"I don't want to go home yet," I smirk, darting my eyes over in Brodie's direction. His rich, brown irises focus onto mine for a moment, the light lining the highway we're driving on making them sparkle.

"Well that's good," he chuckles, "because I don't want you to go home yet either."

And now I'm grinning like a fool because he always has a way of making me do that, and the promise of spending more time with him makes butterflies swim through my stomach.

My fingers reach down onto my lap, snagging a fry from the fast-food bag heating up my thighs. I pop it into my mouth briskly, humming to myself as the salty flavor meets my tongue. With my free hand, I offer one over to Brodie and he happily takes it between his teeth. The sight makes my heart skip for a split second as my mind thinks about other things those teeth could do.

Heat courses up my neck all the way to my cheeks. Before I have even a second to get control over my sudden blushing, a wicked grin spreads across his face, my flushed cheeks giving him an insight into the very inappropriate thoughts running through my mind right now.

A deep chuckle escapes his throat, and he continues to wear a smug smile as he chews the rest of his salt-covered potato stick.

Damn, those potato sticks.

"You wanna tell me what you're thinking over there?" He smirks, cocking an eyebrow my way.

Quickly, I come up with a lie. "I'm thinking about what the hell you plan on saying to my Dad when you see him at roll call tomorrow morning," I say with a smug smile, crossing my arms over my chest.

This distraction is enough to pull him away from interrogating me further on what the area between my legs is making my head think, and he takes a moment to contemplate my question.

"Hmm," he hums, quietly piecing together the reality that waits for him in the morning. "Probably tear me a new one," he laughs, "Maybe give me some nice sheets of paperwork?"

"Shit, Brodie," my voice hushes out sympathetically, hating the idea that he's getting in trouble over me because I know just how much a hard-ass my Dad is. "I never meant to get you into trouble."

"Oh, hush," he chuckles, reaching over and lacing his fingers into mine. His thumb rubs my skin reassuringly as his eyes go back to the road ahead of him, "I think you're more than worth a bit of paperwork, alright? Trust me, it won't be too bad. Murphy's gotten a mountain worth of them for all the dumb shit he's tried to pull and he's still alive and kicking. I'll be fine."

While his words help me feel a little more at ease, I can't help but still feel guilty. I know my Dad and without doubt, I'm positive he won't take Brodie's sudden disappearance at work today easily.

Glancing over my way, he notices my uneasiness. His hand squeezes against my thigh playfully, reassuring me again, "Seriously, stop worrying. I'm going to be just peachy."

His voice cracks slightly at the end of the phrase, making me giggle. "Yeah," I taunt sarcastically, "Because you sound just peachy."

"Hey," he warns playfully with a stern tone, "How about you worry about yourself, Ms. Kahale, alright? I'm a big, strong boy. I can handle my disputes."

I roll my eyes, laughter shaking my chest because I know deep down that he's shitting bricks. "You don't know my Dad the way that I do."

"Enlighten me, then," he shrugs, challenging me to a conversation. "Tell me all about what it was like growing up around Daddy Sergeant Campbell. He as much of a hardass at home as he is at work?"

"Sometimes," I smile. "Momma says he's just a little protective over me."

He scoffs, and I know exactly what he's thinking without even having to hear him say it.

"Okay," I huff, "a lot protective of me," I chuckle, slapping his arm. "but I think he just feels like he's got to make up for lost time or something."

"Lost time? What do you mean?" Brodie asks, raising an eyebrow my way and I can tell he genuinely cares to know more about the situation.

"Yeah," I sigh, not wanting to reflect on the memories but also feeling compelled to tell him. "When I was younger, he was gone a lot. Deployments would have him away for a year at a time, if not longer. And if it wasn't a deployment, he'd get sent on a TDY to somewhere off the island, and sometimes that could last up to a few months. For a long time, it was just Momma and me. I remember laying in my bed every night, looking up at the glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to my ceiling and wondering how many inches I'd grow before he'd be back home again."

"I'm sorry, Lani," he frowns, trailing his finger against my skin. "I'm sure that must have been goddamn lonely."

