The Military Mistress (3 page)

Chapter 4

Monday comes around and I know that he's working because I get a phone call at 5 in the morning. I answer all groggy, and slightly irritated, “Hello?” I can hear how scratchy my voice is.

              “Did I wake you up?” He asks.

              “Well the fact that it's 5 in the fucking morning what do you think?” I try to sit up, but just end up laying back down again and closing my eyes.

              “Sorry! Go back to sleep,” He says and there's something sincere in his voice like he actually feels bad for waking me up.

              “No, it's fine I'm already up now, why'd you call me?”

              “Because I'm going into work, and I wanted to say sorry for this weekend.”

              “Why're you sorry?” I yawn.

              “Because I didn't really get to talk to you, we went to Denver where Amy's parents are.”

              “It's fine, I don't care,” I shrug, even though he can't see me. I think I actually do care, but I won't tell him that.

              “Okay, hey I'm pulling into base now so I'll text you when I get a chance, but I just wanted to ask you something, do you honestly think you'd be happier with me than you are now? I'm just wondering, bye.”

              “Uh...bye,” I'm a little confused by his question and why he would ask me that, especially at five in the morning, but I don't dwell on it too long because before I know it I'm asleep again.

              I'm woken up by my alarm at 9:30 because I have to be at work at 10:30. I pull myself out of bed, and I remember what Jake asked me earlier this morning. Was it this morning? It doesn't feel like it, but I guess it was. I think about the question he asked me. Would I be happier with him? Well he talks to me, that's a plus that I don't have at the moment, and not only that, we actually communicate. We tell each other what is wrong, and everything. Yeah, I think I would be happier with him. As much as I feel like a horrible person for admitting that to myself I do think I would be happier with him.

             
“Yeah honestly I feel like I would be happier with you...”
I say simply and I hit send. I get dressed in my uniform, and go downstairs.

              I put a little cup in the coffee maker to make myself some peppermint tea, my favorite, and then grab a muffin and stand at the counter eating it as I scroll through Instagram. Then I see Jake replied.

             
“I know what you mean. Like I like listening to you. Not Amy so much. Yeah I would be happier with you. Like you're awesome. I would brag about you, not Amy though. She's like a mom”

              Wow, I know he wasn't really happy with her, but something about that text make me feel so special, him saying I'm awesome and that he would brag about me. I hug myself, and in this moment I feel bad for not feeling bad that I like him so much.

              “
What made you ask me that so randomly?
” I wonder.

              I take my tea from the machine and put a couple ice cubes in it. One disadvantage is I can't drink it right away it's so hot.

             
“Because all weekend when I was around her I felt like I couldn't tell her anything, and I just wanted to tell you, like I can't tell her about my anxiety because she just tells me to suck it up”

              How could she do that? Jake never had anxiety when we were together, but since he joined the Army it's been pretty bad, and so has his depression. He says he gets an anxiety attack at least once a day, and that he will just get randomly sad, and he doesn't tell me exactly when it happens, but he says that how I talk to him helps more than when she tries to help. That's why he doesn't even tell her when he has the depressed feelings or anxiety attacks anymore because he knows she won't help. I feel bad that I can't do anything about it.

             
“I'm sorry are you doing okay now?”
I pour my tea into my ASU tumbler to bring to work with me before getting my purse and keys off the counter and going to my car to drive to work.

              Right before I back out of my driveway I read what he responded,
“Yeah, I'm good now because I actually get to talk to you again:)”
I blush. What is wrong with me?

              The day continues, and I tell everyone at work the latest on what is happening with Jake and me, that seems to be the thing to do, I walk in, “Hey Maia! How's married guy? I just laugh it off, but I end up telling them everything that has happened since yesterday. Jake continues to text me. He tells me how he isn't wearing his wedding ring anymore and told everyone at work that he started getting an allergic reaction to it, and that's what he told Amy too I guess. I just can't believe that she would actually believe that, but I guess she isn't the brightest bulb in the pack. As a joke him and I start ranking each other on a scale of 1-10. He says I'm a 7, but with brown hair I'm a 9, and in yoga pants I'm a 10. I change my hair up a lot, and when we were together it was brown, but I have had every hair color there is to have, but now I'm back to my natural red color. I said he's a 7, but in his Army uniform he's a 10 which is true, something about ACU's are so attractive. It can take a guy that is like a 4 and easily make him a 7 or 8. I don't know what it is about the uniform it just adds attractiveness to any guy wearing it.

