Part 1


Justin stood against the wall, watching his fellow Marines dancing on the crowded floor.. The sounds of “Pennsylvania 6-5000” and “In The Mood” sounded through the room, and though the band wasn’t quite the real Glenn Miller Orchestra, they weren’t bad. Another girl came up to Justin and asked if he wanted to dance, and again, Justin declined. The girl smiled, nodding, thinking that he was just shy, as so many service men who came in here were. But Justin wasn’t really shy. He was just different.

Very different.

But not dumb. Which is why he’d agreed to come to the USO club, even though he had no desire to dance and flirt with the USO girls.

A slow song began, giving Justin the chance to cross the room and head to the bar. He looked wistfully at the bar, wishing there were actual drinks and not just the sodas and coffee being offered.

“Can I get you something?” a voice called out.

Justin looked towards the voice, his heart beating fast at the sight of the man standing in front of Justin. He was…beautiful. Can a man be beautiful? Justin wondered. Yes, he thought. This one was. A hand waved in front of Justin’s face, making him realize he’d been string at the man.

“Private?” the man said. “You okay?”

Justin shook his head to clear it. “Yes, sorry. I’m fine.”

“Can I get you anything?” the ‘bartender’ asked again.

“A Coke, I guess,” Justin replied. He watched as the man walked to the other side of the bar, his eyes drawn to the metal brace that was strapped to the bartender’s left leg. Justin quickly averted his eyes as the man returned, an icy drink in his hand.

“Here you go,” he said, handing Justin the glass with a wink.

Justin took a sip, his eyes widening at the taste of rum that had been added.

“Don’t tell anyone,” the bartender said. “But you looked like you could use a real drink.”

“You…saw me?” The thought that this man noticed him across the room filled Justin with a tingle of excitement.

The bartender avoided Justin’s gaze, a faint pink tingeing his cheeks. “You’re very easy to notice,” he said before leaving Justin and waiting on someone else.

Justin sat at the bar the rest of the evening, drinking his illicit rum & Coke and watching the bartender out of the corner of his eye. The man only returned to Justin once, to replace Justin’s finished drink with a fresh one. Their eyes met as Justin’s hand covered the man’s on the cold glass. “Thank you,” Justin whispered. The man nodded, his cheeks darkening even more as he walked away from Justin with a few backwards glances.

Justin sat and drank and watched until his buddies dragged him away and out of the club.

***

Last dance was over, the club cleared of people and cleaned of trash. JC made one last swipe of the bar with the towel before joining the others at the door.

“They were a fun bunch tonight,” Dora, the hatcheck girl said. “And oh, my! Did you see that really cute Marine with the curly hair sitting at the bar?”

JC kept silent, but listened to the girls’ talk as he realized they were talking about his Marine.

Barb, one of the volunteer dancers, nodded. “He was cute, but too shy to dance, mores the pity,” she said. “I asked him to dance but he said no.” Her eyes shone with excitement. “Maybe he’ll come back with his buddies tomorrow. They’re all supposed to be here for a week at least.”

JC pulled the door closed behind them. “How do you know that?” he asked.

“I talked to his buddies,” Barb explained. She sighed. “I love Marines, don’t you?”

The other girls nodded. “JC, you talked to him some, was he nice?”

JC smiled, remembering the Marine’s bright blue eyes and electric touch. “Nice enough, I guess.”

A bell sounded in the distance. “Oh, poop. Girls, there’s our streetcar,” Barb exclaimed. They all piled on JC for quick goodbye kisses and ran down the hill to catch their car.

“Bye, girls,” JC called out, walking in the other direction as the girls scurried off. His steps were slow and measured, the metal brace clanking loudly in the quiet night.

“Hello.”

JC stopped short as the Marine from the club came out of the shadows. “What are you doing here?” JC asked, his heart beating excitedly. “Shouldn’t you be on your ship?”

The Marine shook his head. “I told my CO I had family in San Francisco, so I got liberty on shore.

JC swallowed nervously. “”Do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Have family in San Francisco.”

The Marine shook his head. “No. No family anywhere,” he admitted.

“Me neither,” JC replied. This was so strange, JC realized, sharing family secrets with a complete stranger on a fog-filled street. “So, if you don’t have family here, why did you come back?”

The Marine took a step closer. “Don’t you know?” he asked.

JC shook his head. “Know what?” he said, his voice raspy with emotion.

“This,” the Marine said, lowering his mouth and taking JC’s lips in a soft kiss.

JC sighed at the contact, shuddering slightly as the Marine’s hands lifted and framed JC’s face. He leaned into the kiss, opening his mouth and touching his tongue to the Marine’s as it pressed into JC’s mouth. The soft kiss turned hotter, their mouths slanting across each other’s as the Marine’s arms reached out, pulling JC against his strong, hard body.

Their mouths separated with a sigh. “I wasn’t wrong,” the Marine said, sighing. “I knew you were special.”

JC shook his head. “No, not wrong,” he said, pulling away. He looked at the boy in front of him, eyes bright and mouth bruised and knew as well. JC held out his hand. “I’m JC,” he said.

The Marine slipped his hand into JC’s. “Justin,” he said.

JC felt Justin hold onto his hand and pull him close again. “Nice to meet you, JC,” he said before Justin’s mouth closed over JC’s again.



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