*Edited*
Chapter 1
“BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE!” shouts Pa’s voice via my phone, the only thing I can get up to. I’ve tried before, but conventional alarm clocks just don’t work. I roll over, and fumble around on my nightstand attempting to turn it off. I groan and drag myself out of bed-- I’ve never been a morning person.
Quickly, I slip on a clean teeshirt and running shorts for my daily morning jog. I look in the mirror before I head out the door-- caramel brown hair in a messy ponytail, dull green eyes with long, light lashes, and a mouth that is a tad too small for my taste. I sigh, knowing that fixing myself up before the jog is just a waste. I normally don’t see anyone else on my route.
The morning’s air is fresh, and my favorite smell is prevalent-- fresh cut grass. This wakes me up a bit more, and soon I’m jogging in a comfortable rhythm. My stress seems to drain out with each step I take. My ponytail thumps against my back, mirroring my heartbeat. The warm June sun smiles down at me, and for once, everything seems to be going my way.
Until I run into something hard. Very hard.
I stumble backwards, trying to regain my balance. My hands frantically search around for something- anything- that will help steady me. I try to took forward, but the early morning rays momentarily blind me. I’m ready to surrender to the fall when a strong hands grab my arms, pulling my body upright again. When I’m balanced again, I begin to see what, exactly, I ran in to. A young man stands in front of me, a worried expression etching his face.
He’s gorgeous. Tall, tan, muscular, with chocolate-colored eyes. I can’t help but stare for a few seconds, registering every detail I can absorb. I thought you only found guys like this in a magazine.
Snapping out of it, I quickly close my mouth, which I’m sure was open, gaping at him, and start to stutter apologies.
“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention!”
“It was completely my fault, Miss, and I hope you will forgive me. You aren’t hurt, are you, Miss?”
“Oh no, I’m fine, just fine!” I laugh awkwardly. Shifting on my feet uneasily, I add, “I’ve never seen anyone on this trail before.”
The man chuckled, “I use to run this every morning before school. But, I haven’t been around lately so...” he trailed off, squinting up at the sun.
“My name’s Nathan,” he said smiling, sticking his hand out to meet mine.
“Zoe,” I said, reciprocating his smile. I shake his hand, noticing how strong his grip is.
We’re silent for a moment, and I force myself to look anywhere but him.
“Run this way often?” I ask, then remember. “Oh stupid question, you already said that you...” I say, embarrassed, trailing off.
He just laughs. It’s a beautiful sound.
“Uh, well, I’ve gotta get going,” I recover, “Nice meeting you!”
I take off down the path, trying to get far away as fast as possible. Still, over my shoulder I can hear Nathan calling after me,
“Nice meeting you, Zoe!”
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The next morning, I wake up to the worst cold I’ve had in a long time. My head is throbbing, my nose is all stuffy, and I can barely swallow. So much for today’s plans of running, classes, and work. Shuffling into the kitchen, I fill an old kettle with water and set it on the stove. As my grandmother always says, there’s nothing a good pot of tea can’t fix. Thinking of Amma makes me wish that I was at home, where she could fuss over me and make me her famous chicken noodle soup! Waiting for it to boil, I gather tissues, a blanket, and some magazines I haven’t had time to read. Flopping down on the couch, I switch on the TV and scroll through all the morning shows that are on. Finding nothing worth my time, I turn it off and close my eyes in the silence.
I hadn’t always been like this, counting down the days for something to pass. Back in Maryland, I loved to dance, play soccer, go to school, and work hard at anything I put my mind to. When I arrived at college, though, I felt pressure start to consume me. Pressure in classes, in clubs, and in the social scene, where I’ve always been a little shy. So, I became a workaholic, obsessed with studying so I didn’t feel pressure from my classes and clubs. I graduated with top honors, but I wasn’t satisfied. I was searching for more, so when the opportunity arouse to go to grad school in California, I was ready for the adventure. Turns out, nothing’s really changed for me.
My grandparents say I need to go out and make that change, but I don’t know where to start. I’m too busy with work and school for anything else.
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By the end of the day, my tiny apartment is covered in Kleenex. My breath smells like Day-quill, and I’m bored out of my mind. Sighing, I look at the time and see it’s 7:30pm. Still too early to turn in for the night, I log onto my computer and pull up our town’s online newspaper. I scan through it, skipping over boring titles like “Flower Sale on Main Street” and “Elementary School Wins Box-tops Contest”. One headline makes me stop, though. It reads “Local Marine Home on Leave”. The author goes on to say how a soldier, who grew up in this area, has returned home from Iraq and was given a four-month leave because of his acts of valor while deployed. There will be a ceremony honoring him, it says, this Friday evening beginning at 6:30pm. The brave young man the article talks about reminds me of my brother, Chris, who is also in the armed forces. I decide to attend the ceremony for him. Besides, it's something social, which Amma would approve of.
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My Marine Man *Editing Time!*
Romance*This story is undergoing MAJOR editing!* Zoe is an east-coast girl stuck three thousand miles away in California for graduate school: she's young, beautiful, and hardworking, but terribly shy and lonely. Nathan is a US Marine recently home from dep...
