My Military Hero

Chapter Five (Heartbreak)

I woke up with a start again, sweat running down my face. My body felt sticky. My breath was coming out in short pants. I let out a small gasp as I noticed Locland lying beside me, snoring softly still asleep, unaware of my panting and my trembling hands. I jumped out of the bed and ran out onto the balcony, just to feel the fresh October air. Locland was still peacefully sleeping on the bed as I paced outside, thinking about the recurring nightmare that I had.

The dream was in such vivid detail. I felt as if I were being raped again, and I shivered at the thought. I had tried long ago to forget but kept dreaming about it. I couldn't stop thinking about it whenever Locland touched me, and even though his touches were soft and never meant to harm me, I always mentally stiffened when he reached out to take my hand. I never let him know about my insecurities. I had so many problems as it was. I didn't want to scare him away.

I was scared for no reason because I knew he would never lay a hand on me in that way. I felt my breathing start to slow down a bit as I looked out into the dark sky, the moon shining brightly down on me, the stars twinkling. I let out a sigh as I realized I needed to stop living in the past and move on. No one was ever going to hurt me again. Locland would protect me, wouldn't he?

I had a feeling, a small one, that maybe Locland would stick around for a while and bring some happiness into my life. I felt as if we had a connection, deeper than anything I'd ever felt in my life. I had never been good with people, as they never would stay to hear me out or would leave once they realized what a problem I was.

That was why I'd been so reluctant to tell Locland about my past, but it had just come tumbling out of my mouth. One second we were talking about normal things, the next I was sobbing and he was cradling me and I was telling him my past, as if I'd known him for months. I don't usually trust people so easily. You can ask my brother. I barely told him my problems, and I'd known him my whole life.

I needed to do something to get my mind off things. I slipped back into our room, pulled Locland's shirt off me, and put on a pair of shorts and a tank top, before slipping on some worn out Vans. I found a piece of paper and wrote down my phone number and a message telling him that I was heading to the diner where we met. Then I left, slipping out into the darkness of the early morning.

I walked all the way to the diner and sat outside, waiting for the sun to rise and for Matt, my boss and owner of the diner, to arrive. He arrived twenty minutes after the sun had risen and gave me a worried look before unlocking the doors, letting me in, no questions asked for which I was grateful. He was followed by the kitchen staff, which got to work immediately setting up for the day.

I took the chairs off the tables and placed the silverware on each table, along with salt and pepper dispensers, ketchup bottles, and little packets of sugar. Everything was set up. All that needed to be done was to flip the sign on the front door to open.

"Matt, can I open up for business?" I hollered, not knowing where he was.

"What's the time?" he yelled back.

I checked my watch before replying. "Seven thirty-five, why?" I asked him, walking into the back room, where he was sorting through the new produce we had received half an hour ago.

"Niko is running late today. He had some family problems that needed to be dealt with. He said he would be in at 9:30," Matt said, looking up at me as I watched him.

"Do you want me to work two sections until he gets here?" He nodded wordlessly, staring at the box by my feet, and I could tell he was feeling guilty. Making me work two sections at the same time was tricky, but I could manage it. "Don't worry about it. I need something to keep my mind busy anyway," I said, walking out of the back room and flipping the sign in the front of store, before skipping to the restroom and tying my hair up into a ponytail, to keep everything hygienic.