To Love a Soldier Read online

  “Liz, calm down. It doesn’t even matter. I’m with you. I want you. That should be enough.”

  “You’re right, you’re right. I guess I should get used to women trying to steal you away,” I muttered, feeling immature for acting jealous. “You being super sexy and all.”

  “Oh damn, well, thanks. Does that mean you’re going to finally want to take the next step?” Brady half-heartedly joked. The pleading look wasn’t hidden very well behind his eyes.

  “I guess you never know; anything could happen.” I winked seductively at him. What the hell did I just say? Feelings were surfacing and the words just came out.

  “Well, here’s to a lucky night, babe.” Brady raised his soda for cheers to his sexual innuendo toast.

  “Here’s to us.” I followed until our paper cups tapped and soda splashed out the tops. Bouncing her way towards our table was Mandy the waitress again. This time her blouse was much more open.

  “Oh, here comes Eye Candy Mandy just for you, Brady.” I scowled. Brady just laughed and rolled his eyes.

  “How’s everything so far, hon? You sure there’s nothing else you need from me?”

  “No, thank you, just the check.” Brady was being polite. I wanted to give that bitch a piece of my mind. While I was trying to think of a not so obvious way to “accidentally” throw my soda in her face, she placed the check down in front of me instead of Brady. Un-fucking-believable. She put her name and phone number on the bill just for me to see.

  Brady reached over and grabbed the bill. “I always take care of my girl.”

  “Well, if you need anything more, you know where to find me. Have a lovely night,” she said with another wink.

  Brady just shook his head and got up to pay the bill. He came back and threw a couple of bucks on the table for a tip. “Come on, let’s get to that party,” he said, helping me out of my chair.

  “You got it. Gentlemen first.” I wasn’t really saying that to be nice. I needed Brady in front of me, because there was no way that slut was getting a tip. I snagged the money off the table and hurried out the door. We got back to Brady’s truck and headed to his friend’s house for the party.

  “Did you think she was hot?” I knew she was, and I knew he was about to lie to me, but I just needed to hear him make me feel special.

  “Liz, she was a skank. I think you’re hot, though.”

  “Shut up.” Something about him made me feel like a teenager. “I just can’t believe she hits on you, unbuttons her shirt for you, and then leaves you her number! You better not have kept her number!”

  “Nope, don’t want it. I don’t get it. You see girls flirting with me all the time when I’m at work. Why did tonight bother you so much?”

  “That’s just it; they’re girls. It’s a mall. They’re all underage, and I don’t think you’re that stupid, but this waitress was different.” Before I could keep bitching, he interrupted me.

  “Stop.” He said, holding up his hand. “Liz, I’ve honestly been falling for you since we met. I know it hasn’t been that long and that you’re working through a lot right now, but you stole my heart. I guess what I’m trying to say is I love you, and I mean that. I don’t want anyone but you.”

  “Umm.” My brain turned to mush as I stood there biting my lower lip. Really, Liz? Umm is the best you can give him?

  “It’s okay, you don’t have to say it back.” He sounded hurt.

  “No, it’s not that. You just caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting you to use the L word.”

  “No one says you have to feel the same way. It’s fine. I just wanted to let you know how I felt.”

  “It’s not that I don’t. I just don’t want to get hurt anymore.” I held back getting overly emotional. I was in shock; it was the furthest thing from what I had been expecting him to say.

  “I’m not those guys, Liz. You can’t just toss me into their category. Use them to compare me, but don’t just classify every guy from your past experiences.”

  He’s right. It’s not fair to him. This is what I needed to hear to take that chance. That’s it; I’m going to gamble on Brady.

  “You’re right,” I said as I reached over and rubbed his leg. “That’s not fair to you. I’m gonna open up to you and give you that chance. You better not make me regret it.”

  My cell rang, saving me from having to continue the conversation. It was my friend, Riley. We became close toward the end of high school. She was really the only friend I’d actually kept in the last few years. We drifted, changed interests, and went our separate ways, but no matter what we remained friends.

