Devil’s in the Details (23 page)

I went to say something when Alex suddenly reached up and swiped at the side of my mouth with her thumb, "You had some sauce…there." She awkwardly pointed at the spot she had just wiped.

I turned back to my plate, "Thanks." Nervousness filled me like the hoover dam had just broken inside of me, releasing wave upon tidal wave of nervous butterflies in my stomach. I set my plate down to get up and search out some napkins and some air. "I forgot napkins." I half mumbled it, looking up at Audrey Hepburn grinning at me in bold black and white.

Before I could push up from the couch, I felt Alex's warm hand glide across my cheek. "Wait, there's another spot of sauce."

I turned to face her, finding her inches from mine. Those big blue eyes looking in mine and down at my lips, asking for silent permission to move forward. I licked my lips and tilted my head towards her, sighing as I saw the huge grin on her face right before she bent forward and kissed me.

This kiss wasn't hard like the one I unleashed on her in the foyer. It was softer, far more delicate and tentative, but amazing nonetheless. Alex didn't take it any further than the innocence behind it, parting from me just as quickly as she started. Sighing contently as she leaned back and looked down at me, "I couldn't resist." Her face turned a bright red as she sat back down on the couch, reaching for her now empty plate.

I smiled, licking my lips, tasting pasta sauce and wine, "I don't want you to, Alex." My voice was a heavy whisper. I really didn't want her to hold back anymore as much as I didn't want to hold back. My body was coming alive as I breathed in her scent of the light perfume she wore every day. The perfume mixed with the cheap apricot shampoo she used, and the starchy smell of the color-safe bleach she used to wash her scrubs.

All of it was distinctly her, and it was the most intoxicating scent as she sat inches away from me. I had always been conscious of the little things that was solely Alex, but now everything was amplified and filtered into my heart.

Leaving a permanent mark with explicit sensory memories the second I opened my heart to her.

Alex looked up at me, the ever infamous Alex grin on her face, and pointed at my plate. "You going to eat that?"

I chuckled at Alex's way of chasing away the awkward tension that was beginning to grow heavier. I traded her empty plate for my very full one, "You can have it."

I leaned back against the couch cushions, picking up my glass of wine, I sat and watched Alex devour the rest of my lasagna as she scooted to sit closer to me. Her leg touching mine in a way that it felt truly like a first date where the parents were just on the other side of the room. I couldn't help but smile and lean into her, eventually allowing her to lean fully up against me when she was finally done eating. It was something both of us did without thinking as we sat and watched movies at her apartment. And just like usual, Alex was soon snuggled up against me. She let out a heavy sigh from being stuffed with lasagna. I smiled at how it felt to be back to normal with Alex. I looked down at the brunette to see her sleeping heavily with her head on my shoulder and a warm hand resting at the top of my thigh. Squeezing here and there as if she was checking I was still real and she wasn't dreaming. That was the new part of this scene. Her and I finally breaking past the half walls of just friends we had hovered around for far too long.

I pulled Alex closer against me. Shifting her into a more comfortable position with my arm around her, before covering her up with a blanket. Letting her sleep and enjoying how warm her body was against mine, while I watched Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn traipse about Rome.

If this was what normal felt like, I wondered why I hadn't bothered to find it sooner.

The sound of a chainsaw forced my eyes open. I had to blink a handful of times to get them to focus and stay open. By the time they had adjusted to the bright light filling the room from the windows across from me, I realized I wasn't in my tiny apartment. I was still in her house, laying on her couch, covered in her blankets.

I smiled, pushing myself to sit up against the back of the couch. I yawned and looked around the living room, smiling more as I saw the soft pillow I had slept on.

It was clear Victoria had placed it there along with the thick navy blue blanket that covered me. I was still tired, but I felt much better than when I had struggled to stay awake after eating three pounds of lasagna.

I knew at some point I had failed, and that was why I was tucked up on the couch.

I let out a happy sigh, pulling the blanket around my shoulders as I scanned around the living room, noticing the bookshelves along the walls that were filled with older books and some magazines. There were little Navy nick knacks tucked in the spaces between books with a few framed photographs that I couldn’t make out who was in them or what they were of. All of the things in the room made me curious to poke around in an attempt to get to know the blonde better, but deep in my gut I knew it was better if I left her to tell me when she felt ready.

I yawned again, my eyes falling to the neat pile of clothes next to a thick fluffy towel, a washcloth with a small note and a fresh picked purple tulip sitting on top. I grinned and giggled softly, Victoria was beyond a hopeless romantic and I couldn't help but giggle at the way it made me feel.

Snaking my arm out from underneath the blanket, I picked up the tulip and the note.

"
The shower is upstairs next to my bedroom. I found an old pair of your jeans you left in my car when I helped you do laundry. Sadly, all I have is old Navy shirts.

Coffee is in the kitchen.

V"

I dipped my nose into the tulip, inhaling its delicate scent before I set it back on the table and grabbed the two neat piles. I was more than excited to take a hot shower and find Victoria. Today was the beginning of something that I knew would change my life and I was eager to get the day started.

I found the staircase and her bedroom, resisting the urge to be very nosy and poke around in it, and headed directly to the bathroom after grabbing a few extra things from my bag.

One scalding hot shower later, in probably the biggest shower and bathroom I had ever seen, and that included the one in Dean's huge and gaudy house up in Springfield, I changed into the set of clothes Victoria left me. The shirt was a bit tight in some spots, but it still fit me. The faded Navy mascot of an angry goat made me laugh and shake my head as I gathered up my scrubs and wet towels.

