#captain syverson x rosemary hill

[keanureevesisbae]

Summary: Rosemary Hill is twenty seven and lives in San Antonio, Texas. Not exactly by choice, but that's a story for a different time. When Captain Syverson comes back home, she finally gets to meet the legendary captain people have been boasting about. But one thing is certain: never is she falling for a military man. Not again.

Captain Syverson x Rosemary Hill (Asian OFC)

Wordcount: 16k

Warnings: Mention of death, some war flashbacks (nothing to graphic)

A/N: Believe it or not, this is what I call a story on the "shorter" side, lol. Also, I hit 700 followers and the number is growing, so for that: thank you so so much! I hope you enjoy this story, it's a little bit different from what I usually do when it comes to writing. Hopefully it won't disappoint. Please let me know what you think! I love your reactions 🥰

It had been three days since Sy got back home from his fourth tour and those days all went by in a blur. His parents picking him up from the airport flowed into eating his momma’s delicious food after those terrible rations and there is a possibility he might’ve slept for at least twenty hours straight.

His friends understood his need to acclimatize to San Antonio, Texas before hanging out. Every day they don’t see him though, just means they’ll go even more out out when they first see each other again.

‘Oh, darlin’,’ his momma says as they walk into the Oak, one of the most famous diners here. ‘I’m so happy that you’re here again. I always love it to show you off.’

‘I missed you too, momma.’ Sy wraps his arm around her shoulders and realizes he might’ve missed her more than he initially let in on. Back at the base he was all talk, saying how everyone shouldn’t be such babies and cry about how much they missed their families. The second however he saw his own momma when he got back on American soil, he nearly turned into a crying mess.

Emphasis on nearly.

The three of them sit in a booth, waiting for someone to take their orders. Nothing much changed around here, he thinks to himself. The loud noises, the smells and just the overall ambiance.

It’s like he never left.

One of the older waitresses says to them they’ll be helped in a minute and the blonde truly meant a minute, because not long after she left, someone else appears at their table.

Sy has zero recollection of her. Did she always work her?

‘Mister and mrs. Syverson,’ the beautiful waitress says with a smile, ‘what a surprise.’

He can’t detect an accent, meaning she probably isn’t from around here.

Momma holds the waitress’ hand into hers and says: ‘Darlin’, meet my son Luke. Luke, this is my favorite waitress here at the Oak, Rosemary.’

He holds out his hand and she places hers in it. Her hand nearly disappears in his and he is careful not to squeeze too tight, since she has quite a few rings on her fingers. ‘Nice to meet you,’ he says, ‘I’m Luke, but everyone calls me Sy, except my mom.’

Rosemary smiles as she shakes his hand. ‘I’m Rosemary, but everyone calls me Rose, except your mom.’ It’s obvious she is taking him in and she adds: ‘It’s nice to finally meet the infamous Captain Syverson. Heard a lot about you.’

That shouldn’t make a grown ass man blush, but it sure does anyway. Rosemary—Rose—is different than the gals around here. Not that the ladies who he grew up with are necessarily bad, but there is something quite different about this woman. Captivating eyes, deep dark brown hair and a lovely smile that makes his hearts to all sorts of somersaults.

Does this mean he has been on tour for way too long and he has missed female attention or that Rosemary is just the girl he always fantasized about when trying to sleep in the desert, making up scenarios that kept him going.

Dammit, how long does he know her? Thirty seconds, tops? He shouldn’t be hearing wedding bells already.

Rose pulls out the little notebook from her apron and asks: ‘How can I help the Syverson family today?’

She looks at his mom first, who wants some pancakes. Sy decides to order the same, because he is too flabbergasted to actually think about everything he saw on the menu he considered ordering. Rose averts her eyes from him to his dad and smiles at his old man. ‘The usual, sweetheart,’ he says with a friendly smile. His dad must really be keen on Rose, because he barely smiles at anyone like that.

‘And lemme guess,’ Rose says, ‘a cappuccino for the mrs., an espresso for mister Syverson and for the captain…’ Her eyes linger on him, as she bites her bottom lip, a hint of a playful smile still visible as she thinks about what kind of drink he fancies. ‘Either a beer or some water.’

Sy can’t stop his chuckle. ‘Beer is for after four in the afternoon,’ he says.

Rose simply shrugs. ‘Well, it’s four in the afternoon somewhere in the world.’

He can’t help but laugh a bit louder. She’s witty as well, he likes it. ‘Some water will do. thank you.’

‘Okido, coming right up.’

Sy watches her walk away, patting one of the older men around here on his shoulder, flashing him a beautiful smile of hers, before joking around a bit more.

‘She’s not from around here,’ Sy notes.

His momma nods. ‘She apparently moved here a few years ago,’ she says, ‘lives around forty minutes away from the Oak.’

‘She moved here for her fella,’ dad interrupts his momma. ‘Was also military.’ His father was a man of very little words—less than ten this time—but he always said enough.

He was speaking past tense, causing Sy to fear the most tragic outcome for a military relationship.

‘He died a year and a half ago,’ momma continues. ‘Poor girl, I cannot imagine what she went through. What was his name again?’

‘Brandon Mitchell,’ his dad answers.

Doesn’t ring a bell. Sy leans back in his chair. ‘Killed in action?’ he asks.

Momma nods. ‘Yes, he was in a different part of Iraq. I mean, I don’t know the details, but she had trouble moving away from here, because they got married, had a house here. She showed me a picture once: such a happy and beautiful couple.’

‘Must’ve been hard,’ Sy notes. He nervously moves his leg up and down, thinking about all those letters he had to write because young fellas were killed in action. He feared that one day his folks would get one. He knew the devastation. He’d seen it. He’d felt it.

Rose might be a magician, because she walks back with plates and a tray with drinks balancing on her arms. His dad grabs two plates from her left arm and places them in front of the right person. ‘This is why I love you, mister Syverson,’ Rose says, placing everything else on the table.

Momma holds Rose’s hand. ‘Darlin’, remind me again: where you originally from?’

‘Chicago, Illinois,’ she answers. ‘Why?’

‘Just wondering. My memory is not what it used to be.’

Rose smiles. ‘That’s okay. If you need anything else, then please don’t hesitate to let me know.’ She looks at Sy and he can see it: there is a lot of pain behind her eyes. She fabricates a smile on her face to mask it though. ‘Thank you for your service, captain.’

❃ ❃ ❃

Later that night, his friends have run out of patience, which is understandable. They’ve missed him, it became clear in their letters. When Sy arrives back home with his parents, all three of them are sitting on the porch. Hunter is the first one to jump up and with an illegal speed bumps into Sy. ‘Fuck me, did you just got a whole lot stronger?’ Hunter asks, mid hug.

Max and Zeke are quick to follow and Sy doesn’t want to admit it but: he missed his friends. He loves his comrades back in Iraq (though he’ll never admit it), but there is something different about these guys. They go way back: all the way back to kindergarten. It may be hard to believe now, but Sy used to be the smallest of the group, despite being the oldest. He was always the victim of their practical jokes. Thank heaves for puberty, because Sy outgrew all three of them in high school and was no longer the little one.

He was a captain in the making.

They didn’t join the military, all because they had academic careers to pursue. Zeke went to Harvard, Max went to Yale and Hunter to UCLA, leaving Sy back here in Texas.

Sy says goodbye to his parents, before walking off with his friends. It’s not ideal to still live with his parents, being able to afford a place for himself and all, but with the upcoming tours, he decided to wait with buying a house.

Maybe wait until he found someone. His significant other.

‘So, how was it with your folks?’ Zeke asks, as they are wandering over the empty road.

‘Was good. We went to the Oak,’ Sy says, actively trying not to think about the beautiful waitress again.

‘Oh, so you met Rosemary?’ Hunter chuckles.

How did he—

The guys all start to laugh at his astonishment he isn’t hiding well, like he usually does.

‘Your momma invited us over a few times while she was at the Oak,’ Max explains, ‘and you could say that she is absolutely smitten with Rosemary. I mean, all of our momma’s are actually. She apparently lived on the west part of town, still does, hence the reason we haven’t seen her around. I mean, I sure would’ve noticed here.’

‘She started working at the Oak a year ago,’ Zeke says. ‘She’s been quite the talk of the town ever since.’

Of course she is… Sy pushes his hands in his pockets, not quite knowing what to say, except getting inside his head. It must’ve been hard being a widow. Six months she spend grieving by herself, before she decided to start working at the Oak.

‘You know, I actually knew Brandon,’ Hunter says. ‘Okay, not like know know him, but I saw him around a few times at my uncle’s hardware shop, always boasting about his wife, how they were restoring his grandparents’ place. Great guy, shame what happened to him.’

Thankfully the guys decide to stop talking about Rosemary. That the woman keeps circling in his mind since the second he saw her is already bad enough. No need to add some fuel to the fire.

The four of them go to a bar downtown and all order a beer. It is after all four in the afternoon here and somewhere else. Sy chats a bit about what happened back at the base, but prefers not to talk about it too much, which his friends know and respect.

They always do.

The unbearable heat, the pain, the loud noises. It all flashes back in front of his eyes every now and then.

Thankfully Hunter is right there to distract him from the flashbacks, embarrassing himself singing at the karaoke. When Hunter sings a duet with an older lady, Sy notices his eyelids grow heaver. Not wanting to end the fun just yet, he decides to take a bit of a breather outside and tells his other two friends he’ll be right back.

With his second beer in his hand, he walks outside. Nights like this are his favorite. The bright stars, a huge contrast to the dark sky. Nothing beats the sky back here in Texas.

Sy lets out a content sigh and can’t help but smile.

He is home again.

Never in a million years did I expect to live in San Antonio, Texas. I was born and raised in Chicago and I always thought that place was my forever home. Until I lost my job and me and my friends decided to ignore our responsibilities and go road tripping. I could’ve known I would fall in love sooner or later, because that is such a Rosemary Hill thing to do.

I met Brandon in the first bar in Texas. Like almost all the bars here, you could ride a mechanical bull and if you could sit on it for a good thirty seconds, you’d win some sort of prize. I was tipsy enough to think I actually got a shot at winning that prize and miraculously enough, I didn’t fall off right away.

I managed to stay on it for a good ten seconds, before I was catapulted off onto the mat. I remember laughing, mainly to camouflage the slight humiliation I felt.

And then someone pulled me up.

He both looked handsome and adorable at the same time with his cowboy hat. I never pecked myself for someone who would fall in love for a guy who wore that type of hat, combined with a lumberjack blouse tucked into his jeans and some working boots. All my life had I been surrounded by men in suits of designer clothes.

However, I never felt this giddy feeling in my stomach about any of those men.

The guy smiled at me and asked whether or not I was okay.

I simply nodded, absolutely mesmerized by his beautiful light brown eyes. How could anyone be this gorgeous?

‘I’m Brandon, by the way,’ he said.

‘Rosemary, but you can call me Rose.’

That entire night we chatted away, drank a few drinks and eventually he brought me back to the hotel my friends and I were staying at.

The original plan was that my friends and I would leave Texas in a few days, but I couldn’t leave this place anymore. I couldn’t leave Brandon. I fell in love so quickly, it were tons of feelings mixed together that I had never felt before.

He showed me his grandparents’ place he was rebuilding for them. It was endearing to see how much he loved his grandparents, who raised him when his parents died when he was younger.

So I stayed. Though I knew nothing about rebuilding, I helped him out since I had nowhere to go and I just had to be with him. I knew he was in the military and I knew how rough that could be, but you know what they say: love makes blind.

