Page 2 of Her Marine
“Check it for me, please,” Journee requested.
“I feel fine,” Aryah responded.
Journee knew that her sister didn't like being fussed over, but she also knew that Aryah couldn't always immediately tell when she felt ill.
“Here,” Aariah stated, pulling Aryah’s small monitor from her crossbody purse. It never failed that one of them always had an extra on them if Aryah forgot hers. “Just check it.”
Journee watched as her sister checked her blood sugar, it only taking a moment to display the numbers on the screen. Then Aariah began to dig through her crossbody again.
“I don't have any peppermints. It's a bit low,” Aariah informed.
“I'll get you some orange juice,” Journee stated.
“We're in a bar, Journ,” Aryah informed her as if she'd forgotten.
“A bar with mimosa on the menu, so they have orange juice.”
Deciding that she would take drink orders from everyone, she went around asking, going over to Axel and Kaydence last since they seemed to be finishing a conversation.
Kaydence volunteered to go to the bar with Journee to help carry the drinks back, which she was grateful for because she hadn't thought of how she would return with them alone. They had just finished placing the orders and were waiting when she heard her name being called.
“Journee.”
Turning around, she saw David standing there, and she refrained from rolling her eyes. She had hoped she'd never bump into him again after they broke up. She did not enjoy talking to exes, even less when they'd broken up with her, as shallow as that sounded.
“I thought that was you,” he spoke, then turned his attention to Kaydence. “Hey, Kaydence.”
“David,” her best friend responded, and Journee knew that it wasn't just because the two of them had broken up that Kaydence wasn't a fan of him. She hadn't been when they started dating, and though she tried not to show it and be supportive of the relationship, Journee knew her friend well enough to have been able to tell.
“I haven't seen or spoken to you in a while. How have you been?” he questioned, full attention back on Journee.
That was on purpose, she thought to herself, but answered, “Fine.”
He paused for a moment; and glanced over her shoulder at Kaydence, who she knew was probably not looking at him but was, indeed, paying attention to their conversation.
“Look, can we go somewhere and talk in private? I…I miss you, and I think it's worth giving us another try.”
Journee heard Kaydence snort, and she couldn't blame her. She knew he could not have been serious. Especially since he had demanded that she change, and when she tried to compromise, as you did in relationships, he told her that it wasn't good enough. He was looking for something opposite to who she was, which hadn’t made sense because she'd fallen into habits unlike herself because she'd cared about him.
“We can go back to my place if you want. Have a few more drinks…eat some ice cream.”
The audacity of this man. “You want me to go back to your place to fuck?” she questioned, deciding not to sugarcoat it. She and Kaydence only used that phrase in the presence of their parents when they wanted to tell the other that they planned on getting some, but she knew it wasn’t hard for others to pick up on. “You didn't have to spew that entire lie about missing me. If you wanted to get your dick wet, just say that.”
It was a challenge because she knew he couldn't be standing in front of her asking to fuck after not speaking to each other for months. Especially on the terms that their relationship ended.
“Okay. I want to get my dick wet.”
This motherfucker, Journee thought to herself. She was about to go to jail. She took a step toward him, and had every intention of giving him a piece of her mind and her fist when an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back into a firm, muscular body.
“Who is this, baby?”
Journee didn't have to look over her shoulder to know that the voice belonged to Killian. She had been introduced to him when they'd first joined the men, and it had caressed her then in the same way it was doing now. She hesitated for only a second.
“Um, this is David.”
It was quiet for a split second, and from the way David shifted uncomfortably, she knew he was probably getting a once-over. She’d be uncomfortable, too, if she were in his position. He was a slim man, standing only two inches taller than Journee at five foot ten, and Killian’s presence dwarfed her, so she was sure it made David feel small. Killian was at least six inches taller than him, with a solid frame.
“So, this is David. You were right,” he started, playing his part, and Journee felt him shift slightly. “There is no competition.” She felt him turn back to his original position. “I can't see why I was almost worried about you.”
