Chapter 3

'Shower. Junk ,' Taylor thought as she entered her apartment several hours later. She was off for the next 48 after putting in another 3 hours of overtime. Checking her watch, she noticed it was too late to call Lou's for a Deep Dish. She walked across the living room, and headed for the bathroom. 'There's that bar down the street on the corner. I can at least head down there for a burger,' she decided as she turned on the shower.

Half an hour later, freshly showered and dressed in jeans and a Blackhawks hoodie, Taylor entered the bar. She glanced around and saw a bunch of people that not only seemed to know each other, but were obviously having a good time. She walked to the bar and waited for the bartender to make his way down to her.

She sipped her beer as she waited for her burger and onion rings. Her phone buzzed, and she pulled it out of her pocket. She read the text, and typed in an answer.

Cruz looked toward the door when it opened, and couldn't believe his eyes. It was the same woman who was at the accident scene earlier. He couldn't identify her then, but now that he saw her face not covered by her flight helmet, he could. He swore under his breath.

"What's wrong, Cruz?" Otis asked.

"Nothing."

"Something must be. You usually don't swear like that for nothing."

Joe sighed. He didn't want to go there with Otis. He didn't want to go there with any of them. It hurt too much.

"Not ready to share, Otis. Sorry."

"Ok," Otis said, wondering how he could get Cruz to spill.

Taylor glanced around again, noticing faces this time. She got to the table next to the dart board and stopped cold. Her stomach dropped. She started to shake. She felt her knees give out. Had she been standing, she would have been on the floor butt first.

Joe stared at her. She was still just as pretty as she was in high school. She had filled out even nicer than he had remembered, but he attributed that to her time in the Navy. Her hair was darker than he remembered, but there was no mistaking her brown eyes. He wondered if he should approach her and find out why she had left him. She claimed it was to join the Navy, and at the time, he had bought that reason. He always wondered if she was telling the truth, or if she had just used it as an excuse to leave him and Chicago.

Taylor looked at him. His hair was gone, but it could be due to him shaving his head, going along with the popular trend. He was thinner than she remembered, but he was still stocky. She had always loved being snuggled up against him because she always felt safe when she was wrapped in his arms. She shook her head. 'You're not 17 anymore, Taylor Elizabeth,' she scolded herself. 'Get over Joe Cruz.' She sighed and sipped her beer. That was the problem. As hard as she tried, she could never get over him.

Cruz sipped his beer. Maybe it was time to bury the past forever. He stood up, and started for her seat at the bar.