Dog Tags

Chapter 7

Quinn's POV

I shut off the water of my shower and open the glass door grabbing the towel off the hook. I carefully step out of the shower and as I wrap my towel around me I walk up to the foggy mirror. I take my hands and wipe the fog off the mirror but what I see in the mirror is something that I wasn't expecting, standing behind me in the mirror is the guy from my dream. he is wearing a sleeveless white hoodie with the hood up blocking his face, his white shorts hanging loosely on his hips, and he just stands there leaning against the shower with his arms crossed over his chest."I am just swimming around in that pretty head of yours." He says in that Scottish accent that seems to have some sort of effect on me.

He walks up behind me and leans down to my ear, "Wonder what your marine boyfriend would think of you fantasying about another guy." His minty voice whispers into my ear as his lips lightly brush against my ear. I regain my composer knowing that I am being unfaithful to Brenton by just thinking of another guy, I close my eyes and shake my head knowing that I must be seeing things, and when I open my eyes again I see that figure is gone. I take a deep breath as I can't help thinking of why this mysterious stranger keeps creeping into my mind, rather I am asleep or awake, I grab the Brenton's tags from the box and puts them on around my neck before opening my bathroom door and stepping out of the bathroom.

I wander into my closet grabbing a pair of basketball shorts and a shirt that belongs to Brenton that is way to big on me, I walk into my room and I feel the knots in my stomach as I look at the white envelope laying on my bed. A part of me doesn't want to read it because I know that I am going to spend the rest of night crying my eyes out and missing him even more than I already do. I sit on my bed in my towel and brush the snarls out of my hair with the only sound in the room is the sound of the metal tags clinking together. 

Once my hair is snarl free and I wipe off my makeup, I dry off my body then throw my towel into my dirty hamper, I slip on the basketball shorts and one of Brenton's shirts, and let out a large sigh as I turn my attention back to his letter. I sit back down on my bed before picking up the white envelope, I open it and pull out the letter inside and I already feel myself getting emotional as I unfold the piece of paper with one hand and with my other hand I tightly grip his dog tags knowing that it is the only way I am going to get through this.

Dear Marshmallow

Things are going really well here, I made sure that my paycheck went into our joint account, and to put a smile on your face I can tell you that I overheard talk that I might be able to use my 60 days of paid vacation really soon, which sent me over the moon. I hope everything is going good in Henderson and I have been meaning to tell you thank you for taking time to write me back every week, you will never know how much it means to me. You have given me happiness on my darkness days, words of wisdom when everything else failed, motivation when I thought that couldn't go on anymore,and purpose to come back home to you as fast as I can.

You are stronger than you know, it makes me laugh that people think as marines that we should be the ones that inspire people, but I am no ashamed to say that it you that inspires me every day baby. I thank the heavens above every night for bringing a girl like you into my life, when we first started dating you told me that I was the one that taught you how to overcome your insecurity and loneliness that you felt all your life, but I am going to tell you something that I have told you before, Quinn you are the one that taught me what real love feels like, and I know that is what I feel for you. I love Quinn Callahan, and I have loved since the day I met you in that doctor's office, and I know you can't feel me right now but just know that I know that I am always close by no matter how far away I seem to be.

I miss you, but reading your letters and looking at your picture every night makes me feel as if you are right next to me.

Love and miss you

Brenton

I feel the tears flow from my eyes as I takes deep breath trying to calm myself down but it wasn't working. "DAD!" I yell knowing that all I want right now is the embrace of my dad. My door flies open and my dad rushes in with just a pair of shorts on and his gun locked and loaded. As my dad looks around my room he finally turns his attention to me and just by looking at me and then to the letter in my hand he already knows what is going on. "Just tell me that it isn't nothing serious." I shake my head and my dad lets out a deep breath as he places his gun down on my desk then he sits down on my bed and without saying another word he takes me into his arms and just lets me cry until I feel like I can't cry anymore.

Once I get myself a little under control I look up at my dad as our meet, "Thanks daddy." He just smiles a weak smile at me before kissing my forehead. My dad and I spend the rest of the night talking about the letter and everything I am feeling, and I am not sure when I eventually fell asleep but I know that one hand was clutching the tags and my other hand is clutching the letter.