Until You're Mine

Chapter 6

I nod. "So you said you two met while deploying?"

Hayden nods, with a proud grin on his face. "And I've been stuck with this dickhead ever since."

Simon rolls his eyes, but he's also grinning. "Fuck off, I've tried to get rid of you multiple times"

"Well that's a lie, you literally clung to me every chance you got."

"Every time being because I couldn't walk, you douche."

If either of them tensed because of the mention of their job, I didn't notice it. "So this," I motion between them. "Is what you two do?"

They both nod, and I wonder if I shouldn't have asked that question. How they act is none of my business. But Simon clears his throat. "Humour's a good escape."

I don't get to answer, not that I would've known what to say, but me stuttering would have been better than what actually happens.

"Hey Isabella, I brought your purse by acc-" Abi freezes when she walks through the living room door. Her eyes shoot from Hayden, to Simon, and then to me. "Am I seeing things? Did I have one shot too much, when you left?"

I laugh. "No Abs, you're not seeing things. Abi this is Simon, Olivias brother" I nod from Simon to Hayden. "And this is Hayden, Simons best friend."

"Hi guys," She gives them one of her cheery smiles. "I'm going to steal Isabella here, away for a few minutes. That good?"

Both boys nod while I follow Abi into the kitchen. She turns around, her arms flying dramatically as she speaks. "No, the house isn't lonely, you said, clearly not! You have to hot guys staying here and you never told me!"

I chew at my bottom lip, wondering what's the best way to go about this. I never told Abi about Simon, I wanted at least one friend who didn't know about our history. One friend who didn't think I was crazy for still even thinking about the guy.

"I've been going on pointless dates while you've had two hunks in your house?! Seriously Izzy, sharing is caring!"

Her rant continues but at least she's not pissed at me, not in the angry way. I sigh and sink into the island chair, resting my head in my hands. "It's not like that Abs." I say but my voice is quiet, almost impossible to hear over hers.

But Abi seems to get the memo. "Hey babes, what's wrong?" She sits on the chair beside me. Her fingers wrapping around my wrist to get me to look at her. "Isabella?"

"Simons not just Olivias brother." I tell her. "He's my ex boyfriend, ex hookup, boy who broke my heart when we were in college, whatever you want to call him."

"So why's he here?"

"We hadn't heard or seen each other in what would have been six years this month, but two weeks ago he called me from jail." I avoid looking into her questioning eyes. "Simon has been in the army for the past six years, that's where he met Hayden. But he called me, asking me not to tell anyone he was back, he had no place to go so obviously I let him stay here."

"That's why you've been so secretive?"

I nod. "Hayden just got here tonight, I'm as blindsided as you about him." I laugh. "This whole situation is complicated but I'm kind of hoping you won't tell anyone."

"Of course, if that's what you want." She smiles and gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. "I can also be the bitchy best friend who shoots daggers at him because he broke your heart."

I shake my head, grinning nonetheless. "Something tells me he's been through enough, without facing wrath from you."

I briefly tell Abi about some of our relationship, the hiding it on Olivia, how she caught us in Miami, the constant over and back between us, how he ultimately broke my heart, while maybe breaking his own too. I told her about the last time we had spoken. He had text me to meet him at a local twenty-four hour café at 3am, one that we never ended up going into, instead we stayed standing beside our cars, in the middle of the empty parking lot.

"I thought I at least owed it to you, for you to hear it from me." He had said, an emotionless expression on his face and I've always wondered if it was to hide the sadness, or something, anything that showed he cared.

"What is it?" My voice had been shaky, and it wasn't all because of the cold winter night. Even after everything that had happened between us, I had hoped that he'd give us one more chance.

"I'm joining the army. Deploying Monday."

Two days notice was what he'd gave me instead.

I had blinked back the tears but I couldn't help that damn single one that slid down my cheek. We both knew we were over, we were over well before that, probably before we even began. It hadn't stopped me from letting my hand move to his cheek, and my thumb to rub over the two day unshaven stubble.

"Stay alive." I had said, before stepping back from him and slipping into my car. I couldn't look at him as I'd reversed out of my space, I couldn't let him see my tears, couldn't check to see if he had any of his own.

I glance up from my hands to Abi, reminding myself that was then. "And that was the last thing I said to him, up until two weeks ago."