Just Remember to Breathe (Thompson Sisters)

gonna get her back. I plan to marry her.’”
    I froze in place, suddenly breathing shallow rapid breaths. He’d told his sergeant he wanted to marry me? Oh. My. God. I didn’t know if Sherman noticed my sudden paralysis, because he kept talking, but Dylan sure did, because I accidentally squeezed his leg so hard it probably bruised him.
    Sherman went on. “So, Sergeant Powers asks, ‘Have you slept with her yet?’ And Paris says no, that you’re a good Catholic girl, or some bullshit like that.”
    I started to giggle, horribly embarrassed. I could definitely feel heat rising to my cheeks.
    “Sergeant Powers says, ‘Paris. You don’t buy a car before you take it out for a test drive. You’re not going to marry this girl before you try her on for size. Huh. I saw these pictures of this hot girl, and thought you were some kind of studmaster. But you’re not, you’re a pudmaster.’ Ever since then, Paris was called the Studmaster.”
    I snickered, then started to giggle hard, almost spewing my coffee all over the table.
    “That’s terrible,” I said.
    “You’re in so much trouble,” Dylan said. I wasn’t sure if he meant me or Sherman. But I did know that here we were, years later, and we still hadn’t made love.
    And just like that, I decided that I was ready. When the party was over tonight, when we got home, it was going to happen. Tonight. No question. I gave Dylan a secret smile. He didn’t know what it was about but he smiled back. By the time we went to bed, his smile was going to be a whole lot bigger; I was going to see to it.
    I tried to divert my thoughts from the carnal direction they’d taken, which was hard, because I was still touching his leg. Well, thigh. Inner thigh. Whatever.
    I looked over to Sherman, consciously distracting myself.
    “So, do you have a nickname too?”
    “Of course not,” he said.
    “We call him Weed. Because he’s so short.”
    I shook my head, a grin forming on my face. Sherman wouldn’t have looked out of place in an NBA lineup. I already liked him, a lot. He was cheerful, outgoing, and obviously cared about Dylan. And that mattered more than anything.

    As usual, the hajis didn’t cooperate (Dylan)
    When we finished breakfast, Alex said, “I think I want to let you guys go off and play together, and I’m going to pick my sister up.”
    I looked at her, curiously, and said, “You’re sure?”
    She smiled and leaned close, then said, “Go have fun with Sherman. You guys haven’t seen each other in a long time. Besides, I want to talk with Carrie. Girl stuff.” She winked at me.
    As always, her proximity took my breath away. We paid our bill and headed out. In front of the restaurant, she turned and grabbed me in a deep hug, then whispered in my ear, “I’ve got plans for you tonight, Studmaster. You might want to think about getting some rest.”
    Jesus Christ. My body instantly responded to her, even if she was using that hideously embarrassing nickname. She kissed me, then waved and started walking toward her dorm.
    I just stood there watching her walk away, until Sherman said, “You still awake over there, Paris?”
    I shook my head, a grin forming on my face, and said, “I don’t know. I might be dreaming.”
    He gave a short laugh. “I’m happy you got back together with her, man. You’re a very lucky guy.”
    “Yeah, more than you know.”
    So we hung out, playing on the XBox back at my place, talking occasionally about the other guys from our platoon.
    I’d been in the hospital when they held the memorial for Kowalski and Roberts, out there in the middle of the Afghan boonies. Sherman told me a little bit about it, but I’d already seen pictures, and read emails from some of the guys.
    “How’s Sergeant Colton?” I asked.
    “He’s getting out,” Sherman said.
    “You’re shitting me. I figured him for a lifer.”
    Sherman shook his head. “No. He’s all done. Three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan was two times too many, he started saying, not long after you got hit.”
    “He was kind of like a dad to me, you know.”
    “You should call him sometime, let him know how you’re doing.”
    I nodded. “Yeah, I will.”
    “So what’s up with this party?”
    I shrugged. “Some friend of Alex’s.”
    “There going to be girls there?”
    I chuckled. “Yeah, probably. It’s going to be all college kids. Some grad students I think. I don’t really know many of her friends.”
    “You want to hear something