A/N: songs to set the scene:

- WHATS POPPIN' by Jack Harlow, Tory Lanez, DaBaby, Lil Wayne
- Savage by Megan Thee Stallion
- Levitating by Dua Lipa, DaBaby

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August 21, 2021

Jamie's POV

First weekend home, and I get to spend the night with my two best friends and little sister. Granted most siblings would not enjoy spending time together, but Kimberly is my best friend. Without her, I'd be in a shit load of trouble and no one would be able to be there for EJ when I'm deployed. Lucky for the both of us, EJ went home with a friend after his game last night so we are free of any sort of responsibilities tonight.

"Kim!" I yell from my room staring at my closet having no clue what to put on. "What?" I hear her voice enter my room. "What should I wear? I need your help," I turn and give her puppy dog eyes. "Okay, okay. Put the eyes away. You don't need to beg," I smile and she walks over to my closet. She pulls out a pair of black jeans and a blue denim button down. I go to ask her what shoes, but she is already grabbing my white shoes. "Thank you, I'd be lost without you," I smile and she pats my cheek. "I know," she gives me an annoying grin and I roll my eyes. She leaves the room and I head to my bathroom to start getting ready.

(A/N: Jamie's outfit picked out by the one and only Kimberly Jerry Hamilton)

~~

I finish up in the bathroom and grab my phone from the charger. I see that Jonathan texted an hour ago that he was headed to pick Emily up and then would be here. Emily can't get on base since she doesn't have a military ID, but with Jonthan she can get here no problem. I slide my phone in my pocket and grab my wallet. I walk to Kim's room and knock, "Kim, you almost ready?" I hear things getting thrown around the room and crack the door open. I peek around the corner and see her digging through her closet. "Everything alright, Kimmy?" I ask using her childhood nickname. She shoots me a glare over her shoulder and goes back through her closet.

"Found it!" She exclaims and stands back up. She dusts off her jeans and puts two small boxes on her dresser. "What are those?" I ask, pointing towards the small-ish boxes. "They're for you and Jonathan. Since you both missed your birthdays, I figured I'd give them to you guys tonight," she holds onto my shoulder as she puts on a pair of black strappy heels. "You didn't have to get me anything," I smile and hold her arms to help her keep her balance. "I know I didn't have to, but you'll like it. I promise," she finishes putting on her heels and goes back to her dresser to grab the boxes.

I hear a knock on the door and head into the living room to answer it. "Hey guys!" I pull Emily into a hug. I quickly grab Jonathan in a hug before closing the door. "Where's Kim?" Emily looks around the space. "She's finishing up getting ready. The front gate guys give you a hard time?" I smack John's chest and smile. "Nah, they know not to mess with us sailors," he winks at me and I roll my eyes. "Don't the Marine Corps and Navy work together all the time?" Emily looks between the two of us and we both shrug. "Technically, yes. We like to give each other shit though," I look at John and he nods in agreement.

Kimberly finally joins us in the living room. She hugs Emily and Jonathan, and steps back. I raise my eyebrows looking at the two boxes in her hand. "Oh yeah," she hands me and John each a box. "Happy belated birthday," she gestures towards the boxes and smiles. I open the box and see a leather bracelet. I examine the engraving and it has coordinates along with a saying. I feel a tear leave my eye and I look at Kim. "This is great. I love it," I pull her into a hug and kiss her head. "Thank you, Kim. It's amazing," Jonathan mimics my actions, pulling Kim into a hug. I slip the bracelet onto my right wrist and tighten it with my teeth. I look down and examine it.

Emily pulls my wrist up to look at it closer. "What are the coordinates?" She asks and looks up at Kim. "It's this exact spot actually. Exactly where our family is," Jonathan pulls Kim against his body and kisses the side of her head. I smile and look back at my wrist. "We'll never forget where home is now," I say to John and he nods. "Kind of hard to forget, but now I know that Kim actually likes me now," he looks down at her and I see a blush creep up on her cheeks. She pushes his chest, and Emily and I both laugh at them. "Alright, are we ready to go?" Emily asks and we all say 'yes' in unison.

~~

We arrive outside the bar, Boar Cross'n, and get out of the Uber. I volunteered to be the designated driver, but got scolded by both Kimberly and Emily that I needed to enjoy the first night out. We walk into the slightly crowded bar and I see Jonathan wrap his arm around Kim's waist to keep her close. Emily slips her arm around mine and I look down at her, "Don't flatter yourself, Sergeant. Just don't want to lose you." I smile and roll my eyes, and follow her towards the bar. Jonathan takes a seat at the bar and Kim stands extremely close. I watch both of them and feel like they're being a bit more touchy, feely recently.

