Page 5 of Major Love

“He’s gone,” I rasp, and the second that I say it, it’s finally true, causing me to gasp and squeeze my eyes shut, barely able to inhale through the agony.

Jason exhales roughly and cups his palm around my cheek, his thumb swiping beneath my lashes as silent tears continue to fall.

“Baby, I’m so sorry,” he whispers, his deep voice a refuge in this heartbreaking night, and I clutch him closer, feeling his heart against mine and savouring his warmth like it’s the last time I’ll ever feel it.

And, as I exhale quietly, I realise that’s about to be true.

“Jason,” I pant, feeling his chest rise and fall against my dress, his large palm caressing my nape before he tucks his fingers into my hair.

“Yeah,” he murmurs back to me, his voice quiet and gruff.

“Do you remember before, when I said I’d be alright with you moving away? I think… because of this… with what’s just happened…”

I look up at him from under my lashes and he drops his forehead to mine, his breathing heavy.

“I’ll drop out of the academy,” he says immediately. “I would never put you through that. You know I wouldn’t.”

“I can’t ask that of you,” I whisper back, and then I’m squeezing my eyes closed again. Willing the tears to stop, willing the pain to end.

He cups the back of my head in his strong palm and lets me bury my face in the heat of his chest.

“People resent people who take their dreams away from them,” I whisper. “I don’t want you to resent me, and I don’t want you to change.”

And I love you just the way you are… but I can’t lose another soldier.

Because if I asked him to drop out, he would freaking do it. But after ten years went by, he would never stop thinking about the what ifs.What ifhe had enrolled and graduated.What ifhe had worked his way up the ranks of the Army.

It’s been Jason and Casey’s goal to earn the highest enlisted rank since they werefreshmen, and I know it would be detrimental to our relationship in the long run if I took that possibility away from him.

At the end of the day, we’re free to live however we choose, and you have to trust the people that you love to do just that.

And if your hearts are meant to be, that love will somehow come back to you.

“Sunday,” he starts, but I shake my head, and his chest heaves. “What are you saying?” he asks quietly, and I shiver as his stubble rasps over my cheek.

“We can’t do this,” I whisper back to him, and he exhales hard, his breathing shallow.

“I don’t want to lose you,” he tells me gruffly.

I slip down from his arms, my bare feet touching the blacktop.

“We still have tonight,” I whisper up to him, and his jaw flexes, his pupils flaring.

“Sunday,” he murmurs, warningly this time, his hands enveloping around my waist as he flicks another glance to the small house behind me. “We can’t do that,” he rumbles. “Not if we don’t make this official before I leave.”

He brushes another rivulet of tears from the blushing apple of my cheek, and then he helps hold me steady as I ease my ballet flats on my feet.

I can see that he knows that there’s no way we can go to the prom, and he’s probably wondering if he should take me back inside. So I clutch his biceps, large and firm beneath the dark suit, and plead, “I can’t go back in there right now. I can’t be in that house. Please.”

His eyes drop to my mouth as his palms move down my hips, and I wrap my arms around his broad shoulders, making him gather my body against his chest.

“Where do you want to go?” he murmurs. “I’ll take you anywhere.”

“Then take me there,” I whisper back to him. “Anywhere but here.”

He nods once and strokes my jaw, inhaling deeply before he meets my eyes.

“How long do we have?” he asks roughly.

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