Strong Enough (2 page)

“Watch who you call a bitch boy, you and
your frat brothers have overstayed your welcome at Reece’s table. I
suggest you apologize to the lady for big a royal dick and take
your drinks and move on. I would hate to end up in jail my first
night back in town because I have to stick my foot up your
ass.”

Releasing the guy from his grip, Adam steps
back next to Jodi and I and gives a crooked smile to them as he
waits for the frat boy and his band of brother’s response.

Looking left and right among his friends,
who by the way didn’t bother to jump to his aide great, group of
brothers you have there, he slowly looks to me and then the table.
Deciding he preferred to have his ass uninhibited by Adams foot, he
picked up his beer, grabbed his stick and motioned with a flick of
his chin to his brothers. As he walked passed Jodi he gave a quiet
and quick, “sorry” and then moved down the hall to an open
table.

Relaxing against the table, I look up at
Adam and smile. “Glad to see the Army hasn’t changed you,” I said
with a snicker. Adam was never violent. I think in all the years I
have known him I have seen him get in one fight and that was with
his dog because it chewed up his favorite pair of Vans.

“Aw Reece, you know I will always defend
you, and since Jodi is part of you, she gets my protection too,” he
said with a grin as he looked at Jodi.

In true Jodi style she kissed him on the
cheek before bouncing over to the next table to chat up the four
guys we knew playing.

“Ok, so spill, I want all the details. When
did you get into town, where are you staying, how long you
staying….”

Laughing, Adam leaned against the table next
to me crossing his legs out in front of him and his impressively
muscular arms across his now much broader chest. “I got in about,
oh, thirty minutes ago. I am staying with my aunt and uncle and I
am on leave for the next two months. I have been saving up my leave
time over the last eighteen months, so that I would be able to come
back and spend it all with you, and that is why I haven’t been
home. I have missed you,” he said with the most endearing look
which caused my insides to turn to mush.

With my mouth hanging open slightly, I just
stared at him. I didn’t realize until this moment how much I have
missed him. How much I need him around me. He calms me and makes me
feel loved and safe. Even if it isn’t the way I would like for it
to be. Us, Adam and me, in an actual relationship. I would not give
up what I have with him for anything.

Reaching up to brush the back of my hand
along his jaw, I just looked at him. “I have missed you so much
Adam. Even though we talk every day, my life feels so different
with you gone. I was afraid I would never see you again.”

Looking me square in the eyes, he reaches up
and cupped my face in his hands. “Reece, you have no idea how much
I have needed to see you, to touch your face. I have spent endless
hours thinking about you after we talk. You are my best friend in
the whole world. No one knows me like you do. No one makes me feel
the way you do.”

Looking at him in complete astonishment, I
just don’t know what to say. All I can do is stare into his
beautiful face and smile. Then he says it, and I’m honestly not
sure I heard him correctly.

“Reece Miller, I am 100% completely in love
with you and I don’t know what to do with myself without you.”

HOLY SHIT! Did I just hear him right? Did he
just say he LOVED ME? As in love me like a friend or love me like a
guy should love a girl. Or is it a brotherly love. What other kinds
of love could it be? Oh MY God, he just said he loved me. Shit!
Snap out of it Miller! He’s standing here looking at you and you
haven’t said anything back.

Realizing I was completely talking to myself
in my head and very silent, I did the next best thing I could.

Reaching up I slid my hand around the back
of his neck and gently pulled Adams face to mine. Pausing briefly
to look into his eyes, I closed mine and pressed my lips to his.
The warm soft feeling of his lips hit me like a brick wall causing
me to gasp a little for air and right at that moment Adam slid his
tongue into my mouth and slowly and sweetly began to explore mine
moving softly against me. Gentle yet passionate the kiss has me on
cloud nine. I can’t feel my toes, my hands are moving in his hair
but I can’t feel my fingers. My lips are burning, but a good burn,
a deep passionate burn. Ever so slightly Adam pulls back to tug on
my bottom lip juuussstt a bit. Holy hell that’s hot!

