* * *
I give a sigh of relief as I stand in the hospital corridor, stopping to stretch my arms and legs.
I don’t know why these sessions are required. Isn’t it enough that we’ve lived through horrible experiences in battle once? Why do we have to relive them and worse, share them? Everyone there knows what it’s like to be in a war, to kill someone before they kill you, to lie to your comrade and tell him everything’s alright even when his guts are spilling all over, to watch helplessly as your friend bleeds out and dies in front of you. What’s the use of talking about it?
As a little girl in a wheelchair wheels past me, I find myself staring, remembering Sara. She was just about the same age, her hair the same color – black, except hers had patches of gray from soot and brown from mud. I still remember her eyes – blue and full of hope. I still remember her smile, her…
“Dash?”
I turn my head in the direction of the dulcet voice, which is like a lighthouse calling me away from stormy seas.
“Janine,” I greet her, smiling.
This time, she’s wearing a black cardigan over an apricot dress with a gold belt, the bottom part draped like a tulip and stopping just above her knees.
Elegant and sexy.
“Hey.” She returns the smile, her hands clutching the strap of her purse. “What are you doing here?”
“I… dropped by to visit someone.”
Her eyes narrow in suspicion. It took me too long to say that.
“An old friend who’s recovering from injuries,” I add.
“Oh.” Her brows straighten.
“What about you?” I put my hands in my pocket as I lean on the wall.
Janine glances behind her. “Well, my Mom had a–”
“Janine.”
She stops as someone else calls her name – a much older woman wearing a white blouse, a long blue skirt, and a pink bandana around her head, lines under her eyes and around her pale, thin lips.
“Mom.” Janine goes to her side, taking her arm. “I thought you and Dr. Morton still had plenty to discuss. I haven’t bought your medicine yet.”
Mom?
My eyes grow wide.
Oh, fuck.
Just when I’m contemplating if I should make my exit, her eyes meet mine.
“Who is this?” she asks as she stares at me curiously.
“Um…” Janine tucks some strands of her hair behind her ear as she glances at me. “This is Dash Siegel, my…” She takes a deep breath. “My fiancé.”
“Fiancé?”
Janine narrows her eyes at me.
“Yes, that’s right,” I confirm, stepping beside Janine and putting my arm around her waist. “Janine and I are engaged.”
“Engaged?” Mrs. Davidson’s eyebrows go up, then her gaze dart towards Janine’s bare ring finger. “Since when?”
“For a few days now,” Janine answers, hiding her hand behind her. “I know I’m not wearing the ring, but that’s because I was going to tell you first. I was going to surprise you.”
“Oh, you surprise me, all right.” Mrs. Davidson’s eyebrows furrow.
“But don’t worry, there is a ring,” I assure her. “I’m sure Janine has it in her apartment.” I look at Janine. “Don’t you, babe?”
“Of course,” Janine answers as she returns my gaze, patting my shoulder. “I’m keeping it in a very safe place.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were seeing someone?” Mrs. Davidson still looks confused, and I can’t blame her. I didn’t want to announce our engagement so sloppily.
“Well, I, um…” Janine swallows. “I didn’t want to burden you with all that right now.”
“Honey, did you think I wouldn’t be able to take this?” Mrs. Davidson looks disappointed. “I could use some good news!”
“Well…”
“Well, now, I guess the cat’s out of the bag,” I supply, bringing Janine’s hand to my lips as I look into her eyes. “Which is good because I can’t wait to marry your daughter.”
“I’m sorry but what was your name again?” her mother asks.
“Dash,” Janine and I answer at the same time.
“Well, Dash, I don’t mean to be rude but how long have you known my daughter? How did you even get to know her?”
“Well, I–”
Janine gives me a look of encouragement.
I slip my hand inside my pocket, tapping my thigh. “I met Janine at a bar.”
“A bar?” Mrs. Davidson’s eyes grow wide.
“A dessert bar,” Janine says as she squeezes my hand. “Because I don’t really drink.”
