“Are you ready?” He smiled.

“Lord no!” She laughed.

They exited the vehicle only to have the pools of water greet them. The stairwell coiled upstairs to the second floor. He double-checked the number on the key chain to make sure they were at the right apartment.

Inside the light bounced off the orange paint and lime green sheets of the bed on the left-hand side. The ceiling fan swirled while the air conditioner hummed cool air to their soaked clothes. Blue Formica of the bathroom stood out in the shadows upon further inspection.

“Mind if I go in first?” Daisy said.

“Sure, go right ahead,” Cody answered as he tossed his coat on the chair.

She turned on the lights only to be welcomed with stark tones of the ocean. Layers of wetness peeled off her skin until she was naked. The shower’s heat stabbed at her neck and shoulders as she tried to wash away the storm.

Afterwards, she grabbed a robe and left to find him sitting on the bed. His powerful frame clung to the T-shirt and boxers that she had forgotten his military background. The hard features of his face imitated a statue in a museum if it wasn’t for his breathing. 

He looked over to notice her hair gently wrapped above her head like a hive of curls. The soft light played with the blue color of her eyes as if two beads of a turquoise necklace. Her robe bared a hint of cleavage when she bent to pick up the remote on the dresser.

“My turn I guess,” he said.

“Sure,” she said, “take your time.”

The channels zipped by in flashes of color and sound. News of the storm dominated the network channels as she searched for anything to forget the night. The realization of how many ESPN channels from the guide menu was more startling than the amount of cooking shows. Movie titles unfolded before her until one caught her attention like a flare. Soon, Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner argued while wandering in the jungle. A smile formed on her lips as she rested her head on her palm.

“Wow, I remember seeing that as a kid,” Cody chuckled as he exited the bathroom. The towel wrapped around his strong waist and noticed her stare. “Sorry, I forgot to get a fresh set of clothes from my suitcase.”

“It’s okay. I can wait.” She watched as he returned to the bathroom.

 Later he walked out and sat down next to her as the movie reached its end while the credits rolled across the screen.

“I totally forgot this,” he said.

“Oh, stop!” She pushed his shoulder. “It’s not like a black and white film from the 1950s.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make it seem like you’re old or anything.”

“So I’m old now. Gee, thanks.”

“No way. You look great for your age.”

“That’s not helping things.”

“Can’t do anything right.” Cody mumbled. His shoulders slumped while shaking his head, a tiny flame of anger danced in the distance of his eyes.

“I’m joking,” she frowned. “You are too serious. Say, you were in the Air Force, right? Captain thinks you’re a fantastic pilot.”

He remained silent.

Her hand rested on his back where she realized the tension as if a feather landing on an oak. “Hey, it’s okay.”

He looked over and sighed. “Not for me.”

He was an actual fighter pilot who flown numerous missions from Bosnia to Afghanistan. On March 20, 2003, his squadron deployed for the first set of bombing around Baghdad. The night covered the terrain in complete darkness. His body was ablaze with adrenaline and desire to impress the brass, especially Admiral Kilpatrick who was a family friend for decades. Moments before reaching the city limits, a target appeared in his radar and he flew to engage. Locked on, the missile went hard and fast then a flash destroyed the dot on his screen. But they were Green Berets escaping enemy territory before the attack. The military covered it up by having their deaths happen after the initial assault since their presence would prove to the UN Security Council of unlawful aggression by the United States against Iraq. Families were told a story that militant groups loyal to Sadaam ambushed them in the mountains.

“I was given an honorable discharge months later to bury what happened,” he said, “and with Kilpatrick’s good word I landed a job in Mercury Airlines.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” she soothed. “You didn’t know.”

“But I knew that what they’d told the families was a lie. I went along to cover my own ass. Each day that moment haunts me.”

“You made a mistake. You’re only human.”

“But there are no second chances for what I’ve done.”

