“Never got serious enough to marry either of them?”
“No, as they wanted me to give up my career. The only reason I gave it up and I’m here now is that I’d given ten years of service and was ready to come home. I missed this place.”
“We should head back inside, John.”
“You go first. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Leaving a soft kiss on my cheek, she whispered, “Do you still love her?” After I nodded, she added, “Then just tell her. She broke your heart for a very stupid reason. Hers has been shattered for ten years. You belong together, John. You know that in your heart. Forgive her for being a foolish young woman. We’ve all made mistakes in our lives. She’s paid for hers the last decade.”
Victoria stood up and walked back inside. I waited a couple of minutes before placing the green beret back on my head, stood and smoothed down my uniform, before wandering back inside to the function room. A few people were at the bar but most were now sat down to start the dinner service. Ordering a brandy from the bar, having picked up a liking for it while in France, I knocked it back slowly before I turned to gaze over the tables.
Striding towards the one I wanted, I met the eyes of everyone. Curiosity. A little fear. But one set of eyes looked at me with a mixture of lust, desire and love. A look I remembered seeing every day for many years while growing up. Removing my beret, I cleared my throat. “May I have this dance, Miss McGregor?”
There was no music playing, but I walked to her chair and offered my hand. Her hand was smaller, smooth skin compared to the larger, callused hands I’d been left with, escorting her to the dancefloor. Gazing up into my eyes, hers were glistening, her cheeks rather rosy before she rested her head against my chest, wrapping m arms around her in return. Humming a tune, we slowly swayed around the dancefloor. Very quickly, a slow song started to play, but no-one else joined us. This was our moment.
“I’m…”
I shushed her immediately. “Talk later. Let’s just enjoy the moment,” I whispered. I felt her start to shake in my arms after a couple of minutes, caressing her hair before lifting her chin to leave a soft kiss on her forehead. “Lots to talk about,” I added, just before the music started, “Do you still love me?”
“I never stopped for a single day for ten years, John.”
“Nor did I,” I finally admitted to myself, and to her. She was my first love. That’s always special.
I kissed her and nothing else mattered in that moment. The last ten years disappeared in a blink for a few seconds. It was our end of year formal again and we were the only two that mattered. Opening my eyes as I pulled back slightly, her eyes continued to gaze into mine, lifting my hand to caress her cheek. Only then did we both hear the whoops and hollers, turning to the table where our friends were on their feet, applauding, as were a few other people, no surprise her three close friends were crying. Hugging her tightly, we continued swaying until the song ended.
“About fucking time, John!” Mark called out.
“Get a room, you two!” Victoria added.
“I want an invite to the wedding!” someone else called.
Stephanie hugged me tightly. I knew we needed a very long discussion. More than one, to be honest. But right now, it didn’t matter. Resting her chin on my chest as she looked up at me, that smile I remembered so fondly, she said, “You look fit in your uniform. The Foreign Legion, John? Really?”
“Seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Her hands ran up and down my biceps. “You feel strong. You’re different.”
I proved that by picking her up in my arms, making her squeal and giggle, as I carried her back to the table, gently placing her down in her chair. No surprise a spare chair was found for me so I could sit next to her. She immediately grabbed my hand, resting her head against my shoulder. Then she started to cry again, turning to hug her. “I’m going to do this all night,” she murmured into my chest.
“Guess it’s my turn to apologise,” I said softly.
She leaned back and glared. “No. Never apologise. You have nothing to apologise for, John. Ever, ever, ever!”
“That’s you told,” Victoria said.
“But we do need to talk,” Stephanie added, “About a lot of things. Particularly that morning and…”
“We don’t have to. Vicki talked to me outside. I think I got the gist of everything.”
“I know, but I need to get it off my chest. Cleanse myself of the demons, so to speak.”
“Waited ten years for me?”
“I knew you’d come home,” she replied quietly, “And I knew you’d never stop loving me.”
“I didn’t. Tried to convince myself more than once. I didn’t know what would happen when I came back in here. Again, convinced myself I’d be stoic and emotionless. Clearly failed in that regard.”
The food was as fantastic. The girls kept me up to date with what had been going on for ten years. Photos from their weddings. Photos of babies and now young children. Gathering that had taken place over the years. The three marriages were as strong as ever. But whenever there was a group shot, Stephanie was alone, surrounded by happy couples.
I felt guilty. That when she put her left hand on top of my right, ensuring the ring I’d bought her was prominent. “You were always there with me, John,” she said softly.
“Once you two have sorted out your personal life, we need a barbecue,” Mark suggested.
“Good idea. I guess I have some catching up to do with your wives, right?”
“We know enough, John,” Cindy replied, “Just enough to keep Steph up to date, though we had no actual idea what you were doing.”
“No-one did. I told everyone I was an engineer, not that I was serving with the Foreign Legion.”
“Why not?” Stephanie wondered.
“Didn’t want the folks to sit and worry whenever I found myself deployed overseas. Plus, I get to wear this really cool uniform and know quite a few eyes are on me right now.” I turned to Stephanie. “What do you think?”
“You’re really fucking fit now, John. You just picked me up like I was nothing.”
“You get used to lifting much heavier things in the Engineering Regiment.”
“So you speak French?” she asked.
“Oui.” Playfully slapping my shoulder, she suggested I try something else. I took her hand in mine as I turned towards her. “Tu es toujours la plus belle femme du monde, Stéphanie. Je n’ai jamais cessé de t’aimer. Peu importe comment j’ai essayé. Toutes les femmes que j’ai rencontrées, je les ai comparées � toi.”
“What did you say?” she whispered. I leaned forward and whispered into her ear the translation. As soon as I finished, her arms wrapped around me as she sobbed. I shuffled forward and hugged her in return. “I didn’t deserve to hear that. Not after…”
“I’ve let the anger go, Steph. I did a long time ago. I just thought tonight would be awkward if you were here with some other bloke.”
“You were the only one for me, John. I’m so sorry.”
“I know. And I’m sorry too. How I reacted by just running away…”
“No. I hurt you more than I could have ever realised. I was so stupid. Can you forgive me?”
Leaning back, I wiped her cheeks clear of her tears before I kissed her again. By the time we broke apart, we were alone at the table, noticing our friends had gone to the bar. “I do wholeheartedly, but in the end, there’s nothing to forgive, Steph. We were eighteen at the time. We might be considered adults, but even mature adults make mistakes. Big mistakes. Sometimes life-changing mistakes. And Vicki told me why you suggested it, and you quickly understood how it hurt. Plus, I understand you got a dressing down from our friends.”