AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As I get closer to home, I can see all the lights are on and assume that Daphne is inside. Since I’ve been away for two weeks, I send her a courtesy text that I’m only a block away. I don’t want to inadvertently walk in on her dancing in her underwear to some pop song I’ve never heard of before. She sends me a thumbs-up emoji and a smiley face, giving me the “all clear.”
“Hey, Carter! Welcome home!” she says as soon as I walk through the front door.
“Hi, Daphne. It’s good to be back. Give me a quick second to get out of my monkey suit.” She’ll talk my ear off before I can do anything if I don’t stop her right away. I hang up my coat and head upstairs to my room, where I change quickly into a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. I make my way back downstairs to find Daphne putzing around in the kitchen.
“Hungry?” she asks. “I got home about an hour ago and didn’t feel like going to a fast-food joint. I thought I’d cook something healthy for a change.”
“Thanks. I’d love some if you have extra. I stopped by the station but didn’t eat much because I was too worried about Leanna.”
Daphne stops what she’s doing and tilts her head inquisitively, “What’s wrong with my sister? Is she sick or something?”
“I don’t think so. She seemed fine when I stopped by, but she disappeared when I was talking to the guys about my client. When I went to find her, she had locked herself in the bathroom and told me she was having ‘woman problems.’ I don’t have the right body parts even to begin to know how to help with something like that.”
Daphne laughs. “No, you certainly don’t. I wouldn’t worry too much about it, though. It’s something we females have learned to live with and are always prepared for. However, cramps and discomfort can come on pretty quickly. She was where she needed to be. Trust me. She’ll be fine.”
I shrug my shoulders. “If you say so. She didn’t sound good, and I wanted to do something to help.”
Daphne looks at me like I’ve lost my mind, and I can tell she really wants to say something. She’s holding back, and I don’t know why. She’s never done that before.
“Spit it out, Daph. You’ve never worried about offending my delicate sensibilities before. Why start now?”
She shakes her head at me. After a few more seconds of silence, she caves and says, “You sound like her boyfriend and not her roommate.”
I start to protest, but she holds her hand up to stop me. “I know your stance on relationships, Carter. That’s nothing new, and I’m sure you’re too stubborn to change your mind. Also, I’m sure you believe that any man would want to help out their roommate in their time of need. I promise you that’s not the case.”
“I care about Leanna.”
Daphne’s eyes soften in understanding with a twinge of pity.
“And I care about you, too,” I amend, realizing that leaving her out of my previous statement indicates that my feelings for Leanna run deeper than I’m willing to admit.
She chuckles. “I’m sure you do. Somehow, I doubt you’d be as worried about me as you are about my sister.” She turns her back to me so she can stir whatever it is she’s cooking. “I’m only going to say one more thing on the subject, and then I’ll leave it alone, I promise.”
I don’t believe her, so I say nothing.
“You’ve got your reasons for remaining single, and I won’t pry. But you will miss out on something great if you don’t get over whatever it is that’s preventing you from living your best life. You can’t expect Leanna to wait around for you forever. Now I’m done. Ready to eat?” She gives me a huge smile as if she didn’t just tell me to “get over myself” in the nicest way possible.
She doesn’t wait for me to respond and dishes up a plate of sautéed chicken and vegetables over rice. “Thank you,” I tell her. “Do you want to eat at the table or in the living room? The new season ofReacherstarted, and I know how much you like what’s his face.”
“Living room it is. I can have a healthy dinner with some eye candy for dessert. Win-win since that deliciousness is calorie-free.”
I roll my eyes at Daphne and her penchant for men with big muscles, but even I can appreciate the hard work and dedication that goes into staying fit. According to most women, I have what they call a “swimmer’s build,” with lean muscles and a tapered waist. That wasn’t always the case. It wasn’t until I joined the Army that I filled out a bit. Even then, I was somewhat scrawny when I left after my four years were up.
I wasn’t in special ops or doing any of the really cool jobs. I joined the Army right out of high school to earn a steady paycheck and get my degree. I took the first job available to me, and that was in logistics. I was excited at first, especially when I thought I would be home and get to marry the love of my life. To my disappointment, I was deployed more than I was stateside.
I was crushed when I came home from my first deployment and found out that my high school sweetheart and fiancée, Melissa, had packed up all her stuff and left. Having left nothing but a “Dear John” letter for me on our coffee table—I felt like no matter how hard I tried, I was a disappointment to the women in my life. Rather than wallow in self-pity, I focused on taking care of my dad…and myself.
Melissa’s ghosting was the final straw for me, and I vowed never to put my heart on the line again. Since then, I’ve only casually dated women, never getting too serious with any of them. When a woman begins to believe we’re anything more, I pull away and let them break up with me. It gives them a semblance of vindication when I could care less. Everly was the last woman I dated, and I was relieved when she called it quits.
Two years ago, we had been together only a little over a month when my Pops visited me. Everly showed up uninvited at my apartment and made herself at home. Of course, my dad was thrilled I had a woman in my life and thought I was finally moving on from my heartbreak over Melissa leaving. He told Everly all kinds of stories from my past, including the one story I have never shared with anyone. She threw it in my face when we parted ways, and it only reminded me of my failures.
“Where did you go?” Daphne asks, snapping me from my thoughts. “You’ve barely touched your food, and the show is half over.”
“I was just thinking.”
“If you had been thinking any harder, you might have hurt yourself. Wanna talk about it?”
“Nope.”
