Page 30 of Salute, To Bravery
“Just a few times.” He smiled over his shoulder as he finished securing the lines. He straightened up, satisfied with his work. “Well, after you.” He motioned to the side door of the RV.
I smiled and climbed up into what was the living room of the small space. I heard him messing with something on the outside of the RV before he followed me in a few short minutes later.
He climbed in and shut the doors behind him and turned to face me. I hadn’t realized how small the space was until I smelled his cologne again. What was worse is he was standing so close that I could feel the heat radiating off his chest. The fabric stretched across his broad chest and the sleeves clung to his biceps. Was he always so fit?
I shook my head and took a step back. “What were you doing out there?” I quickly looked down at the floor when I realized I was still staring at his chest.
And of course, he didn’t miss it. He grinned again. “I forgot to hook up the electric. We’re good now though.” He reached over and flipped on the lights. “You okay? Your cheeks are kinda red.” He smiled as he slid past me into the kitchen. He flipped a few switches on the panel next to the fridge, causing the extensions on the RV to expand, giving them more room to move.
I gritted my teeth. He knew exactly why my cheeks were red. Asshole.
“I’m fine thanks, just tired I guess.” I plopped down on one end of the small couch and took a deep breath. I didn’t realize how tired I would be from just driving all day.
Ian took the other end of the couch and reclined it, kicking off his shoes in the process. He produced a bag of chips and a couple bottles of water. “Figured you might be hungry.”
I groaned. “I didn’t buy any food for the fridge” I slapped a hand across my forehead.
Ian laughed. “It’s fine, I got some snacks at the gas station. We’ll just snack tonight.”
“It’s a good thing you brought your car.”
“See? I told you we’d need it. And you didn’t want to pay for the tow hitch.” He smiled as he offered me another handful of chips.
I rolled my eyes as I dove my hand into the bag. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I had taken a bite. I flipped my footrest up and mirrored Ian by kicking off my shoes. I fished the remote to the small TV out of the storage next to me and started surfing channels. Oddly it reminded me a lot of what we would do at my apartment when we had the night off.
Unlike our days off, I found myself nodding off often. I couldn’t remember what was playing on the TV from one moment to the next. The next thing I knew, I woke up in the dark. The TV was off, but so was the kitchen light. I blinked a few times, trying to adjust my eyes to my surroundings. The only light came from one of the poll lights outside the RV.
I could hear Ian’s deep, slow breathing next to me. He must have fallen asleep too. I sat up from my weird, slouched position and realized that I had a blanket on me. Ian had covered me up and turned everything off.
I smiled, and my chest squeezed at the thought. I carefully got off the couch and gathered the blanket in my arms. It was hard to see him, but I could barely make out his sleeping form on his end of the couch. I wondered if I should wake him so I could make his bed, but decided against it. I gently laid the blanket over him, and he stirred just slightly.
“Thanks, Es.” He mumbled the words.
I froze, and waited until he settled before tiptoeing around him to my room. I crawled in bed and got as comfortable as I could, but I couldn’t help but wonder: who was Es?
???
The bright morning sunlight nearly blinded me the next morning. I covered my eyes and groaned, rolling over to the other side of the bed with every intention of going back to sleep. My plans were interrupted with a quick knock on my flimsy door.
“Hey, you want some breakfast?”
I didn’t answer.
“Don’t play like you’re asleep. I heard you moving in there.”
I threw a pillow at the door, to which he only chuckled.
“It’s in here when you’re ready sleeping beauty.”
I groaned again, but I couldn’t deny the fact that whatever he was cooking smelled amazing. My stomach grumbled in response, so I gave up and scooted out of the bed.
I opened my door to find a few plates filled with bacon, eggs, and sausages. He even had a half-gallon of orange juice sitting on the counter.
“Eat up.” He pointed to a plate and set of silverware on the counter.
“Where did you get all this?” I asked as I started filling my plate.
“Oh, I went shopping while you were sleeping. Figured you might be hungry like I was.” Ian was already halfway through his plate as he sat at the small dining table.
