Page 31 of Forever Yours on Christmas Eve
Following directions into the station, he was pleased to feel the first touch of air conditioning against his skin. He’d been someplace… warm, and was now in a place… a little less warm. Before, he wasn’t able to reach out to anyone at all. Now that they’d been moved, it was a possibility again, though he had to remain mission-focused.
Still, the thought of seeing the blonde bombshell just on the other end of the line brought his life into focus in ways he’d not given much thought to before. There was no question he wanted more of Kelsey, and he knew there had to be a way to make what they had work. They were attracted to each other, and while he knew she was shy to the idea of a long-distance relationship thanks to her ex-fiancé, Sev thought he might be able to convince her togive it a try.
The question was, what was the next step?
In the grand scheme of things, they weren’t as far apart as they could be. New York City was a long drive, but he could easily make a trip to visit her once a month. Plus, if she wanted to come up, he’d be sure to make himself available for her. It wouldn’t be every weekend, since he was still with an active unit that liked to deploy. But most of the time, they could plan around that. And if they tried, they really could have those quick date nights playing mini-golf she liked to talk about. Walks on the beach. Dancing in the first snowfall of the season. Long mornings in bed followed by brunch.
He wanted it all with her.
After a quick stop for chow, he found himself back in his room, alone for the first time in days. Not hesitating to pull up his phone, he figured he’d drop her a courtesy text to make sure she was available to talk. However, his heart got in the way.
I miss you.
He was pleasantly surprised when he heard back from her instantly.
I miss you too!
By his calculations, it was nearing three in the afternoon, her time. Kelsey was generally in classes all afternoon, so he wondered what was wrong.
What are you doing out of class?
A lot has happened.
He didn’t like the sound of that at all.
Can you talk?
Give me a sec.
He watched the three dots settle down as his thumb impatiently hovered over the call button. He was lucky he didn’t have to share his room this time around like everyone else, just the luck of being, quite literally, the odd man out. But still, patience wasn’t in his wheelhouse, even if he knew he wasn’t going to have to limit his time with her thanks to a roommate coming in and wanting some shuteye.
Shuteye was overrated. He didn’t need that nearly as much as he needed Kelsey.
Okay, I’m ready.
Pressing his finger to the screen, he heard the all-familiar sound of the phone ringing before the black screen filled with her lovely face.
“Hey,” she said, smiling. She seemed to be genuinely glad to see him, but there was something else going on in her expression. She looked tired. And, taking in the wall behind her, which looked sterile, he realized he’d never seen it before. Was that in her apartment somewhere?
“Hey,” he said. “I missed you.”
“Missed you too.” She smiled softly at him. “It’s been a really chaotic month without you.”
“What’s happened, sweetheart?” He couldn’t help the worry starting to creep up in his voice. She looked like she’d had the life drained from her. Her posture wasn’t quite as erect as normal, and her hair was pulled back quickly like she hadn’t been paying attention.
She rolled her eyes. “How can you always tell when something’s wrong?”
“Uh, because I have eyes?” he suggested, eliciting another smile, though his stomach was starting to churn. He didn’t like her upset. “I feel like I’ve missed somethingimportant.”
“It’s nothing to worry about,” she said, the catch in her voice not convincing himat all.“You need to remain mission-focused.”
“Kels, life happens regardless of my mission,” he informed her, knowing that she was aware they were trained on that. “And if you don’t tell me right now, I’m calling your dad.”
She chuckled, but no laughter touched her eyes. “Well, it’s kinda about him.”
Suddenly, he realized why that wall behind her looked so sterile. White. Old pictures of abstract landscapes that hadn’t been updated since probably the nineties. A chipped, plastic chair she was trying to get comfortable in. “Are you in a hospital?”
She nodded her head sadly. “Just after you left, my dad found out he had to have surgery. It’s bad.”
