These Things We Do

Sean glanced at the clock on the dashboard of his Range Rover. He only had 45 minutes to make it to the Dover Air Force Base and traffic was not helping him at all. To say Sean was angry would be an understatement. He was angry at the airport in Toronto for delaying their plane half an hour. He was angry at the fans who asked them for autographs when they finally reached Philly. He was angry with the cars in front of him the entire drive down Route 1. He was angry with the clock taunting him by ticking down the minutes before she left. He was angry with the Air Force for sending the one woman who actually understood him to Afghanistan. But most of all, he was angry at himself for falling in love with the pesky brunette he swore he never would.

He was proud of her. Not many people become Pararescue Jumpers with the Air Force. It’s an elite squad that takes physical, mental and emotional strength he couldn’t even comprehend. It made the stresses and pressures of playing hockey in Philly look like a joke. He’d seen the documentary show on National Geographic. They’d watched every episode together, curled up on his couch. He knew the immense danger she was in every day and it terrified him. One wrong decision and she could be gone forever.

She was always the one for him, tho he denied it for two years. She was the friend that had been there for him after every loss. She knew just what to do or say to make him smile when no one else could. And she also knew how to knock him off his high horse when he started to get cocky. Even though she pushed his buttons like no one else, he still came back to her every time. Because he couldn't live without her. But it wasn’t until she told him she would be leaving for Kandahar Afghanistan for a year that he realized just how in love with her he was. And just how much he really didn’t want her to leave.

But he couldn’t tell her that. Not after two years of just being friends. Not after denying to everyone that they had something going on. They even finally convinced Hartsy that there was nothing between them. How could he ruin everything by telling her how he really felt? It’s not like she would reciprocate those feelings. Why would she? He wasn’t anything special. Just a dumb jock who played a game for a living. He wasn’t smart. He couldn’t fly an airplane or a helicopter. He didn’t know how to save people’s lives. He wasn’t a hero. That was all her.

He finally reached the base and looked at the clock. He had ten minutes left. Ten minutes to find the woman he loved and say goodbye. Possibly forever. He sprinted into the building he knew she’d be in and down the corridor. He found the room easily by following the sounds of families crying and bidding farewell to their heroes. Seven minutes left. He frantically searched the hall until he saw her. She was sitting in a chair by herself. No family or friends there to send her off. She looked sad. His heart broke for his poor girl. She probably thought he forgot about her.

He started to cross the gigantic room to get to her. Just as he reached her chair, she looked up. He saw the disbelief in her eyes as she realized he was actually there. She stood and wrapped her arms around his torso and buried her face in his chest. God, he loved that feeling. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders as his other hand grazed her cheek. He didn’t know what to say, and he didn’t want to open his mouth in fear of saying something stupid and ruining the moment. The twenty year old had a bad habit of blurting out whatever was currently on his mind when he got nervous. He just wanted to spend these last five minutes holding her in his arms. Committing this moment to his memory forever. With one minute left before she had to board the plane, she finally pulled away and spoke to him.

“I didn’t think you’d make it” she said.
He looked into her chocolate brown eyes.

Notes

Moving over from Mibba, so the first few updates will be quick. Let me know what you guys think!