I was very tempted to raid Victoria's closet and drawers to just see exactly how many Navy t-shirts she owned, since it appeared she had a new one just when I thought I had seen the entire collection.

After hanging up the towels neatly on the rack in the bathroom, I quickly brushed my teeth and went to head for coffee when I paused on the way to the door. Staring over at the big bed with the covers all neatly tucked into a perfect square to match the curves of the mattress, I felt my stomach wiggle.

Thoughts of what it would be like to share that bed with Victoria raced through my head. What it would be like to wake up on a Saturday morning after a late night of watching movies and eating dinner. Then what it would be like to wake up to her on a Sunday morning after a lengthy night of exploring what she kept hidden under her uniforms and old t-shirts. I clenched the ball of clothes tighter against my chest at the images of Victoria naked. It made my heart throb, along with other parts of my body.

I let out a heavy sigh and turned to head back downstairs. I had thought many times about what Victoria looked like underneath her clothes, what her skin would feel like under my fingertips and if her touch would be gentle or firm. Would she command control in the bedroom? Or allow me to take the lead like she so often did in our lives together. Waiting for me to guide her, tell her where I wanted to be kissed and touched.

I bit the inside of my cheek to bring my inappropriate thoughts back to reality and out of the gutter. Victoria and I were still friends and just because yesterday was a turning point, it didn't mean either of us was near the point of jumping into bed together. Bang away like bunnies, as Stacy suggested so many times Victoria and I should be doing.

Rolling my eyes, I shoved my scrubs into the bag. I grinned when my hand brushed across soft fur, and pulled out the stuffed tiger. I moved to set him on the coffee table before I folded the blankets and picked up the pillow I used. For whatever reason, being in Victoria's house made me want to be a little neater than normal. It was as if I was afraid to upset the gentle balance of finally being in Victoria's home and a further into her mysterious life.

Walking into the kitchen when I was done tidying up my makeshift bed, I spotted a large glass vase full of the purple tulips. I sighed happily, "Victoria, you're killing me slowly." I chuckled, moving to the coffee pot that was still warm and filled the kitchen with the rich of aroma of very good coffee. I laughed more when I saw the coffee mug shaped like a battleship the blonde had left out for me. Victoria was clearly in love with the Navy and anything Navy related.

Taking the first sip of the warm black coffee, I leaned against the counter. Letting the caffeine fill my veins and wake me up, I stole a look at the clock on the stove. It was a few minutes after ten in the morning. I quickly scrubbed my brain to recall what Victoria usually did on Saturdays at this time. The woman was hard core for routine and most times I couldn't get her to deviate from it. Gripping the battleship in my hand, I continued to search out what she could be doing that would leave me in her house alone.

Pushing away from the counter, I shuffled out of the kitchen and moved towards the small den where a large wooden desk sat facing another large television. I was surprised that the woman had so many televisions in her house, especially for a teacher, but I knew how much she loved her old movies.

The den was very warm and cozy, with more waist high bookshelves around the walls and under the television, filled with more books about military history. Moving to the large desk, I smiled when I saw the stacks of graded papers on one corner with a note reminding Victoria that she needed to file them by the end of the week.

I continued to scan over the desk. Finding every small thing with Victoria's handwriting made me smile and my heart beat a little faster. I shook my head at how I reacted to just seeing her handwriting, knowing that I was completely head over heels in love with the woman. If her handwriting had this effect on me, God help me if we went any further than stolen kisses and snuggles.

I continued to look around the den, skipping over the black laptop that sat on the far corner. It looked unusual and thicker than normal laptops, but I soon found my attention pulled in the direction of the wall behind her desk. The wall was covered in perfectly lined up diploma frames. Victoria's high school diploma, her Bachelor's degree and Master's degree from the Naval Academy. All set along the wall with a handful of other certificates she had received in her time serving with the Navy. Next to the diploma frames, sat a small shadow box propped against the wall on top of a bookshelf.

Setting the battleship mug down, I reached for the shadowbox recognizing that there were medals inside. Bill had a few from his stint in the National Guard, but the ones in the box were nothing like the good conduct ones he had. These medals I recognized from news reports about heroes and those websites I sometimes donated to help wounded veterans. One in particular that seemed to pull all of my attention, was the purple heart shaped one in the middle with a single bronze leaf on the ribbon above it. I felt my heart drop as my brow furrowed, I knew what the purple heart meant, and vaguely knew what the bronze leaf stood for.

I bit my bottom lip as my stomach swirled as I thought about Victoria being injured enough to earn one of these. I had run across many veterans and active soldiers in New York during fleet week when they drank a bit too much and got out of hand. Many would ramble my ear off as I stitched them up, laughing that they had survived rocket attacks or explosive devices, but could barely survive an angry hooker with a beer bottle. Then there were the few quiet ones who would recount to me what they survived, how they received the same purple medal I was looking at. None of the stories revolved around tiny paper cuts or twisted ankles.

I ran my fingers over the glass top of the shadowbox, wiping away the thin sheet of dust. My heart tightening in my chest as scenarios I had heard, flashed in my head with Victoria in them. I could understand now, why she was closed off or careful. She had been to war, and by the looks of it, seen far more than she wanted to speak of. I stared at all of the medals, recognizing most of them except for one tucked in the far corner. One was gold and looked like a golden starburst with a red, blue, white and yellow ribbon.