"Hey, you okay?" Emily says close to my ear so I can hear her over the loud music. "Are Kim and Johnny a thing?" I cut straight to the chase and watch Emily look over at the two. "And if they are?" Emily looks at me and I shrug, "Honestly, I don't know. He's my best friend and she's my little sister." I look over my shoulder and see them laughing. "I won't stop them. She's an adult and Jonathan is probably the only guy I trust not to hurt her," I look back at Emily and give her a smile. "Good, now let's get some liquid courage in this Marine!" She yells over at a bartender and I laugh at her. "I'm not getting with a one-night stand, Em," the bartender sits two shot glasses next to us. She takes one and hands me the other. "Here's to you being back home!" She shouts and we clink the glasses. I throw the shot down my throat and the burn of the vodka makes my eyes water a bit.

Emily asks the bartender for two beers, and he comes back with two bottles. I take mine and we make our way over to a booth Kimberly and Jonathan found. "Hey you two! We were worried we lost you," Kim waves over to Emily to sit next to her. I sit across from Emily and next to John. "I propose a toast. Here's to me and Jamie making it home safe again, and to us finding this guy a woman to enjoy his first night home," I roll my eyes at John's toast and we all clink our drinks together. The DJ mixes a version of 'WHATS POPPIN' and I mindlessly nod along to the beat looking through the crowd. I take a swig of my beer and catch a familiar brunette at the bar. "Guys, I'll be right back," I look at them and they wave me away.

I walk over to the bubbling group of girls and catch the eyes of the brunette. "Hey Adams," I smile and she turns away from her friends. "Hey Sergeant," she greets me, and I laugh. "Come on, Jess. You can call me Jamie. We're just two civilians tonight, no formalities needed," I see her blush a bit and relax. "You here alone?" Jessica asks and I take a sip from my beer. "No, I'm here with my sister and two best friends. What about you? Who are all of these lovely ladies?" I gesture towards the girls behind her. "Oh, let me introduce you," she pulls me into the circle. "Ladies, this is Sergeant Jamie Hamilton. He's one of my commanding officers," the girls all say hi and I awkwardly wave at them. "Nice to meet you ladies, and please just call me Jamie," I smile at them and feel Jess watching me.

I turn my attention back to Jessica, and see her blushing a bit. "Want to dance?" I bend down and say into her ear. It's gotten a bit more crowded in the club and the music is really pounding through the speakers. I stand back up and see her cheeks grow a bit more red. She nods and sits her glass on the counter. I take her hand and lead us out towards the dance floor. We move to the music and Jess puts her arms around my neck. I know Jessica likes me, but I've never indulged in her occasional flirting. It would cause an uncomfortable vibe with Echo Company if we were ever to try anything.

I'm brought back to reality and I feel her pulling my body incredibly closer to hers. I rest my hands on her hips and feel her kiss the side of my neck. 'Savage' by Megan Thee Stallion comes on, and I have no clue how to dance to the song. I let Jess move us to the beat and I just enjoy the atmosphere. Jess puts her back against my front and I wrap my arms around her waist. She puts her hands through my hair and I kiss her neck. We continue dancing until the song ends.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Jess looks up at me, and I see her pupils blown out and her skin a bit flushed. I know it's probably the alcohol giving her this courage, but I'm not going to burst her bubble. "Sure, I know the perfect spot," I take her hand and lead her out of the club. We walk by Jonathan and Kim, and I nod at them silently letting them know I'm good. We hit the cool, summer breeze outside and Jess interlocks our fingers. "You okay to walk to the beach?" I ask and Jess nods her head. She holds onto my arm with one hand and keeps a tight grip on my hand.

We make it to the beach and find a nice spot in the sand near no people. I help Jess sit down and as soon as my ass hits the sand, Jess's lips are on mine. I can tell she's on a mission, and I'm just intoxicated enough to not stop it. She's a beautiful girl and she understands the craziness of our lifestyle. I pull her onto my lap and rest my hands on her hips. She quickly moves her lips to my jaw down my throat. She reattaches our lips and our furious make out session comes to an end as we both need to come up for air.

