musesandlyrics | 2.2. Julia Roberts quote
2.2. "I believe that two people are connected at the heart, and it doesn't matter what you do, or who you are or where you live; there are no boundaries or barriers if two people are destined to be together."
Julia Roberts
[Follows THIS, THIS and THIS]
It wasn't foreign for Rob to occasionally have nights of restless sleep accompanied by the odd nightmare here and there from lingering memories he had of difficult times in battle. Some images just could never leave a person, but that was the sacrifice of being a soldier called up to service. He had just been in the age bracket to qualify him for deployment to the war in Iraq, and now he was facing the new post in Afghanistan.
But that wasn't solely what was disrupting Rob's sleep that night. He was understandably anxious and nervous about his new rank and being sent to a location he had never been before. He was even a little apprehensive about being with a new batallion. But it wasn't anything he was foreign to. He had been in these shoes a few times in the past, so he knew he was strong enough to take it in his stride. The shoes he wasn't used to being in was facing a new assignment just weeks after finding a new love. And holy daming hell, he hadn't even told her he loved her yet. He hadn't had enough time.
Something tore him abruptly from the restless, disrupted sleep and he sat up quickly in bed, rubbing his palm over his sweaty face. He didn't think he had a nightmare. Maybe he was coming down with something and had a fever? He pressed the back of his hand to his forehead, but it didn't seem to be burning, and his heart was racing. His stomach did feel slightly sore, but he realised it was just because he was so wound up and the tension was pooling in his gut. This was stupid. He was so worked up he was making himself feel sick, but he had no idea what he was supposed to do to make anything better. This whole thing had thrown up so many question marks for him that his head was spinning, and now he couldn't sleep. That was going to be dangerous if he got shipped out unrested.
The issues just seemed to hit dead ends in his head. First, there was the fact the Army wouldn't recognise Leila as being anything to Rob, and if, God forbid, he was injured or killed in Afghanistan, she wouldn't be alerted and would have no right to gain access to any information about him. And then there was the complication of his assets. Everything would default to his parents, but maybe he wanted Leila to have something now? These were the sorts of things every day people didn't think on too often, but in a job like his, it was a prominent consideration. Plus, although he promised her from deep in his heart that he would come home to her when his service was over, how could she really know anything to trust that promise? She didn't have to trust me, and the painful part was, it felt like he had nothing to give her to support it. His word couldn't really be enough, could it? He was going into a dangerous situation and he might not come back. Why should she have to just take that without having anything comforting in return? He wanted there to be a way to show her that he... that he loved her, and he did. He loved her, he just hadn't found the right way to tell her. They had made love that night in his apartment, and they both probably knew what it had been, but the words always sealed that little something more. Saying them to her now, though, would just seem like he was panicked into admitting it, right? That was the last thing he wanted her to think.
Reaching over to turn on his beside lamp, Rob swallowed, hating that feeling like he wanted to be sick because things felt so out of his reach. He was literally a day-old divorcee, and now his return to service was thrust upon him. It felt like everything with Leila had been cheapened to discontent panic. They had three days left together, and how was that going to be enough time for anything? And it couldn't be worse timing, either, with her cousin needing help and support during the terrible time of loss and grief from losing a unborn child. Rob didn't even want to think about how he would feel in a situation like that. He had always wanted children at some point, but you didn't tend to think of risks like that in anticipation of the life-changing event. Now he was abandoning Leila when she more than needed his comfort and support. He just wanted to be able to give her something in the wake of all his broken promises; he wanted to show her he was coming back for her.
He was just about to take a drink of water from the bottle beside his bed when he spotted the envelope with his divorce papers in it. Divorced. He really wasn't married anymore. Something dawned on him at that moment that caused him to pause, and tilt his head in consideration with a small frown on his face.
He was married anymore.
Maybe... just maybe... there was something he could give to Leila. All assuming she wanted to take it.
He pushed the covers off and went over to collect his wallet and cell phone from the dresser. It was impulsive and probably stupid, but he had never felt like this about anyone in his life before. A little impulsive stupidity was probably well overdue in his life. He already had enough regrets on his shoulders to sink a boat. Could it really be a regret if neither felt it was a mistake? He called up the directory assistance number and put the cell to his ear and waited for an answer. It was the middle of the night, but this was the city that never sleeps, right? "Hey, can you please put me through to sales at American Airlines, please, ma'am?" The polite woman who was far too chirpy for beyond one am told him to stand by while she connected his call. He drew in a deep breath and let it out in a rush as the call connected and he slipped his credit card from his wallet. "I need to two tickets from New York City to Las Vegas, ma'am. First flight available, please..."