With Brandon still here, he showed me everything. He showed me the beautiful places in San Antonio and despite the place being absolutely gorgeous, he said it could never be as breathtakingly stunning as me.

Right before his tour, he proposed to me, though we only were dating for three months. He promised me that when he got back, he’d marry me. So we did. He came back in one piece and got married at the tender age of twenty four. It was a small ceremony, just the two of us, our friends, his grandparents and my parents and two brothers.

After saying our “I do’s”, it took around three months before he had to leave again. It was the hardest goodbye I ever experienced in my life, but he told me that he would get home and that this would be his last tour. That we would start our own family together when he got back. Be the Mitchell Family.

It was indeed his last tour, just not the way I expected it to be.

Instead of the two of us being reunited, I had to bury him.

My entire life turned upside down. I became a widow at the age of twenty five and two weeks after I buried him, I was spending my twenty six birthday burying both of his grandparents, who died because of their broken hearts.

My friends and family told me to move back to Chicago, but I couldn’t. Everything that reminded me of my late husband was here. The apartment we lived in, the places we visited and his grave. I couldn’t leave that behind, go back to Chicago and start over like nothing had happened (despite everyone there insisting it would be in my best interest).

So, I stayed in San Antonio. I grieved here, I mourned here and spend my time in a town nearby, talking to other widows and widowers. They helped me to be able to not dwell in the hurt and sorrow, but to live my life like Brandon would want me to.

So after six months of intensively visiting support groups, talking to people about it, I got a job. Of course it was hard without Brandon, but this place feels like home.

More than Chicago ever did.

After a draining shift, I walk out of the diner towards my car. I cannot wait to actually be at home. I want a glass of wine and after the day I had, I wholeheartedly deserve that. But when I got in my car that is parked at the lot and I try to start it, the light blue beauty decides to just not start.

Really?

I lean back in the seat, already reaching in my bag for my phone to call someone. I get out of the car, trying to figure out how to pop the hood of this thing, but truth be told: I have no idea how it’s done.

‘Car trouble?’

The sudden deep voice late in the night causes me to get startled, but when I turn around, I can’t help but smile. It’s Captain Syverson, or as he introduced himself yesterday: Sy. ‘Is it that obvious?’ I ask with a smile.

He shrugs, trying to hide his amusement, but fails so miserably. ‘Maybe a little.’

‘Well, it won’t start and I can’t seem to pop the hood.’

‘Typical,’ he notes. ‘You can get the girl out of the big city, but never the big city out of the girl,’ he says with a smile toying on his lips.

I fake gasp, pretending that actually hurt my feelings. ‘Oh, aren’t you hilarious.’ I lean against the car and say: ‘You’re gonna keep making fun of me or are you gonna help me out and fix it?’

‘I can always try.’ He pops the hood with a certain ease that almost embarrasses me and checks the fuels and whatever is in there. I can’t help but look at Sy, especially at his buzzcut. It reminds me of Brandon, but unlike my late husband, Sy rocks a pretty thick beard along with it.

‘Try starting your car for me, if you will,’ Sy says and I get back in the car. I try to get it started, but it’s useless. The sorry sound the car produces is everything but promising. ‘Tricky,’ Sy mutters. ‘Think you need to call a tow to get to the garage.’

‘Really?’ I groan. ‘Great.’

‘I can call someone for you,’ Sy continues, standing in the door opening of the driver’s side. ‘I know a guy who works at both the towing company and owns a garage. He owes me anyway.’

I shake my head. ‘You don’t have to, Sy.’

‘It’s totally fine,’ he says, bringing his own phone to his ear. He walks around the door, to close off the hood of my car. I can hear him talking to someone, his thick accent even more prominent. While Sy is arranging something, I open the glove compartment to grab some stuff that the people in the garage don’t need to see. Some lady products, some cash for emergencies and—

A picture of Brandon and me.

It’s taken three minutes after we officially bought this car and the owner of the shop made a picture of us with his polaroid camera to celebrate the purchase.

I kinda forgot it was here.

The picture disappears into my own purse and I step out of the car at the same time Sy hangs up the phone. ‘He can tow it to the garage tomorrow,’ Sy says. ‘He is kinda busy now.’

‘Oh, okay,’ I say, locking the car after checking if I can leave it here without my personal belongings showing. ‘Then I’ll just start walking home. Thanks though for your help.’

‘I can offer you a lift.’

I smile and shake my head. ‘No, please, don’t bother. You already did plenty. I have two legs and I can use them, so…’ Sy lets his eyes wander over my legs, causing me to snap my fingers. ‘My eyes are up here, Cap, thank you very much.’

‘Excuse me,’ he says, not making eye contact, causing me to laugh. Never did I peck the captain for turning into such a shy mess. It’s kinda funny. ‘But please, let me offer you a lift. I know that in Chicago the independent woman trick works, but allow me to show you some Texan chivalry.’

I try not to laugh, but I can’t help it anyway. ‘Okay, sorry sir. Show me the way to your carriage.’

Sy chuckles. ‘It ain’t fancy, but it’ll bring you home.’

I could’ve known that he would drive a truck. Sy is a truck kinda guy and also someone too lazy to wash it. I think there is an inch of dust on it. He helps me in the truck and when he drives off, I can tell he is holding back a little.

‘Don’t mind me,’ I tell him. ‘Drive as you want. I can take it.’

Sy chuckles. ‘Lemme guess, you drive like the devil’s chasing ya.’

‘I do not,’ I say with a smile. ‘I’m a lovely driver. If I were an Uber driver, I only would have five star reviews.’

‘Sure.’ He leans back in his seat, obviously thinking about the right thing to say. ‘Sorry ‘bout my momma.’

‘Why?’ I ask. ‘Your mom is lovely. An absolute dear. I think she might be one of my favorite customers along with your dad.’

‘Really?’ Sy seems genuinely surprised, almost like we’re not talking about the same woman. ‘It’s just that sometimes she can be a bit nosy.’

‘It’s okay, she means well. Your dad is also really sweet. If I didn’t know any better, I would actually think he is ready to adopt me.’

He starts to laugh, a deep baritone filling the car. ‘You might be right. He always wanted a daughter, but my folks had some fertility issues. I am basically a lucky shot.’

I never knew that. ‘Oh, I’m so sorry to hear.’

He shrugs. ‘Well, thankfully for them, I’m a nice guy.’

‘That’s what you think.’

‘Watch your mouth,’ he snickers.

‘You should give them a great daughter in law,’ I say. ‘I don’t think you have to worry about that being an issue. You’ll find your special lady sooner rather than later. There is an entire line filled with women who want one date with the captain.’ I look out of the window, as the tension in the car thickens. That always happens when people know. ‘So,’ I say, ‘I take it that you know.’

‘Know what?’

A scoff escapes me. ‘Don’t play dumb on me, captain,’ I say with a chuckle. ‘I can tell when people know about what happened.’ It doesn’t make it less painful, though, but I don’t do well on beating around the bush. I’d rather have all the cards on the table.

‘I’m sorry,’ he then says. ‘It’s just that I… I know how hard it can be to talk about it.’

‘Yeah,’ I whisper.

‘I bet you miss him.’

I snort. ‘Every single day. You know, sometimes there is this hope. That one day I’ll wake up and it was all a nasty nightmare and that he is still there.’

Sy doesn’t say anything right away, but maybe that’s because he is thinking about his own time back in Iraq. He must’ve lost some important people in his life too. ‘What was his name?’ he asks.

‘Brandon,’ I answer. I grab the picture from my purse and hold it to the side, so Sy can see it. ‘That’s him,’ I say, ‘after we bought our car.’

‘Is it that car in the lot?’

‘Yeah…’

Sy nods. ‘I’ll tell the guys from the tow and the garage to be extra careful with it.’

It’s such a simple gesture, yet it hits me deep in my heart. ‘Thank you,’ I whisper, loud enough for him to hear it. I swallow hard, hoping I am not going to bawl my eyes out here in his truck. That would be such a lovely impression I’ll leave. ‘Really, it means a lot.’

‘Of course.’

I stare at the picture, a soft smile toying on my lips. I remember Brandon totally going out of his way to get the best car for the two of us. We spend around four hours in that shop, made at least five test drives with different cars when my eyes landed on the one I still own now. It was the light blue color that pulled me in like a magnet. Brandon caught me staring at it, before he sneaked up on me, wrapped his strong arms around my waist. ‘Why am I not surprised, miss “Can the bathroom tiles be baby blue, please?”.’

It was such a lovely day.

‘This is me,’ I say, pointing towards the blue home. Sy slowly breaks and comes to a halt. ‘Thanks for the ride. Do I need to do anything with the car?’

He shakes his head. ‘I’ve got this.’

We do swap phone numbers, give him the key of my car and with that I get out of the truck, after telling him not to get out. ‘Thanks again, Sy. I owe you.’

‘You don’t owe me anything, Rose. It’s all good.’

I flash him one more smile, before I close the door of his truck. I wave to him, before walking towards my house. Sy doesn’t leave, probably waits until I am inside.

My place is filled with memories and they start coming back to me right at the porch. I’d sit there, watching Brandon do some lawn work. I wanted to help him, but he told me that working in the burning sun wasn’t good for me. It wasn’t good for him either, but he was used to it, he always said to me.

When I open the front door and I’m inside, turning on some lights, I hear the truck pull up and drive off. I lean against the door, thinking about all the good memories I had with Brandon. Him bringing home dinner, him giving me a hug as he attempted to help me with making some snacks and him drawing me baths when I had one of those excruciating migraines. There were so many things he did and said that I loved about him.

I miss his touch, his kisses and the soft sweet nothings he would whisper in my ear.

My eyes land on one of the pictures and I hesitantly grab it. It was on our wedding day, our small wedding. I can’t believe it’s already been a year and a half years since he…

Left this earth.

Tears burn in my eyes and I walk to the living room, where I plop on the couch. Soft cries are now filling the living room. Not one hair on my head would’ve thought that this could happen to me. Sure, I saw it on the news and always felt for those families, but also thought that it could never happen to me. Then I started dating a man of the military, however I still thought that experiencing this type of loss was gonna happen in my future.

‘I miss you, Brandon,’ I whisper, leaning back in the sofa and hiding my face in my hands.

Since a few months, the days where it all hits me in the face with a bag of bricks are getting rarer, because I have given Brandon’s loss a resting place deep in my heart.

But today it’s one of those days again.

❃ ❃ ❃

I almost forgot my car was at the garage, mostly because my neighbor would give me a lift to the Oak, since it was on his route anyway. However, two days later when I’m standing in the kitchen, someone pulls up in front of my place. I peak out of the window, to see Sy getting out of the car.

Oh, there she is again, my beautiful car. I walk towards the door and smile widely when open it. ‘Captain Syverson, what a surprise.’

He chuckles as closes the door behind him. ‘I decided to be a real gentleman and bring you back your car.’ He throws the keys towards me and I catch them mid air. ‘Nice one.’

‘So tell me, how much do I have to pay?’ I ask him, as I approach him.

‘Nothing. It’s all on me, Rose.’

I glare at him. ‘Sy, please don’t do that. I can pay you.’

He nods and says: ‘I know, but see this as a little thank you for dealing with my parents, mainly my mom, when I wasn’t there. She cannot stop boasting about you. Think she is more proud of you than of me.’

‘Nonsense, she loves you a lot,’ I say to him. ‘She’s really proud of you. I think the moment I started working there till a day before you got back, you were all she was able to talk about.’ I cross my arms in front of my chest and say: ‘I wished my mom was like that.’

‘You’re momma ain’t proud of you?’

