Battlefield of the Heart (9 page)

They continued to discuss her paper until they reached the dorm. She left him at the door to the second floor and continued up to the fourth floor. As soon as Cindy walked into her room, Leann rose from her desk, questions in her eyes.

“Where have you been? I thought you were just going out with Danny for a while.”

“Well, it took a lot longer than anyone expected, and we ended up at Corbin's house for the night.” Cindy sighed at her roommate's shocked expression. “We went up to the hospital to give Corbin moral support while his wife was in surgery.”

Leann's gaze darkened with suspicion. “Why did you end up at Corbin's house instead of coming back here?”

“He lives closer to the hospital. We got to his house after four and crashed in his living room. I called you as soon as I woke up.”

“I can't believe you spent the night alone with two former soldiers.”

“Actually, it was two former soldiers and a former marine. Corbin would be insulted if you called him a soldier.”

“I still can't believe you did that.” Leann shook her head, her expression clearing.

Cindy shrugged. “It's not a big deal. Like I said, we crashed in Corbin's living room.”

Leann shook her head again then grabbed her student ID and key chain off her desk. “I have to go eat something and go to class.”

She slung her backpack over her shoulder and left. Cindy collected a clean pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Over twenty-four hours in the same clothes left her desperate for a shower.

 

 

A sound like an alarm clock with an amplifier shattered the silence of the dorm during quiet hours. Cindy groaned as the fire alarm continued to blare. It was already after midnight, and she'd barely started her paper. She closed her laptop and unplugged it then slipped on her sneakers.

Leann stood by the door, her expression worried. “Hurry up, Cindy!”

“It's a cement block building,” she said as she gathered her computer and the notes she'd been working from. “I seriously doubt it'll burn down in the next thirty seconds. If there's even a fire.”

She grabbed the lanyard holding her student ID and room key on her way to the door. Leann complained when she took time to lock the door, but there wasn't even a hint of smoke and Cindy had lost some things to thieves during a false fire alarm the previous year.

They joined the flow of students down the stairs, and Cindy hoped she could find a seat under a light so she could continue working on her paper while they waited for permission to go back to their rooms.

Once outside, she spotted an empty place under a lamppost. As she headed toward it, her gaze fell on Danny and his roommate sitting on a cement retaining wall lining part of the walk. Something about Danny's expression concerned her, and she walked over to them. Leann stayed by her side and spoke quietly. “Are you planning to sit with those guys?”

“Yeah, that's Danny and his roommate, Greg.” Cindy smiled as she dropped onto the wall beside Danny. “Hey, guys.”

Greg gave her a friendly greeting then introduced himself to Leann, who sat down beside him. Cindy turned her attention to Danny. He still hadn't said anything or even acknowledged her presence, but she resisted the urge to touch him to get his attention. She had a feeling it would cause a reaction she didn't want to see.

“Hey, Danny, you okay?”

“Huh?” He finally looked at her and gave her a brief smile. “Oh, hey, Cindy. Yeah, I'm fine.”

Greg caught her eye and gave a slight shake of his head before returning his attention to Leann. Cindy shifted her attention back to Danny and found him scanning the students who were milling around. His actions reminded her of the way he'd looked at the hospital before he walked off.

“Let's take a walk,” she said, praying it would prevent as many bad memories for him as possible.

He glanced at her and nodded. She handed her computer and notes to Leann. “Keep an eye on these. If you get bored, feel free to finish my paper for me.”

Leann rolled her eyes. “So not going to happen. You can finish your own paper.”

Cindy laughed then walked beside Danny to the street. He remained silent as they headed in the direction of the quad, and she left him to his thoughts.

He stopped near the fountain in the center of the quad and glanced at her before focusing on the glass wave sculpture. “You saw it coming, didn't you?”

She assumed he meant an anxiety attack and flood of memories like he'd had at the hospital. “Yeah. You looked like you were getting ready to walk off anyway. I figured if I suggested a change of scenery, it might keep you from dealing with so much.”

