24. Sunset: Nora waits for Nate

Nora didn't realize she was chewing on her pen until a body plopped down in front of her. "When most people say 'brain food' I don't think they meant this." She glanced over her glasses at the man who occupied the other side of the booth. "You're Jenny's friend?"

Nora removed the pen from her mouth and sat it on the booth next to her, "You must be Nate." She smiled.

He smiled back. His skin was smooth, and the color of caramel. His eyes were dark, and lit up when he smiled. Nora had seen his type before. Young military guy, probably didn't get off base often, so when the opportunity came up they grabbed the first pretty thing with two legs.

"Jenny says he's a nice guy," Nora's internal monologue scolded her, "she wouldn't set you up with an asshole."

"So what're you studying?" He asked, spinning her papers around.

Nora huffed in annoyance and spun the papers back towards her, "Law." was her short answer. Nate didn't seem bothered by her cold shoulder and smiled even more.

"Sounds noble." He nodded to himself.

"Not to most." Nora sighed, she organized her papers into a neat stack and placed them to the side. She leaned forward on her elbows, resting her chin on her interlaced hands. "Most think the most noble thing one can do is join the front lines and kill indiscriminately overseas."

"Ouch." Nate pretended to be wounded and held a hand to his chest, "Not a fan of the military?"

"Not a fan of the threat of nuclear war every weekend." Nora answered bluntly.

"Fair enough." Nate sat back and relaxed in his seat. "So what got you into law?"

Nora smiled. The two talked for a few hours. Nora was shocked at how easily she could talk to Nate. Her last relationship had been a disaster. Of course, that was back in high school. Jenny had tried a few times to set her up on blind dates, but they never worked out. Something about Nate's optimistic persistence made Nora write her phone number on a napkin stained with a coffee ring.

That was how they met from then on. Nate would call when he had a weekend off, they'd meet at the same coffeeshop in downtown Boston, and they'd just talk. Nora knew it wouldn't last. It never did with military boys. Sure she hoped deep down he'd stay, but realistically she knew he wouldn't.

Still, Nate was full of surprises. Meeting her with roses, meeting her outside her apartment with movie tickets, surprising her with a trip to the mountains to have a picnic, learning her favorite coffee flavors and favorite spots around town so he could order for her and leave little notes for her around the city. So, it really shouldn't have come as a surprise when he met her outside her apartment with news of his deployment.

"I've got to go next week."

"Wow." Nora didn't look at him as they walked through downtown Boston. The streets were strung with colorful lights. Christmas was around the corner. Nate nodded silently next to her. "Where to? Or am I not allowed to know?" Nora asked.

Nate smiled and glanced at her, "China. Where else?" Nora nodded. "Front line." He focused back on the path ahead of them. "We'll be trying out some Power Armor."

"That's reassuring." Nora lied.

"Not very." Nate sighed.

"No, not at all." Nora agreed. The two shared a glance and laughed.

"That being said," Nate looked anywhere but at her, "I was wondering if I could ask you something?"

"Besides what you just asked?" Nora joked.

"Hardy har," Nate gently pushed Nora aside. She giggled. "I'm being serious."

"Okay, okay," Nora composed herself, "Serious face on." She tried her hardest to make light of the situation without making Nate feel like she was brushing him off.

Nate laughed at her straight face, "Okay. This is going to sound crazy, and if you say 'no' we'll just part as good friends."

Nora's heart thrummed in her chest. Nate had never so much as tried to kiss her, he wasn't a super touchy-feely person out in public. The most they had done was cuddle up under the same blanket on her couch. Even then, Nate made sure to keep his limbs in his space. Why was he sounding so serious? "Okay." Nora encouraged him to go on.

"Would you wait for me?"

"Wait for you?" Nora asked.

"To come back." Nate explained. "I mean, odds are I won't be coming back, but, just in case."

"Yes." Nora answered quickly. "And you'll come back. You'll come back just fine."

