The Broken Soldier

Six

Zachary

Alright, stretch your knee out and pull it back in"

I do what the physical therapist tells me to groaning through the pain in my thigh. I was looking forward to Physical therapy but now I just want to call it quits. The only real reason I wanted to come is because I wanted Marley to drive me even though the whole car ride was silent. After I kissed her last night she just went in he room and closed the door leaving me in the hall looking dumbfounded. The tension between us during the ride here was as thick as the humidity in all of Mississippi. She didn't even sing along with the radio like she usually does. Maybe I caught her off guard with my being straightforward and stuff.

By the time I finish stretching the stiffness out of my injured leg, I have sweat on my forehead. "s**t, are we not done yet?"

The therapist laughs "No sir, We have to get those muscles moving again. Get them strong. So we are going to spend 20 minutes in the pool. We have trunks in the back, I'll get you one." She turns to walk off then stops "Do you want to invite your friend? We have some swim suits too. I don't want her just sitting in the lobby bored"

I look across the room through the glass and see Marley sitting in the lobby playing with a stand of her hair. "Yeah. I'll go get her" I stand up and make my over to the lobby. I still walk with a slight limp but it isn't as bad as it was when I first got shot. I open the lobby door "Marley" her head shoots up like I was breaking her from a deep thought. "We are getting in the pool, wanna come? They have swim suits"

She looks like she wants to say no but she gets up and follows me to the pool area. The therapist hands her a swim suit and Marley walks off to go change.

I'm in the pool already when Marley appears from the back. There isn't anyone else in the pool so the therapist tells her to just ignore us and have a little fun. I watch Marley look at the water for a bit as she walks to the edge of the pool with a towel still wrapped around her. Maybe she can't swim. I am quickly proven wrong when she finally lets the towel go and dives into the deep end in a manner the shows she must be a swimmer. I've noticed trophies and medals in her room, but never bothered to ask about them. Marley swims from one end to another completely at least 3 laps before stopping. She wipes the water from her face and I see that she is smiling. She leans on her back and starts floating around clearly in pure bliss. As she back strokes, slowly, I see her frown a bit. When I see her run over fingers over her side, I figure that maybe she is still hurting a bit.

"She is like a fish in water" the therapist mumbles, breaking my observation. "Yeah she is." I say back not being able to take my eyes off of her. I have tried not to get close to her, but I can't fight the inevitable. She is the type that you want to be close to. When my physical therapy was over I decided to stay in the pool a little longer. I swim over to Marley, who is still floating around. She stops when she feels my hand graze over her back. She wipes the water from her eyes "Are you done?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to hang in the water for a bit. So you're a swimmer?" She smiles softly "Yeah. Well I was in high school" She starts floating around me and I turn in circles "So why did you stop?" Her face falls a little "Can't put on a swim suit with bruises on my body." I frown realizing she gave up something she loved for someone who didn't love her. She lightens the mood by splashing water in my face. "Hey now, don't start something you can't finish" Marley laughs "Is that a threat?" I catch her off guard by picking her up "You better not" She warns, but I just smirk and throw her up into the water. When she comes up she dunks my head under water. I grab around her waist bringing myself back up with her over my shoulder "Put me down, Zach" She yells as she slaps my back "Say you're sorry" I laugh and she huffs "I'm sorry! Now put my down!" I let her waist go and she falls into the water behind me. When Marley comes back up she rest against the wall of the pool. I moved over to her and put my hands on either side of the wall by she shoulders. Marley looks up at me and bites her lip. "Marley, are you going to talk to me about last night?"

