Luke P.O.V
After I dropped Callie off back at Frankie's I dialled the number I had hoped I would never use again.
"You gotta pay me or your little girlfriend is going to get a lot more than she bargained for with getting sober."
"Alright hear me out. I'm gonna pay you. I... I know how."
"How? How do you plan on keeping her away from me when you're the reason she came crawling to me in the first place?"
"I met this girl who needs health insurance. And if we get married, I get extra money each month from the military. And I will give you my cut. Okay? Just stay away from Callie, she doesn't need this."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. It's gonna be fine."
"so be smart, this better work. Enjoy your honeymoon." After that the dial tone rang in my ear. I took a deep breath and took off for the dive bar in town, I hoped that Cassie was there I needed to talk to her.
"No sorry, she isn't here, but maybe try the diner, she likes to write down there sometimes." The waitress from the other night told me. I took off for the diner and found Cassie looking out the window thoughtfully. I tried to gain courage to do what I was about to do. I needed to do something about this debt I had with Johno, I wouldn't let him go anywhere near Callie ever again and I would do everything in my power to stop him from going after her.
I finally got enough courage to walk in and sit down with her. When she saw me she started to pack up her things. I looked around making sure this is what I wanted to do. If I didn't go through this he would take it out on Callie. Everything I owed him would come out of her. She would be right back where I left her before I went to rehab. I took another deep breath, her face flashing in my mind. Before I took tentative steps towards Cassie.
"Hi."
"Hi." This was going well already. I could tell she didn't want to be here anymore than I did.
"Please don't go, just hear me out."
"What do you want then Luke?"
"I want to discuss this marriage thing."
"Is your dad waiting in the parking lot to cuff me?" She joked. Oh so wee playing that game. I guess I am the asshole that went off at her about how illegal this was.
"Funny." I chuckled. "If we do this, if, we need to be very careful. Alright? We need a story. You and I didn't get along in the bar the other night. The others saw that, but the next night, I was very charming and persistent, and I convinced you to go out with me."
"You did?"
"Hmm."
"Was it hot? When you asked me out?" She snorted.
"Very."
"I'm sorry I'm just gonna need you to explain yourself, because just this morning you were lecturing me on how this is fraud, so..."
"It is fraud. I don't wanna do this."
"Okay, so... don't." she countered trying to see me crack under pressure. I couldn't let her know I was doing this for Callie.
"Believe me. If I had any other choice, I wouldn't be. Marriage should be for love." She chuckled.
"You mean marriage should be saved for Callie?"
"And where I come from, its for life." I ignored her Callie comment, I'm sure anyone with eyes could see how bad I have it for Callie, except maybe Callie.
"Do you come from a fantasy land?" She joked as she kept pushing me. She wanted me to admit I wanted Callie. "Because where I come from in reality, marriage is really just a pointless legal arrangement that turns lovers into enemies, so why don't you have any other choice? I'm sure if you asked Callie, she would in a heartbeat, maybe man up and show to her that you care."
"I don't see how that's your business?"
"It's my business because she is my friend. Doing this, will kill her. You don't see it either do you?"
"I just need the extra two grand a month married guys get." I shrugged.
"That's it? And I'm just supposed to trust you here? Ask Callie, you'll still get the money."
"Trust me? Okay. Look if I can trust a lib who doesn't give a shit about the law or the military, I can sure as.."
"I have an ethical code that doesn't include blind obedience, and I desperately need this to literally survive." She sat up straighter as her face came closer to mine. This was a bad idea. I could feel my eyes widening as I nodded along with what she was saying. She scared me almost more than Callie when she was mad. "Whereas you could be, I don't know, stock piling supplies for your bro-militia." I shook my head and knocked on the table before I started to stand up. I'd find my own way to keep her safe.
"I'm leaving. This was a mistake.'bro-militia'."
"Luke."