  “Hey, Ri, what’s up?” I answered, putting the phone on speaker.

  “Listen, I’m going to hit up another party first, and I’ll meet you there later?”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  “Tell her if she’s drinking and needs a ride, I can go get her,” Brady chimed in.

  “Tell him thank you and I’ll keep it in mind, but I should have a ride.” She laughed, and I knew she was most likely rolling her eyes.

  “Okay, have fun, be careful, and I’ll see you later.” I hung up and put my hand back on Brady’s leg.

  It wasn’t long before we arrived at Brady’s friend’s house. I couldn’t believe the number of cars around the yard. Suddenly, I started second guessing going inside. I was all for a house party, but this seemed like it was going to get out of control fast.

  “You didn’t tell me the party was going to be this big.”

  He seemed just as surprised as I was. “That’s because I didn’t know.” He paused, looking around. “Let’s just go in. If it gets out of hand, we can always leave. Do you want me to pull around so no one sees you get out of my truck?”

  In that moment, I felt like an asshole. He knew how much I didn’t like his stupid, old truck. Enough to think that I would be embarrassed to be seen getting out of it. It was time for me to take a look in the mirror and see I had unfairly been judging Brady for months now. He worked hard and had ambitions and here I was acting like a selfish bitch when I was doing the exact same thing. Shaking my head no, “I don’t care who sees or what they think. Let’s go.”

  Chapter Three

  Unwanted Party Favors

  Brady opened the door and helped me out. Hand in hand, we headed towards the sound of music, loud yelling, and obnoxious drunk women. Not really my scene, but I needed some change in my life and so far my evening with Brady had been making me happier with our relationship. The noise increased as we got closer to the front door. I couldn’t help but get annoyed, but I figured if I headed straight to wherever the drinks were, I could have a few and loosen up a little and it wouldn’t be that bad.

  “Are you sure you wanna do this, Liz?” Brady asked, giving me one final chance to bail.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Come on, introduce me to your friends.”

  Brady seemed to hesitate for a second before taking another step. “Okay, just so you know they’re not close friends or anything. They’re just a few guys I’ve become friendly with who come to get lunch a lot at my work. They all seem pretty chill.”

  He opened the door and ushered me in. It didn’t seem as bad as I’d thought it was going to be. There were groups of people all around. Some were watching TV, some were just chatting in circles, and others were playing drinking games wherever they found room. Brady put his arm around me and looked around for his friends.

  “I’ve never been here before, so I don’t know where to go,” he said, scanning the room. “I guess we should find the kitchen. I’m guessing that’s where the booze is.”

  “Lead the way.” I was a bit apprehensive around all the strangers, but I trusted that Brady would be my guardian for the night. Although I had never witnessed him in any type of physical altercation, he just looked like a man you wouldn’t want to tangle with. We made our way through the scattered crowds with not much more than a few glances from people, probably wondering who we were just as much as we wondered about them
.

  Brady spotted his friends as soon as we found the kitchen. “BRADY!” one guy yelled louder than necessary, followed by a few more, “Hey Brady’s,” from a few other guys around a table.

  “Hey, guys. Hey, Mike. What’s going on?”

  His friends looked like a group of average guys. Well, two did, but Mike was a little gross. He had a big frame and was a bit more than chubby. I guess pretty husky might describe him best. He had a big head with greasy, slightly below shoulder length black hair. His eyes were bulgy and he had messy facial hair. His moustache grossed me out because it was long and jabbed right into his mouth.

  “Not much, bud. Grab a drink. I see you brought a party favor!” Mike replied, while practically raping me with his cold eyes. Brady just let out an uncomfortable laugh.

  “Ha. Uh, actually this is my girlfriend, Liz. Liz, this is Mike, Joel, and Brandon.”

  “Hi, guys,” I said, avoiding eye contact with Mike.

  “Hey, Liz,” Mike said, emphasizing my name. “Brady mentioned that he had a girlfriend, but he never told us how fucking hot she was. Good job, bud.” He stared blatantly at my body, giving me the creeps.

