Snowed In

Melissa was my best friend. She was already married though, and living vicariously through me. I could spice up her day a little. Tell her all about Kyle’s stomach-churning idea of sharing a girlfriend, and how it would work, and how the three other soldiers living in this old lakehouse estate

were probably as ripped and shredded and beautiful as Kyle was.

Instead I told her nothing.

What are you hiding Sammara?

That little voice again, nagging at me. Knowing exactly what I was thinking in the back of my mind, and dragging it all the way to the front.

You’re thinking of calling him, aren’t you?

I was. I definitely was. And that was probably a bad idea.

It is a bad idea, the voice admonished. You should delete that number right now.

“HELLO?”

I blinked awake, as if coming out of a trance. Melissa was staring at me curiously.

“So are you going to go out with him again?” she asked, probably for the second or third time.

“No,” I said quickly. “I mean, I don’t think so.”

“And why the hell not?” she exclaimed. “You said he was gorgeous. And shred ded. And a great kisser!”

“An amazing kisser,” I corrected.

“There you go!” she laughed. “So why not call him?”

You know why…

I took a very deep breath, one that I let out as a long sigh. “Well, it’s… it’s complicated.”

I laughed inwardly at my use of Kyle’s own explanation.

“Tell me why,” Melissa said. She looked at me intently for a moment, then her eyes went wide. “Oh shit!” she cried. “He’s married!”

“No, no,” I said. “Not married. No girlfriend either.”

“Do you have any objections to dating a soldier?”

“No…”

“Shit, neither would I,” Melissa smiled. She leaned back in her chair. “I’ve always wanted an Army boyfriend! Or even the Marines. Or the Navy. Or the—”

“There was something about him,” I said, “that just made him… off limits.”

She eyed me shrewdly, her straight dark hair falling over one eye. Melissa knew me well enough to know when I was hiding something. But thankfully, she wasn’t one of those obnoxious girlfriends who had to know everything. She also knew when to leave well enough alone.

“Alright then,” she sighed. “Back to the drawing board.”

I nodded as I shoved my face in my mug. Too bad.

“I still don’t know who shows up a half hour late to meet you,” she laughed. “I mean… what the hell was that guy thinking?”

“Dunno,” I laughed.

“You’re smart, you’re gorgeous, you’re successful…”