Love Is My Battlefield

After starring at David for a moment longer, I inhaled deeply a couple of times, before taking in our surroundings. We were on my front porch. More specifically on the porch swing on far left side of the door. Looking back at David, I not so discreetly pinched my arm slightly to check I wasn’t dreaming. It wasn’t, David, my best friend was here with me. I shook my head slightly before throwing my arms around him, hugging him too me tightly.

“I didn’t think I would get to see your ugly face again D…” He pulled me closer to him, placing his chin on my head and gently placing a kiss on my hair.

“Neither did I, but I just missed that scary mug of yours Rosebud.” I pulled him even tighter if that was possible, before the both of us slowly released one another from our embrace. We sat there in mutual silence, as I began to play with his fingers.

“How’s the military treating you? Is it everything you imagined?” I looked into his eyes briefly, before focusing my stare on our hands.

“It’s a hell of a lot harder than I imagined it too be, but it’s also that more rewarding. I’m thinking of making this a lifelong career…” David’s excitement died a little as he let his sentence drift off at the end, while giving me a sheepish smile.

“I actually figured as much, you always did have a hero complex to fulfill or something. I just hope you’ll stay in touch this time around.. at least a little..” my voice held a noticeable sign of sadness to it. David inhaled deeply, a slight frown across his features as he scratched his neck a little.

“I tried writing to you, I could just never find the right words to say. What could I actually say? You know? And with training, almost no free time… Simply everything, it simply slipped my mind.. After a certain point in time, it just didn’t seem write to just write you a letter anymore..” he gently took my hands in his, rubbing his thumbs in gentle circles on them.

I inhaled deeply through my mouth and exhaled through my nose. It was harder being here with him than I ever thought it would be. When I had imagined meeting him again, it had always been grand gestures or some romantic comedy worthy moments, big signs and serenating being just some of them. But actually sitting here with him, I knew that what I had once wished for was for an older version of me and this me, the present one, was actually happy that it was like this.

“I get it D…” my sentence trailed off, I didn’t know what else to say to him. It was really weird not knowing what to say, I never had that problem, not with David at least.

“What about you Rose? What have you been up to?” I leaned my head on the back of the porch swing and looked into his warm hazel eyes.

“The usual, school, college applications, friends, shopping, girly stuff… OH! and I had my first boyfriend… and a second…” I could feel a slight blush forming across my cheeks at the end of my sentence. David’s eyes widened a little bit.

“My little Rosebud actually had her first boyfriend and a second while I was gone? My Rosie is all grown up.” He used a dramatic proud tone and ended the speech with wiping an imaginary tear away.

“Shut up you dork!” I slapped him playfully on his muscular arm, making him gasp in mock horror while rubbing his arm dramatically.

“What happened with these boyfriends? Do I need to beat someone up? You know I will.” He was being all playful about it, but there was an underlying seriousness to it. I knew he actually would beat someone up for me. He had been close to it before. I sighed a little.

“Well Jason, my first boyfriend, and I were actually really good together. But he had to move away with his family to New York City and neither of us wanted to try a long distance relationship. We couldn’t afford going back and forth and the strain on things… So yeah... We called it quits.” I smiled at him, as he gently squeezed my hand in his.

“What about you Mr. hotshot military guy? Any girls or boys I should be aware of?” I smoothly switched the topic, so I could avoid talking about the whole ordeal that was Paul and so David wouldn’t beat him half to death. David simply smiled cheekily at me.

“Boys? I knew you had some gay fantasy about me! But sadly I must disappoint, no boys.” I had missed his childish and dramatic antics. Plus I had successfully changed the subject as long as I played it cool and normal.

“So there are girls I should know of!” I grinned cheekily at him as I pointed my finger at him. His tanned cheeks became darker as he looked down at his lap and scratched his neck nervously. It was at this point I realized something. The love I once had for David wasn’t what it had been the last time I saw him. Yes, I still loved him as a friend. But I was no longer IN love with David.

“There is only one girl actually.” I was snapped out of my thoughts by David’s shy sounding voice, his cheeks were even darker now. He was looking down in his lap with a new found concentration and his hands moved around a bit frigidly. The silence lasted this time around and I panicked slightly. Please tell me it’s not me.. please!

“So... Who’s the girl?” I was hoping David wouldn’t hear the slight tone of Panic and nervousness in my voice. His cheeks became darker if that was possible and he started to play with his fingers. He inhaled deeply a couple of times.

“You actually know her...” his voice trailed off again. My panic sat in more, as he scratched his head and looked everywhere else, avoiding my eyes like the plague.

“It’s.. it’s…” he stumbled over his words as I grabbed his hands in mine and gave them a comforting squeeze. I have never seen David so flustered over a girl before, it was kind of cute. But I was still a little too panicked to really think more of it.

“It’s Le... Leah Clearwater.” He closed his eyes tightly as a grin spread across my features and I as quietly as possible let out a sigh of relief. I squeezed his hands again, as he finally looked at me again.

“That’s fantastic D! But aren’t you still in the military if you’re thinking of making it a lifelong career or am I missing something?” his face lit up with a gigantic smile, showing his dimples and pearly whites perfectly.

“I forgot to tell you in the excitement of it all, but I’m staying in the area for a couple of years while I’m getting my mechanical degree and gain some skills in the field.” My grin got as big as his, as I jumped him and hugged the life out of him, a high pitched squeal of joy escaping my lips.

“OH MY GOD! That’s freaking amazing! I’ll have my best friend back and now Leah might actually smile again!” David simply laughed at me and hugged me back. I looked up from his shoulder and realized I had managed to tackle him off the porch swing. We sat up slowly, looked at each other and broke down laughing.

Our laughter eventually die out and David gets up on his feet, before holding his hand out for me to take. I grab it and he pulls me up right away. I brush myself off and look at the clock on my phone.

“So, are you up for some food from the diner?” David smiles at me nodding his head.

“Let’s take my car, it’s parked in the parking lot at the beach.” I nod at him and we make our way to his car and then further on to the diner.

God, it’s good to have my best friend back!