‘No, not when you have two academically gifted brothers.’ I hear my alarm go off back in the kitchen and say: ‘Oh shit, I’ve got something in the oven. I have to go, I’m so sorry, but I’ll make it up to you. Tomorrow, free food and drinks on me. Beer, espresso or a glass of water with whatever you want to eat.’

‘That’s not necessary.’

‘It is,’ I interrupt him. ‘But the offer only stands for tomorrow, so be there!’

He chuckles when I run towards the door. ‘See you tomorrow then.’

I hold up my hand and yell: ‘Thanks Sy, for the car.’

‘No problem.’

The fair wasn’t Sy’s idea. It was Hunter’s grand plan. Sy has been home for quite some time now, helping his folks with some yard work, while also hanging out with his friends and chatting his time away with Rose at the Oak. It has become a daily thing, where she tries to guess what he wants to eat and drink. She’s always right, because whenever she guesses something, he just says she’s correct, mostly because she starts to smile really wide and her eyes start to glimmer and the hurt disappears. It’s important for him to see that hurt dissolve, even if it’s for a few moments.

He saw that pain in her eyes, those tears and memories flashing through her mind when she was in his truck. He saw that picture of the two of them and they looked so happy. It pains him to know that behind every letter he writes, there is devastation. He always knew it, but he build a wall, making sure that it never got too close.

But with Rose, it does come a lot closer.

It is becoming painfully obvious to both him and his friends that he is developing some serious feelings for Rose. That’s why he can’t sit at the Oak with his friends anymore, though Rose never says anything about his not so subtle friends.

Does she even notice?

The loud noises, the flashing lights and the smell of cotton candy is around him everywhere. He watches Hunter trying to impress some lady, but he isn’t very successful in showing off, because she keeps laughing at him when he tries to shoot something. But maybe that’s his charm, because the woman isn’t walking away.

Zeke decides that enough is enough, because he walks up to the pair and give the poor fella some emotional support. That leaves Sy with just Max, who takes a sip from his beer. ‘So, when you gonna make a move on Rose?’

They have been avoiding the subject for at least an hour now, so it doesn’t surprise him that one or the other brought it up. Took him long enough. ‘I can’t, man.’

‘Why not?’ Max and Sy both sit down and lean against the backrest of the park bench. ‘It’s kinda obvious she doesn’t totally despise you. She always laughs at your stupid jokes.’

‘Tons of people do, because my jokes are good,’ Sy mutters. ‘Besides: I’m not going to talk about it anymore. She’s a widow, man. You can’t just assume she’s ready to date yet.’

Max can’t argue with that, because he simply nods. He has a grin on his lips, before he says: ‘Look, there’s your lady.’

Sy looks up—way too quickly—and sees Rose with two of her friends, who also work at the Oak. She looks different than she usually does at work. She swapped her jeans, the apron and black t-shirt with the Oak emblem on it for a tight floral dress, that accentuates her long legs. She’s quite a bit taller than her friends, hence the reason she probably doesn’t wear heels like the other two.

Rose runs her fingers through her black hair, holding a brown handbag in her hands. She looks around and her eyes land on Sy. She smiles widely when she notices him and waves.

‘Oh, look at that,’ Max chuckles, holding up his beer, as Sy holds up his hand. ‘Maybe we’re going too far by saying she likes likes you, but she definitely thinks you are a good friend.’

She does? Sy sure hopes she would. Rose excuses herself when a group of—utterly harmless—guys start to talk to them and walks over to Max and himself. ‘Captain,’ she says, ‘fancy seeing you here. Hi there, Max.’

‘Hi Rose,’ Max says. ‘You know, have a seat. I’ll see whether or not your friends could use some help.’ He gets up, leaving Rose and Sy by themselves.

Sy stands up, gesturing she should take a seat. He watches her sit down and smiles when when he takes a seat next to her.

‘You’re always such the gentleman.’

‘Raised well by my momma.’

‘Oh, I bet,’ she says with a beautiful smile, that only makes his heart race more. This crush thing is running outta hand. He feels like a teenager again, the way his stomach twists and turns in a good way whenever he is around her. He even dreams about her every single night. ‘So, any reason you didn’t come in today?’

‘Busted,’ Sy chuckles. ‘My momma needed some help.’

Rose tilts her head. ‘Is she okay?’

‘Oh, she’s fine, she just… Thought she could you know fix something herself, but kinda hurt herself in the process. She was trying to bake something.’

‘I see,’ Rose says, ‘well, if she needs anything, just let her call me. I think she has my number.’

Sy chuckles. ‘Ah miss Rose, you are too damn sweet.’

She simply shrugs, before taking a deep breath. ‘Want to do something here? Maybe win me a stuffed animal?’

‘What makes you think I can win you a stuffed animal?’

‘Training,’ she says. ‘I mean, you are going to be better than your friend Hunter over there. He is experiencing some severe trouble with the fishing, it’s almost getting pathetic.’

‘You can just say it’s pathetic,’ Sy says, already standing up. Rose follows his lead and together they walk towards one of the stands where he has to shoot little tins.

‘Ah,’ the guy behind the stand says, ‘if it isn’t mister Luke Syverson. I can see you are finally daring it again.’ He doesn’t even wait for an answer, because he turns to Rose—his eyes turning into heart eyes and he is not even hiding it, the son of a bitch—and says: ‘A few years ago, the captain came here as well, wanting to win something for a little girl whose dad couldn’t. Turns out he couldn’t as well.’ The man starts to laugh, causing Sy’s blood to boil.

Way to embarrass him.

‘Well,’ Rose says, not exactly impressed by what the guy is saying, ‘I think this’ll go splendid.’ She pats Sy on his underarm and says: ‘You can do it.’

He chuckles, but that is mostly to mask his slight awkwardness. ‘What do you want, sunshine?’

Rose smiles. ‘I want the giraffe.’

‘The giraffe comin’ right up.’ He grabs the toy pistol and holds it up. He is aware these things are rigged, so when the first shot goes astray, he needs to rethink his strategy a little bit. He moves the barrel a bit to the right, since the plastic bullets kinda went to the left. With that adjustment, he manages to shoot down all the tins.

The guy was right though, that a few years back Sy failed miserably, but he was different then. He wasn’t even a captain yet. He was filled with testosterone, wasn’t calm and had this desperate need to prove himself.

But that’s the past now.

‘Oh my, the captain did it,’ Rose squeals. ‘Kind sir, I’d like the giraffe second to the right, please.’

With a grumble, he hands Rose the giraffe and the two of them walk away from the stand.

‘You’re really amazing,’ Rose says. ‘You totally saw how the game was rigged and anticipated on that.’

‘You saw that?’ he asks in awe.

She nods. ‘Oh totally. I had an uncle, who worked at fairs. Honestly, I could’ve won the giraffe myself, but where’s the fun in that?’

Sy starts to laugh, patting himself on the chest. ‘You’re quite something.’

‘I like to surprise.’ Rose looks at the giraffe and asks: ‘What should I name him? I think he looks like a Sy, doesn’t he?’

His eyes land on the giraffe as well and nods in agreement, while he tries to keep his cool. ‘Yeah, he kinda does.’

Every minute he spends with Rose flies by, mostly because she is very easy to be around with. No tricks, no pretending, just her being her lovely self. She rolls her eyes, nudges his side every now and then when he is being an idiot and eventually manages to talk him into going on the ferris wheel. ‘Or is the brave captain Syverson afraid of heights?’ she teases him.

‘You’re walking on thin ice, missy.’

She pulls him with her to wait in line and after only a short wait, they step into the rickety cabs. The screechy noise it makes when he sits isn’t very comforting. Before they can put the shackles on their lap, he takes off his hoodie, leaving him only in his favorite red shirt.

‘Treating me on a strip tease?’ Rose asks with cocked eyebrows. ‘Captain Syverson.’ She pretends to fan herself with her hand.

He chuckles, before placing the hoodie on her lap. ‘Don’t want ya to flash anyone.’

She genuinely seems impressed, because she has a different type of smirk on her lips. There is something so effortlessly beautiful and gorgeous about her, he could look at her forever. ‘Thanks,’ she says. ‘That’s very kind of you.’

The cab slowly goes up and they stop nearly at the top. ‘Wow,’ she says in absolute awe, ‘I’ve never seen San Antonio from this height.’

‘You never been into a ferris wheel here?’

She shakes her head, while a nostalgic smile paints her face. ‘No, Brandon always thought the cabs were unsafe. Didn’t want to risk it, because he claimed he had precious cargo with him.’ Sy witness as she chuckles, but he knows that chuckle. It’s a masking one. He can see her fighting the tears.

Sy wants to respond, but she beats him to it.

‘You know, you might have to miss me for a week at the Oak. My parents decided to pay me a visit and entertaining them when they’re here is like a full time job. The country life compared to the high class life they are used to, is quite a lot for them to take in.’

‘I see,’ he says, trying to hide his disappointment. A whole week of not seeing her at the Oak? ‘You and your folks don’t… Get along well?’

‘It depends, but this week will be filled with them trying to convince me that moving back to Chicago is the right thing for me to do.’ She lets out a snicker and says: ‘I’ve always been a bit different and there are times where they absolutely hate it. Goodness gracious, it makes me sound like the main character of some stupid coming of age movie. So sorry.’

He simply shakes his head, not accepting her apology. ‘How are you different?’

‘I went to college, helped companies with their advertisements, but that wasn’t where my heart was. I hated the lack of social contacts, compared to my two brothers, who both work in IT and barely communicate with anyone.’

‘You’ve got brothers?’ he says. ‘Nice.’

‘Well,’ she says with a shrug, ‘it’s okayish. They do what my parents want: get married, start a family while they are in Chicago, close to my parents. I get fired because what I was doing at my job was lacking, go on an impromptu road trip with my friends to Texas, fall in love, marry a military man and then become a widow all before I’m thirty.’ She shakes her head as she stares over San Antonio, while the soft breeze blows through her hairs. ‘They try to guilt trip me into moving back.’

‘You don’t owe them anything,’ Sy says, as this feeling of protectiveness is taking over. His parents would never do such thing.

‘I know, I know. Thankfully they are staying in an inn, because having them in my house would probably tempt me to maybe smother them with my pillow. Sy, this is maybe too much to ask, but can I hide at your place from time to time?’

‘Of course, our door is always open for you.’

She smiles. ‘Thanks.’ She manages to tear her gaze from the view, to look at the giraffe, blinking away her tears. ‘It’s just that when they are here, I miss him even more.’

Sy nods, understanding how she’s feeling. He watches how she hides her face in her hands. For a few moments he contemplates whether or not he should do it, but hearing her sniffle makes him push all the doubts to the side. He wraps an arm around her shoulders and holds the giraffe in his other hand so it won’t slip out of the cab. ‘I understand,’ he whispers. ‘It’s hard.’

Rose leans against his broad body with her own, the contrast between them bigger and more noticeable than ever. ‘It went pretty okay these last few weeks,’ she says, ‘but the idea of my parents trying to pull me away from the place that I’ve come to love just makes it all come back.’

‘You don’t owe them anything,’ Sy says again, ‘remember that, okay?’

‘Yeah, thank you.’

‘You know, you can dump your parents with mine. I’ll tell my mom to put on her nonstop babble facade and your parents will flee Texas within twenty four hours. Mark my words.’

Thankfully she can laugh and hearing her giggle makes him chuckle as well. She dabs her tears from her cheeks and says: ‘I’ll keep it in mind, thank you, Sy. Really, thank you.’

