“Shit.”

Luke went after her, but Amy’s frustration put her into overdrive so by the time Luke made it to the hallway, Amy was already in the elevator. The doors began to close.

“Amy!”

She stared him off, swiping a tear that threatened to fall and letting the doors close just as he approached.

“Damn it,” Luke said banging a fist on the elevator’s doors.

He braced his hand on his hips and hung his head for a moment; frustration seeping from his pores. When he went off to the army, Luke’s entire world changed, and staying connected to civilian life was one of the things he wanted the most. And even though he initially had no plans to spark up a close friendship with Jessica, she’d inadvertently been available at times Amy wasn’t. That didn’t make his situation better and now Luke had to figure out how to fix things between he and Amy.

“Shit!” he cursed again.

She had to come back at some point, right? After all, this was her place. Luke strolled back to her apartment and went inside. First things first, he needed to get a cell phone and find out where Amy had gone.

Amy pulled to the side of the road and reached into her glove compartment for some loose tissue.

“Damn it, Amy, don’t you dare cry,” she scolded, trying to keep up her hard pretense. She sucked in a deep breath and dabbed the tissue at the corner of her eyes, then checked her reflection in the rearview mirror. Almond shaped eyes stared back. “You’re over exaggerating,” she said to herself.

But she couldn’t stop the feeling of betrayal coursing through her veins. You weren’t always there. Amy shook her head. What the hell was he talking about? When was she not there? The tempo sounds of Ariana Grande sang from her cell phone, snapping Amy out of her thoughts. She stuck her hand inside her purse and fished for the smart device. But by the time she found it, it had stopped ringing. It was just as well, Amy didn’t feel like talking to anyone. She was having a hard enough time keeping up with her own thoughts. Amy didn’t bother to look at her caller ID, opting to slip the phone back inside her bag. However, no sooner then the idea crossed her, the phone rang again.

She pushed out a breath and answered before the end of the second ring.

“Yes,” she almost snapped.

“Hey Amy, this is Erin, is everything okay?”

Amy shut her eyes momentarily then reopened them. “I’m fine, what’s up?”

“I thought you would sound more excited! I know today was the day you’ve been waiting for.” There was a smile in Erin’s voice. Amy and Erin had made plans to do a double date tonight, to welcome Luke home, and afterward Luke would belong to Amy for the next few days. But now, that plan seemed out of the question. Erin waited for her friend’s excited squeal but when it didn’t come, Erin frowned and switched the phone’s receiver from one ear to the other.

“Amy?”

“It’s not happening,” Amy said.

The phone became quiet again as they both took in those words.

“Why?”

“Apparently, Luke has been…” her voice trailed off.

“Has been what?” Erin’s voice was amped now and Amy knew at any second, Erin would put the pieces together.

“He’s been talking to someone else.” Amy’s sadness turned into madness. All of the waiting and anticipating. All of her hopes, and dreams, of starting a family when Luke returned seemed all for naught. The fear Amy experienced, wondering if he would become a casualty of war, only to find out, he’d found comfort with someone else. Her head ached, and a wave of nausea hit her hard. Luke was her life. Besides, her Uncle Charley who’d raised her, and the only two people she considered real friends, Erin and Mariah, Luke was it; her heart. Quickly, Amy fumbled for the doorknob and opened it, leaning over to regurgitate her breakfast.

“Amy!” Erin shouted.

Amy swept her hair to the side and spat out the remnants left on her lips. She pulled herself back against the seat breathing erratically. “Hold on,” she said going back to the glove compartment for more tissues.

“Where are you?”

Amy shut the compartment and dabbed at her lips.

“On the side of I-75,” she said.

“I’m coming to get you.”

“That’s not necessary, I was on my way to your house anyway.”

Erin felt relieved to know that. Clearly there was something wrong with her friend and the sooner she found out the sooner Erin could help her friend in any way. Amy shut the door and put the phone on Bluetooth, so the call would come through her cars internal speakers.

“Is Caleb there?” Amy asked. Caleb Malone was Erin’s fiancé. They’d gotten engaged only a few weeks after Caleb returned from Iraq. Their story was almost like a fairytale, except it didn’t start out pretty. Caleb and Erin had plans to marry after high school, but unbeknownst to Erin, Caleb made the decision to enroll in the United States Army without telling her. She’d found out the hard way, and their relationship was rocky until finally one day, Caleb walked away from Erin completely. It had been hard for Amy to watch her friend suffer such heartache, and when Caleb returned, Amy practically threatened to cut his balls off if he even thought about hurting her friend again. But gladly, Caleb admitted his mistakes and did everything he possibly could to get his girl back.

Now here Amy was on the wrong side of love. Luke had never given Amy a reason not to trust him, until today, and that made her so sick to her stomach she almost pulled the car over again to throw up.

“No, he’s not here,” Erin said. “How long do you think it will be before you arrive?”

“Any minute now.”

The two quieted down as Amy meandered through the streets of Pensacola. The brightness of the sunny day taunted her, since everything about her day felt gloomy.

“It should be a thunderstorm in the sky right now,” Amy said.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Amy exited the highway and passed a gas station two blocks from Amy’s house. “Do you need anything from the gas station?”

Erin frowned. “No, and neither do you.”

Amy arched a brow. “How do you know what I need? How does anybody?” she added.

“Look, I don’t know what Luke’s done, but please don’t stop at that store.”