I raise an eyebrow. She doesn’t?
“Dessert Fantasies,” she continues. “I brought home chocolate cupcakes from there once. Dad loved them. Do you remember?”
Mrs. Davidson doesn’t answer, giving me a quizzical look. “You don’t seem like the kind of guy who likes cupcakes.”
“Oh, he has a sweet tooth, trust me,” Janine answers before I can, placing her hand on my chest.
“I do,” I second.
“We were reaching for the same cupcake,” Janine continues.
“Salted caramel,” I say at the same time as she says, “Red velvet.”
Oops.
Janine squeezes my hand again.
“Yeah, it was red velvet,” I say, scratching my chin with my other hand. “Which is crazy. I actually prefer the salted caramel, but for some reason, I just had to have a red velvet that time. It must have been fate.”
I pull her closer to me, remembering how she asked me the other night if I believed in fate.
I continue, gazing purposefully into her goldenrod eyes, “I knew from the first moment I saw her.”
“Aww.” Janine gives me a sweet look.
“You just looked at each other and that was it?” Mrs. Davidson asks incredulously.
“Yes,” I answer as Janine says, “Of course not.”
“There was more to it, I’m sure,” I say quickly, stroking Janine’s hair. “But all I can remember now is how beautiful Janine looked that afternoon, and how we talked until it was evening, and I walked her back to her apartment, and we…”
“Said good night,” Janine finishes, looking at her mother. “And I thought we’d never see each other again but then he kept calling me and even when he went off to war, he kept in touch.” She taps my chest. “It was sweet.”
I hold her hand. “I couldn’t have survived all those years without you.”
“You went to war?” Mrs. Davidson asks me, concerned. “You’re a soldier?”
“A Marine,” Janine and I answer at the same time.
“I was deployed in a couple of places but I’m home now,” I explain to ease her mother’s worry. “And the first thing I did when I got home was to propose to Janine. And she accepted.”
“Of course I did.” Janine gives me a sweet smile as she touches my cheek. “Why on earth would I say no?”
I kiss Janine’s hand again. “And that, Mrs. Davidson – or should I say Mom? – is our story.”
“Yeah,” Janine agrees, nodding. “That’s pretty much it.”
Mrs. Davidson touches her chin. “Well, that’s a nice story.”
“A great story,” I say.
Janine glances at me.
“I wish I’d heard it before. But I am happy for you both.” Mrs. Davidson nods. “I’m just still in shock, I guess.”
“It’s perfectly understandable,” Janine tells her.
“Please take your time to let everything sink in,” I add.
She just gives another nod, looking away.
“I have to go,” I say, letting go of Janine’s hand so I can offer mine to her mother. “But I have to say it’s good to finally meet you… Mom.”
Mrs. Davidson shakes my hand weakly. “Olivia will do.”
I turn to Janine. “I’ll see you soon, babe.”
“You will. Just—”
The rest of her sentence disappears as I kiss her, one arm around her back to pull her against me.
It’s just supposed to be a quick smooch, the icing on the cake to make it look, well, like a cake, but I find myself unable to pull my lips away from hers, addicted to how soft they feel and the taste of her lipstick.
Finally, Janine pulls away though from the dazed look on her face and her red cheeks, I can tell she enjoyed the kiss thoroughly. That can’t be fake.
Just like the stirring in my crotch can’t be fake.
Fuck. I’ve forgotten how amazing it felt to kiss her.
“Well, bye.” I force myself to walk away from her.
“Wait.”
I stop at once, looking at her expectantly.
She points to her lips. “I think you have some of my lipstick on.”
Oh.
I quickly wipe it off before turning on my heel, feeling her stare on my back. I keep walking until I’m outside the hospital where I pause to take a big gulp of air as I run my hands through my hair.
What the hell just happened?
I can’t believe I just met Janine’s mother and I’m not sure she believes our story.
Well, at least, she knows about us now.
I walk to my car only to stop again when another realization hits me.
Oh, fuck. I need to introduce Janine to my mother too.