Page 21 of Salute, To Bravery
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Old man? Good lord, you’re a drama queen. You’re only what, five or six years older than me?”
He straightened and crossed his arms. “Try ten, little lady.”
“You are not.” My jaw dropped.
“How old are you?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Twenty-four?”
Now it was Ian’s turn to laugh. “I’m thirty-five.”
“Shut up, you are not.” I couldn’t hide my surprise.
Ian laughed again. “Yeah, and the Army ages you, so I’m like sixty-two in Army years.”
I smiled and shook my head. “You were in the Army?”
“Yep, sure was.” Ian nodded. “Let’s go get a drink.”
I slammed my locker shut and decided to ignore his sudden subject change. “I don’t know, I’m not really good company right now, Ian.”
“That’s exactly why you need it. I said we were gonna talk about it later. Well, now it’s later. Come on, it’s not like you have anything better to do.” Ian didn’t hesitate to wrap his fingers around the strap of my tote, his rough hands carefully avoiding the long red strands of hair that hung around my shoulders in loose curls. He slipped my bag from my shoulder and proceeded to carry it as he made his way to the side door.
I smiled and shook my head. He was right; there was nothing else to do, and it might make me feel better. It was better than sulking in my apartment all night.
Ian walked me back to my apartment, where we’d get changed and head out for a drink. This wasn’t the first time we’d gone out after work, and Ian had learned to always have what he called his “civies” in his backpack. Our favorite bar was just a fewblocks down from my apartment, in the opposite direction of the hospital. It was small and cozy, and it wasn’t filled with a bunch of kids.
I unlocked the door, and Ian followed me in like he lived there. At first, I found it odd how he was so comfortable with a stranger, but honestly, it felt like he had always been here, and somehow, this was his home too.
He ditched his bag on what he jokingly called “his side” of the bed and grabbed his clothes. “Hey, I’m gonna grab a quick shower, I smell like the hospital.” He crinkled his nose as he pulled the collar of his shirt up to his nose.
Again, I couldn’t help but giggle. “Oh, is that what that smell is?”
“Yeah, sorry. I mistook it for whatever crap you brought for lunch.”
“Hey!” I threw a pillow at him.
He easily caught it as he laughed at me. I hadn’t thought of it before, but his crazy reflexes and quick thinking at work might be from his years in the Army. I made a mental note to ask him about it later.
He grabbed his gear and made his way to the bathroom, pulling off his shirt as he went. I had to admit, for a guy eleven years my senior, he was in amazing shape. He wasn’t over-shredded, but his back was toned and so were his arms. If nothing else, he was nice to look at, but generally he was just a great guy.
I quickly swapped my clothes when I heard the bathroom door click. I wasn’t as sweaty as him, so I was okay with just getting into something comfier. My stomach growled as slipped on a soft t-shirt. I stood, grabbed my stomach like I could somehow muffle the sound that had already escaped into the room. If I didn’t grab something now, I knew Ian wouldmake me eat later, and bar food didn’t sound appealing in the slightest.
I rifled through my fridge, annoyed that I’d been smart enough not to buy food when I planned on being gone for a month or two, but not smart enough to buy snacks to hold me over until I left.
“Find anything good?”
I screamed and dropped the questionable jar of mustard I’d been holding. I popped my head over the fridge door to see Ian laughing at me. “You scared the shit out of me!”
He laughed. “I’m sorry?”
“No, you’re not.” I scooped up the jar, thankful it was plastic and hadn’t busted and shoved it back into the door. I closed the fridge and suddenly realized that I was face-to-face with a soaking wet Ian, who only had a towel draped around his waist. I tried, and failed, not to look him up-and-down.
“Hey now, my eyes are up here.” He jokingly pointed to his eyes while using his other hand to cover his very noticeable bulge.
I quickly averted my gaze. “I wasn’t looking.” I could feel the heat rush to my cheeks and just knew I was a very bright shade of red.
“Yeah, uh-huh.” He grinned and walked around to the other side of the counter that separated the living room and kitchen.
