"What's that?"
My heart leaped, hoping he'd say what I needed to hear.
"True love."
I sighed.
He was perfect.
Footsteps in the hall right outside the door caused us both to freeze. The heavy boots echoed against the chrome walls, causing me to jump with each step. I wasn't ready for this, I realized. If we were caught in here... together, it wouldn't be good. No sir, not at all. I swallowed the lump in my throat. It was suddenly very warm in here, and I couldn't breathe. Milton put his hand over my mouth and whispered.
"Sssh, don't panic. He's passing."
I closed my eyes and focused on slowing my breathing. He was right. Whoever had come down this hall wasn't stopping at this utility closet. It was late, so they were probably heading off to their quarters. There’s no way they'd catch us, so long as we kept calm.
We couldn't keep doing this. I hated it! Making out in a dirty old closet, hiding how we felt about each other, just because of some dumb rule about keeping the Young Ladies 'pure'. How come the Daddies-in-Training were allowed to date? My mind went to Callahan, Milton's best friend.
I thought of how he tried to convince Milton to betray our love by going down to the bars in Gen Pop exactly like he does. He hated me. He was a cocky bully who always had something smart to say to me. He was the meanest and cruelest DIT, but while it didn't surprise me, it still hurt so deeply that he'd try to get Milton to fall out of love with me. That was a new low, even for him.
The boots finally faded away and Milton dropped his hand from my face. I sat back and straightened my dress while Milton stood.
"I should go. It's getting late, and you need to be well-rested for tomorrow. I just wanted to wish you happy birthday before everyone else." He pulled me up andI stood on my tiptoes to steal one more kiss.
"There's still a few hours before midnight," I whined. I wasn't ready to go back to my room. There was no way I could sleep on the eve of my womanhood.
"I know, but me and Cal have some stuff to do."
"Can't it wait?" I stomped my Mary Jane-clad foot. "You're ditching me for Cal?"
"I'm not ditching you," he sighed. "We've been in here an hour. And unless you want me to make a mess in my slacks --we promised we'd wait until your 18th birthday. It's only right, with me being older than you."
"Only by three years." I rolled my eyes. All the DITs were three years older than us. They timed it so when we turned 18, they’d be 21 and assigned to their own Young Ladies just starting the program. Thus beginning the process all over again.
"Yes, but those three years feel kind of important, you know. We may have known each other a long time, Eleanor, but until tomorrow, you're still a child."
I didn't like it when he called me that. One day wasn't going to change anything. It wasn't like tomorrow I'd wake up and bea foot taller, wrinkles on my face, and my voice scratchy and old. I stopped growing a long time ago, and it was silly to focus on technicalities.
"I don't feel like a child," I said softly. "I feel like a woman. A woman who very much wants to be with you, forever." I reached out into the darkness, pressing my palms to his strong chest.
"And I want that too. But to make that happen, I need to go now. Stay here for an extra five minutes before leaving. That way no one catches us, okay?"
"Fine," I said, pulling back. This was how it always ended. We met in the darkness, we kissed, he promised me all the wonderful things I wanted to hear, and then he left, leaving me needing more. But, I was sure it took lots of effort on his end as well. There'd been a few times my hand had brushed against his thigh and I found just how much he desired me as well.
"Milton," I said as he opened the door and light blinded us.
"What, Eleanor?" he asked quickly. My eyes adjusted just enough to get one last look at his handsome face. He looked so good in his fatigues. Tomorrow, I'd be seeing the rest of him, hopefully, pressed against me in a way I'd never dreamed possible.
"I'm glad you waited too. So we could be each other's firsts."
"Each other’s only." He grinned. Butterflies fluttered in my belly so hard I almost giggled. He looked around, put a finger to his lips, and then shut the door behind him, running back to the DIT quarters.
I sat down and began to count. Soon, all of this will be silly memories. I had to trust Milton, and not worry about anything else. My friends would understand. I knew they had crushes on some of the DITs. Many of them were on Milton. Despite that, I knew in my heart of hearts they wouldn't be hateful or jealous when the warden agreed to let us be together. Everyone would be happy for us -- happy that finally, the Young Ladieswere making headway with the strict rules placed upon us. Well, mostly everyone.
I sighed, thinking of the only person that could ruin this for us. Milton's best friend and my biggest enemy. Callahan.
Chapter 3 - Callahan
Keep your enemies close. Your best friend closer.