“I'm still dealing with as much stuff; it's just not quite as strong as it was at the hospital.” Danny sat on the edge of the fountain. He spoke quietly as Cindy took a seat beside him. “That fire alarm left me waiting for incoming rockets. Waking up to that was not good for me. Then being stuck out in the open with a lot of people moving about — let's just say you suggesting a walk when you did was excellent timing.”

“Your roommate's worried about you.”

Danny's eyebrows shot up. “He is?”

“Yeah.” Hopefully, she wasn't causing trouble between the two of them with her honesty. “When you told me you were fine, he let me know he didn't believe you.”

“Doesn't surprise me.” He sighed, his gaze on the empty quad. “I figured out why they stuck me in with Greg. He's a psychology major with a focus on counseling. I guess they figured someone like that would be the only one who could stand to live with me.”

“Are you that hard to get along with?”

“No, it's just because of the PTSD. Not everyone can handle it.” He sent her a faint smile. “You're one of the few who handles it well and doesn't treat me like a freak.”

Cindy laid her hand on his shoulder. “I know how weird people can be. I mean, look at me. I'm twenty-one years old and sleep with a stuffed duck.”

“You do?” Danny looked skeptical.

She grinned and nodded. “If you ever come up to my room, you'll see it. It's all floppy and fluffy and yellow. Leann threatens to steal it from me on a regular basis.”

“Leann's your roommate?”

“Right. She was the girl sitting next to Greg.” She'd had a feeling he hadn't heard the introductions.

“I wondered where she came from. She's kind of cute.”

A pang of jealousy surprised Cindy, and she lowered her hand. “Yeah, I guess she is. I've never really thought about it.”

Danny laughed. “You wouldn't, would you? Though for all I know, you might go for that kind of thing.”

“Oh, please.” She rolled her eyes. “Girls are so not my type. You and Greg are much more my speed.”

A twinkle lit his eyes. “Oh, really? I'll keep that in mind.”

If he wanted to play that way, she could give as good as she got. “What about my cute roommate? She'll be so disappointed that you keep boring me in mind.”

He slung an arm around her and leaned close. “Trust me, you are far from boring. And you're much cuter than your roommate.”

She looked into his eyes, feeling sparks fly between them. Danny's joking grin faded as his gaze dropped to her lips, and he leaned even closer. Cindy's heart skipped a beat, and then it skipped another when he straightened and removed his arm from her shoulders.

He cleared his throat and looked out across the quad. “We probably ought to go back to the dorm. Maybe they'll let us back in now.”

Disappointment washed through her. “Yeah, it usually doesn't take long for them to declare everything safe.”

They stood and Danny glanced at her as they walked toward the dorm. “Does the fire alarm go off a lot?”

“It depends. This is the first time it's gone off this year, but last year we had to deal with it about once a month or so. I have yet to deal with an alarm that's an actual fire instead of popcorn or a prank.”

“Popcorn?”

Cindy laughed. “Some people should not be allowed to make microwave popcorn. Five minutes fills the hall with smoke and sets off the fire alarm. Ten minutes gets the smoke on two floors and makes the popcorn bag an unidentifiable black lump.”

“Wow, that's… dumb.” Danny hesitated then said, “I have to ask. Why did you bring your computer out with you?”

“I have a paper due in the morning. I was going to work on it while we waited to go back in, but I decided to talk to you instead.”

“I didn't mean to keep you from working on your paper.”

His subdued tone tugged at her heart, and she reached over to give his hand a squeeze. “I'll get it done tonight. I may come back to my room and take a nap after my class, but I'll get the paper turned in on time.”

He lifted her hand a little to look at it, and then lowered their hands as he spoke. “You're a very touchy-feely type, aren't you?”

“I come from a hugging family.” She suddenly had the horrible thought he might not like that much physical contact. “If it bothers you to have me touch you, I'll try to avoid it.”

Danny stopped and turned to face her, putting his hands on her shoulders. “Cindy, I don't want you to change who you are. It's nice to know you're comfortable enough with me to touch me.” He stunned her by wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. “Besides, I come from a family of huggers, too.”

