Character Sketch

My heart skips a beat as I watch him walk in, uniform and all. He’s handsome, and I blush. Too old for me I wonder. He smiles and nods in my direction, making his way through the packed coffee house. I’m glad I found the quietest spot in the joint, and as he sits down to join me I feel myself growing nervous. I introduce myself, and as he grabs my hand, I can feel the warmth of his palm between my fingers. Has he held a gun in this hand I wonder? Has he carried an injured partner I wonder? Noticing a scar on his upper cheek, I make a mental note to ask about it. He makes a witty comment about how packed it is, worse than The Other Side he smiles. I laugh, and grab my spiral. I slap my forehead and apologize for forgetting to ask if he’d like something to drink. After he shakes it off, he tells me he swore off caffeine after being deployed. He goes on to explain how it messed up his sleep cycle, and there isn’t anything worse than not sleeping well and adding to an already intensified paranoia. I feel so incredibly comfortable in his presence. I let him know, and he smirks, letting me know he has this effect on a lot of people. As I begin to ask questions, he leans back and relaxes, elaborating at every chance. 30 minutes becomes an hour as an hour becomes 2, and then finally 3, when we decide to meet again, somewhere new.