Whistle and cat
calls.
“GET A ROOM WILL YAH!”

And just like that, it ended. Realizing we
were still in public we both smiled against each other’s lips and
pulled apart.

“I don’t think I could have asked for a
better response,” he said as he slid his hand up and down my arm
that was holding me up on the table.

“Adam you have no idea how long I have
wanted to hear you say that. I have loved you for so long, but I
would never give up our friendship if that wasn’t how you felt so I
have kept it to myself. Not even Jodi knows how I feel.”

Oh crap, now I have to deal with Jodi later
once were alone.

“I’m sorry I haven’t told you sooner. I
don’t know what it was that made me tell you now except I couldn’t
keep lying to myself,” he said.

“Lying, what do you mean?”

“Reece, I have always felt something for
you, I just never understood what it was. I knew it wasn’t a
brotherly love or a best friend love, but I always treated it that
way. I think I was scared. Just like you, I never wanted to lose
you and I thought if I told you and you didn’t feel the same, well,
I thought you would stop being my friend because it would be too
awkward. But I couldn’t take it anymore. I have been away from you
for so long, and shit Reece, I don’t know what to say except I
can’t do it anymore. I can’t hide the feelings and I can’t leave
you again.”

“What do you mean you can’t leave me again?”
I asked with a perplexed look on my face.

“We will talk about it later okay?” He said
quickly. “This isn’t the time or place.”

My face heated up and my head started to
feel a little light. What did he mean by
can’t
leave me again
?

“Ok, we can talk later.” Boy was that not
what I wanted to say! I think I officially will not be able to
sleep until we have talked.

“Well I am exhausted after the trip back,
seven hours of flying kind of sucks,” he said with a smile.

“I am gonna head to my aunt and uncles, but
I want to pick you up in the morning for breakfast. Is that
okay?”

“Oh okay, yeah sure, breakfast. What
time?”

“8:00 okay? I know you hate getting up early
but Reece I don’t know if I could wait much later. I don’t want to
even be away from now till then.”

“Then don’t be,” I said with a glimmer of
hope in my voice. “You know you can stay at my house, she won’t
notice anyway, not even sure she will be sober enough to know
you’re there.”

He knew what I was talking about. He knew my
mom was a complete drunk with a propensity for prescription pain
pills since my dad died. Adam was the one that let me stay on his
couch if things go too bad. He knew how much life changed after my
dad.

“Sweetheart, as much as I would LOVE to stay
with you, I need to go to my aunts and uncles, at least for
tonight, they are expecting me.”

All I could do was nod.

“Are you leaving now or staying longer to
play?” He asked as he scanned the hall.

“I have a tournament starting at 11:00 pm
that I am lead shoot on. I can’t leave right now,” I said with
sadness in my voice.

“Ok sweetheart, it’s no problem. I can’t
stay that late though, I really am exhausted. I was so excited to
see you. I didn’t sleep last night, so I am running on about two
hours sleep in the last 48 hours. Do you mind if I go ahead and
head out?”

“Adam, go, you need sleep. I would feel
horrible tomorrow if you felt any worse from staying here longer.
I’ll be fine. I will head out after the tournament. I doubt it will
take long, competition is pretty weak.” I chuckled as I eyed the
guys standing around close to my table ready to practice.

Grazing the back of his hand across my jaw,
he leaned in and placed a sweet soft kiss on my lips that lingered
for just a bit longer than I expected.

“Okay then, I will pick you up at 8:00 am
sweetheart.”

Picking up his backpack he swung it over his
shoulder and glanced down at me giving me a crooked sexy smile. Man
he was yummy. “Hey Adam, what does that tattoo mean?” I asked
pointing to the crossed stars with wording of another language.
Adam looked at his forearm, flexed and turned it toward me. He
smiled slightly looking at the obviously recent ink. “It means
‘paths cross with no certainty of why but understand of reason in
the end’ in Latin. I had it made with us in mind. You are my path
Reece.”