All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe
Word Count | 1,070
Julia Roberts
[Follows THIS, THIS and THIS]
It wasn't foreign for Rob to occasionally have nights of restless sleep accompanied by the odd nightmare here and there from lingering memories he had of difficult times in battle. Some images just could never leave a person, but that was the sacrifice of being a soldier called up to service. He had just been in the age bracket to qualify him for deployment to the war in Iraq, and now he was facing the new post in Afghanistan.
But that wasn't solely what was disrupting Rob's sleep that night. He was understandably anxious and nervous about his new rank and being sent to a location he had never been before. He was even a little apprehensive about being with a new batallion. But it wasn't anything he was foreign to. He had been in these shoes a few times in the past, so he knew he was strong enough to take it in his stride. The shoes he wasn't used to being in was facing a new assignment just weeks after finding a new love. And holy daming hell, he hadn't even told her he loved her yet. He hadn't had enough time.
Something tore him abruptly from the restless, disrupted sleep and he sat up quickly in bed, rubbing his palm over his sweaty face. He didn't think he had a nightmare. Maybe he was coming down with something and had a fever? He pressed the back of his hand to his forehead, but it didn't seem to be burning, and his heart was racing. His stomach did feel slightly sore, but he realised it was just because he was so wound up and the tension was pooling in his gut. This was stupid. He was so worked up he was making himself feel sick, but he had no idea what he was supposed to do to make anything better. This whole thing had thrown up so many question marks for him that his head was spinning, and now he couldn't sleep. That was going to be dangerous if he got shipped out unrested.
The issues just seemed to hit dead ends in his head. First, there was the fact the Army wouldn't recognise Leila as being anything to Rob, and if, God forbid, he was injured or killed in Afghanistan, she wouldn't be alerted and would have no right to gain access to any information about him. And then there was the complication of his assets. Everything would default to his parents, but maybe he wanted Leila to have something now? These were the sorts of things every day people didn't think on too often, but in a job like his, it was a prominent consideration. Plus, although he promised her from deep in his heart that he would come home to her when his service was over, how could she really know anything to trust that promise? She didn't have to trust me, and the painful part was, it felt like he had nothing to give her to support it. His word couldn't really be enough, could it? He was going into a dangerous situation and he might not come back. Why should she have to just take that without having anything comforting in return? He wanted there to be a way to show her that he... that he loved her, and he did. He loved her, he just hadn't found the right way to tell her. They had made love that night in his apartment, and they both probably knew what it had been, but the words always sealed that little something more. Saying them to her now, though, would just seem like he was panicked into admitting it, right? That was the last thing he wanted her to think.
Reaching over to turn on his beside lamp, Rob swallowed, hating that feeling like he wanted to be sick because things felt so out of his reach. He was literally a day-old divorcee, and now his return to service was thrust upon him. It felt like everything with Leila had been cheapened to discontent panic. They had three days left together, and how was that going to be enough time for anything? And it couldn't be worse timing, either, with her cousin needing help and support during the terrible time of loss and grief from losing a unborn child. Rob didn't even want to think about how he would feel in a situation like that. He had always wanted children at some point, but you didn't tend to think of risks like that in anticipation of the life-changing event. Now he was abandoning Leila when she more than needed his comfort and support. He just wanted to be able to give her something in the wake of all his broken promises; he wanted to show her he was coming back for her.
He was just about to take a drink of water from the bottle beside his bed when he spotted the envelope with his divorce papers in it. Divorced. He really wasn't married anymore. Something dawned on him at that moment that caused him to pause, and tilt his head in consideration with a small frown on his face.
He was married anymore.
Maybe... just maybe... there was something he could give to Leila. All assuming she wanted to take it.
He pushed the covers off and went over to collect his wallet and cell phone from the dresser. It was impulsive and probably stupid, but he had never felt like this about anyone in his life before. A little impulsive stupidity was probably well overdue in his life. He already had enough regrets on his shoulders to sink a boat. Could it really be a regret if neither felt it was a mistake? He called up the directory assistance number and put the cell to his ear and waited for an answer. It was the middle of the night, but this was the city that never sleeps, right? "Hey, can you please put me through to sales at American Airlines, please, ma'am?" The polite woman who was far too chirpy for beyond one am told him to stand by while she connected his call. He drew in a deep breath and let it out in a rush as the call connected and he slipped his credit card from his wallet. "I need to two tickets from New York City to Las Vegas, ma'am. First flight available, please..."
All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe
Word Count | 1,070