t-shirt and a pair of black sweatpants. It only took me twelve minutes to shower and change, but I still head back over to Lila’s. She opens the door for me with a smile and my heart takes off like a shot.
Fuck. What this girl does to me…
“Pizza should be here soon,” she tells me as I walk into her apartment.
“Okay.”
“So, how are you liking California now that you’ve been here a few days?”
“It’s okay. I like the weather,” I say.
“Yeah, it’s been nice out lately.”
“Are you from California?”
“Yep, born and raised.”
“Did you ever want to leave and go somewhere else?”
“No, I like it here. Well, besides the high prices and traffic,” she says with a laugh. “My best friend, Pia, lives here, and I don’t want to leave her. She’s like a sister to me.”
“I get that.”
“What about you? You must have lived all over, being in the Navy.”
“Yeah, I’ve been on the East Coast for the most part, with a few deployments.”
“What was your favorite place?” She asks as we take a seat on the couch.