"What's there to talk about? You kissed me. That's all" I smirk at her attempt to act nonchalant about the whole thing. I move in closing off some of the space in between the both of us. He hands fly up to my chest stopping me. "Stop, Zach" I put my hands on the sides her face "No"

Marley

When Zach moves in on me my heart starts being like crazy. I try to remain composed but it isn't working. I look at my hand on his chest trying to stop him from getting closer. "Zach, stop" I mumble looking up at him hoping he would just back up but he doesn't. His eyes burn into mine and his hands reach for the sides of my face sending a chill through my whole body "No" he mumbles as he leans in. My breath hitches as his lips press against mine. I part my lips as his tongue trails over my bottom lip and a soft moan escapes. God, I know I shouldn't do this but his lips are my down fall. I feel like it's too early to get involved with someone after Josh but my self control goes out the window when we interact. I run my fingers through his hair gripping a hand full as his arm wrap around my waist pulling me tightly against him. I wrap my legs around him pulling myself up to match his height. Zach groans softly when I bite his lips and his kiss becomes for hungry and eager. My core awakes as his tongue finds mine and I want more, more of him, more of this.

"Um excuse me, you guys need to take that else where" He pulls away from me when the voice of his therapist echoes through out the pool area. My head is spinning and I can't seem to catch my breath from his kiss. I bring my hands to my face letting the cool water calm me.

"Sorry" Zach mumbles at the therapist. I hear the amusement in his voice and I know he got a thrill from being caught but I just feel slightly embarrassed. He lifts himself from the pool then turns and reaches out for me, pulling me from the water. I walk off quickly grabbing the towel from the chair. I can't believe I can't even restrain myself. I'm usually good at self control. I made Josh wait 5 months to have s*x. The difficulty of that situation has nothing on this one. I shouldn't even compare Josh to Zach. Zach is more of a man than Josh will ever be. I go into the locker room and dry off changing back into my clothes. I pull my damp hair into a high bun and walk out to the lobby to wait for Zach. He comes out and schedules his next appointment for next week and I hope to God it doesn't involve a pool again as much as I loved swimming, that scene between me and Zach needs to not happen again. I take a deep breath trying to convince myself that I didn't like it. As I walk out to my truck I smile to myself feeling happy and embarrassed at the same time. I'm glad he is walking behind me so he can't see my expression. I thought last night was a clear enough sign that this shouldn't happen again. I was so thrown off by him kissing me but it feel so good to have someone handle me in that manner. I've been confused about the whole situation all day and now I have this to add to it.

On the drive home I hum to the radio playing 'Give Me Love' by Ed Sheeran. I find my self singing it as we hit the long stretch of road that takes us to my part of town. Out of the side of my eye I see Zach looking at me. I turn my head to look at him, still singing. He smiles and I can't help but smile back. I feel my cheeks warm and I know they are probably pink. The way he looks at sometimes makes me wish I knew what he thinking. I drive into town so I can pick up some fruit and as i'm pulling up to the market I see Josh. I hit breaks harder than I should as I pull into the parking spot and Zach jerks forward "What the hell, Marley?" He looks at me and then follows my stare. "Don't worry about him, He isn't going to do anything."

"That's not what I'm looking at." I was more focused on the girl under his arm "That's my best friend, Hailey" How could she just start dating him so soon. She always acted like she hated him, always calling him a jerk and asshole. I guess it was just an act. Zach nudges my arm "Hey, don't worry about her either. You don't need a friend like that in your life." I force a smile at his words and open the door to get out. I make my way around the market focusing on green grapes and oranges. Zach just trails behind me pushing the buggy as I toss things into it.

We round the corner and I see Josh and Hailey. I turn my head to the watermelon slices picking up two packages of them. "Oh hey, Mar" I turn to see Hailey smiling at me with fake grin "Hi" I say unamused. I've known her for 5 years. I'm sure she knows I can see straight through the act. I don't bother looking at Josh long but I can tell his face is still bruised. Hailey sees me catch a glimpse "Oh he fell off his horse the other day. He is okay though" I snort a little knowing that's the biggest lie. Josh is too ashamed to tell anyone that he got his ass kicked. Hailey however knows what Josh was doing to me and still chose to be with him which makes me nauseous. "Well I have to get going" I mumble. Hailey gives me a side hug, but I don't return it. They walk off and I let out a huge breath. I look back and Zach is standing there looking at me. I smile and turn my attention back to the fruit realizing that I kind of don't have any friends anymore. All of the friends I had were shared with Josh. I have no clue what he has told them about our break up but i'm sure it's all lies. None of my friends have really called or texted me except a girl name Millie who lives up the road from me. She is sweet but we never really socialized as much. Maybe I should start. I make a mental note to call her later and ask her to come over for some girl time.

