My Marine Man *Editing Time!*

Chapter 17: The Departure

So, this is a short-but-sweet chapter. I thought abouting adding more on the end, but it just seemed...right...to leave it as it is. Enjoy! :)

 

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Chapter 17

I turn the shower off, signaling that it's time to get dressed. Time to get dressed to send Nathan off to Iraq. My heart is so heavy, yet so light because of a few words. 

"I love you, Zoe, I love you." 

Ever since last night, those words have been playing over and over in my head, those glorious words stuck on permanent repeat. They carried me home last night, helped me to sleep well, and got me through today, spending the last hours with Nate. Now, I need them to get me through the ride to the San Francisco Airport, and say the final goodbye.  

Right as I finish dressing, my doorbell rings. I rush to answer it, already knowing who it is. 

"Nate!" 

There he is, standing in front of me, looking all offcial and breathtaking in his camoflogue uniform. Before I can get a chance to be sentimental, he twirls like a little girl in her ballet tutu, exclaiming, 

"How do I look?" 

I can't help but laugh at the sight. 

"Very handsome," I answer, with a nod of approval. 

"I love you, Zo," he says, his smile growing wider. 

"I love you too, Nate," I respond with a bigger smile. "We should probably get going, though. Your family is waiting."  

He moves closer to me, and rests his hands on my waist. 

"Let 'em wait." 

And he kisses me. It's like nothing is wrong in the world, there's only Nathan and I, and it's perfect. It ends all too soon, and reality returns. With a resigned sigh, Nate says, 

"C'mon," and holds his hand out to me. I take it, and we walk down the stairs together hand in hand. Those same stairs I was fretting on four months ago because I had invited a strange guy to my apartment. I giggle at the memory, and reach up, up, up to Nate's cheek to kiss it, like making sure he's actually real, he's actually here with me, telling me he loves me and kissing me and holding me close.  

We reach his SUV, where everyone is waiting. Alex volunteered to stay home with the younger kids, because it's pretty late already. I climb in to a chorus of hellos, then wipe a telltale smudge of lipgloss off Nate's cheek.  

We get to the airport after 45 minutes of small talk, nobody in the mood for anything serious. After parking the car, we head in together, watching Nate go through the line to check his bag and recieve his ticket. We have to say goodbye before he goes through security. We have to say goodbye now. Now.  

Nathan starts with his younger siblings that came, Scott, Amy, Mark, and then Emma. I'm next, and our goodbye consists of a hug, a quick kiss on the lips, and whispered "I love yous". The whole thing is like a dream, or maybe a nightmare. I can't believe it's really happening. I watch in a daze of him hug his sobbing mother, and then shake his father's hand, eventually pulling in for a hug. Before we know what is happening, he walks away to the security line, not glancing back. We watch him until he disappears from our sight.  

The ride home is silent. Thoughts are running through my head in a sprint. I feel numb. How is Nathan gone already? I check the time, his flight will take off in fifteen minutes. Those minutes passed like nothing in my daze, and when the time is over, I whisper, 

"He's gone. He's really gone." 

That night I can't sleep. I can only picture what Nathan told me about, all those people who will get killed, fighting for something they believe in. Like him. All those faces, those families who are waiting anxiously like me. This strikes up a thought. Other people are going through this too. I can't sit around, not sleeping, because I long for one man. Although it's personal, Nate reminded me time and time again of what he loved in the Marines: The fact that you are not one, but just a part of a greater being. It's going to be a long nine months waiting for him, but I also need to keep hope in the body as a whole, and remember that it's not just Nate. When I look at it that way, Iraq seems a lot less scary.

So, again, sorry it was so short, but it came to a good end, don'tcha think? :) I'll try to get out another chapter in the next few days, but I'm camping right now so who knows haha. Hope you liked it! Love ya, my loves.

Thanks to @OliviaKent5 for following me! <3

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