❃ ❃ ❃

It’s been a few days since the fair and also since Sy last heard of Rose. She hasn’t asked him for his help and while he knows he shouldn’t be worried, he still is. He saw at the fair how only the prospect of her parents visiting was eating her alive and she said it herself: they are guilt tripping her into moving back to Chicago.

He wonders how she is.

Sy wanders around the streets, only to see the beautiful long legs of Rose. She sure knows how to accentuate them: the jeans shorts paired with the flats that match her top. He remembers her glare when he was staring at them.

Rose is looking at some flowers at the florist, while there are two people standing behind her. It doesn’t take the results of a DNA test to tell him that they are obviously her parents.

She must feel someone staring at her, because she looks up. Her smile grows wider and starts to wave at him. ‘Sy, hey!’

Okay, now he should go to her. He walks up to them and she mouths to him: ‘Thank you.’ She turns to her parents and says: ‘Mom, dad, this is my friend Sy. Sy, these are my parents. Roger and Chae-won.’

Her parents barely look at him and he receives a ‘you see what I’m dealing with’-look of Rose. ‘Nice to meet you,’ Sy says, trying to be the bigger person here, though he already is experiencing some issues.

Her mom simply nods at him and her dad doesn’t even spare him a glance. Who do these people think they are and how did they manage to have a lovely daughter like Rose?

He turns his attention to Rose, whose smile directed towards him makes all the anger and annoyance building up inside him disappear like ice in the sun. ‘Buying some flowers?’ he asks her.

She nods. ‘Was thinking about it. Does your mom like roses?’

Oh she’s bold, wanting to buy flowers for his mom, while her own is standing close by. ‘Only the yellow ones.’

‘Oh, she’s a strange one,’ she chuckles. ‘Can tell you’ve got that from her.’ She sticks out her tongue and adds: ‘I’ll buy your mom some flowers and—’

‘Rosemary, you wanted to have something to eat?’ her mother interrupts.

‘—maybe we can meet your parents at the Oak?’ Her eyes tell him the ‘please’ she is not saying out loud.

He thinks about the promise he made her in the ferris wheel. ‘Of course, they are already there, was actually going to meet them.’

‘Let me buy some yellow roses and we’re ready to go.’

❃ ❃ ❃

Rose is much more comfortable with Sy’s parents than her own, which tells Sy enough about her relationship with her parents. She pulls his momma into a hug, gives her the roses and even his dad is on the receiving end of Rose’s slightly desperate hugs.

His momma told him a few nights back that she invited Rose a couple times over, but she only accepted once. They kept saying how she is pretty closed off, barely spoke about her personal life. While his parents were slightly disappointed in themselves that they didn’t make Rose feel comfortable enough to share her personal life with them, it made him feel special, because he got to know her. He got a peak into her heart and figured out about what bothered her, including the slightly sour relationship she has with her folks.

Rose introduces his parents to her own and while Sy could barely muster up the politeness his momma taught him, his parents are themselves. His momma can’t shut up, his dad simply observes it all, while both are the prime example of the Texan friendly.

Rose walks towards the bar and takes a seat there, as she places her arms on the wooden table top, before dropping her head on them. ‘This is horrendous. It’s only been three days, but it feels like eternity already.’

Sy spend what? Fifteen minutes with them and that alone already felt like an eternity. ‘Your parents are quite something, indeed.’

‘Quite something?’ She starts to laugh. ‘They are awful and that’s not even bad enough to describe them. It was all: “Rosemary, you have to come back to Chicago” and “Rosemary, San Antonio is not a place for a woman like you” and “Rosemary, Brandon has been buried for a year and a half now, it’s time to go back home now”.’ She groans. ‘They don’t understand that this is my home now. It’s almost like they do not take into consideration that this is the place where I’m able to mourn and to accept the fact that my… my… that Brandon is never coming back.’

Sy can’t help but admire Rose, for being able to talk about her trauma in the way she does. He has learned that over the years, resulting in him being a tiny bit more open about it, but still, it’s hard for him. His parents barely know anything that happened back in Iraq, nor do his best friends.

But Rose can say what’s pressing on her heart, what’s bothering her and somehow is able to articulate well.

It’s a skill he’ll probably never master.

‘You know,’ he says, ‘you can take a break from if you want. Say that you have something to do.’

‘Like what?’

‘An emergency with a friend? Really, momma doesn’t mind, neither does dad. Besides, Hunter owes me one.’

She scoffs. ‘You can’t just hand the favors people owe you to me, Sy.’

‘Doesn’t matter. Come on, just act along, will you?’ He flashes her a smile, hoping that’ll make her say yes.

She starts to laugh. ‘Okay, captain, whatever you say.’

Sy and Rose slide off their bar stools and walk towards the table, where his momma is still talking and her parents are obviously bored. ‘Rose and I gotta go,’ he says, ‘Hunter really needs our help.’

Dad immediately gets that it’s fake, but he simply nods. ‘Say hi to Hunter from me, will ya, son?’

Sy simply nods and his momma sees this as a moment to distract Rose’s parents even more, because she starts babbling about how Sy and Hunter have been best friends since forever. ‘Oh, wait, I have a picture with me,’ momma continues and the two of them sneak away.

‘Oh my goodness, did you see their faces?’ Rose laughs once they’re outside. ‘That was absolutely hilarious. Thank you so much, Sy. I could use this break.’

‘Not a problem,’ Sy says, happy to see her a bit more livelier than a few moments earlier.

They arrive at her car and she lets out a sigh, as she probably thinks about her husband. He can see it in her eyes. Before he can think about it, the question leaves his lips. ‘Please forgive me if this is too intruding, but I was wondering if you ever see yourself with someone else?’

She nods. ‘It’s not intruding, Sy. I understand,’ she says in a soft voice and he can’t detect any form of annoyance or that she’s offended. ‘It’s a question I ask myself a lot. I really hope that I’ll find someone that I’m happy with. Brandon told me on our wedding day that if anything ever happens to him, I should find someone better than him. Have yet to find him, but I keep having hope. I kinda want a family one day and you sorta need two people for that.’

Sy nods, taking it all in.

‘Do you see it happening?’ she asks. ‘When your men die and their widows remarry? Have kids and all? Move on?’

‘It happens,’ he says. ‘It’s not easy, but it happens.’

Rose unlocks the car and mutters: ‘Thank the heavens.’

Thankfully my parents have packed their things and basically fled Texas. I think that if I were to spend one more minute with them, I might’ve killed them. Of course, I love my parents, but with their pushiness of wanting me back in Illinois, while I found my forever home, spending time with them is actually becoming unbearable.

I’m back to work at the Oak again and I see Sy and his friends Hunter, Zeke and Max sitting at their favorite table. I don’t know what it is about Sy, but I really like being around him. It’s just that he is so likable and easy to be around with. I can talk about everything when I’m with him. Maybe it’s because he is also in the military. Talking to him about losing Brandon, didn’t feel like I was sharing my sad sob worthy backstory, more like I was showing a part of myself no one had ever known before.

‘Howdy fellas,’ I say with a smile when I approach their table.

‘Finally, you’re becoming a real Texan girl,’ Hunter chuckles.

‘I’m learning, I’m learning.’ I pull out my little notebook and say: ‘Okay, you guys better want to order something. Lemme guess, a beer?’

‘While it’s definitely four in the afternoon somewhere,’ Sy says, ‘an espresso will do, sunshine.’

The nickname shouldn’t make my heart beat a whole lot faster, but it sure does. Is there a possibility that I… Like him? I quickly write down the rest of the orders and Hunter wouldn’t be Hunter if he didn’t suggest: ‘And how about a little bit of your time?’

‘In your dreams, lover boy,’ I say, smacking him in the back of his head with the notebook. ‘Be right back, boys.’

As I’m sitting at the bar, waiting for my friend and colleague Lottie to prepare the drinks, I feel someone looking at me. I peak over my shoulder, only to meet Sy’s eyes, who quickly averts them.

‘Oh look at that, it’s happening again,’ Lottie notes. ‘The handsome captain is drooling over you, the Rosemary Hill.’

‘Oh shut up,’ I say. ‘He is not—’

‘Into me,’ she interrupts me rolling her eyes. ‘Why is it so hard the believe that he does?’

‘What’s so hard to believe?’ the cook Harold asks.

‘That Syverson is into Rose.’

The cook smiles. ‘He is very into Rosemary,’ he says, before disappearing into the kitchen again.

I let out a sigh. Isn’t it fantastic that people I work with are thinking about the matter like this, and to make things even worse: are talking about this. ‘You done?’

‘Nope.’ She places the three drinks on the tray, as we’re still waiting for the espresso. ‘Really, Rose, I don’t understand. Why don’t you ask him out? What is stopping you?’

‘Well one: he does’t like me. Two: I am not asking him out, because I might be a bit more old fashioned than you think. And three: I made a promise to myself. Never a military man again.’

Lottie nods, understanding where I’m coming from and says: ‘Well, fair enough. The last reason though. I’m not too sure about the first one. Really, he likes you. It’s literally not even subtle anymore how much he is crushing on you.’

‘You done now?’

‘Almost. There is one more thing I want to say: it’s not bad to start dating him or at least develop feelings for him. You are doing great and you said yourself that Brandon wouldn’t mind if you started dating someone, maybe even something that would grow into more.’ She places the espresso on the tray and says: ‘That’s all and I will end it with that piece of wisdom. Here you go, sugar.’

I’m still a bit dazed with everything she said and I simply nod. ‘Thanks.’ I place the tray on my arm and walk towards the table, trying not to have Lottie’s words go to my head. ‘Okay guys, here you go.’ I give the guys their respective drinks and they all say a thank you.

Sy smiles and gives me something special: ‘Thanks, sunshine.’

I place my hand on his broad and strong shoulder, before I can even think about it. I gave him a hug a few nights back and this big tree of a man gives great hugs. ‘You need anything else?’

‘No,’ they all say. ‘Thanks Rose.’

‘Of course.’

When I step away from the table, it only takes a few seconds before Sy caught up with me. ‘Rose, please, wait up.’

I turn around, a little worried. Did I give them the wrong order? No, he ordered an espresso, that I didn’t mess up. My palms get sweaty. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Nothin’, I just have a question.’

‘Okay, ask away.’

Sy takes a deep breath, as his eyes dart through the Oak. ‘You want to do something tonight? With me?’

Lottie is gonna freak out if she hears about that. I hate that there is a possibility she is right, about both his side and my side. ‘Of course. What did you have in mind?’

Sy looks and acts like such a tough guy, but I see some cracks in his facade. He is relieved, but also a little bit nervous. ‘Drive in theater?’

‘You want to go with me to a drive in theater?’ I start to beam with excitement. ‘Wow, I would love that. Very original, captain.’

He cocks an eyebrow, before he chuckles. ‘You really want that?’

I nod. ‘Of course, I’d love to. It’s been a hot minute since I did that.’ I can already feel this thing bubble up deep inside of me. It’s a familiar feeling, however.… I can’t let that happen. ‘As friends,’ I quickly tell him. ‘Strictly as friends, Sy.’

He frowns, but then he nods in understanding. ‘Of course. As friends.’

❃ ❃ ❃

For someone who is going out with a friend, I sure as hell take a lot of time perfecting my appearance for it. The midi yellow dress with small flowers on it, paired with some white sneakers will have to do it for tonight. I curled strands of my hair to create some beach waves and my make-up is light, with some pink lipstick and nude colored eye shadow.

