kkrt171

[kkrt171]

The one where he saw her face for the first time…

3 weeks ago…

“She’s coming!!! She’s finally coming to San Diego!!!” Hazard squealed as she danced her way into the boat’s mess only to slip on a supposed wet area and slide into a wall before finally sitting down at the table, making us all chuckle at her expense… again.

“Babe, I love you, but I can’t believe they let you fly multi-million planes for a living.” Hangman said with a snicker and a smirk plastered on his face.

It still amazed him how that relationship ever just… happened. They were always “close”. Jake and Annie were in the Naval academy together and right from the get go, they were a team. She was the only one that truly called hangman out on his shit, while still his friend and hooking up with him. But it wasn’t until after “the mission” that they officially got together. Annie always said Jake needed to figure his shit out before she would ever consider it. Apparently saving Rooster’s life and the ultimate hashing out of shit between them afterwards was enough. Even he had to admit that Hangman’s attitude had changed after that mission. The rivalry would always be there… but now there was also mutual respect, and that was enough.

“Bite me, Bagman.” She muttered before turning back to the group with a hundred watt grin. “Clare’s coming to visit!!!”

“Who’s Clare?” I asked now genuinely curious.

“She’s the absolute best! I met her years ago in when I was stationed in the med… we had port call in France and I took a bullet train into Paris for a day… she was studying there at the time and apparently we both have the same taste in wine bars, cause that’s where I found her. She was sitting at the counter and the place was absolutely packed full of locals… I went to the bar to order a glass , expecting just to stand around and experience the atmosphere for awhile, I mean it’s freaking Paris! Anyway, I was standing next to her when I ordered. I had asked the bartender to suggest a dry red and she pipes in with a suggestion instead without even looking up from her phone… still to this day the best wine I’ve EVER had! Anyway, her English accent led me to start a convo with her and now here we are 5 years later.” She said with a nostalgic smile.

“Is this the friend you’re always FaceTiming and Skyping?” Phoenix asks.

“Yup!” She grins, looking for a good photo to show everyone on her phone. “This was last year in Greece!” She grins passing the phone to Phoenix beside her.

“Hmmm” She says passing it off to me next with a pointed stare. Ever since she and Bob started dating, she’s been up my ass recently about settling down finally, but after everything that’s happened in my life, I’m skeptical… and then I look at the photo in front of me.

She’s beautiful… and I have about a million thoughts running through my mind at warp speed and they all involve her. I still haven’t said a word, nor have I looked up from Hazard’s phone. I sit there stunned at the revelation that not only do I want her, I want everything with her. I want it all… and THAT has NEVER happened before.

“Tell me about her.” I say barely over a whisper and still not looking up from the photo. I can hear the smile in her voice when she talks.

“She’s an award-winning pastry chef. She owns an extremely successful bakery and an upscale restaurant in Mayfair, England with 4 of her best friends since childhood. She’s a perfectionist when it comes to her baking and even cooking for that matter. Her family comes from really old money in England. I think there’s royal blood in her lineage way back.”

“I’m going to marry this woman.” The words are out of my mouth before I can catch them and I think the announcement stuns the entire table, including myself. Hangman starts choking on his burger, Payback spits water across the table, and Fanboy is too shocked to react when it sprays him in the face. Bob is laughing softly, Phoenix has a shit-eating grin on her face barely able to contain her excitement, and Hazard is smirking at me while staring at me intently. She does this with people. She studies them almost, like she’s trying to see into their souls to find out what kind of person they are.

“I thought you said you’d never settle down.” She says softly, but with intent. She’s curious.

“I never met her.” I say.

“You still haven’t met her.” Her tone isn’t mean or snarky. She’s merely stating a fact.

“But I will.” I say confidently. I will meet her. I think Hazard even wants me to meet her.

“What if reality, doesn’t meet your expectations?” She counters… she’s fishing now. Trying to see how serious I am about this situation.

“It will.” I say with conviction. And it will, of that I am 100% sure of.

“How can you be so sure?” She says chuckling, genuinely curious at how confident I am.

“Because she’s your friend. You see things in people, you study them and if you find something in them- some redeeming quality, you keep them close. You’ve kept her close, very close, even though she live halfway across the world. She’s already passed the hardest personality test in the world… you. So, if you’re this excited about her coming to visit, I am 100% sure that the reality of her will be just as perfect as what I imagine her to be. “ and it’s true. I KNOW it’s true.

“She could be a wallflower for all you know.” She says with narrowed eyes.

“I can be the extrovert for both of us. Keep the unwanted attention away from her.” And I could. I would do that for her.

“What if she’s boring?” She say grinning.

“She’s not.” I scoff rolling my eyes.

“What if she’s quiet?” Now it’s a thoughtful tone in her voice.

“Trust me, I’ve got plenty to say!” I say pointing down at her picture, making the corners of her mouth turn up just a little more. She’s trying not to laugh.

“What if she’s a bad kisser?” I’m shocked she could even say this with a straight face.

“Good thing I’m an instructor then!” I say laughing trying to lighten the mood.

“What if she tells you she’s waiting until marriage to sleep with you?” Again, fishing. Maybe. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter… which honestly surprises me more than anything else.

“Well, good thing I’m planning to propose on our first date. I can wait.” I say, only half joking.

“You really believe she’s it for you.” She says. It’s a statement, not a questions. She’s appraising me now. She’s starting to get it. The whole table who was just laughing wholeheartedly a second ago, starts to fizzle. Serious faces are appearing around me.

“Holy shit.” Hangman deadpans.

“About fuckin time.” Phoenix says with a smile.

“Dude, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you just fell in love.” Fanboy is still just staring at me.

“I think I did too.” I say softly staring back down at the photo, before quickly sending it to myself so I’d have it too.

“Dude, what the fuck?!” Hazard says trying to reach for her phone back over the table. As soon as it sends I damn near throw it at her. “Are you kidding me?!”

“I needed a photo of my future wife!” I say defensively laughing.

“Jesus fuck.” She facepalms. “Do NOT be this stupid when you meet her!” She’s says pointing at me.

[kkrt171]

Good morning! Here’s a thought…

A laugh, but not just any laugh. It was a laugh that hit him straight in his soul. His head turned involuntarily toward the melodic sound, and that’s when his world turned upside down. He saw you, looked straight into those beautiful blue eyes he had only seen in photographs on Hazard’s phone… and then he walked right into a wooden beam, sending him falling like a crumpled mess straight to the floor of the Hard Deck with a goofy smile on his face.

More???

[kkrt171]

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Jamie Benn says “hello” to Drew Doughty 🙋

[kkrt171]

i dont know whether to laugh at his celly or the fact that he fell off the bench