ten
Manny
It’s been less than ten hours since I left Karcin’s side and I’m already feening for another hit, like a drug addict possessed. I’m addicted to her and the sounds she makes when I’m inside of her. How could I not be? She was made for me, and I was made for her. I sound like a cliche, even in my head, but I don’t care. I look at my watch. Only three more hours until I get my fix. I go back to the TV where I am pretending to watch a college basketball game. I couldn’t tell you who’s playing or who’s winning. It’s just noise to me at this point. Suddenly there is loud, rapid knocking at my front door.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The longer I take to answer, the louder the banging gets. I’m not expecting anyone, but for some reason I think it’s the police given how fucking loud it is. Getting up, I answer the door and am greeted by General Adams. His face is red with anger. This isn’t my first time meeting him, but it is the first time since I fucked his daughter raw. Don’t think about that now. I can’t get my ass kicked with a raging hard-on. The look on his face tells me he wants to do just that but is restraining himself. Good luck, old man, I think, though he’s barely four years older than me.
“General Adams? Is Karcin okay? How can I help you?” I ask, several unsavory scenarios running through my head. Nothing but trouble since he has no reason to be at my off-base house like this.
“What kind of man are you, Delgado?” he shouts, pushing past me and into my house, leaving the door wide open.
“Excuse me, sir?”
“You need to stay away from my damn daughter. You could ruin both of your careers. Is that what you really want?” he demands, and I’ve had enough of his shit.
“Is it just me you are opposed to? Or any man?” I ask, genuinely wanting to know.
“You,” he says without hesitation, but I absolutely don’t believe him. Not in the slightest. He’s full of shit, I can see it on his face.
“First of all and with all due respect, she’s not under my command or in my squad, she’s not even combat. So that’s out. Second of all, I can get a new physical therapist if I have to,” I say, trying to be calm, but I’m quickly losing it. Who does guy think he is? Sure, technically he outranks me, but only on military matters. He can’t stop me from loving his daughter. “I’m not going to stop seeing her.”
“Look, you’re a nice guy and a damn fine soldier, but you’re not what Karcin needs. I don’t know how long this has been going on for or how far it’s gotten, and I don’t want to know but if you really cared for her, you’d walk away from her before she gets hurt. You’re a career soldier, you could never be the kind of husband she needs nor the kind I want for my daughter. Think about that, Delgado,” he says before leaving, slamming my front door behind him. The print I have of the Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima on the wall next to it falls to the floor. It’s supposed to represent valor and unity. Shattered, it’s pretty fitting of how I feel right now.
The fucked-up thing is if I were a better man, I would leave her alone, but I can’t. I’ve fallen completely head over heels in love with Karcin and nothing and no one will stop me from claiming and breeding her until the day I die. I’ll kill anyone that dares to try and that’s a fucking fact.
eleven
Karcin
one week later
I am the walking dead. I am living my life, going through the motions, but my heart is not beating, and the air in my lungs is artificial. It has been a week since the night my dad forced me to think about what I was doing. I took the cowards' way out and ignored Manny’s phone calls leading up to his next session. When he tried to talk to me one night, after therapy, I looked at him, his heart bleeding out like mine and swallowed hard as I told him it wouldn't work and walked away from him. I left my heart at his feet, bleeding, oozing regret, but I did it for both of our futures.
Once again, he has been here receiving treatment from someone else. I handed his case off to the other therapist in the office. I couldn’t bring myself to talk to him and touch him like my body wasn’t craving to feel him wrapped around me. I watch from my stool as he puts on his coat, my gaze lingering on his longingly. His body is taut with anguish and pain, just as mine is. I swear for a minute; he is going to walk right over to me and kiss me. Before I can find out, the receptionist calls my name, and I turn toward her. I take one more glance at the door, and my shoulders sag when I see he left, taking my joy with him.