Love will be there
Love stays
Maybe someday…
Cue the drum solos. Pens, hands, and in one case, a boot were banged on the table, the sound following Peter out the door and into the bright sunshine where he broke into a run toward the front gate.
His heart pounded, not from the exertion but from the knowledge that in seconds he’d see Allison again.
And there she was. Standing just inside the front gate, a young trainee at her side, looking more like he was about to ask for an autograph than her photo ID. Her hair was still blonde, but a warm golden color. A skimpy tank top clung to her breasts, worn over a long flowing skirt that made her look like a modern-day hippie.
“I got this, Seth,” Peter said to him.
“Sure thing, Shep.”
They waited until the young soldier was some distance away before they let their gazes meet.
“Shep?” Allison’s voice was the same husky, sexy tone he heard in his dreams.
“Commander Shepard is a mouthful. I mostly go by Shep these days.” He smiled at her and then she was in his arms, her suitcase on its side at their feet. They stood silently, wrapped around each other, absorbing the scent and feel of each other. Finally he lowered his head to find her lips with his.
His kiss was met with enthusiasm. “Peter,” she repeated between kisses. “I’ve missed you.”
The sun seemed to shine brighter as their lips connected, making him feel whole for the first time in ten years. His fingers threaded through her hair, silk on his callused hands.
He kept kissing her, grabbing every second he could, because he didn’t know the answer to the question that needed asking. He almost didn’t want to ask for fear it’d be an answer that’d re-break his heart.
Finally she pulled away, and they grinned at each other under the hot Maryland sun.
“I’m here, Peter,” she said softly.
“For how long?” he asked, girding his heart to hear the worst.
“For as long as you want me. I’m done being alone. No other man measured up to you. If you still want me, I want to be yours.”
“Forever?” It was a simple question with no simple answers. There was her career, her fame, and his career to deal with. But he’d spent the last ten years working his way up in the Program ranks, making changes along the way to pave the way for her return. Soldiers were now allowed off campus after age fifteen. They routinely went to movies, and concerts, and several had even graduated college and returned to serve. The secret of who they were remained safe. She didn’t know any of this yet, and she’d still come back to him.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and picked up her suitcase. There’d be time to explain how he’d worked to make his home a place she could live. It had been ready for the last two years, but he hadn’t told her. He’d wanted the decision to return to remain with her. It had to be her choice. And now she’d made it.
They walked silently up to the main office building, and Peter could feel the stares of his men. They’d often wondered why he hadn’t matched, but none had dared to ask about it. Doctor Rovinsky and Doctor Paulson knew, but Rovinsky had died last year and Paulson had retired and was living off campus now.
“This is the same as I remember,” Allison said as she looked at the brick building where she’d been held against her will ten years ago.
“It may look the same, but things are different now.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes. I made it that way.” He pulled her in tighter against his body, knowing he might someday get used to her being at his side, but he’d never ever take it for granted. “I never wanted any soldier to go through what we went through. Everyone has a choice and a lot more freedom.”
She stopped on a dime. “Why didn’t you say something? We could’ve been together sooner?”
“Things might have changed around here, but you hadn’t changed. You had that hit song and you were touring the world. I couldn’t take that from you.”
She clasped his hand and they kept walking. He was taking her to his small house on one edge of the campus. They were going to drop her suitcase on the floor and then he was going to give her a quick tour of his home, ending in his bedroom. That part of the tour would take much longer, he planned. Possibly days.
“Are you really ready to stop touring?” he asked. Things had changed on campus, but not enough that they could have a world famous rock star coming and going from their midst. Reporters would eventually come knocking.
She sighed. “I’ve been ready for a while now. It’s exhausting and it stopped being fun, oh, I don’t know, years ago. Other than that one song that made it, I’ve been taking two steps forward and six back.”