"It was for a while," I nod, feeling comfortable enough to tell him more, "but then I started getting used to it; like I just learned to grow a thick skin about it you know?"

"Yeah," he answers, taking a gulp as he keeps his eyes locked on the road ahead of him. "Like, you just learn to become numb to it because feeling nothing is a whole hell of a lot better than feeling it all."

Brodie's phrase makes my chest sting because it so effortlessly relayed what my head's been thinking all these years, but my mouth never knew how to express in words.

"Exactly," I whisper back, meeting his intense gaze for a brisk moment as he looks over to me from the corner of his eye. "You've felt like that too, haven't you?"

"After a bit, him being gone became all I knew. I grew a thick skin about it, I guess. Momma would still get sad every time he'd leave, though; no matter how much she was used to it and I hated seeing her like that. She tried her best to hide it from me, but I always knew."

Now, my mind is racing, running through memories of my childhood when Dad wasn't around and it was just Momma and me. I think about the time he left and Momma was pregnant with Aiden, and the time when I was her only support throughout it all. I know he never wanted to leave any of us, he just never had any other choice- you never have a choice in where the military sends you.

Suddenly, my eyes are on Brodie, my thoughts now revolving around him because I quickly realize that he and my Dad are the same in a sense; same in the way that eventually, Brodie will be leaving me too.

"What's wrong?" He asks, noticing the sudden change in my mood.

"Nothing," I hush back, forcing a smile to my face.

"I'm not taking that as an answer, you know?"

"I just got to thinking."

"About?"

"Well," I sigh, hating to turn the conversation into a heavy one, "I was just thinking that you'll be leaving eventually, too."

"Shit," he huffs, and I can tell that this is the first time he's thought about this reality, too. The next minute is spent in silence, the two of us quietly reflecting on the circumstances of our relationship. In his usual manner, trying to find the positive in every situation, he says, "You know, there's been a lot of leaving and goodbyes in my life, but I heard a quote once that stuck with me and helped me see things in a better light."

"What is it?"

"It says, 'The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.' I know it sounds cheesy and cliche, but I've always found it to be true. It helped me see some of the cards I've been dealt in a better light, you know?"

"Yeah," I nod, a smile coming to my face again. "I like it." A few more moments of silence pass again before Brodie straightens up in his seat, darting a playful stare my way.

"What?" I giggle, needing to know the thoughts swarming in that mind of his.

"I think I know something that'll cheer my girl up," his voice chimes, making my heart beat faster inside of my chest.

"Is that so?" I smirk, fully intrigued. "What is it?"

"You'll have to see to find out, now won't you?"

"I hate surprises," I groan, tossing my head back onto the seat. "I'm too impatient."

"Well, I promise, you'll love this one."

༄༄༄

Brodie throws a boyish grin my way as he jolts the gear shift of the car into park in one of the few empty parking spaces of the location he's chosen to drive us to tonight. Switching off his headlights, my eyes are finally able to adjust to the orange glow that seeps from the rectangle windows lining the four-story building that houses his dorm.

"This is your surprise, huh?" I giggle, nodding my head back and forth because I'd be silly not to think about the intentions lingering behind his choice of venue for the night. "You trying to get into my pants is no surprise, Brodie," I tease.

A raspy chuckle leaves the back of his throat as he briskly cuts his eyes to the floorboard, and my gaze stays on him, watching with amusement as his teeth bite back the charming smile threatening to rise against his lips.

"I mean, that's not the surprise I had in mind," he shrugs, "but now that you mention it, that doesn't sound too bad either."

"Shut up," I laugh, shoving him playfully before he can continue his aggravating any further. "You are so fucking full of it."

"Am not," he smirks, swinging his car door open and clambering outside in two quick movements. He's at the passenger side door in seconds, and he pulls it open excitedly, offering out his hand for me to take.

"I don't believe you for a second, Brodie Dawson," I tease, choosing to stare at his hand instead of giving him the satisfaction of taking it.

"Lelani Kahale," he warns, squinting his eyes at me, challengingly. "You may hate surprises, but I can guarantee you that I hate keeping them even more. Get your ass out of this car right now."

