gasped and nearly jumped out of the bed.
“Shit, I’m fucking sorry,” I tried to console her.
Phoebe’s large eyes closed tight as her face frowned, then she said, “Is this going to be awkward?”
“Hmm,” I grunted.
She sighed and I asked, “Are you okay?”
“Oh yeah, I'm perfect. Just not sure what to do about the morning after you have awesome sex with your friend.”
“Yeah, uh, I didn’t mean for this to happen. I mean…” I hopped out of bed, grabbed my clothes and said, “I'm going to head out.”
“Okay,” Phoebe sounded relieved, “and I'll see you later, right?”
“Hmm,” I mumbled.
Fuck me.
I did not mean to go there with her. She was the craziest person I knew but she was my peace, my light.
Fuck!
I took a ride out of town to clear my head. Well, mostly to get her out of my head. She was everywhere and I was lost without her. Aimlessly moping around as she put it one time. She had told me I needed to do something with my life, join a bowling league or some shit. The fucking woman was hilarious.
The further I rode the more I realized I was closer to Harrisburg than I wanted to be. I drove through a small town and saw a bunch of bikes outside a bar. The music was playing, the crowd was alive and it reminded me of how we partied when we were on leave. We used to throw them back and sleep it off the next day only to do it all over again until our leave was over. The fucked up part is that I probably hadn't been to a bar since then, but this place called to me; I pulled over.
It was called Peppers and it was homely enough. There was a blond chick on the microphone doing a call and response with the crowd, then she sang a few verses of a song.
She was really good and the crowd only reaffirmed that fact. There were two women in the front who were screaming for the singer and cheering her on.
When the song finally ended, the singer said, “Okay, I'm going to take a ten-minute break and then I'll be back. Duty calls.”
Everyone started laughing at the comment. I asked the female bartender for beer on tap. She nodded and started to pour the amber drink into a glass.
“Here ya go,” she said as she slid the glass toward me.
I nodded.
A few minutes later a lady saddled up next to me and said, “You're not from around here. I know everyone.”
My headed nodded again.
“Care for another drink?” she asked me.
“No, I'm good,” I said as my eyes remained on my beer.
“Now, that , you are,” she crooned. “Well, you just let me know if you change your mind.” She rubbed my arm and my skin all but crawled.
It wasn't that she was a bad looking woman. The lady was older than me and she looked good but she wasn't her. No woman had touched me like that except her and it was never sexual.
Now, we were fucking doomed. Sex and friendships never worked. Why the fuck I took us there was just the goddamn biggest fuck up in the past five years. She was everything and now we’d be reduced to awkward acquaintances.
That, I couldn't have.
The woman left the stage and was soon replaced by a man.
“4 th Infantry, stationed in Iraq. Camp Taji,” a voice said.
My head swiveled around so fast I had to hold onto the counter.
There stood a man with a clean face, long dark hair that brushed past his shoulders and looked to be of a Native American heritage.
“Names, Apollo. Where were you?” He pointed towards my army tattoo.
Well, goddamn.
“52 nd Infantry, stationed in Camp Bonzai. Baghdad. Name’s Goliath.” I extended my hand toward him.
We shook and he pulled back enough for me to see his white tee and the cut that read Legion of Guardians.
I almost laughed because Phoebe had just told me to join a club.
“How long you been out?” he asked me as he sat down on the stool beside mine.
“Three years. You?”
“Going on ten.” He shook his head. “I miss it sometimes.”
“Yeah?” I looked at him. “How long were you in?”
“Ten years,” he nodded. “You do
“Shit, I’m fucking sorry,” I tried to console her.
Phoebe’s large eyes closed tight as her face frowned, then she said, “Is this going to be awkward?”
“Hmm,” I grunted.
She sighed and I asked, “Are you okay?”
“Oh yeah, I'm perfect. Just not sure what to do about the morning after you have awesome sex with your friend.”
“Yeah, uh, I didn’t mean for this to happen. I mean…” I hopped out of bed, grabbed my clothes and said, “I'm going to head out.”
“Okay,” Phoebe sounded relieved, “and I'll see you later, right?”
“Hmm,” I mumbled.
Fuck me.
I did not mean to go there with her. She was the craziest person I knew but she was my peace, my light.
Fuck!
I took a ride out of town to clear my head. Well, mostly to get her out of my head. She was everywhere and I was lost without her. Aimlessly moping around as she put it one time. She had told me I needed to do something with my life, join a bowling league or some shit. The fucking woman was hilarious.
The further I rode the more I realized I was closer to Harrisburg than I wanted to be. I drove through a small town and saw a bunch of bikes outside a bar. The music was playing, the crowd was alive and it reminded me of how we partied when we were on leave. We used to throw them back and sleep it off the next day only to do it all over again until our leave was over. The fucked up part is that I probably hadn't been to a bar since then, but this place called to me; I pulled over.
It was called Peppers and it was homely enough. There was a blond chick on the microphone doing a call and response with the crowd, then she sang a few verses of a song.
She was really good and the crowd only reaffirmed that fact. There were two women in the front who were screaming for the singer and cheering her on.
When the song finally ended, the singer said, “Okay, I'm going to take a ten-minute break and then I'll be back. Duty calls.”
Everyone started laughing at the comment. I asked the female bartender for beer on tap. She nodded and started to pour the amber drink into a glass.
“Here ya go,” she said as she slid the glass toward me.
I nodded.
A few minutes later a lady saddled up next to me and said, “You're not from around here. I know everyone.”
My headed nodded again.
“Care for another drink?” she asked me.
“No, I'm good,” I said as my eyes remained on my beer.
“Now, that , you are,” she crooned. “Well, you just let me know if you change your mind.” She rubbed my arm and my skin all but crawled.
It wasn't that she was a bad looking woman. The lady was older than me and she looked good but she wasn't her. No woman had touched me like that except her and it was never sexual.
Now, we were fucking doomed. Sex and friendships never worked. Why the fuck I took us there was just the goddamn biggest fuck up in the past five years. She was everything and now we’d be reduced to awkward acquaintances.
That, I couldn't have.
The woman left the stage and was soon replaced by a man.
“4 th Infantry, stationed in Iraq. Camp Taji,” a voice said.
My head swiveled around so fast I had to hold onto the counter.
There stood a man with a clean face, long dark hair that brushed past his shoulders and looked to be of a Native American heritage.
“Names, Apollo. Where were you?” He pointed towards my army tattoo.
Well, goddamn.
“52 nd Infantry, stationed in Camp Bonzai. Baghdad. Name’s Goliath.” I extended my hand toward him.
We shook and he pulled back enough for me to see his white tee and the cut that read Legion of Guardians.
I almost laughed because Phoebe had just told me to join a club.
“How long you been out?” he asked me as he sat down on the stool beside mine.
“Three years. You?”
“Going on ten.” He shook his head. “I miss it sometimes.”
“Yeah?” I looked at him. “How long were you in?”
“Ten years,” he nodded. “You do
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