Red Strings of Fate

Chapter 1- Strings Become Tangled

Darien glanced from me to her, a larger smile forming on his face as he took the offered glowstick. "Yeah, I just got back Thursday. I am planning to try to make it to every event here from now on. You picked a great night to bring her here."

I noticed a new group of people walking in and saw Darien's muscles stiffen slightly as he turned his focus back to me. "Come on, let's dance. Do you two want to join us?"

I watched as Samantha shook her head as she took Jason's hand. "No thanks. Jason has his set coming up soon." I nodded to her as Darien led me to the floor that was starting to fill up with patrons dancing and swaying to the thump of the beats that blared through the speakers. Some had glow sticks and were twirling them around in their hands, causing blurs of random colors.

I laughed happily, letting my hips sway as the glow stick on my neck swung out as I spun around, bobbing this way and that as I let my body move to the beats.

Before long, I felt a jerk on the cord around my neck as I almost lost my balance and fell. I feel large hands rest on my waist, setting me back straight on my feet as I glance over my shoulder to see Darien shake his head, smiling at me. "Careful there; I think we got tangled up." He lets the glow stick's string dangle from it in front of me, showing that our strings have become intertwined.

I laugh softly, shaking my head. "So it seems. Want to go have a smoke and talk?" I ask as I lift the string from my neck, looking at the knot. I glance back up at him to see a grin playing at his lips.

"Sure, why not? Here, take mine; that does not look like it will come loose easily." He wipes the back of his hand across his forehead as he catches a couple beads of sweat that had formed with it before he wipes his hand on his jeans. I feel his hand just barely touch the small of my back as we make our way back outside and take seats in the metal chairs that surround the fire pit.

I glance over at him as I pull my cigarettes from my back pocket, setting them on the seat by my leg after grabbing one out to smoke. I watched him as he dug into his pocket for his lighter, lighting one as well. "So are you from here? Or?" I asked as he turned to face me in the chair.

"No, about forty-five minutes to an hour from here, I am stationed at a military base in Jacksonville. I am a marine." He answered, shrugging. "How about you? Are you from here in Wilmington?"

I just stare at him with my mouth hanging open before I start to laugh. "There is absolutely no fucking way you are a marine." I end up laughing so hard tears start coming out of my eyes. "A marine who DJs at a hookah club on their goth night. Get the fuck out of here. Oh, and is not either a stuck-up, judgmental asshole or a complete douchebag prick."

I kept laughing, struggling to picture him as a marine. Not that I had a true issue with the military, just my ex, who was both of those and a cheater all wrapped up in one body. Truth be told, most of the men in my extended family were military of some sort, ranging from the marines to the army, even the navy. Then you have me, a navy corpsman who just finished the eight-week TCCC training. For those of you who do not know what that is, it is the Tactical Combat and Casualty Care. I shook my head as I thought about all the judgmental men I had encountered in the time I had been stationed at the marine base in Jacksonville myself.

"What? What is so funny? I really am a marine. I am stationed at Camp Lejeune." I watched as he raised an eyebrow at me. "Would you like to see my military ID?" He asks.

"You are serious? And I am from Jacksonville also." I spit some of my drink out as I started to calm down some as I just stared at him in slight disbelief as I watched him grab his wallet from his back pocket, opening it up and displaying his military ID before me.

"Holy shit, you really are a marine." I stared at him, shaking my head as I felt the blush creep up my neck. "I really meant no disrespect, but you are not the typical image you see when you hear the term marine." I shook my head as I eyed him and started picturing him beside the average man I met during my line of duty so far.

He laughs, shrugging his shoulders, placing his wallet back in his pocket. "Trust me, I know I get that a lot. But what would be the fun in being a typical anything anymore?"

I nod to him, keeping the fact that I was stationed there as well to myself, and I noticed a group of people walking around the building and taking seats at a nearby table. A few of the girls were staring at us as we were talking. Again, almost as if on cue, I noticed Darien tense up just like he did inside. I could not help but wonder what that was about, but I shoved the thought out of my mind as we continued to talk about random things, from TV shows to favorite music bands, even to vehicles.

Before I realized how late it was getting, Samantha was messaging me that it was time to head out as I rode with her here. I smiled at Darien as he sat stretched out in his chair, reading something on his phone. "Hey, I have to head out. It really was fun getting to know you tonight. I am glad Sam got me to come out with them."

Darien looked up at me as he sat up in the chair. "Definitely. Do you mind if we trade numbers? I would love for us to meet up sometime—maybe to get lunch? My treat." He grinned at me, standing up and offering me a hand.

I nod to him, my eyes meeting his intense gaze. "I think I would like that." He passes me his phone so I can punch in my name and phone number as I trade him mine to return the favor.

"I will see you around then." He says as I take my phone back from him, hearing Samantha calling to me to hurry up.

"Yeah, I will see you around." I smile, waving bye before I take off, heading to Samantha in her car.