"You know," I chime back, reclining and settling back further into my seat because I'm too stubborn not to keep giving him a hard time, "I don't think I will."

"Get. your. stubborn.ass.out. of. this. car."

"I. said. I. don't. think. I. will."

And now we're both in a competition of who can keep up a straight face as we stare each other down, both of our lips quivering because neither one of us wants to be the first one the break.

"Lani," he draws out slowly, cocking his head to the side.

"Brodie," I reply, crossing my arms defiantly against my chest.

"You leave me no other choice, then," he shrugs quickly, crouching down enough to dip his head in the car.

His hands begin to reach for my legs, his fingers gripping into my thighs as his arms start to slide me out of my seat. The playful touch already has me in a fit of giggles, and I'm completely helpless to fight back-my stomach hurting too much from laughter- as he yanks me the rest of the way out. Not wasting another second, Brodie's arms wrap around my torso from behind, immobilizing my every movement as he wrangles me into a tight hold. I wriggle against the resistance, but my arms are already caught in the trap of his biceps and forearms to stand a chance of breaking out.

"You suck," I pout.

"Not quite," he whispers slyly against my ear, sending goosebumps trailing against my arms and neck as my skin once again grows hot.

Brodie kicks the passenger side door shut with his foot before he begins steering me towards the sliding doors leading into the dorms. The glow of its lobby from outside is enticing because my mind can recall what lies at the one end of the first-floor hallway- his room. They slide open with ease the moment we step up to them, welcoming us with delight as a cool ripple of air sweeps against my warm skin.

Turning my head back so that I can see him through the corner of my eye, I quip out, "You do realize how this looks, right? Strong, Marine man, holding down and forcing a poor, innocent girl back to his dorm room."

A raspy chuckle escapes his throat, and he swiftly releases his hold around me, bringing his hands to my eyes and shielding them from any sense of vision they once had. "Better?"

"Not really," I smile, putting my trust in his hands as he carefully guides me around a corner and continues steering me down what I can only assume is his hallway. "Now you're just being kinky."

He laughs again, and without even having to see it, I know there's a grin plastered against his face. After about 50 more steps and a small trip along the way, Brodie halts my movements as he asks, "You ready?"

"I'm not sure," I grin.

His hands move away from my face, revealing my eyes to the pine door of his room just as my mind had guessed. Slipping his wallet from his pocket, Brodie retrieves his keycard, sliding it into the card reader and making a green light appear above the doorknob, accompanied by a chime.

Brodie's hand clutches onto the doorknob, opening it slightly before ultimately instructing me, "Do me a favor and close your eyes again."

"Brodie," I groan, throwing my head back dramatically as apprehensiveness and excitement churn in my belly. "Again?"

He laughs at my impatience, "Just do it."

And so I do, and once again my vision goes black, only the sound of Brodie's footsteps and the creak of the door opening filling my senses. Fingertips glide against the skin on my arms, sending a smirk spreading across my lips as he gently pulls me behind him into the room.

"Okay," he speaks as he releases his hold on me and flicks on the lights in the room. "Keep those pretty eyes of yours shut and just give me a second, alright?"

"You don't have a dead body in here do you?"

"I could," he chuckles. "Now, let me just..."

His voice trails off into a few frustrated grunts, followed by some heavy breathing and heaving as the sound of a large object scraping against the floor echoes through the room. The pulse in my neck grows heavier, and I find myself unable to keep my feet still as I shuffle in anticipation for what's waiting for me ahead of my closed eyelids.

An upbeat melody suddenly reaches my ears, crackles of the speaker I'm assuming it's playing from whispering in the background of its upbeat tune. It's in an instant that my mind recognizes the song, causing a huge smile to pull against my lips. In the next moment, everything starts to click, and my mind immediately pieces together the surprise that's waiting for me past my closed eyes.

"Brodie Dawson, you did not!" I gasp, shooting my eyelids open and allowing them to see my childhood treasure glowing to life in front of me.