              Once I get off work and we get to FaceTime again he tells me about some apartments near his base that he's passed a few times and he said that if I moved there that is where we would live because they look so nice. I tell him he seems to be looking into that pretty deep, and we laugh about it, but I can't help but think if he really does want to leave Amy for me, but I also question if I could actually be with him, I mean he is after all pretty much cheating on his wife with me, could I ever be with him and fully trust him? Words keep ringing in my head “If they do it with you, they'll do it to you.”

chapter 5

The next two weeks go by slower than I would have preferred. On one of my days off I go shopping, and end up going to Victoria's Secret which is one of my favorite store. I get some “yoga leggings” that are the most comfy thing I've ever worn in my life. I tell Jake that I got some new clothes and he wanted to see, so I send him a picture of me in them, and I must say they make my butt look really good, and that's what I was showing off in the picture the most. His response to the first picture was “
Can it be friday yet?:)”
I laugh, but I'm asking myself the same question. Then I send him another picture with the other pair I got, even though they are basically the same idea and he says
“We're gonna bang:)”
That one really makes me laugh. We had started talking like that though so I wasn't too shocked that he said that. He asked me what my schedule is the time he is in town so I tell him.

             
“I call you Saturday night:)”
He says in one text then right after he sends another one
“So dibs on you:)”

             
“Haha dibs?:)”
I question.

             
“Yes, dibs:)”

              “
Just Saturday?:)”

              “Maybe a few more:)”

              “A few more nights?:)”

              “Yeah;)”

              That's when it started to become real, how much I was going to see him while he was here. I know he's seeing his family who lives within walking distance from my house, but it almost felt like he was coming here for me. There was one text conversation we had that really shocked me. We were talking normally, and then he texts me,

             
“Do you still love me?”
He asks.

             
“Yeah, I think I do. Do you?”
I'm nervous to send it, but I do anyway.

             
“Yeah, I know I do”

              The 19
th
comes around I wake up to a text from him telling me that he's at the airport waiting to board the place. He send me his flight info and says that he gets in at about 11:30. I tell him that I'll be there, and I start to get really anxious that what has been building up for weeks is now going to happen. I go to my bathroom to get ready. I brush my hair which I straightened last night because I think I look better when it is straight. I put on a little makeup, I never wear much, but some eyeliner and mascara.

              “What are you up to?” I hear my dad ask from the loft, and I'm startled that he is actually here he is never home, he is always at his girlfriend's house, he only comes home when she has to study or work and he doesn't.

              “I'm picking someone up from the airport in a little” I stutter a little, I really don't want him to question me much further than that. I should have lied, but I don't know what I would've said.

              “Who?” Dammit.

              “Jake,” I say nervously, and I see the look on his face like what am I doing. He knows Jake and I have been talking, but I didn't tell him Jake is married. I told my mom because I tell her everything because I just feel closer with her, but my dad I feel like I can't tell a lot of things.

              “Why're you picking him up?” He asks.

              “Because he wants to surprise his mom, she doesn't know that he's coming,” I'm not actually lying he really does want to surprise her, he has two siblings and they both know that he's coming, but he wanted to surprise his mom which I think is really cute.

              “That's nice, when are you leaving?” He doesn't push it any further thank God.

              “Um..right now,” I say as I go back to my room to get dressed. I don't actually have to be at the airport for another hour or so, but I don't want to stick around and risk him questioning me anymore so I decide to just go to the store or something first.

              I go into my room and grab one of the black leggings I sent his a picture of me wearing and a pink and black tank top that gives me some pretty good cleavage. Then I put on a black hoodie. I also put on my pink Nike's because we talked about how he has a pair of Nike's as well and told me to wear mine so we can match, though his aren't pink. I laugh that he would want us to match shoe brands, but I do it anyway because the shoes are super comfy anyway I won't turn down a chance to wear them.

              I say bye to my dad, and go to my car to just begin driving. I think of any possible errands I could run and I get some Starbucks, I think about getting Jake some because I know what he always gets, but figure I shouldn't because it won't be good by the time I actually get to see him. I get gas, I still have like a half of a tank, but it's something to do that will kill time. Once it's a little before 11 I decide I should start making my way to Sky Harbor. I hate driving at the airport there are so many lanes that just appear and disappear and I barely know where I'm going anyway, and I told Jake this and he just laughed at me and said he can drive when we leave the airport, but the problem is I have to get there alive first.

              The drive isn't that bad. I freaked out a couple times because I thought I missed the turn I was supposed to take, but I didn't and I made it to his terminal with some of my sanity left. I drive up and down the aisles and find a parking spot pretty easily that is away from the other cars because I'm always paranoid that people will hit my car with their door. I look at the clock on my radio and it says 11:20. I go on my phone to look up the flight status of Jake's flight and it said on time. I wait in my car for the last 10 minutes until the little flight tracker said that it's arrived.

              I walk into the airport, and my hands are shaking I'm not sure if it is because I was so cold outside or if it is my nerves. I'm not sure exactly where I'm supposed to go when my phone starts ringing. It's him. I answer quickly, “Hello,” I say a little too anxiously.

              “Hey, where are you?” He asks. I look around me before I answer.

              “Um, I'm not sure,” I say. “Where are you?”

