Beside You

1//interview

"Right, Miss Foster. After your fitness examination, you're going to be conducting a brief leadership exercise in the form of a command task, and then we'll get back to you within the week," the Captain explained. "I'm assuming you don't have military dress, so you can remain in your exercise kit for the leadership task."

"No sir, I don't."

"Alright. Well, Sergeant Springer will accompany you to the gym, where I believe Lieutenant Parker will be waiting for you."

"Thank you sir," I said, shaking his hand. I left the room in which I'd been briefly interviewed and was collected by an attractive man in warm weather army kit. He started chatting to me almost immediately, saying he was glad that I'd made the decision to try and join the military, that he hoped my fitness test went well, he could remember how worried he was before his, all general polite conversation. Then he said something different.

"You're very beautiful," he grinned at me, and I frowned.

"Thanks?" I questioned, confused at what he wanted me to say.

"Do you want to come out with me tonight?"

"No thanks, I have a boyfriend," I lied, almost instinctively. I knew full well I didn't have a boyfriend, plus I was already going on a date with Luke after I got off the barracks.

"Oh, sorry," he said, training his eyes on the ground. We walked in silence until we reached the gym, where he dropped me off without another word to me, instead speaking only to the Lieutenant. "This is Bonnie Foster, here for a fitness test sir." He left the room and I remained with the tall man, clearly in his element training recruits.

"Miss Foster, we're going to start with a simple running test on the treadmill, followed by sit ups, press ups, and a stress test. After that we'll do a little bit of work with the weights, then we'll have you doing a command task with some of my other trainees, okay?" I nodded. "Right, on the treadmill, please." I stood on the machine and he dialled a few buttons, leaving me to work out my pacing as the incline steepened and the belt sped up. I ran with no issues, having been training myself for weeks, and after he'd made some notes he put me on the floor to do some ab work. I achieved gold standard in the sit ups and press ups, and the stress test was ridiculously easy.

"Right, Miss Foster, we'll have a chat and we'll get back to you within the next two weeks."

"Thank you sir, hopefully I'll see you soon," I said, shaking his hand, and turning to follow Lieutenant Parker out of the barracks. I signed out, and he gave me a brief nod before I made me way to the car. As I drove home, I called Luke on hands free and started chattering away to him. "Hi! What's the dress code for tonight?"

"Erm-" he hesitated. "Smart casual, I guess? I've heard someone say that before and it sounds right."

"Cool cool," I said. "What time are we going, and are you picking me up or what?"

"I'll be at yours with a taxi ordered for half seven," he replied. "See you later?"

"See you later." He ended the call and I started planning my outfit in my head. I arrived home and put my plan into action. I put on a figure hugging, off the shoulder red dress, pairing it with black converse and my leather jacket. Not usually one for makeup, I added a swipe of mascara and a touch of red lipstick, matched to my dress. The clock struck half past seven, and perfectly on time, there was a knock at the door. I flung myself down the stairs and opened the door, watching Luke as he bit his lip, taking in my outfit.

"You look... you look amazing."

"Thank you," I grinned, going in to hug him. He pulled me into a tight embrace, pressing the top of my head into his chest.

"Ready to go?" His voice was soft, making me feel sensations that I'd never before experienced. I looked him up and down, taking in his hair - long, but not as ridiculous as Ashton's had been - and the hint of stubble that covered his cheeks, chin and upper lip. He was wearing a leather jacket, like me, and a top of an old band - not one of his tattered ones, though - along with black skinny jeans and his favourite black leather boots.

"Ready," I said, reaching for his hand. I half expected him to pull away, but to my surprise, he tightened his grip. I smiled to myself as he helped me into the cab and gave the driver an instruction so quietly I couldn't hear. We were driven in a comfortable silence, and the taxi pulled up on a street in the city centre. Luke helped me out of the car like the gentleman he is, and I looked up at the bar that we were stood outside. It wasn't a typical nightclub type bar, rather a classy affair where you could sample various wines and nibbles, and it was somewhere I'd wanted to go for a while. "Luke, thank you."

"No problem, Bons," he said, indicating that I should go in. He spoke to a host about his reservation, and we were led to a table for two in the back corner of the building, away from the public eye. We sat quietly for a minute before a waiter appeared with a tray full of glasses, which he set down in front of us. There were three white wines, and a plate of olives, and he left without another word. "Go ahead." I tried a sip of the first wine, a pinot grigio, and nodded, enjoying the taste, but my expression turned to one of disgust when I tried an olive.

"Why did I just do that?" I wondered aloud, glaring at Luke as he laughed quietly.

"You've never liked olives," he grinned. "Don't do that again." We continued trying the wines, and after the waiter had swapped the empty white glasses for refilled reds, the topic of my interview that morning came up.

"It went well," I said. "I think. I was a bit hesitant on the interview, but everyone is, and the sporty bit was easy."

"You're so fit, a military induction was never going to be a problem for you."

"I guess," I laughed. "Oh, I forgot to tell you! This guy who was like my tour guide tried to ask me out."

"What did you say?" Luke asked, his face rife with suspicion.

"No, silly," I laughed. "I told him I have a boyfriend."

"Good," he said protectively. I shook my head, finding him adorable. We finished our wines again, and as soon as Luke had paid - after much protest from me - we set out to find a cab home. I was a little tipsy after six glasses of wine and not many nibbles, and as I stumbled on some cobbled streets in my heels, Luke caught me, and swiftly removed his shoes so I could wear them instead. He held onto my heels as he guided me through the crowds gathered in town - it was a Saturday night, after all - and we eventually found a taxi and got home. As I opened the gate to get into my house, Luke took my hand to stop me.

"Thank you for tonight, it was amazing," I whispered, noticing he was very close to me.

"I enjoyed it, thank you for coming with me," he responded, and suddenly we were kissing. After more than eighteen years of friendship, I was certainly surprised, or maybe I wasn't. Maybe it was inevitable, and we'd just been putting it off. I relaxed into the kiss, forgetting my inhibitions, and for a moment time stopped, leaving only us. As he pulled away, he smiled down at me. "See you tomorrow?"

"Of course," I replied, and stepped into my house. Almost immediately, I texted my best friend, Maria.

vital catch up to be had - call me now or tomorrow

*****
Did you like? I'm excited to write this book as I've just got back from a week of army camp so I can show off my knowledge lmao

loza x