Page 8 of Everything After

“Water, soda, OJ?” I clarified, taking in Sienna’s pretty features again. I’d always had a thing for brunettes, and Sienna fitted my type to a tee. Average height, long dark-brown hair, huge blue eyes, and a sense of innocence that she had held on to, despite everything that had happened in her life.

On reflection, it had been inevitable that Sienna and I would hook up at some point because, apart from being the only female in our friendship group, there had always been this sexual undertone and flirtatious vibe between us.

At the time, I’d tried my hardest not to give in to my attraction, but I’d had little willpower back then. It was a skill I’d developed out of necessity by the time I’d met my wife.

My mind turned to Lily, and what her thoughts would be when I told her about this visit. She was wary and uncomfortable about my past with Sienna, but I could only hope she would understand.

“Here,” Sienna mumbled, breaking into my thoughts and passing me a can of diet soda. As I eyed the can, a tattoo on Sienna’s wrist caught my attention and I grabbed her wrist before she could pull back.

My heart sank at the familiar lettered symbol she’d often sketched in my presence. “Sienna?”

“What?” A guilty flush stained her cheeks while she’d tried to pull her wrist away, but I tightened my grip.

It was a heart logo made from mine and her initials.

“What the fuck, Sienna?” I hissed, pissed that she’d marked herself like that.

“Don’t flatter yourself, I’ve considered having it lasered off. I got it the day before you broke up with me over the phone.”

Damn.When I thought on it, I realized that I hadn’t seen her in anything with short sleeves since then. In fact, I’d only seen her a handful of times. Once at Gary’s army end of basic training parade, once at his funeral, and the last time was at my sister Layla’s wedding, almost four years before.

“I’m sorry, I had no idea you’d done this,” I remarked, feeling sick.

“I know,” she agreed, her tone resigned. “We all do foolish things when we’re in love, right?” she asked.

“Sienna,” I sighed, not wanting to rehash old wounds.

“It’s fine. I know now that I’d never have been enough for you… not while there are women like Lily Parnell in this world,” she stated.

“Youwereenough for me… once, but we were kids. Hell, half the excitement of it all was that Gary had no clue about us.” Afresh flash of guilt about that rippled through me. Some friend I was… not that he’d ever warned me off Sienna.

“And that still doesn’t bother you… that we deceived Gary about us, then he died?”

My heart stalled for a beat because it had been one of the things that I’d regretted once I’d heard he’d been killed.

“Of course it does. There’s not a day that goes by, even after all this time, when I’d give anything for five more minutes with him. It would be the first thing I’d tell him.”

“And he’d have said, ‘I know’.”

My eyes flared wide in disbelief. “Gary knew? About us?”

Sienna sauntered over to a small office area in the corner of the open-plan living room, took a thin envelope out of the desk drawer, and brought it over to me.

“This arrived from Gary about a year ago. The letter had been lost in transit. It was discovered when they cleared out some military office or another. The Marine Captain that found it, hand delivered it to me.”

“Jesus, that must have been tough for you.” My heart raced at the thought of Gary’s words coming from beyond the grave after all that time.

“Read it,” she said, wafting the envelope toward me.

Tentatively, I took the letter from her and glanced down at the distinctive, scratchy scribe of my late friend. My heart squeezed tight as I ran my finger over the indented writing. The crush in my lungs made my legs buckle.

Taking a deep breath, I delicately teased the single piece of writing paper from inside.

Hey, Sie,

And you thought Florida was hot! I’ll never take growing up by the beachfor granted again. Out here in the sandbox, the sun is relentless, our tented accommodation is fucking stifling, and I’m bored to my tits when we’re not out on reconnaissance.

I smiled because I imagined the sound of his voice as I read.