Page 7 of Only Yours
I just saw you yesterday, and here I am writing you. I know you’re probably receiving this a few days later, but it’s the first chance I’ve had to mail it. I’m on base now, doing practice exercises for our deployment.
Is it okay if I don’t talk too much about what I’m doing here? I’m at a base in North Carolina, for now, but soon we’ll be deployed to somewhere I can’t tell you about. I imagine you wouldn’t want to hear too much about what I have to do for my job anyway. Most of it is boring, and the parts that aren’t are difficult to talk about, to say the least.
I don’t know what happened to me the first time I saw you, Reina. You quite simply took my breath away. There you were, just flipping through a magazine on your bed in the dorm room, and it was like my heart left my body and came back again. I know that probably sounds like some stupid shit a guy would say to get into your pants, but it’s the truth, I promise. I never believed I could feel that way.
My beautiful Reina, I want to know all about you. My sister says you’re a science major and you’re going to study medicine. What made you want to be a doctor? I’d kill to be that smart. Sometimes, I feel so dumb when I’m around my smartypants sister. I’m so damn proud of her, but it’s not easy being the one who doesn’t exactly soar academically. I admire you for your persistence to your goal. I know med school won’t be easy. Beautiful and smart, you’re a catch. I knew that from the first moment I saw you.
Anyway, I’ll write as often as I can, and I hope you will too. Tell me about your hobbies and dreams. I notice you have a sketchbook you carry around a lot. What kind of pictures do you draw? Would you send me a drawing sometime? I would love to see anything you create.
I know right now I’m a stranger to you, or just your roommate’s goofy brother, but I really do want more. Sophie keeps teasing me about my crush on you, but I can’t find it in myself to care. Because Reina, my sweet girl, I do have a crush. It sounds immature to call it that, but it’s how I feel. Actually, crush doesn’t even suffice, but I’m sure I’ll scare you away with what I really feel.
I hope you’ll indulge me and write me back. It gets lonely here, and I can’t imagine someone I would want to hear from more. Maybe I shouldn’t lay everything out there. Maybe I’m being really dumb in telling you how I feel, but I can’t seem tohelp myself. If you don’t feel the same, that’s perfectly fine. I would love to have you as my writing buddy though.
Anyway, my buddy is ribbing me to get up from my bunk and meet with the other guys for lunch, so I guess I should go. Hope to hear from you soon.
You’ll be in my thoughts and definitely in my dreams, Reina.
-Brian
P.S. You said you want me to tell you the real stuff, not just pretty words. I’ll try my best sweetheart. How’s this for starters? Sometimes I miss home so much it physically hurts. And now I’ve got one more reason to miss home- You. (Shit, I still slipped in sweet nothings, didn’t I? Face palm).
I re-read the letter over and over again. I bring my fingers to my lips. A goofy smile as formed on my lips.Shit, when did that happen?
I shouldn’t write him back. I should just let this be it. I mean, what good would it possibly do to encourage him? I picture my mom’s rage if she found out. She has certain expectations of me, and I know for sure one of them isn’t getting attached to a soldier that’s far, far away. Yeah, she wouldn’t be happy about this. Not at all.
I fold the letter up and put it in my backpack, meticulously making sure that no corners are damaged, and it isn’t crushed by the heavy weight of my books.
I sit there for a moment, unable to wipe the silly grin from my face.
Oh hell, I never was very good at making my mom happy anyways.
Chapter 7
Mama always told me that when I fell in love, I would fall hard. I never really believed her until now. -Brian
Brian
I turn the letter over again, looking at Reina’s scrawling handwriting for the fiftieth time. For some reason, I’m almost terrified to open the thing. What if she doesn’t want me to write her again? I mean, I’m surprised she answered me at all. She told me to write, but she obviously has her reservations about trusting me. I still wish I could beat the shit out of the guy that made her have such a hard time trusting.
Reina Anderson. My heart recognized it’s soulmate. Now, I know that sounds like a load of dogshit, but it’s true.
I never believed in love at first sight until her. Yes, love, not lust, even though that hit me like a punch in the stomach too the first time I saw her. Or perhaps it hit somewhere lower. Haha. But something else stirred within me besides my body parts.
Reina is at first glance, a bit of a snob and know-it-all. But I sensed sadness in her the first time I saw those brown eyes. Sadness that made me think her tough exterior is nothing but a wall she’s put up so she doesn’t get hurt. I sensed that same, grew up before my time, kind of feeling within her that I always carried with me. I had been made man of the house at seven-years-old and had been basically carrying the weight of a family since then. I could tell that she carried troubles too.
When she told me to write her, it was a no-brainer. Maybe she thought I wouldn’t be up to the task, but the truth is there has never been anyone as tenacious as me when it comes to a goal. I wanted to join the military. I did it, despite the objections of my mother. I want to be in special ops. I’ll train damn hard until I get there. I’m only twenty-one, so there’s still plenty of time. There’s nothing that will stop me once I’ve determined something is meant to be mine. And Reina Anderson is meant to be mine.
I slide my finger along the edge of the envelope.Hell, just open it, you idiot. She wouldn’t have written you just to tell you to leave her alone.At least I hope not.
Dear Brian,
I really didn’t think you would write. I sat in shock for like ten minutes after I saw your letter. Since you’ve come this far and actually written me, I suppose it would be rude to not write you back.
I see your sister Sophie writing in her journal a lot, but to be honest, I’ve never been much of a writer. But I must admit, it was exciting to get something besides junk mail for once.
You used a lot of flowery words, and I don’t know if I believe them quite yet, but I do appreciate them. My mom taught me that men learn how to bullshit at a very young age, so it may take me a while to take you at face value.
What’s life like on an Army base? Is there a lot of debauchery that goes on there? If so, tell me all about it. Insert cute laughing emoji here. (What did we do before those damn emojis?)