Amy bit down on her jaw. The last time she smoked a cigarette was sophomore year. It was the popular thing to do then, and Erin begged Amy to give up the bad habit, always shouting statistics on why smoking was bad for your health. Dropping the habit wasn’t as easy as Amy made it look. For weeks she chewed bubble gum until her jaws finally tired and gave up the exercise. Still, while Luke was on active duty, there were times when his phone call didn’t come in on the day and hour they’d scheduled, and Amy threatened to light up a cigarette every time. Erin would literally have to wrestle her down and remind Amy how far she’d come.

“Don’t make me drive to the station, because I will tackle you in front of everyone,” Erin warned.

That threat made Amy smile before mocking Erin with a silent mimic.

“I’m not stopping, I’m pulling into your driveway now.”

A few seconds later, Erin’s front door opened as Amy put the car in park. Amy let out a sigh and left her vehicle for the front porch. Erin held the door open for her, but still had the phone against her ear.

“You know you can hang up the phone now,” Amy said stepping into the house.

Erin dropped the phone and closed the door behind Amy. “What happened,” she asked getting straight to the point.

Amy inhaled and exhaled a deep breath then slinked down the short hallway into the living room to plop in Erin’s wingback chair.

“I think Luke is talking to someone else.”

Erin frowned. “You think?”

Amy ran off the details, telling Erin what happened at the airport and the short conversation they had at her condo.

“So, you left him at your place?”

“Sure did. I couldn’t figure out whether to punch him in his face or hear him out.”

Erin cleared her throat. “I’m glad you didn’t resort to violence, but I understand.”

“Do you? Because I feel like violence may be the way to go in this instance.” Amy paused. “I mean, I don’t know what to do now. How long have I been waiting for him?”

Erin pretended to countdown making a show of it with her fingers.

“Exactly!” Amy said. “We didn’t even get the chance to enjoy our reunion. I don’t know if we should be.” Amy turned her head and stared out of the windowpane. “This is not supposed to be happening.”

“Okay, calm down for just a minute,” Erin said.

Amy turned back to her.

“Maybe this isn’t something to be bothered about. You talked to other guys while Luke was away, right?”

“Name one,” Amy returned.

Erin snapped her fingers. “There’s Dex.”

Amy scoffed. “Seriously Erin, he’s the bouncer. I can hardly avoid talking to him since I run the bar and he runs the door at your nightclub. Is that supposed to be a joke? You know what I mean when I say he’s talking to her. Yes, I’ve talked to other guys in passing conversation but just to call them up and see how they are, no, I haven’t.”

Erin sighed heavily. “So, you don’t believe him, then?”

Amy stared at her questionably.

“I mean, he said she was just a friend and you are his everything. So that had to make you consider he was being truthful.”

Amy’s gaze drifted from Erin again, going back to the windowpane.

“I just don’t want you to do anything drastic before you’ve had a chance to investigate this thoroughly.”

“I get what you’re saying, Erin, but you weren’t there. I mean, as soon as he exited, my entire soul lit up with happiness. It was such a potent feeling that I was sick with it. I don’t even know how the heffa made it to him first with the way I took off into a sprint.” Amy turned back to her friend and noticed the smirk on her face. “What’s so funny?”

“I can just imagine this big ol goofy smile on your face and your feet moving a million miles a second,” Erin chuckled.

“Yeah, well, you can imagine my horror to see them embrace the way they did.”

Erin’s smile faltered.

“It just about rocked my entire existence.” Amy let out a frustrated breath.

“So, he knew you were there and he embraced her back?” Erin lifted a brow and folded her arms.

“Not exactly.”

Erin’s eyes rolled from top to side. “What do you mean?”

“He didn’t really hug her back, but he let her linger too long. What am I supposed to make of it?”

“This is what you will do,” Erin said. “You’re going to pretend like it never happened.”

Amy frowned and went for a rebuttal, but Erin lifted her hand in the air to stop her.

“It sounds like Luke has some explaining to do, but not enough where you should kick him to the curb.”

“Oh, you just determined that after your little deliberation or something?”

Erin chuckled. “I know you’re feeling sassy, but you don’t have any proof that he did anything wrong. If he had a few conversations with this girl then okay, make him tell you what’s up. Because Amy, Luke belongs to you. You’re not about to let this skank, whoever she is, walk away with him. For all you know, she could know you two are in a relationship and purposefully showed up to mess with you. Just so you can turn your back on Luke and she can hop her skanky tail in and take him.”

Amy held her arms up. “What is this, high school all over again?”

“No,” Erin said, “but the more things change the more they stay the same. You’ve been waiting for this, now she’s already killed your reunion. Don’t let her kill your joy. You need to go back home and enjoy your time with Luke. Think about all the times you’ve prayed to God that he was here and now he is, at your apartment no less, probably soaking wet in a steaming shower.”

Amy’s thoughts shifted to Luke in her shower and instantly her nipples hardened.

“I’m sure not only has his persona changed but his physique too, hmm? He’s been in the army for six years. His body is most likely more buff and cut. Thick hands, washboard abs, strong thighs, big di—”

“Okay!” Amy shouted flustered. “Jesus, have you seen him because those descriptors are pretty dead on.”

“Oh honey, it’s how Caleb looked when he first arrived; like he’d been experimented on in a laboratory far far away.”

The ladies chuckled.

Well,” Amy said, “I haven’t actually had a chance to see beneath the jeans he had on today but I’m willing to bet…” Amy’s words trailed off and she bit her bottom lip. “Damn you,” Amy whispered, causing Erin to giggle. “Over here getting me hot and bothered now I’ve got to go.”

Erin nodded. “Go on then, get out of here. I guess we’ll postpone the dinner.”

“No!” Amy shouted. “I’m going to rock his world and we’ll be starving afterward, so we’ll need to eat.”

Erin fell over in a guffaw and shook her head.

“Go get him tiger.”