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My lips tingle with each step that I take.
FIVE
Heath
I almost kissed her.
She had just been there in my lap, her hand resting on my thundering heart, and her lips looking so damn sweet that I just had to take a bite.
She seemed to be into it too. She had moved toward me too, I know she had. Then she was there, just in my reach. As soon as our lips touched though, it was like she had been burned.
I shouldn’t have expected any different. I’m damaged goods. Someone like her, someone bright and perfect, will never want to be with someone like me.
“Ready to go to the grocery store?” she asks and I nod wordlessly.
I grab my cane and follow her out of the café. Normally, I’m hyper aware of people looking at me and my cane but when I came in here, I was too focused on her. She has a way of capturing all of my attention and distracting me.
I’m not sure if I like that or not.
We climb back into the car and I try not to tense up as she climbs behind the wheel. I had tried to fight her on driving earlier and I think that maybe she thought that it was a sexist thing.
It’s not.
The last time I let someone else drive, we were ambushed and two of my friends went home in body bags and my life in the military ended. I’m not saying that it was their fault that we were hit, or even that I would have made any different decisions. I just feel better being the one in control.
I take slow deep breaths as we make the short drive to the Honey Peak Market. She finds a spot right up front and parks.
“Should I go get you one of those motorized carts?” she asks and I turn to glare at her, but she’s laughing too hard to see my dark look.
“Hilarious,” I say but I can’t fight the smile that’s threatening to take over my face.
“You should have seen your face!” she says through another peal of laughter.
“Are you ready to go?” I ask and she nods.
She’s still giggling as we head up to the front door and I roll my eyes as I trail after her. I haven’t been paying that close of attention to the town on the drive but I take the time now.
Honey Peak seems like most other small towns. It’s quiet, barely any traffic, and everyone that we pass is friendly, offering us a smile or a wave.
The market is mostly empty as we grab a cart and start to walk around. Corrine has the list written down on her phone, so I just follow after her as we wind up and down the aisles.
“Is there anything that you wanted?” she asks as we reach the frozen aisles.
“No, I think that I’m—” I cut off as a loud pop! Pop! Pop! Sounds from right behind me.
I whirl around, putting my body in front of Corrine’s as I try to find the threat. My heart is racing in my chest and I can hear it pounding in my head. Some older guy with a name tag rounds the corner and chases off a pair of laughing teenagers and it’s then that I notice the fireworks in their hands.
“Heath?” Corrine asks gently, her small hands resting on my back.
I can’t focus on her though.
Suddenly I’m not in Honey Peak. I’m not in a grocery store. I’m back in Afghanistan.
I swear that I can almost taste the sand. Sweat pops up on the back of my neck and my forehead and I try to take a deep breath, to get the scent of dirt and death out of my head, but I can’t.
My knees feel wobbly and I lean down, resting on the edge of the cooler as I try to breathe.
“Heath!” Corrine says, dropping to her knees in front of me.