I pay for the fruit and munch on a watermelon slice as we get back into the truck. "You really like fruit huh?" Zach asks making me laugh "Yeah, beats the heck out of candy. I love watermelon." I take another bite and some juice trails down my chin. Before I can get it, Zachs hand is already there. He wipes the juice up with his thumb and licks it off. "Thanks" I mutter. he smirks "No problem" He picks up a slice and takes a bite turning his attention to the road as I crank the truck up. I lick my bottom lip as I drive off thinking about his touch and how I wanted more.

Zachary

We get back home as nigh starts to fall and Jensen is sitting on the porch. "How was therapy?" He says as we step on the porch. Marley hands him the bag of oranges and he takes one out. "It went good" I nod as he peels the orange. I look over at Marley who is looking at me. I know what happened in the pool is going through her mind like it is mine. She goes into the house and I hear her rumbling around in the kitchen probably about to cook something. I take a seat in the rocking chair next to Jenson's. "So how have you been liking everything here so far? I feel like i haven't been able to just sit down and talk. I want to make sure you're all good." He peels the orange slices apart handing me half. "It's been good. Hot as hell but good. I like it a lot. You and Marley have been nothing but kind to me."

"Good good, I'm glad you like it. I'm happy you are here and i'm happy you were here to protect my girl. I don't know what i would have done if he had her hurt again. I appreciate that." He slaps my back hard, but nothing i'm not used to by now. He has a heavy hand like most military men. "No problem, Sir. Marley is a good person. She has made me feel really welcomed." He looks over at me and chuckles. "Ahh son, I see right through you. You like my Marley don't you?" I cough nearly choking on a piece of orange "Excuse me?" I frown. "Don't play dumb with me, Phillips. I see you two together. The more she is around you the more comfortable you have become. You are sweet on her. I don't mind, but don't hurt her feelings. You plan on leaving here as soon as you are able to so I don't think you two should become too serious. That's just my opinion" He is right. I don't need to get too serious with her if I plan on catching the first flight back to Iraq as soon as I can but how can I not get serious with her? I always want her. I love that look she makes when I pull back from a kiss, like she is floating. I take a deep breath and Jenson gets up and heads into the house leaving me on the porch to think about it. Every little thing she does takes me feel some type of way and I can't fight it. I have only been here about 2 months, but I like it here because she is here. I have grown to love her country accent and even some of the music she likes.

The screen door swings open. I look up and see Marley "Wanna go to a bon fire tonight?"

"Uh sure"

She smiles "Cool. Be ready at 10, oh and we are having pizza for dinner. It'll be done in 20 minutes" I nod and she goes back into the house. I like that she includes me in her plans. She could just go without me to be with her friends, but she chooses not to. I don't mind staying in the house. I also don't mind being where ever Marley is.

When I go in for dinner, I take a seat next to Marley. Our chairs just happen to be close together and while we are eating, I happen to look down and catch her thigh showing at the edge of her sun dress. I reach over slowly and rest my hand on her knee. I feel her body stiffen then relax slowly as I caress her skin. My hand stays there for the remainder of dinner as Jensen talks about doing some yard work next weekend and needing my help to uproot a dead tree out back. I nod and tell him i'm all in, still trailing my finger over her skin. I look over and she surprisingly has a calm look on her face. I would give a million dollars just to know how she is really feeling.