  Wow, what the hell? I had never thought of myself as someone a guy would go gaga over. At 5’6”, I tend to be on the slender side. I have raven black hair down to the middle of my back, blue-gray eyes, and I wear a C-cup. I’m extremely ordinary. I know I’m not a troll because I’ve been told I’m beautiful, hot, and all those other fake lines by all my past boyfriends. Then again, it never honestly held any weight. After they got it, they left me, so it sort of became a hit to my self-esteem.

  “Yeah, take it easy, bro,” Brady said, clearly uncomfortable.

  “Easy, Brady. I’m just complimenting you on your taste for ladies. Let me get you guys a drink.” Mike stood up and walked to the fridge. It was an awkward introduction all the way around, but the tension seemed to grow the more Mike opened his disgusting mouth. Even the other guys were giving each other a “what the fuck” look when Mike made his comments. I decided to write it off as the alcohol talking and try to keep enjoying my night with Brady.

  Mike made his way back to the table with two beers. “Here you go. If you’d rather have a girly drink, I can see what we have to mix.” He smirked as he ran his eyes slowly from my stomach to my face. Man, this fucking guy is creeping me out! If my skin could have crawled off my body it would have.

  “Nope, beer is fine. Thanks.” I grabbed my beer with one hand and Brady with my other. He left his beer behind. He wasn’t much of a drinker, which was just as well since he was my ride.

  “Let’s go mingle,” I said as I dragged him out of the kitchen, fearing he was quickly losing his patience with Mike. We spent the next hour meeting people and having a few more drinks. Everyone we talked to seemed all right, but I felt eyes on me the whole time. I refused to look anywhere in the direction of the kitchen. The last thing I needed was for this guy to think I was even acknowledging him. People came and went and, for the most part, it was fun. Brady and I found an open spot in the living room and planted ourselves there for a bit.

  He was being so sweet and hadn’t even jokes about having other intentions. As the night drew on, I found myself happier and closer to Brady than ever. Partly because of how he had been treating me, and I’m sure partly because of the few beers I had drank. We began a serious conversation about our relationship and where it was going. There was no specific moment when it occurred to me, but once I decided to let my guard down earlier it was clear that I was in love with him. In a way of hoping to preserve my already broken heart I shut down. I didn’t allow myself to truly feel, but being here I felt his love, and I knew I should voice mine. As I was about to say it, I saw him glance away and then lower his head, letting out a sigh.

  “Shit.”

  My heart dropped. “What? What’s wrong? I thought we were on the same page here?”

  “No, it’s not that. I think my future stalker just walked in.”

  “What? Who?” I asked him as I surveyed the room. “Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me! You have anything to do with this?” I was suddenly pissed and on the defensive. It would be my luck to let my guard down and get screwed.

  Looking at me with his mouth agape, he asked, “Seriously? No, no way.” I knew he was being truthful. I felt a small wave of relief pass over me, but it didn’t last for long.

  I glared across the crowd. Little Miss Eye Candy Mandy! She slutted her way over to a small group of partygoers and hugged them. I guess that’s where she got the invite. I was intimidated by her when she was in her waitress uniform, but she could have been considered ugly then compared to what she looked like all dolled up. I couldn’t stop staring when she slowly looked in our direction and gave a wink.

  What the fuck? Really? My blood boiled. I know the wink was directed towards me, since Brady had kept his head down to avoid eye contact with her.

  “This night just keeps getting better.” I pulled Brady up and led him away. “Let’s get another drink and see what games they’re playing in the kitchen.” Sure, Creepy Mike would be in there, but honestly, I’d rather be the one getting hit on than having to watch it happen to Brady. He didn’t have a choice and he knew it.

  “We’re back,” I announced, as we made our way to the kitchen table.

  “Here’s a fresh one,” Mike said, replacing my beer.

  We sat around the table playing drinking games for a while. As the night rolled on, Mike seemed to tone down a bit. By 10, Riley had finally sent me a text asking if we could pick her and her friend, Kara, up from the party they were at and bring them here. They had been drinking and couldn’t drive in their condition.

