The Promise (31 page)

“I don’t know
… I think I
really
fucked up,” I say again and hear her letting out a laugh.

“Oh you definitely fucked up,” she
says, and her words make me look up to face her directly again. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her that pissed …
ever
. You just need to give her some space. Like I said before, she’ll call you when she’s ready.”

Fuck I really
hope that she’s right.

***

Jack and I are in the airport again, waiting for the time to come when he’ll have to leave and board his plane. I stay wrapped around him as people stare, but I don’t care. I don’t care that our PDA is over the top. I don’t care they think
it’s a bittersweet love story to see a soldier and his girlfriend crying together as they say their goodbyes in the airport. I just don’t care. The only thing I’ve ever cared about is about to board the plane and be taken away from me.

“Please don’t leave me again, Jack,” I whisper into his hard chest. I know what I’m saying isn’t fair, but I can’t help it. I need him with me more than I’ll ever be able to say.

“Don’t do this to me, Baby. You know I have to go,” he pleads into my hair, tightening his hold on me.

“No, you don’t. We could run away together and hide
. They’d never find us,” I grip him harder as I speak.

“The military don’t work like that, Soph. They’d find me and throw me in jail. We’d end up being apart even longer. I don’t have a choice,
Babe, I have to go.” I look at him as I feel my eyes beginning to tear up. “Don’t cry, Baby … please don’t cry. It breaks my heart when I see you like this,” he whispers, stroking his thumb under my eye and catching a tear, before placing a soft kiss there. 

“I’m sorry, Jack. I’m trying, I really am but I just love you so much that I can’t handle it when you leave me,” I whisper, crying  harder even though I’m trying desperately to get my emotions back under control.

“I know, Baby. I hate it just as much as you do but I’ll be home again soon. I promise,” he tells me, pressing his lips to my forehead.

The announcement for his flight sounds and I know our time together is almost up. The sobs are threatening to rip through me again but I know I have to keep it together, at least until he’s on the plane. He pulls me up to him and I wrap my arms around him as tight as I can, his face burrowing into my neck where he places his lips, “I love you so fucking much, Sophie.”

“I love you too, Jack. So much, Baby,” I whisper.

He pulls away from me just enough to look deep into my tear stained eyes, wipi
ng my tears away once more as sadness displays within his.

“Shh, no more tears okay? I gotta get on the plane now,” he tells me in a low voice. Looking into his eyes, my chest heaves again. I can see he’s suffering over this just as much as I am. “Kiss me, Baby,” he whispers before I press my lips firmly onto his.

I kiss him like my life depends on it. I devour him as his hand snakes up into my hair. His other arm tightens against my waist beneath my t-shirt as he releases a deep groan to match my own.

I suck his lip as his tongue pushes into my mouth and he devours me again, lapping and sucking on my tongue furiously. As he pulls away from me, we’re both panting and I keep myself wrapped around him with a death grip.

Placing small pecks against his lips, he returns them before then placing them all over my face and neck, causing me to squirm and giggle beneath his light stubble.

“Hmm … There’s my beautiful girl,” he whispers with a small smile, planting a soft peck onto one of my dimples. We hear the announcement for final boarding and he keeps me to his chest while gazing into my eyes. “I love you, Baby.”

“I love you too. Please be safe and come back to me, Jack,” I plead while kissing him again.

“Always, Baby. I’ll always come home to you, Sophie,” he whispers, pressing his forehead against mine. “Me and you
forever.”

“I love you,” we both say at the same time as he hugs and kisses me firmly, before setting me on my feet. He gives me yet another kiss before walking towards the plane. As he reaches halfway down the tunnel, he turns back to me, and with a wink and my favorite lopsided smile, Jack blows me a final kiss before placing his hand over his heart. I watch as he mouths ‘I love you’ for the last time before he disappears down the jet way and out of my view.

I wake up to see that we’re pulling up outside of Matt’s parents’ house. Sitting in the driveway, Matt places his hand on my leg, softly shaking me awake.

“Sophie, wake up
, Honey. We’re here,” he whispers and I startle to life with a shriek. Matt knows about my nightmares but I’m sure I just scared the hell out of him with my scream. He pulls me over the seat and onto his lap instantly while rubbing circles onto my back. “Shh, it’s okay, Sophie … you were dreaming.”

“No! Jack! No!” I whimper into his chest a
s the sobs rack through me. “Don’t leave me!” I beg him. “Don’t go, Jack! Please stop!”

“Shh, it’s okay,” Matt repeats over and over again as he holds me against his chest, rocking me gently
as we remain in the driveway. A few more minutes and the sobs slow as I open my eyes again. “Are you awake?” he asks me. He kisses me on my cheek, pulling me into his embrace while continuing to soothe me as I finish crying against his chest.

R
aising my head up, he releases me. I plant a friendly kiss on the cheek to thank him for being here for me, “Thanks, Matty,” I whisper. He nods as I move off of him and back over to my side of the car.

“Do you want to sit out here for
a while or are you ready to go in?” he asks. I stare back at the house, feeling as my nerves start up again.

“Can we go somewhere else?” I ask
, seeing him immediately nodding from the corner of my eye.

“Sure
. Where do you want to go?” he asks, switching on the ignition again as he waits for me to answer him.

“I don’t know
. I just don’t feel like I can be around anyone else right now,” I confess.

“Well, I think most
ly everywhere will be getting ready to close. Do you have any ideas?”

“I want to go to the liquor store
… then get a hotel … and then get thoroughly fucked up,” I answer, hearing as he lets out a light laugh.

“O
kay, you got it, Babe. Buckle up,” he tells me as he swings the car out of the driveway, before heading down the street.

We stop
and grab some rum and juice, for me, and some beer, for Matt, before renting a room in one of the hotels closest to us.