She returned the embrace, relishing the strength and warmth in his arms. She'd been hugged a lot in her life, but it had never felt this electrified.

He spoke in an undertone, his breath tickling her ear. “I could get used to this.”

She leaned back to meet his warm gray eyes. “You know, I'm always willing to give a hug. All you have to do is ask.”

“I might hold you to that.” He smiled as he released her.

“That's fine by me.”

The area in front of the dorm had cleared by the time they arrived, but Greg and Leann still sat on the retaining wall. Leann looked curious and Greg looked relieved as Cindy and Danny joined them.

“I take it the dorm's been declared safe?” Cindy said as she accepted her computer and notes from her roommate.

“Yes,” Greg said, “they came out a few minutes ago to tell us we can go back in.”

Leann grinned. “You'll never guess what set off the alarm.”

“Popcorn?” Cindy said, lifting her eyebrows.

“Nope, it's even better.” Leann paused for effect. “Somebody up on the sixth floor tried to hide a burning joint in a trashcan. It was a metal can, but there were papers inside that caught on fire.”

Cindy laughed. “You mean there were actual flames? That's a first.”

“That's what I said.” Leann stood and yawned. “I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm going to bed.”

Greg stretched his arms above his head then rose from his seat. “Me, too. I have a class in the morning.”

“So do I, but I have to finish the paper that's due before I can sleep.” Cindy looked at her roommate. “I'll be nice and work in the lounge so the light won't bother you.”

They headed for the door, and Danny glanced at Cindy. “You want some company? There's no way I'm going to sleep any time soon.”

“Sure.” She offered a smile of thanks as he held the door open for her. “Of course, I won't be very good company since I'll be busy with my paper.”

“That's fine.” He held her back and spoke quietly. “I won't be good company, either. I've got too much on my mind.”

She ran a hand down his arm, and then they caught up with Greg and Leann as they opened the stairwell door. They left Greg at the second floor and continued upstairs. When they stepped into the fourth floor hall, she glanced at Danny.

“Before we go to the lounge, do you want to meet Iggy?”

Leann snickered. “You actually admitted to owning him?”

Cindy grinned and shrugged. “I had to prove I'm just as weird as the next guy.”

“Who's Iggy?” Danny asked, his gaze shifting between them.

“My duck.” Cindy grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hall. “Come on, I'll introduce you.”

He chuckled as he walked with her, and Leann rolled her eyes. “I can't believe you want to show off that duck.”

Cindy let go of Danny and glanced at her. “You keep threatening to steal him.”

“That's beside the point,” Leann said, her cheeks pink.

Cindy took pity on her roommate and quit picking on her. “Hey, do we still have any pop?”

“Yeah, there's most of a two-liter in the refrigerator. Why?”

“I need sugar and caffeine to keep me going until this paper is done.” She pulled off her lanyard and slid her key in the lock. “I'll buy another bottle tomorrow or whenever I can get to a store.”

“I can give you a ride to wherever you need to go,” Danny said. “As long as I don't have a class or anything.”

She flashed him a smile as she opened the door. “Thanks, Danny.”

She led the way inside, the light still on. Danny let Leann enter first then stepped in behind her. Cindy heaved a mental sigh of relief that they kept their room neat. She'd had a messy roommate her freshman year and quickly learned how embarrassing it could be to have friends unexpectedly drop by her room.

She grabbed the stuffed duck lying on her bed. “This is Iggy.”

Danny took the duck from her as Leann grabbed pajamas and headed into the hall. He ran his hand over the duck's body, a faint smile touching his lips. “You didn't mention that Iggy's soft.”

“Yeah, that's part of the reason I sleep with him. He keeps me from missing my cat quite as much.”

He raised his eyebrows as he met her gaze. “You have a cat?”

Cindy nodded, loving his curious expression. “At my parents' house. I've had Elmo since I was thirteen. When I'm home, he sleeps right beside me.”