“I love you Reece Miller, now that you know,
don’t you ever forget it,” he said with the sincerest of eyes.

“I love you too Adam, I always have.”

He smiled so big it looked like it hurt. And
with that he turned and headed for the door waving to me as he
walked out.

My heart skipped a beat as I saw the door
close.

B
eing that I have grown up
in a pool hall, the smells, sounds and behavior that I see nearly
every day no longer surprises me. It has become a way of life. I
know what to expect and for that reason I am hardly ever
shocked.

The overhead speaker made a screeching noise
causing me to muffle my ears as Danny flipped on the microphone. “I
need all tournament participants to check in for table assignments.
If you haven’t registered yet too damn bad, you have had all damn
night to.” I chuckled at Danny thinking to myself
some things never change
.

Weaving through the line of tables I walked
up to the small booth in the back where registration was set up at.
A blond, short pixie cut, brown eyed, too much makeup but not
enough clothes wearing, the server named Manda, was glaring at me
with a tight lipped smile, as I approached. Never have understood
why she doesn’t like me. I have never really talked to her except
to ask for a coke every once in a while.

“You playing tonight Reece?” Manda asked
with a confused look on her face.

“Yep, that’s normally how it goes when you
run an exhibition tournament and you are the lead player,” I said
with a look of “duh” on my face.

“Well you don’t have to be so bitchy about
it. I was just asking. I didn’t see your name down for
registration, and you heard what Danny said ‘not registered you
don’t play’.”

Ok, was she trying to irritate me? If so,
she was doing a fine job of it and killing my “Adam high” I had
going up until the point I reached this table.

“Manda, it doesn’t show me as registered?
Really? I find that hard to believe.” Just about that time, Danny
stepped over and around me to look over Manda’s shoulder.

“Manda, her name is right there,” Danny said
pointing to the paper in Manda’s hand with a bit of irritation.

“Oh, sorry about that Reece, I guess I just
skimmed over it,” she said with a hint of bitch in her voice.
What the hell is her problem
, I
thought to myself? Obviously. I wasn’t going to get an answer to my
unasked question. I reached for a pen and turned the registration
log over. I signed in and was handed my table number 21. Perfect,
my lucky number and the last table reserved for the tournament.

Picking up the 9 ball rack, I walked over to
the bar for a diet coke before heading over to the table. Too bad I
couldn’t have a little rum to go along with the diet coke. I could
use a bit of a stress release.

“Looks like fate has us playing again.” I
heard from the corner of the room.
SHIT
, I thought to myself. I knew there was a
strong chance I would be playing him again but wasn’t hoping for it
to be my first match. I just got through kicking this jerks ass,
and I can tell he has a chip on his shoulder. Guess I’ll just have
to get this over with a little faster. “Nice,” I said with a
sarcastic smile and a little bit of sass as I turned around to see
the “wanna be stud” standing with his cowboy booted right foot
propped up against the rustic red brick wall of the pool hall.
Of course he’s wearing cowboy boots, this is
Texas, and EVERYONE must wear cowboy boots. I’m sure this prissy
wanna be gets up every morning to milk the cows and herd. Oh geez
Reece give it a rest, he is a douche just deal,
I
thought to myself while eyeing this dude up and down. His faded
dark wash jeans, no doubt purchased that way, had carefully placed
torn and worn spots on them. The dark brown belt sported a shiny
metal flat front closure which was too contemporary to go with the
“rustic” look he was trying to achieve with the jeans and boots.
And to pull the “look” together tops it off with a light pink, yes
you heard me pink, colored polo shirt, which he left untucked. What
was he doing here, urban cowboy meets Jcrew? Ugh, I get so tired of
living in this college town with so many wanna be’s. It’s like kids
come to college here and the only way to fit in is to be like the
guy next to you. I guarantee if I looked closely at the people
standing in this pool hall right now, I could probably group them
into two categories: I look like you and you look like him who
looks like me and I wear clothes because it’s illegal to walk
around naked.