  Holding my phone out to Brady, I said, “Ugh, I need you to go get Ri.”

  “Wait, you want me to leave you here? I thought we were both going to get her?” he asked, confused.

  “We were, but she wants to bring her friend along, so there’s no more room in your truck. I’ll be fine. I’ll wait for you right here.” I noticed no creepy comments from Mike. He even seemed not to be paying attention to our conversation.

  “All right, babe, I’ll hurry up then. Be right back.” Brady gave me a kiss and hurried toward the front of the house, giving one last quick final glance back at me before heading out the front door.

  “You need another beer?” Mike asked.

  “Nope, this one is pretty full,” I tried to say as politely as possible. “I’m just going to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back. Keep my seat open.”

  “Sure thing,” he said, with a sly look on his face and the creep was back.

  When I got back to the table, the games continued. Somehow, Mike kept making new rules up, forcing everyone to drink a lot more than normal. I didn’t think anything of it. Just a bunch of people drinking and having a good time. Only about 15 minutes had passed, and I was on another beer. I decided I’d had enough and sat the next round out. I felt an onslaught of a headache starting to form. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but my eyes started feeling real heavy; I couldn’t stop my head from going in circles. Things were getting darker and quick.

  Oh my God. Inside, I started to panic, desperately looking around for Brady. One or two quick glances around was all I could muster, before everything was black. My head hit the table, and I couldn’t lift it. I was conscious of everything going on around me, but I had no control over anything.

  “Mike, you fucking didn’t.” I recognized Brandon’s voice.

  “Shut the fuck up, Brandon. She’s been wanting me since she got here. Didn’t you see how she lied to her boyfriend to get him leave, so she could be alone with me? She wants a good rogering from ol’ Mikey.”

  The urge to throw up was overwhelming, but I couldn’t do anything. I was completely paralyzed.

  “Dude, that ain’t fucking right. I’m outta here. I don’t want anything to do with this,” I heard another voice say. I presumed it was Joel.

  “Brandon, either yo
u’re in or not. I don’t have all night,” Mike’s voice spat, angrily.

  “I’m out, man. I can’t do this.” I heard the sound of footsteps walking away.

  Why aren’t they stopping him? Why isn’t anyone helping me? Where was Brady?

  As the sound of footsteps diminished, I felt myself being pulled and tossed. I couldn’t move, couldn’t fight. I had nothing. No control. I was crying hysterically, but it was only in my mind… I couldn’t even fucking cry! The sound of hinges lightly squeaking was followed by a door closing. I felt my body being carried down stairs, banged against the surrounding walls. The temperature dropped as I was dragged over a cold floor. With a short fall, I felt my body hit the ground and my head bounce up.

  What the fuck just happened? My head hurts, bad! What’s going on? Somebody please help me. I thought I said it out loud, but clearly it was in my head because I couldn’t even move my lips.

  “Okay, little Lizzy.” I heard Mike hovering over me. “Now I’m going to give you what you’ve been begging for all night. I’m gonna fill you up with so much Mikey juice that your faggy boyfriend is going to be swimming in it for a week.”

  I felt my shirt rip open, and my bra was pulled up over my chest. He tugged on my nipples and squeezed by breasts like toys. I could hear his disgusting breathing getting harder as he got more excited. I felt my pants unbutton, and the zipper being pulled apart. He violently tugged until he got them around my ankles.

  Oh my God, please don’t do this. PLEASE! I pleaded in vain.

  I could feel his hands all over my body, but I still couldn’t do a thing about it. I felt his hot breath as he slobbered his way down between my legs. In that moment, I knew I was about to be raped. I couldn’t believe this was about to happen to me.

  “Let me introduce you to little Mikey,” he whispered. Then, there was a loud thud.

  What the fuck was that? What the fuck just happened? I begged for my brain to make my body function.

  “Piece of shit, motherfucking scumbag!” I heard an angry female voice say. “Come on, girl. We gotta get you out of here.” I felt my body being dragged again, but this time it seemed like only inches. I heard a female voice crying out for help. Was I not the only girl this was happening to?