I walk downstairs to pack my purse, when I pass a few pictures of me and Brandon. One of the pictures was taken by my Chicago friends, when Brandon hoisted me up after I was launched off the mechanic bull. The other pictures are from our dates within the first three weeks of dating. Restaurant, coffee dates and long walks through parks and the city.

‘I’m going on a date,’ I whispers, ‘just as friends. Obviously. I know you said I had to move on if something ever happened to you, but it’s so much harder than I originally thought. I actually think you’d like him.’

I grab one picture of the wall, one that is just of him. I made that picture on the night before our wedding. I can’t stop smiling at the picture and after I dabbed some stray tears away, the doorbell rings.

Quickly I place the picture back on the wall, grab my purse and rush to the door. ‘Hi,’ I say with a smile.

‘Hey sunshine,’ Sy says, ‘you ready?’

‘I’m as ready as I can ever be.’

Sy helps me in his truck, before he gets in himself. ‘Okay, so I’m sorry about the movie choice, but it’s Speed. There wasn’t another and—’

‘You mean Speed with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, also the masterpiece of the 90s?’

He frowns. ‘Yes, that one. I take it that you don’t mind?’

‘Mind? Sy, we’re going to watch Keanu Reeves on a big screen. That I would never mind: it’s a treat for the eye.’ I clap my hands in excitement and say: ‘I mean, you’ve got Sandra Bullock to look at, while I’ll drool over Keanu Reeves.’

‘I’ll make sure to hydrate you from time to time.’

I nudge his side. ‘Shut up.’

‘I brought snacks by the way. I wanted to bring some chocolate, but I was afraid it would melt, so I got chips, some salty snacks and drinks. I heard there is an ice cream stand there, I can buy you something, if you want.’

‘Is that even a question? You can always buy me ice cream.’ I lean back in the seat and take a deep breath. ‘So, what did you do for the rest of the day?’

‘Just hanging with the guys,’ he says.

‘When are you going back?’

‘In two weeks,’ he answers. ‘I got a couple of weeks extra.’

I nod. ‘You’ll be missed,’ I admit. ‘I don’t think I’ve seen your parents this happy in the time I’ve known them.’

Sy chuckles, but that’s more to mask the hurt. He always puts on such a brave face, but I know he is in pain. He just buried it deep. ‘I know.’

‘Do you have ambitions to always be in the military?’ I ask.

He slows down the car, as we’re all getting in line for the drive in theater. ‘I don’t know.’ He sighs deeply as his fingers drum on the steering wheel. ‘I don’t want to, but it’s the only thing I know.’

I barely seen Sy so vulnerable. Usually it’s him listening to my sorrows, but now it’s the other way around.

And that does things to my heart.

‘You have skills, Sy,’ I say. ‘Plenty. I mean, you’re a natural leader, you can detect danger from a mile away and you’re brave. I think there are plenty of working fields that can’t wait for you to join.’

‘Like what?’

‘With your driving, you could drive an ambulance, or just become a police officer.’ I gasp when I realize something. ‘No, wait, you should become a firefighter. That is such a job for you. One time, like a few months ago, there was a gas leak in my street and they were so sweet and swift. I got to ride along the truck to a hotel for the night. Two days later, they came to have dinner at the Oak, recognized me and told me all the specifics about the gas leak. I think you’d be perfect for that.’

Sy nods. ‘You know, I’ll think about it.’ He receives two tickets from the man in the orange vest, who tells us where we can park. ‘What about you?’ he asks, driving slowly towards our destination. ‘You want to continue working in the Oak?’

‘I kinda want to. It’s such a lovely place and I finally get to do something I really enjoy. It doesn’t pay quite well as my previous job, but the interactions, the jokes and the people really make up for it.’

Sy smiles. ‘You’re probably my favorite waitress,’ he says. ‘Guess it runs in the Syverson genes.’

❃ ❃ ❃

Time spend with Sy is absolutely lovely and goes by so quickly, because we’re having so much fun. I’ve never been this long with him one on one. I mean, he helped me with my car, we sat in the ferris wheel together at the fair, but this is different. While I specifically wanted this to be two friends together, it doesn’t feel like it. It feels like my first official date with Brandon.

The jitters, the nerves. It’s all present.

And I hate myself for it.

The movie is all finished, but Sy and I are still talking in his car. He has been mindlessly driving around, as we share stupid stories about when we were younger. It turns out he was quite the dare devil as a kid, always doing slightly stupid stuff, however, according to Sy himself, he totally outgrew that.

‘Shame your hair’s gotta go,’ I note. ‘I really like the slightly longer hair. Never knew you had curls.’

‘I’m full of surprised.’

‘I’ve always wanted curls,’ I say, ‘but it wasn’t in the stars for me.’

‘You’ve got some curls,’ Sy says, as he stops in front of my place.

‘Those are made with a curling iron, Sy,’ I chuckle. ‘My hair is as straight as a piece of paper.’

‘Well, it suits you,’ he says with a shy smile.

I turn to the side, so I can look at him a little better. Sy unbuckles his seatbelt and copies my moves. Despite it becoming dim outside, I can still see his beautiful features.

Am I falling for him?

I made a promise to myself, never a military man again, however… That was before I met Sy. I heard a lot about him, but that was mainly from his mother. Of course she would boast about him, so I felt like she was very biased, but meeting him and getting to know him…

It made me feel things I haven’t felt in so long.

I bite my lip, our eyes linking. ‘What?’ I ask him.

He shakes his head. ‘Nothing, just… You look beautiful.’

Oh no, that is totally making my face heat up and my stomach do all sorts of gymnastic tricks.

The entire mood in the truck is changing. There are so many things I’m thinking about. Feeling his lips on mine, actually moving on… It feels like betraying Brandon, but on the other hand it also feels right. Especially because it’s Sy.

Sy leans in closer and he is a few inches apart from my lips when panic is taking over and I push him off of me. ‘What are you doing?’ I ask him.

He starts to stammer. ‘I’m sorry, I thought… I thought it was okay.’

‘You thought, Sy,’ I say, my tone a lot angrier than I intended. ‘You cannot just kiss me.’

He runs his hand over his short hairs. ‘Why not? Didn’t you feel what I felt?’

Yes. I clench my jaw, as break our eye contact. ‘I can’t do this. I mean, I like you and I think I like you a whole lot, but we can’t happen.’

‘Why?’

‘Because, Sy, I can’t lose you too,’ I snap. ‘I can’t have you going back to Iraq, while I wait here, praying you will come back alive. Receiving a phone call, a letter and attend a funeral? Burying someone I so deeply care about? I cannot go through that again. Not as your girlfriend at least.’

Sy sighs deeply.

‘I finally managed to give Brandon a place in my heart, but I will not get into something, with a possibility to redo the entire traumatic event. I’m not doing that.’

‘I understand,’ he says. ‘I’m very sorry, Rose, I totally overstepped.’

I have no idea what to say to him anymore, so I simply nod. ‘I’ve got to go. I’ll see you later.’ I get out of the truck and without looking back I walk towards my porch and open the door. When I close the door behind me, tears roll over my cheeks.

I slide to the floor and deafening cries fills my house. Why does it have to be so hard? Why is moving on so damn difficult? I thought that when I would fall for someone, it would be the real deal, but of course I fall for someone in the military again.

My phone peeps and I let out a yelp, before checking my screen.

Sy: I’m so so sorry, Rose. I shouldn’t have done that.

Sy: Please forgive me.

I take a deep breath and wipe away my tears, before I type something back to him.

Rose: It’s okay

But is it really though?

Sy made the biggest mistake he ever could’ve made. He regrets overstepping all sorts of boundaries, he regrets following his heart, thinking it was the right choice. Does he have that poor of an instinct or is it only because this is different than a war zone? This is his personal life, maybe he is an idiot in that department.

He has had girlfriends, but whenever shit got too serious, he was the one to break it all off, because he was afraid. Now he thought he finally met the woman of his dreams and he screws up big time.

He actually doesn’t want to go to the Oak anymore and somehow managed to not go for an entire week. But the moment he has to leave for Iraq is drawing closer and closer and his mom is forcing him to go, especially because he is leaving tomorrow. She is insisting on having one more meal at the Oak with him, his dad and his friends.

And dining at the Oak means seeing Rose.

Only his friends know about the date he and Rose had—as friends—and they also know how much he screwed up.

Together with his folks, Hunter, Zeke and Max, he sits down at their favorite table. Rose walks up to them and in a cheery voice she asks: ‘Good afternoon everyone, what can I get you?’

Sy however can jab right through that fake cheeriness. He is totally making it awkward for her and he hates that.

As everyone is ordering and she writes it all down, he cannot tear his eyes from her. She looks effortlessly beautiful today, but when doesn’t she? ‘Sy?’ she asks. ‘Can I get you anything?’

‘Yes, an espresso and an omelette, please.’ The nickname ‘sunshine’ nearly escapes his lips, but he holds it in. No need to make it more awkward.

She nods and that’s the moment his momma takes ahold of Rose’s hand. ‘It’s his last day. Tomorrow he’s leaving.’

‘Oh,’ Rose says, looking at him immediately. Something’s changing in her eyes, but he can’t seem to detect what exactly it is. ‘I see. Well, make sure you tell me when you leave.’ And with that she walks away to get their orders in.

Time passes by slowly and while his momma cannot stop talking, he barely is listening to her. It’s Zeke who nudges him and manages to break him away from his thoughts. ‘You okay, man?’

‘Yeah, I’m fine,’ Sy mumbles, but in all honesty, he isn’t. He hasn’t felt this bad in ages. He runs his hand over his freshly shaved buzzcut and sighs. ‘What do I say to her?’ he then asks. ‘When I tell her goodbye?’

‘You let her talk,’ Zeke tells him. ‘It’s important to know what she has to say, okay? When the time is right, tell her that you’re sorry.’

He excuses himself from the table after they paid and walks over to Rose, who sits at the bar, enjoying her break. ‘Hey,’ he says.

She looks up with a smile. ‘Hey Sy.’ She places down her phone and turns sideways. ‘So, you’re leaving tomorrow?’

He nods. ‘I am.’

Rose bites her lip and places her hand on his arm. ‘Sy, listen, I am so sorry for… For what happened in the car.’

He shakes his head. ‘No, if there is someone that needs to apologize, it’s me, Rose. I had no right doing such thing.’

She slides off the barstool and wraps her arms around his shoulders. He pulls her tightly against his body, and buries his face in her shoulder. ‘I’ll miss you, Sy,’ she tells him. ‘Just make sure you’ll come back.’

‘I’ll make sure of that,’ he says, tears burning in his eyes. Never was saying goodbye so hard, but it sure is when he has to say it to her. Never in his life did he feel so alive, so seen.

Rosemary Hill sure changed his life forever.

When she pulls back from the hug, she holds his face in her hands and sighs, before letting go of him completely. ‘Be careful out there.’

He nods. ‘I will.’

❃ ❃ ❃

It has been a few weeks since he left San Antonio and exchanged his home town for Iraq. Sy already received multiple letters from his mom, a care package from his dad and some gifts from his friends. Secretly he hopes that one day he’ll get a letter from Rose.

He really wants a letter from her. He misses her so much.

Sy has been thinking about what she said: about him joining the fire department. It would mean he’s closer to his family, his friends and closer to her. Rose told him she liked him, meaning that one day she could give him a shot. Give him the opportunity to show her that he can treat her right. Treat her the way she deserves.

And if that means that this is his last tour, then so be it.

‘Yo captain,’ he hears from behind him. ‘You got a package. They really miss you at the home front.’ He receives the package handed to him and when he opens it, he sees it’s…

Sy the giraffe.