              “I'm walking toward baggage claim.”

              “Seriously? Then I'm on the wrong level,” I begin to walk towards the elevators again.

              “No, what is in front of you?” He asks.

              “Uh, a plane,” I say oddly because there is a big, old looking plane in the middle of the airport by the escalators.

              “A plane? Where the hell are you?” He asks.

              “I don't know, that's the problem!” I reply.

              “Okay, I see a plane just walk towards that,” I do as he says, and I'm looking around nervously for him, but I don't see him. I haven't really seem him in three years though what if I don't recognize him? What if he doesn't recognize me? We FaceTime, but in person we could look different. My heart is racing.

              “Are you in a black hoodie?” He asks.

              “Uh, yeah,” I say, looking around but I still don't see him.

              “I see you,” and as he says that I see him come around a corner and walking towards me. We hang up the phone as he comes near me. My heart is racing faster than ever. He doesn't look much different. He's gained some weight, but in his case that is a very good thing. He is in a green shirt and jeans and has his army backpack on and that is it. He gets near me and we share a smile and a “Hey,” before we walk back towards the elevators.

              “Where'd you park?” He asks as he's walking very swiftly that I have to skip a little to keep up with him.

              “Uh like one floor up from here,” I say and my heart is still pounding in my chest. He didn't seem that happy to see me. Is he disappointed? I knew it.

              We get in the elevator and I push the button to go to the floor I parked at, and then lean against the back of the elevator. I feel him next to me. Looking at me. Then the doors close and his hand is on the back of my neck and his lips on mine. I'm in shock, but I lean into him, and into the kiss. I kiss him back, and it is like all the nerves I had are gone. I'm calm. The door opens and he lets go of me and we walk out, and I'm smiling.

              “I wasn't expecting that,” I say.

              “I knew you wouldn't do anything,” He replies.

              “True,” I shrug.

              “So, can I drive?” He asks, and I'm really nervous about him driving my car. I love my car more than a lot of things, but against my better judgment I agree and hand him  my keys, not that he needs them it is a push to start engine.

              We get into my car and all I can think about is that kiss, and how much I want to kiss him again. I watch as he adjusts the driver seat of my car to fit his needs, and I act annoyed that I'll have to change it back later. He backs out of the parking spot and I'm already regretting letting him drive. He speeds out of the parking garage and I'm freaking out already. It only gets worse once he gets out to the freeway. I start to say something, but cover my mouth with my hand. Jake chuckles as he speeds down the freeway. He looks over at me a couple times and I yell at him to look straight ahead which only makes him laugh more. He places his hand on my leg and rubs it, “Calm down you are fine.” He says, but I still sit in the passenger seat with one hand over my mouth so I don't scream and the other holding onto the door.

              First thing he wants to do is go to In N Out burger. He has been saying how much he wants to get that and Barros pizza because they don't have either of those things in Colorado and he misses them, and In N Out is on our way back home. We go to the drive thru, and he asks what I want, but I don't want anything, my heart is still pounding from being with him and him kissing me, and his driving so eating is not the first thing on my mind right now. He gets two double double burgers, fries, and a pink lemonade. We park so he can eat.

              “I hate eating in front of people if they aren't eating too please have some fries,” He says with his mouth full. I take a couple of fries and eat them, but I'm really not hungry.

              Once he's done eating we go to his house to surprise his mom. We enter our neighborhood, and I tell him to go the other way so he doesn't pass my house because I don't want to know what my dad would say if he saw Jake driving my car. We pull up to his mom's house and I go around to the driver's side to get in to go back to my house to get ready for work, but he stops me.

              “What are you doing? Come in,” He smiles, and I almost forgot hot perfect his teeth were. They have always been that way.

              “No way!”I try to get past him again, but he stops me. He isn't way taller than me, but enough that he can block me from getting somewhere. I'm 5 foot 4 and he's about 5 foot 10 or 11.

              “Come on, I know my mom would want to see you,” He says encouragingly.

              “That's so awkward, Jake, no way!” I shake my head.

              “Come on we are going,” He grabs my arm and leads to me to his front door, even though I'm trying to fight back. He rings the door bell and then stands off to the side so if someone looked through the peep hole they wouldn't see him. His mom answers the door and he jumps out from the side and she screams a little with excitement and he hugs her tightly. I chuckle as I stand awkwardly outside. She sees me and acknowledges me as well.

              “Maia! Hey! Come in,” She waves her hand for me to come in and gives me a hug. She's always been so nice.

              We all talk for a little then I say I have to go because I have to leave for work in like 10 minutes I say goodbye, and Jake comes with me to grab his backpack from my car, he's trying to get me alone again because when his mom says she will help him he waves her off, but she comes with anyway.

              I say goodbye to them and get back in my car and give Jake a look as I readjust my seat before I drive home, quickly get ready for work, then leave.