Carla
“So where are we going again?”
“It’s called Circle Park,” he said, “and it should be just around this corner.”
They were walking next to each other along the sidewalk, and she had to admit it was quite the experience. At nearly five foot eleven herself, she was far taller than the vast majority of women, and even a good amount of men. Carla was more than used to her fair share of looks, but today they’d taken on a whole different aspect.
No longer was she the center of attention. It wasn’t Thorne either. In an odd twist of fate, everyone that moved out of their way was fixated upon them. Their size meant that everyone just automatically assumed they were a couple, and though she wouldn’t have believed it before, the looks were not ones of “Oh my goodness, she’s huge.” Instead they tended to remind her more of an expression someone would wear when saying “Awww, that’s so cute, they’re both so tall together!”
It was…not what she’d expected.
“You’re taking me out to walk in circles?”
Thorne gave her a skyward shake of his head. “Oh yes. Then we can walk just like our conversations.”
“Oooo, someone is feeling witty today,” she shot back. “I’ll have you know, our conversations are constantly evolving.”
“Yet they somehow always come back to me being in trouble for calling you over at the bar.”
“Damn straight,” she said as they rounded the corner of the big office building. “You should have known what effect your looks would have on poor lonely me.”
Thorne laughed loudly, startling several passersby with his outburst. “Oh yes. Because you absolutely reek of poor helpless woman. Right. Says the badass battlesuit pilot who has probably had to fend off countless advances from men.”
Carla fumbled the tart reply she had ready for him, the jealousy evident in his voice coming out of nowhere and throwing her mind for a loop. What the hell did he care that she was hit on?
“I’m a female in a mostly male military, and on top of that, I’m one of two females in a nearly all-male unit of the most testosterone-filled units there is. Of course I get hit on all the time. But it’s not because they care about me. It’s just what I have between my legs they care about.”
She tried to soothe her anger at the subject. It wasn’t his fault he couldn’t understand what things would be like for her, trying to survive on her own, unwilling to depend on anyone for anything lest they try and get sex out of her as a “reward.” Her squad was fine, but even then, she didn’t let herself need help very often. Carla took care of herself.
“I never thought of it that way,” Thorne replied.
“Nobody ever does.” She waved it off. “It’s not your fault though, even though you preyed on that weakness by appearing to want anything but sex from me at the bar.”
Thorne frowned, thunderclouds building in his eyes. “I would never presume to think that you should just want to have sex with me simply because I am attractive. I wished for good conversation and stories. You seemed ready for the same. I thought we could have an excellent afternoon of regaling each other with tales that we have exaggerated beyond belief, simply to impress those around us. Is that not still a common exercise?”
Carla started laughing. “Oh, absolutely. You should hear some of the gems that get told to me, thinking it will impress me into ripping my clothes off for them.”
Their conversation died as they finally came into view of Circle Park. Carla looked left and right, but the gently curving perimeter stretched out as far as she could see.
“It’s huge,” she said, overawed at the size of the place.
Barton City wasn’t overly big as far as urban centers went, boasting little over half a million people at best. Yet they clearly were quite proud of Circle Park. The entire area was surrounded by a stone wall that rose above knee height, and was topped with a wrought-iron fence. Regular openings dotted the fence, with gates that slid out of sight, allowing the park to be closed off as necessary.
“How big did you say it was?”
“I didn’t. But the map said it was about a mile and a half in diameter. I honestly figured that to be a massive exaggeration, but now I doubt it.”
They crossed the street and entered the park through the nearest entrance, both looking around at the picturesque beauty of the place. Trees covered the outer perimeter in a thickness that, as they walked deeper into its midst, sheltered them more and more from the noise of the city beyond. Much of the path meandered underneath the canopy until they emerged inside the park itself.
Slow rolling hills covered in long yellow grasses and wildflowers were dotted with various places of greenery. In the very center of the park, families and couples and individuals were sprawled out across the landscape, playing catch, sitting on a bench reading, or just lounging on a blanket while they talked to one another. Laughter and shrieks reached her ears as a group of kids ran back and forth, playing tag as they enjoyed the last of their weekend before returning to school the next day.