With a microphone clung tight in his fist and the most charming damn smirk I've ever seen in my life, Brodie begins to belt out, "Just a small-town girl! Living in a lonely world. She took the midnight train going anywhere."

My legs can't function enough to advance me even a step forward because I'm currently frozen in a state of bewilderment and utter surprise to see the broken karaoke machine from Mama's cafe working and coming to life again. This thing has been dead for years, and Momma never found the time or money to fix it due to its ancient age and decrepit parts, but somehow Brodie managed a way to preserve it for me. I can't find my voice either. All I can seem to do is watch him with delight as he exaggeratedly performs my all-time favorite karaoke song, only making my heart swell more as I think about the way he's managed to remember that, too.

His brown irises sparkle as he dances my way, his tone-death voice butchering the lyrics and sending me into a fit of laughter.

"Your turn," he mouths through the vibrations emanating from the karaoke machine speakers. His eyebrows raise at me promiscuously, ruthlessly challenging me to bite on his bait and sing him a verse or two. Arching the microphone around my head and across my back, Brodie intertwines me with its rubber-covered cord, no doubt trapping me from escaping his nearly irresistible luring.

"It's not happening, Maverick," I giggle as his hands tug the cable on both sides and pull my body closer to his. Already I can feel my cheeks heating, but he takes enjoyment in the sight of my embarrassment, running his lively stare across the features of my face with a devilish smile painted against his lips.

"Come on," he hushes out with a raspy laugh as the instrumental track continues to play out behind him. Still entangled in his web of microphone cable, Brodie inches his nose against mine pushing us both closer to his bed. "Just one verse, wild thing."

Damn, the way he makes my head spin when he calls me that.

"You're out of your damn mind," I chuckle, feeling myself blush even more. My eyes drift back behind him, taking another moment to revel in the Malia's Cafe karaoke machine working again as Aerosmith lyrics dancing across its round-squared tv screen. Returning my smile back to him, I ask, "How did you fix it?"

"Sing me a little something, something and I'll tell you," he challenges with a smirk. With a wicked glint in his eyes, he takes us back another step, causing the back of my legs to meet against the mattress of the bed.

"You really didn't have to do that Brodie," I whisper out, ignoring his bait to try and get me to sing. Carefully sitting down against the edge of his bed, my hands clutch against the fabric of his shirt, pulling him closer to me.

"I know," he nods down to me with a grin, his tall body towering me from above.

"I told you not to," I remind him with a playful glare, feeling so thankful for the gift but knowing that it had to take a big chunk of cash to fix.

"Well," he chimes back, dropping the microphone onto the comforter strewn across the mattress and allowing his hands to roam into the hair on the back of my head. He gently plays with my inky curls in his hands, swishing them forward against my shoulders as he shrugs, "I guess it's a good thing you're not the boss of me then, now isn't it?"

"I guess it's a good thing my dad is then," I retort back.

"What are you going to do, Lani?" He counters back cooly, making my back meet against the mattress as he clambers and hangs over me. "Tell on me?"

His body is pressed so tight against mine that I can practically feel my ears ring with my rapid heartbeat as his lips advance closer to mine. The fiery and stubborn side in me wants to be strong and not give in to the temptation his presence always seems to have on me, but the other side is begging to feel more of him.

"I could," my voice clips out weakly, putting a halt towards my internal struggle for a moment.

And before my mind can even grapple with the intentions of his movements, Brodie's tongue is gliding against my neck, causing a giggle to escape my throat as my legs clench shut and my body tries to escape his inviting touch.

"You wouldn't," he laughs, trailing his thumb against my jaw and making me wish it was his mouth instead.

"Your right," I agree, trailing my hand to the nape of his neck and tugging his head closer to mine because I can't hold myself back from my internal urges anymore, "I wouldn't."

Without another word from either one of us, Brodie's lips collide with mine, our kiss growing hungrier and deeper as his hands entangle and tug against my hair. The karaoke machine plays on in the background and in this moment, I'm thankful for its ongoing tunes, hoping they're enough to mask the sounds we're inevitably about to be making.

⚠️