“What’s up?” I said.
“Are you sure she’s okay?”
“Yeah. She has a lot on her mind. Well, not a lot, but…” I shrugged.
“She asked about my birth control,” Terri said. “While we were changing in the locker room. Is that it?”
“Yeah. What did you tell her?”
Her eyebrows rose. “Are you asking about my birth control?”
My cheeks heated.
“It’s okay,” she laughed. “I don’t mind telling you. I use condoms.”
“Not the pill?”
“No. They give me migraines. And I don’t like how they affect my… interest level.”
“Oh?”
She shrugged and didn’t answer, although her vagueness was a pretty good hint.
I wanted to ask but decided to play it safe instead. “So, tomorrow night…”
“Are we still talking about birth control?”
“No, the party.”
“Ah, okay.” She grinned and asked, “Should I bring a date?”
“If you want, although you don’t have to.”
“Will I be lonely? By myself?”
“I’ll keep you company.”
“You promise?” Her dark eyes sparkled.
“Of course.”
We fell silent, and some part of me enjoyed the sexual tension. I didn’t need another layer of complication in my already complicated life, but I definitely enjoyed the thrill of the chase, even if I wasn’t likely to catch her for real.
I nodded toward the others before the silence turned awkward. “We should probably get back.”
“Wouldn’t want to give them the wrong idea,” she agreed.
“Or the right one.”
* * *
I returned from my run the next morning and wondered which Christy I’d find upstairs, the mopey one or the normal one. Part of me didn’t want to badger her, but the selfish part wanted her to make a decision and get it over with, one way or the other. I wanted my happy girlfriend back.
I shouldn’t have worried. She smiled and silently pulled back the covers when I slipped into the room.
“I hope you don’t mind,” she said. “I started without you, so I’m already warmed up.”
I yanked off my T-shirt and untied my running shorts in record time. Mr. Big had already gotten the message, and he sprang up eagerly. The rest of me was eager too, so I tried to kick off my shoes and step out of my shorts at the same time.
I fell on my face instead.
Christy bolted upright. “Oh my gosh! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I rolled over and swung my feet around.
“Oh, Paul,” she laughed brightly, “take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”
I deliberately untied my shoes and then untwisted the fabric around my ankles.
“You should see yourself,” she said as I stood. Her eyes danced with amusement before they locked on my hard-on. “Is that for me?”
“If you want.”
“It is my birthday,” she said coyly. Then she pretended to pout. “You didn’t wrap it for me? That’s okay, I still want it.” She lay back and smiled. “Give it to me.”
“Insistent little thing.” Still, I slid into bed, and she guided me between her legs.
“Yes. And I insist that you— Ah! Oh!” She closed her eyes, and her nostrils flared as she caught her breath. “No fair,” she said when she could speak again. “You have to let me finish.”
“I knew what you were going to say.”
“So? You still have to let me finish.”
“I can pull out if you’d like.”
“No!” She grabbed my butt and held me in place. “I like you right where you are. Him too.” She waited to make sure I wasn’t going anywhere. Then she released me and smiled instead. “Thank you for being patient with me. I know I haven’t been easy to live with.”
“You’re fine. Besides, I want you to be happy.”
“I know. And thank you for not trying to push me.”
“Well, you know what I think you should do.”
She nodded.
“But you also know that I’ll respect your decision, whatever it is.”
“I know. That makes it easier.” Her smile slowly morphed into a frown. “Why do we always end up talking when you’re inside me?”
“I dunno. I like talking to you.”
“You like teasing me,” she accused.
“That too.”
She pulled me down and kissed me. “Make love to me.”
Some puckish impulse made me ask, “Once for each year? Twenty-one times?”
“Mmm, yes, please.”
“And how long do I have? A couple of days? A week?”
“No, the rest of our lives. Oh my gosh, it’s bad even when I say it.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty bad,” I admitted with a laugh.
“Maybe we should stop talking.”
“What should we do instead?”
“You know,” she said softly.
I began thrusting.
She closed her eyes, and her breathing grew heavier again. “You always know.”
* * *
I met with Professor Joska at five o’clock, and we discussed Susan’s project. He had some pointed comments about how the camp had deteriorated in the first place.
“It wasn’t Gunny’s fault,” I said. “He was a good Marine, but not a great handyman.”
“Then perhaps he should have—”
“Stop,” I said firmly. “Right there.”
Joska blinked in surprise at my tone.
“He did his best. That’s more than anyone else did.”
“Perhaps he should have realized his limitations.”
“Do you realize yours?” I shot back. “Or do you see a job that needs doing and pick up a hammer?”
Joska studied my expression and sat back. “This Gunny,” he said after a moment, “he was your friend?”
“Yes.”
“Your loyalty is admirable but—”
“I mean it,” I warned him. “You’re on dangerous ground here.”
His grizzled eyebrows rose.
“I’ll fight for my friends. I did it for Gracie, and I’ll sure as hell do it for Gunny. He did his best,” I repeated. I set my jaw and dared him to argue.
“I see,” he said instead.
“It’s the past and we can’t change it,” I added in a softer tone. “So, let’s focus on the present instead.”
He thought for a moment and then asked, “Gunny… he was the one who passed away last year? You attended his funeral, did you not?”
Emotion swelled in my throat. “I did.”
“Then I apologize,” Joska said. “I should not have spoken as I did.”
I inclined my head by way of apology.
“And you are correct—we should focus on the present instead of the past. Shall we start with the clubhouse?” he said, as if nothing had just happened. “You are thinking of engineered wood?”
“Yes. I like its aesthetic properties.”
“Mmm, I agree. And its structural ones as well.”
I pulled out my sketches, and Joska sat forward. We were student and mentor again, and he was as excited as I was.
* * *
Happy Christy greeted me when I came home after my meeting. She was upstairs in the bedroom, and she rolled to her feet as I set my backpack next to the dresser. She waited just long enough for me to straighten before she bounced up and wrapped her arms around my neck. I caught her automatically, and she kissed me.
“What’s gotten into you?” I asked. “Not that I mind, but…”
“I just got off the phone with Danny and Sabrina. They say hello, by the way. They called to wish me a happy birthday.”
“Ah, okay.”
“Talking to Danny always makes me happy. And Lynne called earlier. The kids sang to me. It was really cute. James is on cruise, but he sends his love. And I talked to my mom.”
“Everything okay?” I asked cautiously.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“You know why.”
“Everything’s fine. We had a long talk.”
“About…?”
“She wished me happy birthday.”
“Anything else?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know.” She waited a half-second before she kissed me again. “You can set me down now.”
I did.
“Thank you for planning my party,” she continued. “I invited someone. I’ve seen her at church a couple of times, but I only met her properly today.”