Page 70 of Forgotten Pieces

I smile at her as she takes a seat and pops open a beer bottle. “You know the longer you’ve been away from New York, the more your accent comes out.”

“No, it don’t,” she pushes back.

“Point just made.” I laugh as she pouts in front of me.

“It’s only from workin’ at Sawyer’s. I swear the more time I spend there the more southern I feel.”

“It’s cute,” I let slip.

A blush hits her cheeks and I look away before my thoughts get the best of me again. I put the ground beef in a pan and let it simmer with taco seasoning as I head to the slow cooker and check the carnitas. When I open the lid the spicy sweet smell infiltrates the air and I know the meat and flavor is perfection. I walk to the fridge and pull out the toppings I prepped earlier; diced tomatoes, onions, olives, jalapeños, cilantro, as well as homemade salsa and guacamole.

“What are you making me anyway?”

“Can’t you see?” I tease.

“No fucking way. You remember?” she asks eagerly as she leans over the counter.

“I remember a lot of things, T. I remembered your favorite pizza last night. You think I am going to forget your favorite food is tacos?”

A grin spreads across her face. “I knew there was a reason I agreed to be your friend again Ryder Thompson.”

I laugh as I put the fajita veggies in a serving dish followed by the carnitas. “It’s the only thing I’m good for. Feeding you.”

“Don’t forget the booze!” She laughs. “You always made sure I stayed hydrated.”

“I wouldn’t call giving alcohol to a minor a way to keep you hydrated.”

She quirks a brow up at me. “No, you were just trying to get in my pants.”

I nearly drop the plate I set in front of her, recovering quickly from her statement. “If I was trying to get in your pants, I would have.”

She crosses her arms in front of her and a frown forms on her face. “You tellin’ me you didn’t want to sleep with me back then?”

I wanted nothing more than to sleep with her back then, but I couldn’t. Not with our age difference. “That’s a secret I’m going to keep.”

“No fair Ryder! We don’t keep secrets!”

I change the subject, not wanting to talk about our past relationship. “Do you want beef and carnitas?”

She unfolds her arms and gives me a doubtful look. “Change the subject all you want, mister, but I know deflection when I see it. You wanted to sleep with me back then.”

And I want to sleep with you now.“Think what you want, birdie. But you’re not getting the answer out of me.”

“You suck,” she says as she sticks her tongue out at me.

I sit down next to her and we both use the toppings to make massive tacos.

“Oh my god these are so amazing,” she says as she bites into a taco, toppings falling everywhere.

“Thanks. I made these a lot on base. Easy to make.”

“So what do you plan on doing here? Are you staying with the Marines?” she asks me.

“I think so,” I answer after I take a huge bite. “I don’t know if I’ll deploy again. It depends on my mental health. That’s what my therapist says. But I’m not sure. I like being out there, defending our country, helping those in need.”

“You always were a hero.”

“No, I wasn’t.”

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