The same stuffed animal he won for Rose at the fair. He grabs the letter out of the box and opens it, her neat handwriting all over the page.

Sy would be lying if he said that the letter did him nothing, because it does all sorts of things to him. He dabs his eyes dry and stands up, rereading the letter over and over again. She likes him, that’s the most important thing in it, but he shouldn’t forget that she’s scared as well.

He understands. If he were in her position, he’d be scared too.

❃ ❃ ❃

Weeks have gone by and Sy finally is able to call home. He has a few minutes to call one person. Normally he’d call his momma or one of his friends, but now he dials a different number. One he knows by heart.

‘Hello,’ he hears from the other side of the line and his breathing stops for a second. Sy missed hearing Rose’s voice. After her letter, he send one back. Telling her that he understands, that she should only do things when she is ready for it and when she is, that he’ll be right there waiting.

‘Hey Rose, it’s me,’ he says. To clarify—even though he probably doesn’t have to—he adds: ‘Sy.’

It stays eerily quiet from the other side of the line. He is afraid she hung up, but then she says: ‘Sy… How are you?’

‘I’m better now that I’m hearing your voice,’ he says. ‘I missed you.’

He hears her chuckle from the other side of the line. ‘I missed you too. I just got your letter today.’

‘Really?’ he asks. ‘Oh.’ That shouldn’t make him doubt this much, yet it does.

And then he hears a sniffle come through from the other line. Oh no, Rose is crying and he isn’t there to comfort her.

‘Rose? Are you okay?’ he asks. ‘Sunshine, please talk to me.’

‘I’m sorry,’ she hiccups. ‘It’s just that… It’s so hard. Being on this side of the line again, especially with the way we said our goodbyes.’

‘No, no, please don’t say that. It’s okay. It’s all okay, sunshine. Don’t feel bad about it.’

‘But how can’t I feel bad about it? I pushed you away, Sy. I let you go to Iraq without telling you that… That I… That I’m falling in love with you.’

That takes him by surprise. ‘What?’ he asks. ‘You are?’

‘Yes and it’s scaring me. The whole falling in love again, especially because it brings back all sorts of memories. I know that one day I have to move on and I… Oh my goodness, I can’t say it. I’m sorry, Sy. I’m so sorry.’

And with that she hangs up.

❃ ❃ ❃

Sy is happy to touch American soil again. It has been a long couple of months, especially after that phone call with Rose. It was the last time he spoke to her. He didn’t receive a letter, he didn’t dare to call her again and the only thing that he has from her left is her first and only letter and Sy the Giraffe.

The giraffe plushie is securely packed in his bag and he steps out of the plane. Walking that distance from the plane to the ever-growing crowd. He sees his parents and he starts walking a little bit faster. Momma pulls him into a tight hug and starts to cry, like she always does. ‘I missed you, darlin’. Oh, have I missed you.’

‘I missed you too.’ Sy pulls his dad into a tight bear hug. The three of them walk towards the parking lot, his momma telling him all the things he needs to help her with. He starts to laugh at her, because he truly missed her a lot.

When they reach the parking lot, he starts to frown. Is that…

It has to be.

One, it’s the same light blue car she owns and two, those legs he recognizes from anywhere. He hands his bag to his dad, before walking up to her. ‘Rose?’ he asks.

She nearly jumps when she hears his voice, too much into her own thoughts. Hastily she pushes her hair out of her face. ‘Sy,’ she says in a breathless tone.

‘What are you doing here?’

My entire brain has been a mess the day I said my goodbyes to Sy. I had no idea how much impact him leaving would have on me, but it isn’t surprising. It brought back all sorts of memories, of me and Brandon, but also the moments Sy and I had shared.

Not seeing him with his parents or just by himself in the Oak, felt like such a void in my days. These passed few months have been so rough on me.

First I thought I made the right decision, but then I wandered around my house and found the letters Brandon wrote me. All those memories, those sweet words he wrote me, as an answer to everything I wrote him.

So that’s what made me write a letter to Sy and I got one back. I couldn’t believe he send me one back. That feeling of euphoria when I received that letter, was quickly accompanied by a phone call that haunts me to this day.

After that, time has been going by so super slowly and despite my best efforts to forget about it, put it all behind me, I have been thinking about him non stop. Did I just make it worse or is it for the best?

His parents however kept inviting me and I continued to accept, maybe because that was the closet to Sy I could get. Hearing all those stories about him and what he was like when he was younger, plus seeing those pictures about him, made it all a little bit easier, but harder at the same time.

If that makes sense at all.

So, I decided to go back to that support group I went after I buried Brandon, met up with Claudia, who leads the group and sat down with her. I told her everything, from start to finish and she simply nodded, had a question here and there and asked me if I wanted advice or not. Thankfully she did ask me that, because I was too afraid to ask her for some well needed advice.

‘Honey, you need to stop getting into your head, because it’s causing you to be in a downward spiral,’ she told me. ‘Also tell me and be honest with me: are you falling in love with Luke Syverson?’

And the answer was yes.

I was falling in love with Sy.

I had a lot of unused vacation days, so I took all of them and spend my time at either the cemetery or at my place, thinking about moving on, then hesitating, then crying a little bit and then thinking about Sy or Brandon again.

My brain is fried, everything in there is scattered.

But I’ve come to one conclusion: I am in love with Luke Syverson. So in love.

And now I’m here again. At the airport. Deep down I want to join the rest of the crowd, the rest of the happy families who are awaiting their loved ones. It’s just that I can’t. Nausea is taking over and I nearly puke all over the parking lot. I can’t do this, it’s too much for me.

‘Rose?’ I hear the familiar voice behind me.

With lightening speed I turn around and it almost makes my head spin. ‘Sy,’ I manage to say.

‘What are you doing here?’

Don’t you dare turn into a nervous mess, Rose, don’t you dare. But the fact that Sy looks so handsome in his uniform isn’t helping.

‘I’m so sorry,’ is the first thing that rolls out of my mouth. ‘I actually wanted to wait for you right there, but when I got out of the car, I got a severe case of paralyzing nerves and painful memories and I didn’t want you to see me holding my own puke in my hand, so I decided to wait here. But then I freaked out again and… Oh no, I’m babbling, just like your mom. No offense, by the way. Your. mom is really sweet and what I said was pretty mean. I’m sorry.’

He takes off his cap, pushing it in his pocket. ‘Sunshine, what are you doing here?’

Oh, I missed that nickname. ‘I wanted to say I’m sorry,’ I say. ‘I shouldn’t have hung up on you like that. It’s just that I started bawling like a baby when we were calling and I felt all these emotions build up…’

He shakes his head. ‘You don’t have to apologize for that.’

‘Sy, I was’t lying over the phone. I am in love with you. All the things you did for me pre tour, the fact that you are here, the stories your mom told me, made me realize that you are worth it all.’

He takes a step closer and says: ‘If you are not ready to date, then I understand, Rose. It’s not easy losing your husband and moving on. I get that.’

‘But I want to move on, I am ready to move on, Sy,’ I whisper. ‘I thought about it long and hard, I spoke about it with Claudia and I realized that I want to date you. Slowly, sure, but I do want us to date. I want to support you and be there for you when you’re going back on tour and when you arrive home again. It won’t be easy for me, for us, but I want to try it with you because… Because you deserve someone here for you and moving on with you is the best thing that has happened to me in a while.’

‘Aren’t you in luck then,’ he says with a smile. ‘Because I’m here to stay.’

That must’ve been a hallucination. ‘Wait, what?’

‘This was my last tour. I thought about what you said and maybe it’s time for me to change careers. I never imagined myself in the military until I retire, but I just continued doing what fit in my comfort zone. The military is the only working place I’ve known, but I have finished my obligatory tours and… I need to be here in San Antonio, with my folks, my friends and you.’

I smile, as tears of happiness burn in my eyes. ‘Really?’

‘Really,’ he confirms. ‘I already had my mom send my credentials over to the fire department and they want to meet me next week.’

I let out a laugh out of both joy and disbelieve. I was willing to go through the pain of missing someone important, to writing letters and calling, but that’s all history. He is going to be right here. Right here with me in San Antonio. ‘Sy, this is unbelievable.’

He chuckles. ‘It sure is.’ He clears his throat, clearly wanting to ask me something. ‘Can I hug you?’

I don’t answer that question. I simply launch myself in his arms and he lifts me up as he pulls me in a tight embrace. ‘I do want to take it slow,’ I whisper.

‘And that’s okay,’ he tells me. ‘Rose, I understand that you want to take your time, but remember: I am in no rush.’

I bury my face in his neck. ‘Thank you, Sy. Thank you for coming back.’

❃ ❃ ❃

Sy and I have been on many dates since he arrived home a few weeks ago. He usually picks me up from work, but today is a little bit different because I am going to pick him up from the base. He has been working there for four weeks, still in the orienting phase of his job, but so far he is absolutely loving it.

I park the car across the street and wander over to the fire station. Igni the Dalmatian runs towards me and I quickly grab the snacks I bought specifically for her from my purse. ‘Igni, sit,’ I say and without missing a beat, she does what I tell her to do. I give her the little snack, a peck on top of her head, before I make my way towards the entrance.

‘Rosemary Hill is in the house!’ Johnny, one of Sy’s colleagues yells the second I enter, followed by a loud applause.

‘Shut up,’ I chuckle, but that doesn’t stop the guys. It only makes them give me a standing ovation.

‘Okay, quiet now,’ Sy’s loud voice interrupts the applause. ‘Don’t you look at my lady,’ he says, smacking some kid on the back of his head. It’s always funny to show up here, because I think I can see a bit of the Captain Syverson from the military. Strong, tough and no nonsense. A total one eighty compared to how he is to me.

‘Look at the captain,’ one says, ‘showing off, trying to impress his woman.’

‘No need to. I’m already impressed,’ I say with a smile.

Sy actually still flexes his arms a little, but it’s not really necessary: his shirt perfectly accentuates them, as it is a bit on the tighter side. His smile grows wider the closer he gets and he holds out his hand for me to take. ‘Ready?’ he asks, pressing a kiss on my knuckles.

‘I sure am. Bye guys!’

‘Bye Rosemary,’ they say, almost sounding like a class full of kindergarteners. Sy clears his throat and they quickly add: ‘Bye Captain, see you tomorrow.’

‘I still can’t believe they call you Captain here,’ I say with a smile, when we pet Igni one last time, before making our way to my car.

‘Well, they asked me to introduce myself, so I did.’

‘As Captain Syverson, you are unbelievable.’ I want to open the door of the driver’s side and get in, but Sy is quick to stop me. ‘What?’ I ask him.

‘I’m driving,’ he says. ‘Come on, you know I absolutely adore you, but there is one thing you are not good at and that is driving.’

‘I drive perfectly fine,’ I defensively say. ‘I’m an excellent driver. You’re just the world’s worst passenger.’

He smiles, before he boops my nose with his finger. ‘I am not,’ he tells me. ‘Please, just let me drive.’

‘Fine,’ I groan, handing him the keys. ‘You want to open my door for me as well?’

‘Always,’ Sy chuckles, walking around the car with me to open the door on the passengers side

Once we’re seated and strapped in our seatbelts, he drives away and he places his hand on my leg. It took me a while before I liked it. A lot of things took a while for me to enjoy. However, once Luke Syverson holds your leg as he drives, you can never go back.

‘Where are we going?’ he asks me.

‘The place with the best view,’ I say with a smile. ‘Because I thought you and I could go on a picnic. Take a right here.’

‘I’d love a picnic,’ he says.

