Page 54 of Embers in Our Souls
A part of me hopes that I’m his weakness too. This isn’t what a fake marriage looks like. The lines from pretend to real are starting to blur—my heart and mind aren’t seeing eye to eye.
We’re seated at a booth when we arrive at the restaurant. I’m pointing at a few items that sound good on the menu when someone interrupts me.
“Indy, is that you?” I look up to see an old classmate of mine.
“Oh my gosh. Hey, Chris. It’s good to see you. What are you up to?”
“Not much. Got a job working at the local paper.” He smiles, his eyes swinging over to Tyler.
“Chris, this is Tyler. Ty, this is Chris. We went to school together and graduated under the same major.”
Ty extends his hand in greeting, then brings his arm over my shoulders. It’s affectionate, something a boyfriend would do. His fingers move along my shoulders, and I can’t really concentrate on what Chris is saying. I’m highly focused on the circular motion Ty’s fingers are making over my sweater. It’s only then I realize he hasn’t stopped touching me since we left the apartment. He’s been affectionate at every opportunity.
“How’s everything at Medstone?” Chris pulls me out of my daydream.
“It’s great. Loving every second.” I smile up at him.
“That’s wonderful. It’s definitely better than the late night studying we had to do, huh?” Chris winks.
Tyler’s fingers freeze for a mere second before continuing again, but his face looks unaffected while looking up at our visitor.
“Yeah, well, those papers were always a drag.” I roll my eyes.
“Staying up late these days looks a little more fun now, doesn’t it, Indy?” Tyler says, looking over at me. Yeah, he’s marking his territory.
I bring my hand on his thigh and squeeze.
“Well, it was good seeing you. Tyler, nice meeting you.” Chris scurries off without an answer from us.
I watch Chris walk in the direction of his table, and I’m amazed there isn’t a puff of smoke behind him due to the fact he left so damn fast.
“Was that really necessary?” I ask Ty.
“Well, given the way he was undressing you with his eyes while he took a walk down memory lane—I’d say yes, Indiana, it was.” He brings his lips near my ear and kisses right below my earlobe. I feel a zing with the contact.
“There was never anything between us,” I tell him.
“Doesn’t mean he never wanted there to be.” He keeps dropping kisses on my skin.
“Tyler,” I tell him, but don’t pull myself away.
“Indy,” he taunts.
Our server interrupts this building sexual tension and our lunch is ordered. The rest of the meal continues, no other classmates to make it awkward. Tyler fills me in on everything that he’s been up to regarding his time in the Army since we last spoke—that is, everything he hasn’t written about.
It seems that while most people on his deployment travel back to the States to visit family, he opts for smaller assignments that can be fulfilled. When that doesn’t happen, he goes on trips to visit parts of the world he’s always wanted to see or, most recently, he’s tagged along with Georgie to see his family. It’s been a dream of his to travel, and the Army has given him the ability to do so.
After lunch, we fight the frigid winds and sightsee. I take him to Millenium Park. Although we’re bundled up, it’s a clear day in Chicago. The moment we arrive, I see his eyes light up. He’s never been to the city, so we walk up to the Cloud Gate statue and he pulls out his phone.
“Want me to get a picture for you?” I offer.
“Alone?” The look of horror on his face is too damn cute. “Get in with me, Indy.” Without warning, he tugs on my jacket to pull me in.
Immediately, he snaps a photo and I can’t help the way my smile grows. What the photo doesn’t capture is the way my heart is bursting behind my ribcage.
“You two are adorable. Do you want me to get a photo for you?” a woman asks as she’s walking by.
I’m about to say there’s no need, but Tyler cuts me off, “That would be great. My wife and I haven’t been here together before.”
