Chapter Three
Mathew
I WISH I DIDN’T HAVE to leave her. It’s always been about her. We were supposed to always be together. I’m trying not to be bitter about it, but it’s difficult. I was really hoping for a football scholarship, so I could go to college with my girl, but I got beat out. John was going for the same gig, and he won. I’m proud of my best friend, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous that he got it instead of me.
When I didn’t get the money for college, Tabby enrolled in a closer school, hoping to stay closer to me. It was a total shock to her when I enlisted. She was supportive and happy for me, but I could tell it broke her heart. Enlisting in the Army meant we were going to have to spend some time apart. I hate that we had to go this route, but I have to for Tabby, for us. I need to go to college. The Army will pay for school. All I have to do is commit to them for four to six years, and then I’m free to move on with the rest of my life. I didn’t realize I was going to be deployed so soon. I thought I’d get a little more time with everyone before having to pack up and leave again.
Tabby still hasn’t warmed up to the fact I am now in the military. We’ve always planned to do things a certain way. So when things started to not happen the way we had hoped, or expected, it hit us hard. We were scrounging to come up with ways to ensure we would still have the future we wanted. Getting married, raising a family, and growing old together was never going to change. That was going to happen no matter what. I just wanted to deserve it.
Tabby deserves the world, and I want to be the one to give it to her. If I can’t give her everything she deserves, then I don’t deserve her at all. That can’t happen. I won’t let it. She’s mine. Forever and for always. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to take care of her, to make sure she’s happy.
Tonight was the last night I had to see everyone, before I had to leave. Tomorrow Tabby will head with me over to base, and then I’ll ship off, leaving her behind. I wanted to spend the whole night alone with her, but that didn’t happen. Our friends crashed our night, and my girl couldn’t leave them all disappointed.
I pull up to Tabby’s house and park my truck before heading up to the front door. I knock on the door, and then I wait for someone to answer. Tabitha’s mom, Karen, told me I could just come in, but I still continue to knock whenever I come by. It doesn’t feel right to just go walking into someone else’s house. I hear soft footsteps approaching from the other side of the door, and then the door opens.
“Mathew, I wasn’t even ready,” Tabby whines the second she opens the door. “You were supposed to call or message first. I needed time to get all pretty before you saw me.”
I don’t know what she’s talking about, she looks amazing. I love seeing her all dressed down. No makeup, with her hair in a ponytail, and wearing just a tank top and those tiny little gym shorts with the little cut on the sides that girls like to wear. It’s probably the sexiest thing a girl could wear. When a girl gets all dolled up, you’re always afraid to mess it all up.
“You look beautiful, babe.” I reach down, grab her hips, and pull her in for a kiss. Her breath smells like she’s recently brushed her teeth and drunk a cup of coffee. It’s a mixture you would think would be disgusting, but it actually works.
The kiss lasts long enough that I worry her dad is going to walk into the room and kick my ass, so I pull back. “So what do you want to do today?”
“First I want to get dressed in something that doesn’t make me look like a slob.” She’s pouting, and it makes me focus on her lips. All I want to do now is pull the bottom one into my mouth and suck on it.
“I like the way you look.”
“Well, I don’t.” She huffs.
“Fine, but please, babe, keep it casual. We aren’t going anywhere that requires you to dress up.”
She flashes a smile and rolls her eyes as she nods in agreement. Taking my hand in hers, she leads me up to her room. I look around nervously, trying to listen for any clue as to where Mark and Karen may be.
“They aren’t here,” Tabby says without even looking back. “Daddy is at work, and Mom’s a few towns over running errands for the church. She won’t be back for a few hours.”
We walk into her room, and I sit on her bed, as she picks through her closet.
“Should I wear a dress or shorts?”
“I’ll leave that up to you. You will look amazing in whatever you choose,” I answer. You should never ask a man for clothing advice. It’s always a bad idea. Some would say it should be considered a form of torture.
She leaves the closet empty-handed and walks over to the dresser and pulls a couple things out of a drawer. She approaches me so that she’s standing between my legs and sets the clothes down on the bed beside me. She flashes me a sly, sexy grin, then reaches down to grab the bottom of her shirt and slowly pulls it up over her head. I knew she wasn’t wearing a bra underneath her shirt, but when her tits bounce out into the open air, it’s like a brand-new surprise every time. A stronger man would sit back and watch the show, but who am I kidding? No man would do that.
I reach out and pull her to me. I leave a trail of kisses down the valley between her breasts and then back up and over so I can suck her left nipple into my mouth. She arches her back, pushing her chest further into my face, and sighs. I need closer. I release her from my mouth so I can get a good grip on her hips. I flip her over onto her back on the bed, ignoring her squeals of delight, and crawl on top of her to continue paying attention to one of my favorite spots on her. She laces her fingers in my hair and wraps her legs around me. She wants me as close to her as I can get.
