Are you ok?

Are we ok?

My texts last night went unanswered. It broke my heart and made me question almost everything. I went in to work with more bags under my eyes. Tisha noticed right away and demanded I tell her what was wrong, but I didn't. What could I even say? I had messed up things beyond repair and I couldn't fault Luca. He was stuck between work, Leer and me. I needed to make it easy for him.

I would give him an out.

"That's it, we are going out tonight for drinks. We both have tomorrow off. Don't try to argue about it either."

Tisha could be persuasive when she wanted to be.

"Fine." I said, robotically.

She eyeballed me as I completed the cashier tasks, not even bothering to hide my weariness. Was this getting to me so much because I knew I'd messed up or for some other reason? Luca represented much more than just a boyfriend. He was like a piece of my dad and my grandpa, rolled into one.

The afternoon flew by. We were slammed with customers and even had to forgo taking our mandatory breaks. I didn't mind, anything to keep me busy. Not checking my phone every few hours was hard but I did it. Luca still hadn't replied by the time we clocked out.

"You're not going to back out on me are you?" Tisha asked in the parking lot.

"No, I'll be there. Could use a drink anyway.."

We parted and I started my Jeep. I watched marines in uniform walk by, and daydreamed about my past. Dad meeting mom and I at the Exchange in San Diego, when he'd come up to our car with the biggest smile. He was the gold standard my whole life for how a man should act and treat others. Now that he was gone I didn't want to lose the memories. Or the expectations I had set for dating. No, no matter what, I would be careful with men. That included Luca.

I backed out of the parking spot and began to drive home. Thankfully I lived pretty close. Daydreaming always exhausts me. And I was overly emotional about everything.

He said he had just fell..

Fell in love? With me?

Luca's words played over again from the fight we had in the living room. He was about to tell me something but stopped. I didn't think it possible to fall in love so quickly. Lust yes, but actual love? It just couldn't be.

I fell in love with your mom that quickly..

My dad's voice echoed in my mind suddenly. It shook me as I past by Terry's house. I could hear my dad clear as day saying that sentence. How his voice was there, I didn't understand. Glancing over, I noticed Terry wasn't outside like usual. Maybe he was out for dinner. I kept driving, arriving home shortly.

I wasn't going crazy. I knew my dad was still around, so was my grandpa. Mom was too though I didn't sense her as strongly. It honestly made me wonder if my ancestry had anything to do with it. Some locals believed in our spirits returning to the earth to be free.

Shaking my head, I shut the door on the Jeep and walked to the front of the house. I had to get ready for the bar, and eat something. I didn't plan to get drunk. Not anymore. I wanted to get it over with and come back home so I could get a good nights sleep. Tomorrow I would get some things in order.

Whether Luca was done with me or not.

💋💋

"It's bumping here tonight!"

Tisha practically had to yell, the noise was so prominent in the bar.

"Yeah.." I said loudly back.

I hadn't been to this place before. It was packed with marines, their short military style haircuts being a dead giveaway. Only a few locals lingered in the dimly lit area. It was a far cry from the open air club too. Much different vibe.

"Let's get a spot over there, by the darts, in the back!" She announced, tugging my hand along.

Marines were in groups everywhere, at tables with booths and taller tables with bar stools. We snagged a tall table for ourselves. The noise quieted some as the music dropped in volume. I assumed the owners had enough of the country playing, opting for some 90's rock instead. I liked this better anyways. Country music was depressing.

"Now we can talk." Tisha said, settling herself on a stool. "Girl you look hot as hell but are acting like someone died, like a zombie. Talk."

I almost wanted to laugh at her choice of words. Someone in fact had died, but not today. My dads voice, the issues with Luca, my ever wandering mind and racing thoughts all were colliding with one another. Where to start?

"It's just that I care you know..." She said. "But if it's too much we can just drink first."

I cleared my throat, "I know you care. Thank you. It's just a lot of stuff going on honestly."

Holding up her hand, a roving bar maid employee came over, handing us menus for greasy food, cheap beer and limited alcohol offerings. We ordered a beer each and a plate of celery sticks and jalapeno sauced chicken wings.

"I could tell. Does it have to do with your man?"

Time to fess up.

"Luca has been taking care of his dead best friend's fiancé and their daughter. The fiancé is also a marine and she hates my guts, and is in some trouble at work. So now he is thinking of taking care of the daughter and oh yeah....moving to North Carolina."

The words just came tumbling out. I hoped I hadn't said too much, or shocked her.

"Hmmm. So your man is in quite a pickle. Honestly I am not surprised. He seemed like the steady type and honest too." She replied. "You're probably reading a lot into it too, aren't you?"

I opened my mouth to reply but was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Mila?!"

💋💋

A tall blonde marine stood smiling next to me. Shane. The brave guy who dove into the ocean to try and save me from a tiger shark.

"Hey!" I replied, giving a small smile of my own.

"Never seen you here before? Gunny Ajello with you? I thought he was still at work but..."

"No it's just me."

He asked if he could sit for a few minutes and Tisha was all too accommodating. She turned up the charm by ten fold, which he seemed to like. They chatted about the island and where he was from for a good bit before she excused herself to use the restroom.

"Luca was still at work you said?" I asked him.

"Yeah. He didn't tell you?"

I shook my head.

"I know you two are dating. He was talking about you to another gunny the other day and we all overheard." Shane said. "He really pissed off the commander though."

And there it was. Leer was telling me the truth. Luca had gotten in trouble for my antics at the Exchange. Shit. I felt anger and remorse, simultaneously. How could I possibly fix this now?

"It was my fault. Your guys commander came into the Exchange to buy pencils and he was in my line. I asked him about females being drunk on duty, if he allowed it."

Shane laughed. "Shit, you did not?!"

It confused me why he was laughing. Like I needed to feel worse.

"Everyone knows about Leer. It's not that big of a deal. Maybe they are going to punish her or something and that's why he got so mad." He reasoned.

Our beers and food arrived right on time, as did Tisha.

"What did I miss?"

Tisha smiled at us both as she took her drink in hand, downing a large swig.

"Mila here is a bad ass. Confronting our ass hole commander in the Exchange." He said, turning to me. "Ajello is a good guy though and he is really into you. I'm sure he will get through whatever is going on at work. He's the golden guy, saved a few lives in Afghanistan. No one can get him into that much trouble, not even the commander."

He gave me a side hug and ambled away, winking at Tisha in the process.

"Mila honey, if I don't get his number by the end of the night, you have to get it for me....he is hot."

She wasn't wrong. I thought most of Luca's marines were good looking too. There was just something about them.

Text him again...

My dad's voice came through in my mind again. I didn't feel spooked this time, only curious. Why should I text Luca again? He hadn't answered the other messages I had sent. And he was still at work according to Shane. I was the cause. The last thing I wanted to do was make it worse for him. No, I wouldn't text tonight. Maybe tomorrow. It could go on my list.

Tisha tried a wing and then a spear of celery with ranch. I followed suit. The food was good, especially for a rough bar like this. She wiped her mouth and looked at me amusingly.

"So when were you going to tell me that you are in love?"

**This story is only found on Wattpad. If found on another site, it was stolen. Thank you for reading.💋**