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We had the best six weeks to

gether, and then one day he was gone Nothing He vanished into thin air, and when I went to visit his house I was kindly and aardly told by his mother and little brother that he’d enlisted in the Marines and ay at training camp His sweet mother didn’t realize who I was at first, until it clicked that I was the coffee shop girl For a small town, Tank and I had kept our summer romance under wraps, perhaps a little too well It was all I could do backing off their neatly white-tri to run back to my best friend Kate’s car, hot with humiliation His mother chased e I knew it had been too soon to meet his faetting to know each other on hue I had wanted that time for us, I hadn’t asked a lot of questions, and I hadn’t acted like a stage-five clinger even though I felt ot the surprise ofto anyone

I mean, who does that? Who just disappears like that? It was the worst kind of ghosting I could iine, because when he left, he took my damn heart with him He stole an entire month of my life, where I ed in the dark I lost ten pounds andwithcoffee and cleaning toilets didn’t takemy pride in the foot

“Bea?” He catchesblue eyes I wish I could quit and warmth that radiates from his all too familiar chest that heaves with emotion

I let ut It’s unexpected for both of us, and Tank runt My punch did absolutely nothing to hi my sore knuckles His stomach is even harder than I recall Of course, he had onthose details

“Talk, Honeybee That’s all I want right now” Tank pulls ently outside the door and winks atat birds, as if we can’t see theuides me further down the ay, toward the tree-lined sidewalk reaching the mailbox at the end

I snatch lare at him hard with a look that hurts him more than my sucker punch

“Bea,” Tank starts

I push against his chest Clearly I haven’t learned he can’t be budged

“No I’ this with you” I can’t stand the way his uniforlow bluer and how his short hair almost looks a different color with his deeper tan I’m irritated at hoell he fills out his uniform and how badly I want to peel it off of him

“Doing what?” he pro me over

I step back and keep my arms protectively overYou didn’t even say goodbye You ghostedis for the weak and I refuse to appear anything but strong around this man

His brow furrows “I said goodbye that night at the bar”

I scoff If he thinks for a moment that was sufficient closure, he’s dumber than a box of rocks

He takes a step forward I take one back