My face is completely buried in her tits. I inhale the apple vanilla scent of her skin and then proceed to pepper kisses and licks across every inch. I’m rock-hard, and my pants are getting snugger by the second. I move up and push forward, rubbing my hardness into her center, and she rewards me with a moan. I latch my mouth onto hers and massage her tongue with mine. I can tell she’s getting close to catching a release. I pinch her nipple as I continue to bring our kiss deeper, then we hear the front door slam shut downstairs. I jump off her and walk over to the bedroom door, while Tabby quickly dresses into the clothes she’s placed on the bed earlier.
“You guys better not be doing it right now! I’m coming up,” our friend, Steve, shouts. We hear him stomp up the stairs and stop at the bedroom door. Steve doesn’t feel the same way as I do about knocking, so he barges right in in. “Damn, I was hoping to see some titties.”
“You’re disgusting,” Tabby deadpans. I step forward to punch him in the arm, but he backs up and raises his hands in the air.
“Can’t blame a guy for liking boobs, darlin’.” He heads over to the bed and jumps down onto his side and grabs a pillow to rest his head on. “Beth and John are heading in too. They had to argue out by the truck first,” he says as he reaches over and grabs Tabby’s discarded shirt from earlier and brings it up to his nose to sniff.
“Wow, yep. You’re gross.” Tabby yanks the shirt from his hands and tosses it in the hamper against the wall behind her.
“How do you get your dirty clothes to not stink? My mom always complains whenever she goes to wash mine,” Steve says, oblivious to the fact it’s not okay to sniff a person’s dirty clothes.
“Just when I think you might be an okay guy, you do something only a creeper would do, and I think, nope.” Tabby reaches over and yanks the pillow out from underneath his head and then tosses it down onto his face.
He grabs the pillow and shoves it back under his head but then sits up. “It wasn’t like I was sniffing your panties,” he argues. “But if I’m being totally honest, that wouldn’t stop me.” He tosses her a wink as she makes a gagging face in his direction.
The weird and slightly disturbing topic is dropped when we hear the front door close again, followed by Beth warning us that they’re coming up. We really need to stop congregating in Tabby’s bedroom, especially after I leave tomorrow. It just looks bad.
Beth walks into the room. “So what are we doing tonight?” She walks over to wrap Tabby in a hug and they pass looks between them that only they would understand.
“We aren’t doing anything. This is my last night, and I plan to spend it alone with my girl,” I answer.
“Mathew Summers, you are leaving for a year. A year! Don’t think you can just leave without saying goodbye to your best friends,” Beth scolds me, as the other two douchebags chuckle over on the bed.
“It’s okay, Mathew, I can share you for a little bit with our friends.” Tabby’s always been the diplomatic one. She hates to leave anyone out, if it’s going to hurt their feelings.
“Fine, but not all night. I had plans with Tabby.”
We all leave after that. John convinces his older sister to buy us beer, and we head up to one of our favorite spots to hang out. We spend hours drinking beer and hanging out at the top of the water tower, before the three of them finally leave for the night so Tabby and I could finish the night together alone. We spend a little bit longer up there, until we eventually climb down and head to my house to finish what we started earlier on Tabby’s bed. Before Steve interrupted us. If I didn’t like the guy so much, I would have kicked his ass for all the times he’s cockblocked me, which happens more times than I could count.
Waking up to a naked Tabitha Thomas wrapped completely around you is probably one of the best things in the world. I’ve hardly slept. I don’t want to leave her. After she woke up we spent far too little time around the house before we had to leave for base.
I could tell she was all up in her head the entire drive to base, but I was also stuck up in mine, so the trip was deathly silent. It got even quieter the closer we got, if that’s even possible. When we finally arrived at the base, I was afraid she was going to break down, but my girl is tough. She held it together the whole time. I didn’t see a single tear until it was time for me to climb on the bus. It hurt like hell leaving her behind the fence as I made my way toward the bus.
I look back just one more time right before I step up onto the bus. Tabby is standing at the fence, and she looks absolutely broken. I want to run toward her so I can do whatever it takes to erase the look she currently has painted across her face. I can’t, though, because I have to do this. Tabby is too special to settle for someone who doesn’t deserve her. I’m doing this for her.
I climb onto the bus and walk down the center aisle until I can find an open seat by a window. I hate that it’s a window facing away from the gate, because I don’t get to see Tabby one last time before I leave. I’m also grateful. That sad look she had on her face, with the tears pouring down her beautiful cheeks, will haunt me forever. I never want to be the one to put that look on her face again.
It’s only going to be one year. I repeat this over and over again in my head, but it never lifts the heavy weight pushing against my chest. The bus takes off, and I decide to get a little shut-eye in. I pop a couple Melatonin from a package I had in my pocket, and toss them in my mouth, swallowing them dry. I lean my head back and close my eyes, hoping to get in a few winks before we arrive at our next destination. It’s too late to turn back now. I’m committed to see this through. I did this for her.