I help Marley clear the table when we are finished eating and as we are standing at the sink cleaning dishes she turns to me "Real smooth move at the table" Her sarcasm makes me chuckle "I try" She shakes her head and looks down at the water. We wash dishes in silence, but i feel the s****l tension between us as her arm brushes over mine. Even at 19, she has some weird influence over me and all i want to do is lift her up onto this counter and rip her clothes off. The thought makes me grip the plate i'm holding tighter and I feel my manhood flinch at the s****l scene playing in my head. I shake my head and Marley looks at me. I ignore her stare and continue to dry the plate off. I almost groan when I see her soapy wet fingers brush against my skin as she sits a plate on the counter just as i'm reaching for it at the same time. She pulls her hand back quickly and I fight back a laugh. Her awkwardness is surprisingly attractive to me. I dry the last dish and Marley says that she is going to go get ready. I decided to do the same. We both take quick showers, seperatelty of course. I put on a black long sleeved button down shirt with the sleeve rolls up to my forearm with a pair of khaki pants and a pair of black slip on Vans. I slick my hair back and spray on a little cologne.

I head down stairs and Marley is already down there. She turns around and her wavy hair in a side braid with a few pieces of loose hair flowing perfectly. She has on black shorts and a long sleeve loose fitted white shirt that falls off her shoulder. I fight back the urge to tell her how beautiful she is. She rarely wears makeup, but the little bit she is wearing now makes me stare at her more than I usually do. "Ready?" she asks and I nod as we head to the door.

Marley

I pull up the the secluded lake and the fire is already going and people are sitting around. I hop out the truck finally getting some clean air. The smell of Zach was sending me into a frenzy the whole way here. All I wanted was to pull over and kiss him. Zach gets out and follows me to the fire. "Hey guys" I smile and wave. I see Millie and her boyfriend Buck along with our other neighbor, Mitchell and another town girl name Emma. They all wave as I sit the blanket down on the cut of tree being used as a bench. Zach and I sit "Everybody this is Zach, Zach that's Millie, Buck, Mitchell and Emma" He says hi to everyone and they smile and wave. I doubt any of my other friends would be this welcoming. I have known Millie and everyone since we were little, but never exactly clicked up so I was happy when Millie invited me. Mitchell passes around a few beers and we each take one. As we sit around laughing and talking, I feel my old friendships leaving my mind. I am happy to be around such amazing new friends. I look over at Zach occasionally and he looks like he is having a good time laughing with the guys.

After we finish our 1 beer, we drink either soda or water the rest of the time. Around midnight it gets chilly and the blankets everyone brought come in handy. Zach pulls our blanket apart draping it over our shoulders and I slide in closer to him as he wraps his arm around me. I look up at him as he continues to talk to the guys and smile softly. This feels comfortable and right having him with me. He always made me feel like he was thinking of me even when he seemed like he wasn't. As time goes by, Millie decides to talk about skinny dipping. When she asks every body if they want to we all look at her like she is crazy "Millie, I'm sure the water is freezing" I say pointing to the lake "Oh come on you guys, We only have one life so it's in the Jesus rule book that we skinny dip at least once before we get old and too wrinkly to look good naked. Since the water is probably cold, I'll settle for underwear"

We all laugh and Buck stands "I'm in" Everyone else stand and looks at me and Zach. I look at Zach and bite my lips standing up "Fine, I'm in" Millie smiles "Zach, come on." She starts to chant his name and we all join in making him chuckle "Okay okay!" We all scream cheering. When we are down to our underwear, we stand on the boat dock over the water. "Alright on the count of three we jump"Millie says. "1...2...3!!!!" I grab Zach's hand and we all jump in screaming. The water is freezing cold and when we all come up everyone is shaking and laughing. After a while we adjust to the water and start swimming around. I feel Zach's hands around my waist and I turn to look at him. I wrap my arms around his neck as everyone around us splashes around. "Hi" I mumble

"Hi" He says back. We don't say anything else. We just float in the middle of the choas around us as water splashes. I rub the back of his neck and right when i'm thinking about leaning in, Millie splashes water on us. I yell out as the cold water hits my back unknowingly pulling myself closer to Zach. He laughs resting his forehead on my shoulder as Millie and Emma splash everyone.