We rest our foreheads against each other and I slowly try to regain my breath. Jess gets off my lap and rests her head on my shoulder. "I didn't mean to move that fast," she says and I let out a breathy chuckle. "It's okay. I should be honest with you though," I pause and look down at my bracelet. "Jess, I like you but not like that. We have a really good working relationship and I trust you with my life. I don't want a heartbreak to ruin that," I look down at her and she nods. "I get it. You're a great guy and have been there for me on those dark days, and I think that made me fall for you a bit," I smile and kiss her forehead. "I'll always be here for ya, Jess," I wrap my arm around her shoulders and hold her close. "Thank you," she mumbles. "You're welcome. We should head back so our friends don't worry about us," I stand up and give her my hand to help her out of the sand.

~~

We get back to the club and part ways. I see Jonathan and Kimberly sitting very close in the booth exchanging heart eyes. I look around for Emily and see her at the bar. I make my way over to her and see a guy leaning against the bar trying to talk to her. I can tell by her facial features and body tensing, she is definitely not feeling this guy. Time to put on the charm and save the day. The club is booming with Dua Lipa's 'Levitating' and everyone here is having a good time. I walk over and put my arm around her. "Hey baby, you're still waiting on our drinks?" I see her smile a bit and hear the guy scoff next to us. "Yeah, bartenders are a bit busy. I'm sorry I'm taking so long baby," she kisses my cheek.

I see the guy out of the corner of my eye walk away and I move to take his spot. Emily and I both let out a laugh, and a bartender comes up with two glasses of water for us. "Thank you for that. He was not accepting my cold-shoulder," she takes a sip of her water and looks at me. "I saw him bothering you and could tell you did not want him near you. Did I play the part well?" I ask, adjusting my collar. Emily shakes her head and smiles, "Yes. You played the role of protective boyfriend very well. Oscar nomination worthy." I drink my water, and look back over where John and Kim were sitting.

"Have you seen John and Kim?" I turn back towards Emily and she sits her glass down. "Kim texted me that they were going to head back to the house. Something about being a bit tipsy," she shrugs and I quirk my eyebrow. "You ready to head out?" I gesture towards her water and she nods. I hand the bartender plenty to cover our tab and Emily smacks my arm, "I was going to pay for that." I smirk and shrug at her. I take her hand and lead us out of the club. "Uber should be pulling up now," Emily looks at her phone and I move us to a more open part of the sidewalk. She spots our car and leads the way.

I open the door for Emily and slide in after her. I lean my head against the window and watch the buildings pass by us. "Who was that girl you left with earlier?" Emily asks and I readjust in my seat. "She's in Echo company with me. She's kind of like my right hand woman. Keeps me in check when we're on the battlefield," Emily nods her head at my explanation. "Anything happen between you two?" She wiggles her eyebrows and I shake my head. "Well, we made out on the beach, but I turned her down. It'd be weird if things changed between us, you know? It would mess with the chemistry of our group, and I don't want to lose the one person who makes sure I don't fuck anything up out there," I twist my ring and look out of the window. "I understand, Jay. There is someone out there for you. I can feel it," Emily places her hand on my thigh and squeezes it. I smile at her and pull her under my arm.

~~

We pull up to the house and we thank our driver before heading up to the front door. Once we're inside, I lock the door up and follow Emily to the kitchen. "Want a glass of water?" I ask as she sits in a chair to pull her heels off. "Yes, please," I grab the Brita out of the fridge and pour us each a glass. I walk it over to her and chug mine. "You can borrow some clothes to sleep in, and I'll sleep in EJ's room," I say as I walk to the sink to rinse out my glass. "You sure?" Emily asks and leans against the counter. "I'm so sure, I'm practically deodorant," I smirk at her and she rolls her eyes. "Thank you," Emily mumbles into her glass.

I follow her to my bedroom and grab a pair of sweatpants to put on for bed. While Emily goes into the bathroom to do her nighttime routine, I quickly change out of my clothes into my sweatpants. When the door opens, Emily and I switch places so I can do my nighttime routine. I finish brushing my teeth and turn the light off. I grab my phone and start to walk out of the room. "Goodnight, Jamie," Emily sleepily says and I turn around smiling. "Goodnight, Emily," I turn the light off and shut the door behind me.

I head into EJ's room and get settled in the bed. His bed is much smaller than mine and I feel like I'm sleeping in my bunk back overseas. Tonight is going to be a long, restless night, and the worst part is I have way more people worrying about me in the house tonight. I shut my eyes and try to get some sort of sleep. My mind drifts to a beautiful brunette. I automatically assume I'm thinking about Jessica, but this girl looks a bit different. Her hair is darker and I can hear her voice, and it's a bit raspier. I touch the girl's shoulder and I'm met with the beautiful brown eyes of Sofia Carson.

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A/N: Jamie's got a crush! As a reminder, this will be a slow burn.

See you all in the next chapter!