‘And don’t you worry, I brought food, snacks and drinks.’

He searches for my hand and once he got ahold of it, he brings it do his lips, pressing a soft and gentle kiss on it.

We’ve been taking it slow and I absolutely love him for it, though I haven’t said it in those exact words to him.

We arrive at a remote place with a great view (if not the place with the best view) and while Sy gets the baskets with food and drinks, I place down the checkered blanket on the grass and wait for him to join me. ‘Harold made these,’ I say with a smile. ‘I hope you like it.’

‘I know I will, sunshine.’

Sy tells me all about his day, before listening to mine. Usually after work, the two of us sit on my porch, talking about all the things that happened, but it’s nice to have a change of scenery.

‘Your back hurting, sunshine?’ Sy asks me, when I try to stretch it a bit.

‘Yes, a little,’ I mutter. ‘Sitting here on the grass isn’t helping.’

‘You can sit here,’ he says, patting the spot in between his legs. ‘I can be your back rest.’

A few seconds go by, before I decide I actually want that. I push myself up and sit in between his thick thighs. I lean back against his chest and let out a content sigh. This is nice. ‘Thank you,’ I say. ‘You sure you don’t mind?’

‘I’m sure,’ he says, placing his chin on top of my head. ‘I can take it.’

Of course he can. ‘Sy,’ I say, ‘can I tell you something?’

‘Always.’

‘I think I love you.’ I have thought about it for so long, but never did I say these three words out loud to him. I love you. I remember when I said it to Brandon for the first time, I was a sweaty mess, mostly because it was my first time saying I love you to someone.

Though it’s not my first time anymore, I still have some nerves, the jitters and the fear of rejection.

‘I’m beating you then,’ Sy says, ‘because I know I love you.’

I turn around with a smile. ‘You do?’

‘Oh, one hundred percent positive, sunshine.’ He places a rough hand on my cheek. ‘I love you a whole lot, Rose. You were the one that pulled me through during my last tour and for that I forever owe you.’

I smile. ‘Sy, I am the one that should do the emotional speech where I thank you. You are the one that allowed me to feel something again. To love again.’

He pulls me closer and places his forehead against mine. ‘Guess we were there for each other when we needed it the most.’

I place my hands on his broad chest. ‘Is my captain getting sentimental?’

‘Maybe,’ he smiles, slightly rolling his eyes. ‘Dammit, Rose, I love you so much.’

‘I love you too,’ I chuckle. ‘You should kiss me.’

He nods. ‘I can do that,’ he says. ‘You won’t reject me?’

‘No, of course not. I used to be afraid, but I’m not anymore.’

Sy smiles and gives me a short peck on my lips. Then another one and another one, before pressing his lips firmly on mine. I melt against his frame, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. It’s weird, kissing someone else, but it’s not that weird I need to stop. Taking my time with Sy was the best thing I could’ve done, because I now know I won’t ever regret it.

Never in a million years.

one year later

Today was absolutely grueling. There was a fire at the paper factory and it seemed never ending. Sy’s glad when he stops his truck in front of his girlfriend’s house. He sees Rose crouched down in the yard, planting and potting something.

It’s one of her newest hobbies.

‘There she is,’ Sy says, as he gets out of his truck, ‘my beautiful lady.’

Rose starts to laugh and stands up. ‘My handsome fire fighter. Shit, that uniform never bores me.’ She sticks out her hands and he quickly walks up to her, holding them in his. ‘How was work today?’ she asks. ‘I heard about the fire.’

He nods. ‘It was okay. There were no victims, so that’s all good.’ He pulls her closer to give her a kiss, but he notices a slight change in her demeanor. She isn’t relax, though it was her day off today. ‘Darlin’, what’s on your mind?’

She sighs deeply. ‘Tomorrow it’s Brandon’s birthday.’

Despite never gotten to know Brandon, he is a pretty big part of their lives. There are some pictures around and every now and then she starts to talk about him. Reminiscing about the things that made him unique to her. It happens at the most random moments. When they are in the grocery store during Easter time, she tells him about the time Brandon hid eggs around the neighborhood and pretended to be the Easter Bunny for the kids. When there is a movie on tv and it was one of his favorites, she’ll tell Sy Brandon’s favorite scenes. Sy now watches baseball because that was Brandon’s favorite sport.

Sometimes Sy almost thinks that he knows Brandon. That they were friends, but that’s just because she talks about him in a way that it seems like they’ve known each other for a long time. Because of her openness, he is able to share more about his time in Iraq. Sharing about the men he lost, what he had seen there and how every bullet he fired, ate a bit away of his heart.

‘I see,’ Sy says. After the fire it slipped his mind. ‘What do you want to do tomorrow?’

‘Kinda want to visit his grave,’ she says. ‘Want to go with me?’

‘Of course, of course.’ Sy went with her to visit his grave a little while ago. It was the first time he actually went to the graveyard. He had never been there before, but it went well that day. The weather was nice, Rose told him more stories and he listened on her talking to the stone, to Brandon.

The liberation she has into talking about the matter is a good example for him and he can learn a lesson or two from it.

‘Sy,’ she says in a soft tone, causing him to snap out of his thoughts. ‘Can you give me a hug?’

Without wasting a second, he wraps his arms around her waist. ‘Always,’ he says and she holds him close to her body.

They’ve been growing as a couple, making steps couples usually take in their relationship. Slowly but surely they are mentioning marriage, some pets and kids. It’s not a lot, but they are definitely taking a lot more steps than before.

‘I’ve been thinking,’ she says, ‘do you want to move in with me? I mean, you’re here all the time anyway and I kinda like having you around.’

‘Oh, would I love that,’ Sy says, squeezing her tighter against his body. ‘Just tell me whenever you want me to start packing.’

‘I was thinking later this week,’ she says with a smile. ‘I mean, you still live at your parents place. Packing will be done in a second. You’re not as materialistic as I am.’

Sy gives her a kiss. ‘I still love you though.’

‘Good.’ She gives him a kiss, before deepening it. Oh, does he love deepening kisses with her. Her tongue caresses his bottom lip and he hums in content against her lips.

‘Okay, you two,’ he hears Hunter say, ‘I really hate it when couples rub in my face they did find someone and I still haven’t.’

Rose can’t stop her laughing. ‘You got rejected, Hunter? Again?’

‘No need to be mean,’ Hunter says in a dangerously low tone.

‘But yes, he got rejected. Again,’ Zeke says.

Max nods and adds: ‘It was painful.’

Sy tilts his head. ‘Want something to drink?’

‘Yes, please. My sweet Rose, can you arrange free drinks at the Oak?’ Hunter asks.

She pretends to think about it. ‘Well, okay then. Just allow me to change into something more comfortable.’

‘Yeah me too,’ Sy says. ‘We’ll meet you in an hour, okay?’

‘An hour, seriously?’ Max shakes his head. ‘You two are disgusting.’

Sy shrugs. ‘You’re jumping to conclusions, Max. That’s your own fault. Okay, baby, let’s go inside. We don’t want to keep the guys waiting.’ While his friends pretend to puke, he pulls Rose inside the house and closes the front door behind him. Knowing the day they’ll have tomorrow, he quickly says: ‘We don’t have to do any of that, it’s just that I wanted to piss them off.’

Rose starts to laugh. ‘You’re such a mean friend.’

‘Pay back for when they messed with me when we were younger.’ He gives her a kiss on her forehead, her nose and her lips. ‘You want to shower first or can I?’

She tilts her head. ‘How about you and I go together?’

✨This was the end of it all started in San Antonio. I hope you enjoyed and please let me know what you think ✨

#henry cavill #henry cavill fandom #henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill x oc #henry cavill x ofc #henry cavill x asian ofc #captain syverson #captain syverson fanfic #captain syverson x ofc #captain syverson x oc #captain syverson x asian ofc #asian ofc #captain syverson x rosemary hill #rosemary hill #it started in san antonio

[keanureevesisbae]

Summary: Sy really wants to propose to Rosemary, but there are just a few things in the way: his own insecurities and Rosemary's past.

Luke Syverson x Rosemary Hill (asian OFC)

Warnings: None

Wordcount: 1.2k

Sy has been thinking about proposing to Rosemary for quite some time now. The two of them spoke a lot about it, heck, they even mentioned having kids, but he is afraid the timing for a proposal is gonna be off and besides, he doesn’t even have an idea whether or not the proposal should be intimate or extravagant.

He really wants to propose to her, but he is afraid it’ll bring her back to when Brandon proposed. It’s not that he hasn’t taken some preparations. No, he took Hunter and his momma wedding ring shopping and fount the perfect ring for Rose.

Delicate, beautiful and unique, just like her.

The little light blue velvet box burns in his pocket, but it also presses heavily on his heart and has done so for weeks now.

He has been home for a few moments, when he hears Rose’s car stop on the driveway. The door opens and he is met with her extraordinary beauty. ‘Hello,’ she says with a smile, placing her stuff on the floor, walking over to him. ‘How was your day at work?’

He stands up and wraps his arms around her slender waist, pulling her body against him. ‘Quiet, slightly boring,’ he says against her cheek, pressing a kiss right there. ‘I missed you, sunshine.’

‘Oh, look at that: Captain Syverson is being sappy,’ Rose laughs, giving him a proper peck on his lips. ‘Very cute.’

He rolls his eyes, before squeezing her sides. ‘How was your day?’

‘Okay,’ she says. ‘There was just this guy who kept annoying the girls and me and didn’t leave when we asked him to. It took three cooks to drag him out.’

Sy clears his throat. ‘Seriously? Why didn’t you call me?’

‘We handled it,’ she says with a chuckle.

‘Come on, tell me: what’s his name, what does he do for a living? Where can I find him?’

‘Honey,’ she says, squeezing his cheeks between her thumbs and index fingers, ‘it’s all good.’

‘If he shows up again,’ he continues, ‘lemme know. I’ll be right there to kick him out and tell him not to harass anyone, especially not my lady.’

‘You’re a darling,’ she chuckles. ‘Tell me this, big guy, what do you want for dinner tonight?’

‘You.’

She smacks his chest, before wiggling out of his arms. ‘I’m serious, Sy.’

‘Me too,’ he chuckles. ‘Come on, darlin’, give me a break. I had a boring day, kept thinking about my beautiful,’—fiancée—‘girlfriend. It’s been a while.’

‘It’s been less than twenty four hours, Luke,’ Rose says with a smile, walking towards the kitchen. ‘Gosh, you’re so obsessed with me.’

‘Obviously,’ Sy slightly sulks. ‘I mean, who wouldn’t be obsessed with you?’ He quickly walks up next to her, wraps an arm around her and hoists her up. ‘But since you’re serious,’ he says.

‘Sy, but me down!’ Rose squeals.

‘I would like some pasta with pesto, darlin’.’

❃ ❃ ❃

The two of them are sitting on the couch, as Rose jokes about how she is expecting a very cute pasta food baby, patting her stomach. Sy leans back against the back cushions of the couch, staring at Rose who continues to ramble about the cute kids she saw at the Oak today and how she received a hug from a little boy. ‘You know,’ she says, ‘he was a very stern looking kid, with a heart of gold and a cute little giggle. Reminded me of a little boy your mom told me a lot of stories about.’

Sy can’t hide his smile anymore.‘I like seeing you with kids,’ he admits, his eyes slowly turning into little hearts, something that usually happens when he looks at her.