Around the outer edges small streams flowed, stone bridges arching out and over them at various places. Water bubbled and rushed through them, moving at a surprising clip. It took her a moment to realize they were probably artificial, but the sound was so akin to white noise it helped drown out the rush of cars from outside, providing a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere to all those inside.
“This is really beautiful,” she said, accidentally bumping into Thorne as she looked around.
Thick hands wrapped around her shoulders as she stumbled, holding her upright.
“Careful,” Thorne rumbled in her ear.
“I’m good,” she said just a bit too quickly as she caught her balance.
His hands stayed on her shoulders for just a moment longer than they needed to before disappearing. Carla caught her breath, not realizing she’d been holding it, and quickly looked off to the side, studiously looking into the distance as she recovered.
“Thanks,” she muttered after a moment, reminded that she hadn’t thanked him.
“Don’t mention it,” came the soft reply.
Okay, she wouldn’t. The moment had been far too intimate for her comfort. It was, she believed, the first time they’d touched, and she was far more shaken by it than she had any right to be. What the hell was wrong with her? He’d simply caught her as she stumbled into him. There was nothing intimate or romantic about that. Was there?
Mind working furiously as she analyzed, reanalyzed, and overanalyzed what had happened, Carla stopped looking at the beauty of the park, too focused on her own thoughts.
“Carla!”
She stopped and looked around to see who had called her name. Eventually she located Thorne, nearly a dozen paces behind her. He was looking at her funny.
“What?”
“Are you okay? I called your name like half a dozen times.”
Had he really? Shit. “Yeah, I’m okay,” she said, putting the incident aside. “What’s up?”
“Let’s take this path. It looks like it wanders around the entire park.”
“Sure,” she agreed, following his outstretched hand indicating the stone pathway.
They walked around the perimeter of the park, the thick forest of trees on their left, the interior on their right. It was busy, and they passed or were passed by numerous other groups. The sheer size of it all and the constant slopes and bushes and rock formations that dotted the park broke it all up, making it feel far less crowded than it likely actually was. All in all, it was a masterful job of landscaping.
“It’s peaceful in here,” he remarked at one point.
Carla was forced to agree. She hadn’t thought about it until just a few minutes ago, but she was really, truly enjoying herself. It had been what felt like an eternity since she’d had enough down time to do something like this.
The past few years had been so full of training, day after day as they went through iteration after iteration of the battlesuits. They were up to something like eight now, with rumors of more on the way, all with more and more advanced designs and complicated controls. Although she was excited to be on the forefront of technology, it had sucked up a massive amount of her life.
She just hadn’t had the chance to live. Now, thanks to Thorne she was. Today was a day she would treasure for some time. With the day of the inevitable Outsider invasion drawing inexorably nearer, she doubted that many more times like this would be afforded to her. So she tried to take advantage of it while she could. Relaxing and letting down her guard a bit, she started to talk to Thorne.
It was just snippets at first, pointing out pretty trees or the architecture of an old bridge that they crossed over as they walked. The park seemed to stretch on forever, the pathway always bringing them to somewhere new.
“I bet this looks stunning come fall,” she remarked as their path curved in among the trees as it avoided a particularly large rock jutting up from the earth, the jagged edges long since worn down and covered in moss and other greenery. A fence surrounded the rocks, preventing anyone from climbing on it. “All the changing of the colors and leaves on the ground.”
She turned as she spoke, taking it all in. Her spin brought Thorne into view, and to her surprise she found him looking at her, his thick pouty lips curved upward in a delighted smile.
“What are you grinning about?” she challenged, moving closer to give him a gentle shove.
He stepped sideways, as if Carla truly was strong enough to move him, the smile growing wider. “Just enjoying watching you finally relax,” he admitted. “You’ve been so tense, even from the moment you walked in the bar. It’s good to see you just enjoy yourself for once.”
Carla fell in step next to him, their arms swinging in time. “I don’t know. Life has been hectic lately. There hasn’t been much time for me.”