Even on the day of his departure, Nate was full of surprises. Nora had gone to the chain link fence by the airfield to watch his plane leave. She wanted to be away from people at the terminal. She wasn't a wife, hell she wasn't even sure if she was a girlfriend, so it felt wrong to be with crying families waving goodbye to their husbands, boyfriends, and fathers. She was silent as she watched the men board the plane and take off. She was silent as she walked back to her apartment, silent as she grabbed her mail and dumped it on the table, silent as she pulled out her textbooks to study.

Silent when she noticed a baby blue envelope with Nate's chicken scratch written on the front.

Nora,

Whenever you miss me, look to the sunset, and know I'm thinking of you as the sun rises.

I'll be home before you know it.

Love, Nate.

So she did. Every night Nora climbed to the top of her apartment building and looked to the west. Sometimes Jenny would come up. Eventually Jenny brought her boyfriend, Nick, up. The three would drink and talk, sometimes Nick would smoke, sometimes they'd play games. But everything would grow silent as Nora watched the sun dip below the horizon to the west. They'd wish Nora good night and make sure she got to her room safe.

Nora threw herself into her studies. She tried to seem impartial to the news she heard about the front lines overseas. She graduated. Top of her class. Naturally. And she waited.

She waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

And just when it seemed like Nora had a rhythm in her busy life, Nate surprised her again.

"One Sole Survivor from the attack last week in China," The news broke in Nora's office radio. They said Nate's name and rank, "being transported to the top medical hospital in D.C.," That was all Nora needed to hear to clock out and drive south.

Nate's hospital room was filled with flowers, balloons, and cards from people across the nation wishing him well, sending him condolences, supporting him. He looked so young with all the tubes and wires attached to him. Nora couldn't enter his room. What would she even say? What could she say?

Thankfully she didn't have to do anything.

Nate opened his eyes, "Nora?" his voice croaked.

"Nate."

She stayed by his side. She met his family, his wonderful parents, his kind sisters and their husbands. She met his home town friends. They were all so nice. Nate recovered slowly, but Nora stayed by his side. She stayed by him when he got angry, she stayed by him when he grew quiet, she stayed by him through his night terrors and flashbacks to the front line, she stayed by him even when he tried to push her away. She sat by the window every night as he tossed and turned in his sleep and watched the sun set.

Nora worked remotely, having her office send her case files on a holotape and calling cases up on the payphone outside the hospital. She worked restlessly.

"Nora?" She looked up at Nate who was pushing himself up to a sitting position. "Why are you still here?" He asked bluntly. Today his eyes were blank. Nora now knew it was because he was hardening himself up against the terrors in his head.

"You asked me to wait for you." Nora answered honestly.

"But I've been nothing but awful to you." Nate pointed out.

"But I know that isn't who you really are." Nora shot back. "You're hurting, Nate. I can't expect you to heal overnight."

"You are full of surprises, Nora." Nate smiled, but Nora could tell his heart wasn't in it.

So she continued to watch the sun set. She continued to support Nate, even when the rest of the nation moved on to the next tragedy. She stayed with him, and accepted his parents offer to stay at their house a few miles away. She stayed with him until she surprised her again.

Nora thanked her cabbie as she stepped out at the hospital. She stopped just inside the doors as she saw Nate standing over the nurse's desk. He had his bags with him. He turned and sheepishly smiled. "Guess I can't surprise you anymore." he mumbled into her neck as she leapt into his arms.

"Of course you can." She whispered back, pressing their foreheads together. They spent the day enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.

"You know, you're the only thing that got me through it all." Nate said. They'd gone to the park by his parents house and were watching the sun as it lowered in the sky.

"Oh." Was all Nora said as she rested her head on Nate's shoulder. He nodded.

"That and watching the sun rise."

Nora nodded, "The only thing keeping me going was watching the sunset."

"Oh." Nate mimicked her, Nora gave him a playful shove. They shared a laugh.

And watched the sunset. Together.