Daisy rested her head on his shoulder and held him firmly. Somehow, the words began to trickle out of her soul like moisture from a stalactite. Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998 and had chemotherapy for two years. The doctor told her it was in remission, but a few years later the disease came back. Then her mom refused more treatments after the lengthy battle years ago. She was devastated to hear the resignation to let the cancer take her away after investing so much time to her mom’s care. “Why are you doing this to me? After everything I’ve done?”

“Dear, I can’t keep like this anymore,” mom said. “Tired of all the chemo and pain. I don’t want to burden you no more.”

“Mommy, you can’t just quit. You can’t.”

“Sorry, honey. I’ve made up my mind. Please understand.”

“I hate you!” She ran out of the room and outside of the hospital.

Tears burned her cheeks as the shock paralyzed her from the crosswalk toward the parking lot. She reentered the lobby to the reception desk where she showed her pass. The elevator labored more than her breathing as she reached the intensive care unit. After turning a corner, she noticed doctors and nurses had exited her mom’s room. She rushed inside to see a blanket wrapped over her mom’s body. The nurse saw her standing at the doorway.

“I’m so sorry,” the nurse said. “As soon as you left, she fell into cardiac arrest due to her condition. And because she signed a DNR, we could not attempt to resuscitate her.”

Daisy closed her eyes as the sorrow bubbled in her stomach. His arms embraced hers.

“Let me go. Please.” She whispered.

“You didn’t mean that.” He wiped away the wet streaks on her face.

She finally met his gaze then placed her hands on his face. “You didn’t either.”

He pressed her forward as his lips welcomed hers. She undid her robe until it fell to the floor where soft skin rubbed against hard sinew. He sat while she removed his T-shirt and moved to kiss his neck down to his chest. She felt his hands caress her shoulders and across her back. He could smell the hint of jasmine when she drew close again. Their bodies coiled and grinded on every inch of the bed as they reached their climax and never letting go.

She looked at his face while he admired the glow from her eyes. He reached over and held her petite body. They fell asleep under the lights and sounds of the television.

Morning light peeked through the blinds and the noise of the news morning show awoke her. Daisy turned over and saw the empty side of the bed before heading to the bathroom. She blushed at the reflection of the slight palm print upon her backside. After the shower, she dressed in her uniform and took a deep breath to prepare for another day.

Cody stood over two large cups of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee on the small table with one bagel as he finished the other. His clothes appeared cleaned and pressed unlike yesterday after the rainstorms. “Ready to go?”

“Sure,” she picked up the bagel and coffee while heading downstairs to the Lexus. She tried to avoid him as they arrived to the near empty parking lot to the car. He opened the trunk and moved to place her suitcase, but she lifted hers inside and went over to the passenger side. The rearview mirror showed his head cocked like a confused dog in the field. He entered the car and pulled out of the spot to the junction. She leaned on the side and wondered what happened to him. He was still only to check the traffic from the side and rear windows. He looked at her once for a brief second then returned to the road.

The highway spun and swerved as the airport emerged from the concrete strip and signs. As soon as the Lexus approached the Hertz’ office, she exited quickly to retrieve her suitcase. He walked over to help but she pulled up the handle bar and marched to the airport terminal.

“See you later,” Daisy said.

Cody stood at the curb as she left to return to work.

Without a break in stride, the automatic doors waited for her closer and closer. Last night was last night, she thought. A groove in the trail caught the heel of her shoe and sent her crashing on to the ground. She shook her head at the stroke of luck these passed twenty-four hours. Her embarrassment washed away upon the reflection of the windows.

Cody picked her up and pulled the loose strands of hair from her face. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she said. “Well, no. I don’t know. Why did you leave?”

“Sorry. I needed time to think.”

“About what?”

“This,” he handed her a gold eagle pin from the Air Force and pulled her close.

They kissed as the past, much like the planes above and cars below, disappeared behind them.   

  About the Author: Eduardo Camacho

Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Eduardo has received a Bachelor of Arts in English (Writing) from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He works full-time, but has published various movie reviews, articles and columns for a newspaper and magazines over the years. His ultimate goal is fully illustrating the ideas and stories of adventure, romance, and life into novels. Regardless, writing remains one of the passions that drive him to wake up each morning or go to bed and dream the next chapter.