"Liberal nut." Cursed under my breath. Callie was stubborn and scary, but she wasn't nuts. "What?" I turned back around by the door to look at her again.
"Look, I don't like you. But you seem solid, and if Callie likes you there has to be a redeeming quality about you. So... I'm sorry. Okay? Please." I sat back down in front of her reluctantly. This was going to be the only way I could pay Johno back and get him to stay away from Callie.
"Listen. I need you to know what your getting yourself into. If were caught. I get court marshalled. As in arrested and maybe doing time."
"Okay." She spoke softly maybe only just realising now how much is on the line for both of us.
"Look, this is already gonna be a shotgun wedding. We're gonna be on their radar. So once I get over there, to Iraq, we've gotta just, like, set up consistent times where were gonna speak, okay?" She nods along with everything I'm saying. She already knows this. We have to make this believable. "We gotta make this look normal, like a real marriage. Wed have to write some romantic emails in case somebody reads them. And we just hav to keep it tight for my tour. And once I'm back here we file for divorce," I cleared my throat. "And I grovel to Callie." I said under my breath. "and that gives you a year of free health insurance. And we can split the cash down the middle. Yeah?"
"Great."
"And one more small thing. I deploy Friday morning. Wed also hav to go out with my company. Act like we..." I blow a sharp breath out my nose just thinking about it.
"Like we like each other." I laugh and she chuckles.
"Yeah. More than that. Like, love each other. Callie will be there when I leave, Frankie has already told her to be there. And, um... so all married couples spend the night in this motel near base. It means we would have to.
"Super." She rolled her eyes and picked at her nail polish. "So are we out of 'if' territory? Are we doing this?"
"Yeah. Yeah, we're doing this. But you cant tell anybody that doesn't need to know. You cant tell Callie that its not real. She needs to think were in love too. You have to promise."
"I promise. In fact, I pinky swear." She held up her pinky like we were five not just discussing something that could ruin our whole lives if we didn't do this right. I sighed and wrapped my pinky around hers.
"So I'm going to ask Frankie to witness the marriage for us. Ultimately, best man."
"Ill ask Callie to be my maid of honour then." She pulled out out her phone and sent a quick text before i stood up.
"I should probably go." She nodded but didn't look up at me as I left the diner and made my way back to Frankie's. As I walked in I plastered a fake smile on my face that widened into a real one when I saw Callie sitting on the couch talking to Frankie.she had him pulled in tight for a hug and I could feel my jealousy boiling. Her phone brought me out of my thoughts as she pulled away from Frankie and answered. I walked over to Frankie and lent on the arm of the couch as I pretended to listen to what he had to say when I was really listening to Callie.
"Hello, Calliope speaking." She listened for a moment before he face fell. "I'm sorry Cass, I can't." She then hung up and turned to Frankie and I as a lone tear rolled down her face. I kept the smile on my face and hid all emotion in my eyes, she shook her head at Frankie and stood up from the couch.she took off out the front door and turned left at the end of the driveway. I watched her leave as the smile faded from my face. She was gone. I had pushed her away. Maybe now deploying wouldn't hurt so much.
"What did you do this time dickhead?" Frankie turned to me rms crossed. I copied his stance.
"Cassie and I are getting married." He took a deep breath and ran his hand down his face.
"Good job dumbass."
"Don't dumbass me, she's using me to get free health insurance and I'm using her to keep Johno away from Callie. Im doing this because I love her." My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. Frankie stood in mild shock, then confusion before finally settling on realisation. Frankie scoffed before shaking his head.
"Fucking blind dickheads." He muttered under his breath. Hoping I wouldn't hear him. I glanced out the window again hoping she would be walking back up the driveway to yell at me so I could see her leaf green eyes glow with the fiery passion of hers I remember so vividly.
"I want you to be witness to the marriage. You're the only one who knows why were both doing this." He nodded at me and wiped his face before rolling his eyes.
"Only because she needs this."