Rose blushes. ‘What’s with you today?’ she asks. ‘You’re both annoying and really sweet. What’s wrong? What did you do? Oh no, Sy, did you do my laundry again and did you not put my bra into a little bag? How many times do I have to tell you that—’

‘No, I didn’t do anything,’ Sy laughs. ‘It’s just that… There is this thing…’ He places his arm on the back of the couch, as he leans closer to her. ‘If I were to propose to you, would you say yes?’

‘Of course I would say yes. Why wouldn’t I?’

He could do it now. He could propose to her. He has the ring in his pocket and it seems like something the two of them would do: a proposal on their couch. He sticks his hand in his pocket, rummages around a bit and opens the little light blue velvet box. ‘So, I take it you want to marry me then?’

Her eyes roll out of her sockets. ‘Are you shitting me right now?’ she asks. ‘You want to marry me?’

‘Does this ring look like a joke to you?’

She slaps his arm. ‘You’re a mean bastard.’ She wraps her arms around his neck and squeals. ‘Yes, of course I want to marry you, silly billy.’ Rose plants her lips on his and says: ‘I cannot believe you legit proposed to me on the couch.’

‘Come on, it seems like something we would do,’ he says with a chuckle. He slides the ring around her finger and she smiles brightly. ‘You’re my fiancée now.’

She stares at the ring and has tears in her eyes, before a sob of leaves her lips.

‘Oh, darlin’, what’s wrong?’

She shakes her head and wipes the streams of tears from her cheeks. ‘It’s silly,’ she whispers.

‘No, it could never be,’ he says in a soft tone. ‘Come on, sunshine, tell me.’

‘It brought me back,’ she admits, ‘to when Brandon proposed. After he passed, I never imagined I would ever move on. When we started dating, in theory I’d marry you, have a family with you, but that was all in the future. Now it is happening and it kinda scares me.’

He nods. ‘I understand. We don’t have to tell anyone right away, we can keep it a secret. The ring can stay here for as long as you have to get used to.’

Rose smiles sadly. ‘Could we do that, please?’

Sy smiles. ‘Of course. Come here, darlin’, let me give you a hug.’ He pulls her closer again, presses a kiss on her forehead and says: ‘You want to take off the ring?’

She shakes her head. ‘No, I don’t,’ she whispers, looking at it. ‘It’s beautiful, Sy. You did well.’

❃ ❃ ❃

It took three months before Rose had the courage to tell her friends, his friends and his parents and as expected they were delighted. While they haven’t started planning yet, they have been thinking and talking a lot about it. A life together. Rose has been scared about betraying Brandon and often times she’d go to Brandon’s grave. Sy never goes with her, thinking she needs her privacy.

After one of those trips, she walks back into their place and smiles when she sees him. ‘Sy,’ she says, ‘I think I have a date for our wedding. A date for the start of our happily ever after.’

❃ ❃ ❃

Taglist: @sillyrabbit81 // @eldarwen333 // @diegos-butt // @sofiebstar // @christhickevans // @amberangel112 // @cavillsthighs // @thelastsock // @abschaffer2 // @a-little-counter-esperanto // @gearhead66 // @cherry-gemz // @omgkatinka // @oddsnendsfanfics // @viking-raider // @xobriellaxo24 // @kebabgirl67 // @sunshine96love // @sausagefest1996 // @sunflowersturn // @mzchievous-blog // @crazybutconfidentaf // @irishprincess89 // @creepyvillain // @princesscassashoneypot // @ughdontbeboring // @offroadinjandals // @historicallyyours // @mis-lil-red // @agniavateira // @liecastillo // @myloveforhenrycavill // @greensleeves888 // @toomanystoriessolittletime // @red42985 // @mary-ann84 // @mansaaay // @f4iryerin // @justaboringadult

#it all started in san antonio #it all started in san antonio one shot #captain syverson #captain syverson fanfic #captain syverson x asian ofc #captain syverson x rosemary hill #captain syverson x ofc #captain syverson x oc #asian ofc #rosemary hill

[keanureevesisbae]

Okay, not me feeling a little mweh about my writing recently, so to make me feel a little bit better (well, attempting to), I'm gonna boast a bit about some of my work. Hopefully it helps, I dunno 🤷🏽‍♀️

Mister Cavill, your dog is kinda fat

Meet Olivia Tran, successful veterinarian and a bad ass single mom of Vanessa, a well spoken young girl who desperately wants a father. Cue actor Henry Cavill and his dog Kal. The two Tran ladies wrap softie Henry around their finger with ease.

Coach Cavill

There is a new judo coach in town and every mom in Luna Meadows falls instantly for the handsome man with the deadly charm. However, the coach falls for the one and only Amelia Jung: former kpop idol, mom of two and a recently divorcée.

Sugar Sugar

On the brink of becoming homeless, Becky Kim has one last trick up her sleeve and that is becoming a sugar baby. With no intention at all to fall for her sugar daddy, she gets to know CEO Henry Cavill and not falling in love is harder than it looks like.

But professor...

Penny Townsend is a young, shy student who feels like she's in the wrong place. Walter Marshall is a grumpy and constantly annoyed detective gone professor who also feels like he's in the wrong place.

It all started in San Antonio

You don't choose who you fall in love with, though Rosemary Hill would like that very much. However, it seems she has a thing for military men, because when she meets Captain Luke Syverson, she falls for him, much to her own dismay.

Serendipity

Winnie Monroe shouldn't lie to her family and she knows that. But to be single again during the Monroe family weekend? She just can't handle that, but thankfully she manages to persuade her handsome neighbor Bucky to be her fake boyfriend. The only thing she needs to do is: not to fall in love. Easy peazy lemon squeezy. Right?

#henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill #henry cavill x oc #henry cavill x ofc #sugar daddy!henry cavill #walter marshall #walter marshall x penny townsend #henry cavill x olivia tran #captain syverson x rosemary hill #captain syverson #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x winnie monroe #mister cavill your dog is kinda fat #sugar sugar #coach cavill #but professor #it all started in san antonio #serendipity

[keanureevesisbae]

it all started in san antonio - introduction

Summary: Rosemary Hill is twenty seven and lives in San Antonio, Texas. Not exactly by choice, but that's a story for a different time. When Captain Syverson comes back home from his tour, she finally gets to meet the legendary captain people have been boasting about. But one thing is certain: never in a million years is she falling for a military man. Not again

A/N: I'm only a few followers away from hitting 700 (!!!) followers, which is absolutely crazy. As a celebration I decided to write a story about Syverson, because he deserves it hahaha. I'll probably post it on Monday June 28th and lets hope I've hit 700 followers by then 💕 This is not gonna be a multi chaptered story (unlike what I usually post - i know, it's shocked me too). If you want to me tagged, please let me know.

Taglist (if you want to be removed, please let me know 🤗 No hard feelings)

@sillyrabbit81 // @eldarwen333 // @diegos-butt // @sofiebstar // @christhickevans // @amberangel112 // @cavillsharman // @thelastsock // @abschaffer2 // @a-little-counter-esperanto // @gearhead66 // @cherry-gemz // @omgkatinka

#henry cavill #henry cavill x ofc #henry cavill x oc #henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill fandom #henry cavill x asian ofc #asian ofc #captain syverson #captain syverson x oc #captain syverson x ofc #captain syverson x Asian ofc #captain syverson x Rosemary hill #Rosemary hill #it all started in san antonio #keanureevesisbae almost has 700 followers #captain syverson fanfic

[keanureevesisbae]

it all started in san antonio - sneak peak

Captain Syverson x Rosemary Hill (Asian OFC)

A/N: A little sneak peak of it all started in San Antonio. Thank you everyone for all the love you already send me 🥰 If you want to be on the taglist, please let me know 💕

It had been three days since Sy got back home from his fourth tour and those days all went by in a blur. His parents picking him up from the airport flowed into eating his momma’s delicious food after those terrible rations and there is a possibility he might’ve slept for at least twenty hours straight.

His friends understood his need to acclimatize to San Antonio, Texas before hanging out. Every day they don’t see him though, just means they’ll go even more out out when they first see each other again.

‘Oh, darlin’,’ his momma says as they walk into the Oak, one of the most famous diners here. ‘I’m so happy that you’re here again. I always love it to show you off.’

‘I missed you too, momma.’ Sy wraps his arm around her shoulders and realizes he might’ve missed her more than he initially let in on. Back at the base he was all talk, saying how everyone shouldn’t be such babies and cry about how much they missed their families. The second he saw his momma as he got back on American soil, he nearly turned into a crying mess.

Emphasis on nearly.

The three of them sit in a booth, waiting for someone to take their orders. Nothing much changed around here, he thinks to himself. The loud noises, the smells and just the overall ambiance.

It’s like he never left.

One of the older waitresses says to them they’ll be helped in a minute and the blonde truly meant a minute, because not long after she left, someone else appears at their table.

Sy has zero recollection of her. Did she always work her?

‘Mister and mrs. Syverson,’ the beautiful waitress says with a smile, ‘what a surprise.’

He can’t detect an accent, meaning she probably isn’t from around here.

Momma holds the waitress’ hand into hers and says: ‘Darlin’, meet my son Luke. Luke, this is my favorite waitress here at the Oak, Rosemary.’

He holds out his hand and she places hers in it. Her hand nearly disappears in his and he is careful not to squeeze too tight, since she has quite a few rings on her fingers. ‘Nice to meet you,’ he says, ‘I’m Luke, but everyone calls me Sy, except my mom.’

Rosemary smiles as she shakes his hand. ‘I’m Rosemary, but everyone calls me Rose, except your mom.’ It’s obvious she is taking him in and she adds: ‘It’s nice to finally meet the infamous Captain Syverson. Heard a lot about you.’

Taglist: @sillyrabbit81 // @eldarwen333 // @diegos-butt // @sofiebstar // @christhickevans // @amberangel112 // @cavillsharman // @thelastsock // @abschaffer2 // @a-little-counter-esperanto // @gearhead66 // @cherry-gemz // @omgkatinka // @oddsnendsfanfics // @viking-raider // @xobriellaxo24 // @kebabgirl67 // @sunshine96love // @sausagefest1996 // @drinksomecoco // @mzchievous-blog // @crazybutconfidentaf // @irishprincess89 // @creepyvillain // @princesscassashoneypot // @ughdontbeboring

#henry cavill #henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill fandom #henry cavill x oc #henry cavill x asian ofc #henry cavill x ofc #captain syverson fanfic #captain syverson x asian ofc #captain syverson #captain syverson x ofc #captain syverson x oc #captain syverson x rosemary hill #it all started in san antonio #it all started in san antonio sneak peak

[keanureevesisbae]

Rosemary Hill is twenty seven and lives in San Antonio, Texas. Not exactly by choice, but that’s a story for a different time. When Captain Syverson comes back home from his tour, she finally gets to meet the legendary captain people have been boasting about. But one thing is certain: never in a million years is she falling for a military man. Not again

Introduction // sneak peak // moodboard //

It all started in San Antonio 🌸

Happily Ever After (One Shot)

#captain syverson fanfic #captain syverson #captain syverson x rosemary hill #captain syverson x asian ofc #captain syverson x oc #captain syverson x ofc #rosemary hill #it all started in san antonio #it all started in san antonio masterlist

[keanureevesisbae]

‘They don’t understand that this is my home now. It’s almost like they do not take into consideration that this is the place where I’m able to mourn and to accept the fact that my… my… that Brandon is never coming back.’

It all started in San Antonio, by keanureevesisbae

#it all started in san antonio #my art #keanureevesisbae's art #captain syverson #captain syverson x rosemary hill #rosemary hill #captain syversoon moodboard #it all started in san antonio moodboard #it all started in san antonio quote