The dragon shifter looked down at her, brown eyes clear and reflecting some of the dying sunlight back at her as the afternoon went on. “You should take a bit more time. Striking more of a balance is key. It will help recharge you and give you more focus toward your mission, which will enable you to become better at anything you try.”
“Really? And what do you suggest I do to strike that balance then, Mister Dragon Man?”
An oncoming jogger gave them a weird look at her method of addressing Thorne, but she wasn’t worried. In fact, it was kind of fun to mess with them. Just like they were messing with Colonel Mara. Except in this case, it can’t backfire on me so spectacularly. I hope.
“I don’t know,” he said, chuckling. “But humor is a good start.”
“Oh, I have plenty of humor in my life. My unit is a fucking riot, let me tell you. Hilarious guys. We have all sorts of laughs. On that front, I’m set.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear that.”
The genuine happiness in his voice took her by surprise. “You’re an odd character, Thorne. And not just because of your…your…abilities,” she decided on at last, miming wings flapping with her arms.
“Takes one to know one.”
Jaw hanging open in surprise, she fumbled for a recovery, but it didn’t come. “Cheap shot,” she said, dropping her shoulder into his side.
To her surprise Thorne leaned with it, and she fell into him again. Yelping at the lack of expected resistance, she fell right into his waiting arms. Her head, angled up so she didn’t smash her nose into his rock-hard chest, stared at him, leveling an accusation without speaking.
By way of answer Thorne just smiled and then lifted her upright. His far arm slid off her shoulder with painful slowness, while his near hand dropped down her arm as if reluctant to let go. When it finally did, he stepped a little closer, his arm brushing against her, the backs of their hands touching.
Carla stiffened as his fingers found hers. Against her will, she realized she wasn’t pulling away, but was instead letting him stay close.
What the hell? This was not part of the plan! Not part of the plan at all, Carla. Get your shit together, Corporal.
When she didn’t remove her hand from his right away, Thorne started forward slowly, resuming their walk, everything the same except for the fact they were holding hands.
Still stunned by the rapidity of the change between them, Carla fell alongside him, trying to figure everything out. This was not like her. Thorne was cute, sure, but holding his hand in public? That was a little romantic, not to mention something she never really did. With anyone.
So what was it about him that was so easily making its way past her defenses and getting her to let her guard down? He certainly wasn’t storming them, forcing his way into her confidence. He just…acted like it was how it was supposed to go, and part of her was accepting that.
Carla made a firm vow then and there that things would not go any further than hand-holding. No hugging, no kissing or heated touching. Nothing. He was still sleeping on the couch, and she was still sleeping in the bed. Alone. With the door closed. Whatever power he held over her, she was stopping it here. Already her arm was tingling from the warmth of his grip, and she could feel herself wanting to lean into him.
If her unit saw her now, acting all “civvy” on them, she would never live it down. They would bring up this moment for as long as she remained with them, any time they felt she needed to feel embarrassed or taken down a peg.
The thought of her unit jarred her memory as they walked, reminding her of what they would be going through tomorrow when she didn’t report for duty. Guilt settled firmly into her mind, erasing any feelings of joy she might have been experiencing during her walk with the giant shifter.
How could Carla justify spending her time like this, when humanity needed her to be at her absolute best when that day finally arrived? The answer was, she couldn’t. Yet here she was, flirting and holding hands with someone else who should be expending all their efforts toward being prepared for the fight. Both of them were shirking their duty, and by giving in, she was encouraging him along.
Abruptly she dropped his hand, the magic of the day gone.
“Can we get back to the apartment now?” she asked.
Thorne, likely caught completely off guard by her actions, paused for a moment. She could sense his searching gaze as he tried to read her body language, to understand what had gone wrong. She was shut off though, and in the end he accepted defeat.
“Of course. Let’s go now.”
Carla nodded and they set off, the gulf between them widening once again. She was perfectly okay with that though. It had been her against the world for as long as she could remember, and that was what she was comfortable with. It was back to the known for her. It bothered her she’d even let her guard down this much with him.
It wouldn’t happen again.