Page 18 of Just Like This
I started to scoot closer toward the car door, but Garrett reached out and grabbed one of my hands. He tugged my hand and whispered, “Tell me.”
“Today, he said that he might not be around when I get married.”
A sob suddenly escaped from my lips, and I let go of Garrett’s hand to bury my face in my hands.
“That must have been difficult for you to hear,” he said quietly.
“I know that I need to prepare myself, but that means accepting he’s going to die. And I’m not ready to do that.”
“I know how you feel. I lost my mother when I was eighteen. She was sick for a long time, and I couldn’t handle it. So I ran away and joined the Army.”
His honest confession was shocking. I never expected him to share something so personal with me so quickly.
“Sometimes I wish I could run away,” I murmured.
* * *
“You look fantastic,”Palmer said, greeting me as Garrett and I made our way to the section of the stadium where our seats were located. I glanced down at my outfit out of habit. I felt comfortable but sexy and confident in white denim cutoffs and an oversized T-shirt that exposed one shoulder.
“Thank you,” I replied, dropping Garrett’s hand to hug Palmer lightly before shuffling to greet Jackson next.
Nikki took notice of our arrival and perked up, adjusting her hair and clothes. She stepped in front of me and squealed Garrett’s name before throwing her arms around him.More like throwing herself at him, I thought.
“I’m so happy that you finally made it!” she gushed. She used her body to push me out of the way, and I shot her a nasty look, which didn’t seem to bother her.
“Did you see your dad today?” Palmer asked me while I did my best to ignore Nikki, who was now monopolizing Garrett’s attention.
“Yes,” I told him. “But I don’t really want to talk about it, okay? I want to have a good time tonight.”
“I understand. Just let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.” Both of our eyes flicked toward Nikki and Garrett. Even though Garrett and I had come together, seeing Nikki sink her claws into him set my insecurities ablaze. But I wasn’t going to play the jealousy game because that was what a girl like Nikki wanted. Her kind preyed on girls like me; she’d wait until I was weak or distracted and then claim Garrett for herself. That wasn’t going to happen, but I also didn’t have to stick around and watch her flaunt herself right in front of my face. I excused myself and headed toward the bathroom.
I should have known Garrett wasn’t going to let me get away so easily. “Wait,” he said, grabbing onto my hand. “Where are you going?”
“To the bathroom,” I informed him. Then with one glance at Nikki, who was watching us like a hawk, I added, “and maybe to get a large drink filled with alcohol.”
“I’ll come with you,” he insisted.
He held my hand tightly as we headed toward the concourse where all of the concession stands were set up. I glanced up at him to see that his jaw was set, and his eyes kept shifting around, watching everyone around us. We stopped just outside the women’s bathroom, and I had to shake our hands to get his attention.
“What?” he asked, confused. I pointed toward the bathroom, and he nodded. “Okay, I’ll wait here.”
I walked into the bathroom, confused. Was he really that nervous to be with me? When I returned, he reclaimed his white-knuckle grip on my hand.
“Are you nervous or something?” I asked as we stood in line to buy drinks.
“First date jitters get me every time,” he assured me, but I didn’t think that was actually true. When we got our drinks, he practically gulped down his beer.
“Do I really make you that nervous, or is there something else?”
“Honestly, I don’t really like crowds. I’m sorry,” he said with a thin smile. It was easy to understand why crowds made him nervous. Being so close to Ft. Lewis, plenty of my friends from high school served in the military and returned with some degree of post-traumatic stress disorder. If Garrett suffered from PTSD, then being at a concert might make him anxious.
I stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek lightly. “Don’t worry. I’m here,” I whispered in his ear. It was unlike me to be bold like that, but I wanted to reassure him somehow, to lessen his anxiety over being in a stadium filled with strangers. His hold on my hand was significantly lighter as we walked back to our seats.
“Where have you guys been?” Nikki whined. “The first act is about to start! Garrett, you have to sit next to me.”
Garrett didn’t have the chance to protest because as soon as Nikki placed herself between us, she bumped into me, sending icy cold margarita down my front.
“Shit!” I screamed, holding my arms wide. “That’s fucking cold!”