Everyone eventually gets out the water and we grab our clothes. We dry off as best we can with the blankets and put our clothes on. The lake area gets dark as the guys put the fire out. Everyone turns on the headlights on their trucks to light the area. I hug Millie thanking her for inviting me letting her know that I will text her later. When I look at my phone I see that it's almost 3 in the morning. I hand the keys to Zach letting him drive, turning the heat up when he cranks the car. "I haven't had that much fun in a long time" I say as I focus on the dark road thinking about how much of my life I have missed out on from being with Josh. He would have never let me get half naked in from of people, only him. I sigh at the thought and Zach's hand finds the back of my neck trailing his fingers over my skin before sliding down my arm and taking my hand in his. He interlocks his fingers in mine and I can't help but smile.

We pull into the yard a little after 3 and cut the headlights off so I don't wake my dad. I turn my body towards him and we sit there in silence for a moment neither one of us knowing what to say. Zach's hand reaches up and tucks a piece of hair behind my ear before leaning in and kissing me. He slides over the seat getting closer to me. I moan against his mouth as his lips press into mine. His tongue finds mine quickly and I can't take it anymore. I sit up and straddle him ignoring the pressure from the steering wheel pressing into my back. Zach quickly pulls my shirt over my head throwing it on the floor of the truck. His warm hands roam over my body sending chill bumps over my skin. I reach for the bottom of his shirt easing it up till I get it off. I press my hands on his chest trailing my fingers over his abs. He groans digging his fingers into my skin. He reaches up and undoes my bra quickly. I feel my cheek warm and I pull back to look at him. My arms over my chest and I look down slightly uncomfortable since Josh was the only other person to see my bare skin like this. I hate that I'm alway so outgoing but when it comes to my naked body, I'm uncomfortable with a man as sexy as Zach seeing it.

Zach gently pulls my arms away and I look up in his eyes "You are beautiful, Marley" I feel my insides melting and let my arms snake around his neck. I kiss him hard and slowly begin grinding against him. I feel him harden under me and I become even more turned on more than I already was. I grind harder moaning against him mouth as his tongue caresses mine. He leans in pushing me back a little and my back presses the horn making me jump. "s**t" I blurt out slightly laughing. I look up at the house and no lights come on so I know my dad is still sleep. I rest my forehead against Zach's "We should go in the house" I mumble. I climb off of him and pull my shirt over my head without my bra. Zach cuts the car off and we head in. We walk through the dark trying not to bump into anything. I walk ahead of him as he head upstairs but half way to my door Zach grabs my hand and presses me against the wall, slamming his lips into mine.

I moan loudly and he pulls my shirt back over my head dropping it on the floor. Wrapping his arm around me, he pulls me into his room closing the door behind us. I lay back on the bed watching him pull his shirt off. He hovers over me "Tell me if you want to stop, okay?" I nod softly and he lowers his body on mine. His pelvic presses into mine and I feel that he is still hard. Zach's hand cups my breast and grips it just rough enough to makes me moan. I feel myself getting wet and I kick my sandals off before wrapping my legs around him. His hand eases down to my shorts undoing the button without a hitch. When he pulls at my shorts, my heart jumps and my hand freezes over his. "Zach" I mumble and his hand moves back up. I throw my hand over my face "I'm sorry" I shake my head. He pulls my hand away "Nothing to be sorry about. It's not like i'm going anywhere. I will be right here when you are ready"

I smile and he rolls off of me to lay on his side. His arms pull me in wrapping around me. I feel him pull the covers over us and I feel safe and warm. I feel myself falling asleep and Zach kisses my forehead softly.

I smile and doze off.