Don't Ask, Don't Tell; Chapter Seven

We spent the better part of two hours; Stokes, Mikey and I.

The hotel was not really a hotel, sure it had plenty of rooms… but they were 8x5 broom closets with a small bed in the corner and a towel rack. The wallpaper was aged and splintered at the seams; but the red flowers that were printed there oh so long ago were still prominent. It was musty in there, but clean… and it had its’ own shower.

Before the Marines, and even now I was not experienced in dressing and undressing in front of strangers, especially male strangers. Stokes, had seen my body many times in the barracks shower. Even sitting across from her in the bathroom stalls on base, it’s difficult not to see every part of every one.
Those of you in the service should know how that’s a fact, civilians have no idea the bathroom stalls in the barracks have no doors.
But Mikey was new to me… and here I was without anywhere to call my own personal space. I would need to get over it… the day has been shitty enough as it is.

Peeling the fatigues off and sheeting myself with a small, red towel; I accepted the offer to shower first. The water was fresh, and hot; so unlike the distilled, stale ship water I was used to. I open my mouth into the pelting stream to taste it, hoping it wasn’t going to be a Mexico experience all over again.
It was refreshing, not bitter or chalky… reaffirming my pleasure in being on liberty, and enjoying every bit of it. Well, every bit except earlier, when I blew it with Howie.

Don’t really know for sure what happened in our exchange today.
I was so close, yet so far from getting what I wanted… I fucking swore he’d go in for the kill, or at least be tempted.
Reflecting on the conversation once again, I tried to pinpoint the ebbs and flows… the words exchanged… hints perhaps? Fuck it. I’m just beating myself up about it.
The water runs over my head, engulfing my face and running down my shoulders, trickling from my breasts; hitting the tile below.
“Hey! Robinson! You done or what?!?!” Stokes shouts into the pseudo bathroom, I can barely hear her over the loud splashing of the water, “There’s three of us you know!”

“I’ve only been in here a couple of minutes…” I shout back to her, quickly soaping; not certain really how long I had been in there.”

“More like… TEN…”
Okay I felt like shit, and since my musing with Howie fell short I could hardly get myself off right now anyway. I keep the water running and step out, quickly grabbing my towel and trotting tip-toe to my corner of the room. “Okay Stokes, left it running… sorry.”

Mikey sits on the bed, in a pair of regulation boxers and a white dress shirt reading a letter of some kind. Upon my re-entry he looks up, just in time to take notice of Stokes, who has now dropped her towel sauntering slowly into the shower.
Mikeys’ eyes follow her ass as she walks; and of course you know it was her intention to have that happen. I take advantage of the distraction and quickly fight to put my on underwear over wet skin. Not an easy task in this forum.

His head then turns my direction just as I am able to regain my composure; grabbing the towel but clumsily failing and falling one breast short; exposing it. I could tell Mickey noticed the whoopsie by the way he gawked for a moment, and then darted his eyes quickly back to the letter;
“So, I heard you hung out with Howie today.. whatd’ya guys do?”

He dared not look up as I shuffled for the dress I had packed in my day pack.
Raging to tear almost everything out of it before Mikeys buzzer goes off and he looks back up; but I am shocked… it is gone.
I feel a chill come over me, and even a bit of panic… “Did I pack it? What if it fell out when I grabbed for my tooth paste…? Am I just not seeing or feeling it in here?”

“So?” Mickey interrupted my panic process, forcing me to come up with a lame ass answer.
“Uh, yeah… it was alright.” I murmured, still rifling through my bag…”We went to uhhh…” Shit, where the fuck is my dress? I had emptied it out completely by now, every piece and item in my bag laid-out …. It was not there.

“Well, I’ll just come out and say it…” Mikey finally decides to look up at me, at the worse time of course, being that I was bent over taking inventory of my day bag, “uhhh…” I didn’t feel his gaze move, it was centered on my ass now; covered, but not by much “I um, wanted uh… to tell you that…”

I stand and turn to look at him, hoping it would help him to concentrate on whatever the fuck he was trying to spit at me….”Go on Mikey, go on.”

“I heard from Stokes that you have it for Howie.”

I blush immediately. Not only from his blatant statement, or the fact Stokes told my secret to his comrade, but because now I had no dress for the evening as well.
Just how am I supposed to respond to this question, with all of the other issues at hand? Fuck it, I’ll use my courage,… I guess.
“Yeah, I guess I do.”

“Does he have it for you?”

“Uhhh, apparently not after this afternoon.”

“Why, what happened? That is, if you don’t mind me asking.”

I could hear Stokes in the shower, singing softly… some sort of deranged opera. I stand, bound only to my towel and underwear… feeling rather defeated at this point. Wish I was singing opera in the shower with Stokes.

“No, not at all… I mean, let’s just get it all out there, shall we?” I snip a little, feeling irritated and confused. Mikey gives a look of shock, perhaps even a bit offended at my tone. I could tell that this would not be a great time to be a bitch, especially since any word of it would shoot back into that squad tomorrow morning like unlimited rounds through my M-16 during rifle practice. And Corporal Howie would be there to hear it…

“Sorry Mikey, I just realized I have no dress for tonight, I’m kinda pissed right now.”

“No dress huh? That’s the shits, aint it?” He smiled widely at the prospect that I could be standing there towel bound for just that much longer. “Is that why you’re not dressed yet?”

I bow my head, stating the obvious “Yep.” When all I really wanted to say was duh dumb-ass... I just wanted you to check out my tits a little longer. In fact, how’s about I bend over again so you can size up what my pussy looks like from the back…hmmmm?

“Okay, so what happened today.” Mikey quickly changed the subject, which was a great choice on his part.

