Destiny startled hearing her name she almost jumped out of her skin. Looking up at the towering shadow standing next to her that fully blocked out the sun, she couldn’t help but smile. “Mike, what are you doing here?” It wasn’t a large base, but if he worked where she thought he did he should be on the other side of the base.
“I was heading into one of the buildings and saw you.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked at the ground. “I need to talk to you about something, actually.”
Uh oh.
“If it’s about my mom again, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not about your mom,” he spoke over her. Destiny was shocked into silence at his abrupt tone. He was never anything but calm and sweet to her. “Sorry,” he gentled his tone then started looking around uncomfortably.
“Do you want to sit down?” she offered with an encouraging smile, hoping this wasn’t as bad as what her imagination was thinking.
“No, do you mind if we walk or is your lunch break almost over?”
Destiny gulped, feeling uncomfortable. Might as well get this over with. “I still have some time.” Even if it were almost over, she wouldn’t have told him. This was more important at the moment. There was nothing pressing sitting on her desk, so she knew she wouldn’t be missed if she were a few minutes late.
Destiny stood and kept in step with him, her brain started running wild the longer he stayed silent, which was making her nervous. When she got nervous she startled babbling, which wouldn’t be good with all the scenarios for this talk going through her head.
They had walked in silence for a good solid five minutes. Destiny couldn’t take it anymore. She stood in her tracks and faced him with her hands planted on her hips. “Mike, what’s on your mind. You’re scaring me. If you don’t want to see me any more just spit it out.”
Please don’t say you don’t want to be friends anymore.
His eyes widened in shock again, but this time he didn’t say silent, thankfully. She didn’t know what she’d do if he did. “No. God, no.” His jaw clenched as his eyes closed for a moment before looking back at her. “Sorry, I’m making a mess of this. That’s not what I want at all. I love seeing you, I don’t want to stop. Why? Do you?” He pulled back as if that could be a possibility he hadn’t considered.
“No, I just assumed after the…” Her cheeks heated knowing she was embarrassing herself. “My mom and her treatment, you’d be running for the hills, anxious to get away from me.” That was easier to talk about than the almost kiss even he didn’t want to talk about.
“Destiny, I deal with pretty high levels of stress and dangerous situations. Your mom’s attitude, while rude, isn’t enough to keep me away from you.”
Oh, her heart melted again.
“See a lot of dangers in the financial office?” she teased. Maybe one day he’d tell her the truth. For now they both knew he did something more without him saying as much. She could live with that.
His eyes once again widened then he muttered a curse under his breath. He obviously hadn’t meant for that to slip out. Giving her more proof that he did something much more dangerous than finance.
Mike may have been visiting her in the hospital to see Grandma, but she hadn’t missed the occasional bandage on his body when he came home after being gone for days at a time. He tried hiding his injuries from her, but she noticed. She noticed everything about him but never said anything because she knew he wouldn’t tell her.
“So you’re not running away?” she said, feeling bad for putting him on the spot.
“No.” He finally cracked a smile.
“I’m confused then. What did you want to talk about if it’s not my family…” Destiny stopped in midsentence, realization kicking in. “You’re leaving again.” He always got this sad look when he had to leave. “Aren’t you?” It wasn’t a question, and it wasn’t one she expected an answer to. “So we’re still friends?” she asked instead, taking the tension from her prior question.
“Weren’t we always?” he asked, puzzled.
“I had wondered,” she admitted sheepishly.
“What made you think we weren’t?”
Now she was going to sound juvenile. “Because I hadn’t heard from you since you left. Between Grandma announcing we are a couple when we’ve never actually dated, my mom, and then we almost kissed, then you pretended it never happened so that must mean you don’t like me like that.”
Destiny could have bitten off her tongue for letting that last bit slip. Why, oh why did she have to fixate on that damn kiss? Not only that but to bring it up to Mike? Would the ground just open up and swallow her already?
Embarrassed by her outburst, Destiny didn’t wait around for Mike to say anything, and headed back for work, ready to pretend this never happened. If he could pretend they didn’t almost kiss, she could pretend she hadn’t spoken from her heart.
She didn’t make it more than two steps past him when he gripped her by the elbow and pulled her back.
“Mike, let me go.” She stared down at the ground. Unable to look at him.
“No.”