Walking in, we
drop our stuff onto the bed and while I’m in the bathroom, I hear Matt making me a drink and the top popping off of one of his beers. I walk out in my pajamas and see him smiling at me as he hands me my drink.

“Thanks,” I say, draining the cup in one quick sip.
Lowering my arm and resting it down on the countertop, Matt’s eyes widen but he doesn’t say anything, he simply pours me another.

“Just don’t overdo it. I don’t want you to get sick or anything,” he war
ns.

Matt
walks over to the TV and switches it on as I climb onto the bed, resting myself up against the headboard. Reaching into my purse, I turn on my phone, finding fourteen missed calls from Chase with a further two from Ana. There are approximately thirty texts from him, all of which saying basically the same thing.

I’m so sorry, Baby. Please talk to me. I’m so worried about you. Just tell me you’re okay and I’ll leave you alone if that’s what you want. I just need to know you’re okay and tell you I’m sorry. *CHASE*

I trust you, Baby. I swear I do, I just panicked. Please talk to me. I’m so sorry. *CHASE*

Baby, please text me back. I’m so, so sorry. *CHASE*

I should’ve never said those things. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me, Baby. *CHASE*

Please answer me, Sophie *CHASE*

Text me and let me know you’ve made it safely please. Love you xo ~Ana~

Chase is trippin’. I think you should call him, he feels awful. Love ya xo ~Ana~

I release a deep sigh as Matt turns to look at me, “What’s wrong, Princess?”

“Matty
. My life freaking sucks,” I wail my answer.

“You’ve definitely been
dealt a shitty hand, I’ll give you that,” he agrees, pulling me into the crook of his arm where I rest my head against him.

I text Ana back
and tell her that I’m okay before tossing my phone back onto the bed. Matt nods over to the phone and asks, “He blowin’ it up?”

“Yeah, he wants me to call him but I’m not going to,” I sa
y, my voice filled with sadness.

“How come?”
he asks, his question making me exhale a deep sigh.

“I don’t want to talk to him right now. I know he’s going to ask me questions
that I don’t want to answer, then I’ll cry and I just don’t want to do that right now. I know he’s with Ana and she’ll tell him I’m safe. He’ll just have to make do with that for now.”

I sta
nd to get another drink but Matt stops me, lifting his hand and taking the cup from my hands. He walks over to the sink where we have our makeshift bar set up and pours me another drink before bringing it over to me. Before coming back over to join me, he slips his shirt off but leaves his wife beater on. I see the muscles underneath fighting against the fabric and the tattoos on his arms. I can’t help but stare at him, and when he catches me, I blush.

“Don’t be embarrassed, Babe. I don’t care if you look at my body. In fa
ct, it’s flattering. I look at yours all the time. It’s only natural,” he admits in his matter of fact tone before sitting back beside me on the bed. He flips through the channels and we sit in companionable silence for a long time before my phone chimes with another text.

It’s Chase again.

Baby, you’re driving me crazy. Please answer me. Say anything. Please. *CHASE*

I stare down at
the message as Matt glances over in my direction, “Want me to tell him to fuck off?” he offers, but I shake my head.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll just text him back and tell him
that I’m okay and just don’t want to talk,” I tell him. Matt doesn’t say anything else, but after a few moments, he finally breaks the silence.

“Do you think he’ll listen to you? He seems pretty persistent
.”

“He probably didn’t leave you with a very good first impression
, but he’s actually a really good guy, Matty,” I tell him, noticing his grin when I use the nickname I chose for him.

“He better be,” he starts
. Looking at him, I focus my attention on the bruise over his face. “I can’t believe he fucking punched me!” he laughs out, but it makes me begin to cringe.

“I’m so sorry that he did that to you,” I
apologize, leaning closer so I can look at the bruising on his jaw. It’s swollen to hell and makes me wince just from looking at it.

“It doesn’t hurt as bad as you think
, Sophie, and it’s not your fault he hit me. If I had a girlfriend who looked like you and some guy like me was all over her in a bar, I would’ve knocked the shit out of him too,” he smirks, his eyes seeming to lock on my lips.

Is he thinking of kissing me?

Shit. I’d be lying if I were to say that I’d never thought about what it would be like, but it would be wrong on so many different levels. Not only is Matt my best friend, he was Jack’s best friend too, not to mention that I’m in love with Chase. I don’t want to hurt him, but I know I can’t give him what he wants.

Matt places his hand
tenderly on my neck and leans over to me, his mouth lightly brushing over mine. I feel his lips moving softly as he speaks against my mouth, “I want to kiss you so fucking bad right now, Sophie.”

His eyes lock onto mine
. He’s waiting.

“I can’t,” I
whisper, holding my hands flat on his chest as I continue. “It wouldn’t be right, Matt.”

H
e gazes into my eyes and that’s when I notice his eyes beginning to dance with a small smile crosses over his lips. He brings his mouth to my forehead while moving my head back to rest on his chest.

“Another time then,” he whispers
, before turning and flipping through the channels again like nothing just happened.

I look down
to my phone and pick it up as Matt grabs my empty cup from me, taking it with him as he heads over to make me another drink. After a few moments, he hands me my refill.

“You might wanna slow down, Sophie. You’re throwing these back pretty quick,” I nod
because I know he’s right, before accepting the drink from him and opening a reply box for Chase.

I’m safe and I accept your apology but I’m not fighting with you. ~Soph

It only takes a few seconds before my phone sounds with his reply.

I don’t want to fight with you either, Baby. I just want to talk. I’m losing my mind over here. Where are you? *CHASE*

I’m not sure what to do. I’m still so upset about everything but I want to hear his voice too. I let out a breath as Matt whispers to me, “Just call him, Babe.”