“He totally blew me off. We had beers, gyros, walked through some pretty outrageous landscape…” I sigh deeply, reflecting again on the painful events that haunted me just minutes ago in the shower. “We had some great conversation, I thought everything was going quite well… so I moved in for the kill and he blew me off.”

“Blew you off?” Mikeys attention turned back to the letter… “Moved in for the kill eh? Interesting choice of words.”

“Yeah, I guess. Wait, what does that mean? Good choice of words?”

“I mean, you’ll never break him.”

I felt shock; the towel slipped a tad “Break him? I don’t intend on breaking him.”

“Well no, I’m sure you don’t….” Mikey looks back up and smiles “Your nipple is showing.”

I look down to discover my nipple exposed, hardened from the chill in the room.
Perhaps it would be good if I just had put my fatigues back on. Defeated once again, I reach down, scoop up my dirty fatigues and head toward the half wall by the shower; just in time for the water to stop and a remarkably fresh looking Stokes to jump out.
“AAAAAHHHHH” She announces “I feel REFRESHED!”

“So Mikey,” I redirect the conversation back on track as I redressed “Breaking him?”

“Yeah, you’ll have to in order to get what you want…” he smiles again and adds a chuckle “break him that is.”

“Okay yeah, and I asked you what that meant…what’s it mean?”

“He’s pretty dead set on his woman back home, would be hard for him to be persuaded.”
I pull my shirt down over my head, forgetting the bra altogether and join Mikey on the bed. He cleared a spot for me to sit next to him, I obliged and plopped down while he continued… “Yeah, we’ve been to plenty of tittie bars, met lots of chicks…. Howies always been the only faithful one… stuck on his girl.”

“What’re you two talking about” Stokes interrupted, looking puzzled at the content of the conversation.
I shot her a look, and if it could kill? It would’ve. I could have punched her square in the face for telling Mikey about my feelings for Howie… bitch.
“We were talking about Howie. Mikey was just asking me if I was hot for him.”

She flinched, “oh” and then turned her way to the farthest corner, evading the situation completely. My thoughts at the moment turned to contempt for Stokes, and the pisser that I would never have my soldier.

Or would I? A challenge perhaps… I am used to getting what I want, how should this be any different. Maybe I could run into him tonight, apologize for my behavior and start again a different way. My mind begins to formulate a plan… a plan for victory; a plan for breaking the boy.

“This letter here” Mikey turns the subject away, noticing my disgruntled brow “I was going to send it to my girl..” He folds it and tucks it in his shirt pocket, “don’t think I will just yet.”

“Why, what is it?” I inquired, “That is if you don’t mind me asking.”

Mikey smiles widely “Thanks for putting some clothes on…”I smile back “No prob.””Hey!”

Stokes cheered “Why the grumpy face Mikey?”

He did look a little upset I guess. I thought maybe it was because he was stuck on libo with two women from another platoon. Stuck in this pathetic hotel room we paid way too much for, feeling rather out of place. But then, how could that be a problem for a good looking marine, who hadn’t been laid in quite some time… much less had the pleasure of two half-naked women in the same bedroom with him. I added “yeah Mikey, you okay?”

“Yea, I just wanted to propose… but I’m thinking no.” He pulls the letter back out of his shirt pocket and hands it to me, “It’s written really badly, and I had a difficult time deciding whether to write it or say it. But it could be awhile before I see her again, and I don’t want to lose her. I know she’s lonely.”

“Oh, come on now Mikey… good lookin’ guy like you? I’m sure she’ll wait.”

I look up at Stokes and agree “Yeah Mikey, sitting here with us and not puttin’ on the moves… sounds like Howies’ not the only guy stuck to his girl back home.” I unfold the letter gently, pictures fall out and hit the floor in a flurry. “Shit, sorry Mikey” I stoop from the bed to pick them up, turning them over and admiring his photography skills, “Wow, nice shots… these were taken on ship, weren’t they?”

“Yeah,” he perks up, seeing my interest in his photos “This sunset one was just the other night… I would have loved her to be there to see the sun melting into the water.”

“That’s some poetic shit Mikey” Stokes clears a spot on the bed as well, dressed in a red t-shirt and jeans she had packed for tonight, “Robinson, where’s your dress?”

I shrug “Fuck if I know, I thought it was in my day bag.”

“I saw you pack it… maybe it fell out.”

“That’s what I was thinking, but it’s the shits ‘cause I totally…” I stop mid sentence, immediately distracted by one photo imparticular… “Mikey, when was this taken?”

“Oh, yeah that picture was taken back on base. I was sending that one to her to show her that barracks living is not so glamorous.”

“Yeah, good shot… I like this one.” I look on at the photo, a stamp of time that existed just a couple months ago “Can I make a copy of it?”

I look to Mikey, who sits running his fingers through his cropped blond hair. He smiles widely…” I know why you like that one, Howies in it.”

“Yeah, what can I say.” I cajole.

“Sure, you can just keep that one..” he stands and begins to unbutton his dress shirt “I can make another copy.”

“Thanks Mikey.” I clutch the photo, looking into the eyes of my soldier as they were captured then, feeling warm.

“I’m gonna take a shower now, be good girls and don’t watch.”

“Oh, we won’t.” Stokes crossed her fingers behind her back “promise.” Her eyes fixed as Mikey heads for the shower, clothed only in his boxers; I admit he was kinda hot. I look over at Stokes

“crossing your fingers behind your back? That’s so fucking kindergarden.”

“How can you not look at that?” She whispered “He’s on fire.”

“Yeah…” I give her a look of disapproval as I whisper back “But he’s committed to somebody.”

“Uhhh Robinson…” she scoots over to sit next to me and looks on at my photo, still clutched tightly in my hands “So is he.”