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Tally, Abigail, and Raelle were eating breakfast in the mess hall, talking about the upcoming weekend.
“Adil has this whole hike planned for us. He’s going to show me the ‘beauty of nature’.” Abigail said as she shoved more oatmeal into her mouth.
“Just don’t get poison ivy while you guys are boning.” Raelle shot Abigail a smirk, earning her a punch in the shoulder.
“Like you and Scylla are going to do anything but bone this weekend,” Abigail shot back, shaking her hand from the punch. “What about you, Tal? What are you going to get up to?”
“Oh, ya know, probably studying and enjoying having the dorm to myself.” Tally sighed as she moved the eggs around on her plate.
“Well that sounds…..relaxing?” Raelle tried to help Tally not feel so bummed about not having any plans.
“I guess so. I’ll see you guys at training.” Tally got up and discarded her barely eaten breakfast before heading back to their dorm. On her way, she passed General Alder and her biddies in the hall. While Tally usually greeted the General with enthusiasm, all she could muster was a small smile and nod as she passed.
“Craven, are you alright?” Tally stopped and turned, meeting General Alder’s concerned eyes.
“Oh. Yes, General. Thank you.” Tally’s voice was barely over a whisper.
“You don’t seem alright.”
“I’m fine, I promise. Abigail and Raelle just have these grand weekend plans while I get to stay here. Not that Fort Salem is boring or anything! I just don’t like being here all by myself.” Tally blushed as her gaze drifted to the floor.
“Ah, I see.” There was a pause before the General continued. “I am taking a very rare trip into town this weekend. Would you..” She cleared her throat. “Would you be interested in accompanying me?” Tally’s head snapped up to meet the General’s eyes again.
“I would love that! I mean, yes. Yes, I would like to accompany you this weekend.” General Alder and the biddies smiled at Tally, relieved that Tally was excited as they were.
“Excellent. Meet me in my office Saturday at 0800?” Tally nodded before turning and headed back to her dorm, more excited for a weekend than she had been in a long time.
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Tally stood outside the General’s office, raising her hand for the fourth time, trying to settle her nerves before knocking. She finally managed to knock twice before drying her sweaty palms on her dark jeans. She had decided on civilian clothes for the day, assuming it would be acceptable since they were going off base on a weekend.
“I’m sorry I’m a few minutes late. I was actually here for a few…” Tally stopped as the sight of the General in civilian clothes was revealed behind the opening door.
“It’s quite alright, Cadet. Come in.” Alder held the door open for the furiously blushing Cadet. The General had opted for a beige cardigan over a maroon shirt, extremely flattering jeans, and tan boots.
Tally audibly swallowed before she noticed the biddies, all in civilian clothing as well. “All of you look amazing,” Tally said, her gaze drifting back to the General’s.
“Thank you, Tally. You look quite nice yourself. Is it ok if I call you Tally today? We will be off base and it is a weekend.” Tally nodded and smiled, her dimples on full display. “In that case, please also call me Sarah today.” Tally’s smile widened even further, causing Sarah’s heart to warm. Her feelings for Tally were something she had tried to ignore for a very long time. It wasn’t until the biddies all but yelled at Sarah for being foolish that she allowed herself to feel what she did for the Cadet. She had a feeling Tally felt similarly, although Sarah wasn’t sure how to bring the subject up.
“Ok, Sarah. What are we going into town for today?” Sarah blushed lightly at Tally using her first name before responding.
“Whiskey. There is a local distillery that I’ve become quite fond of in the last several years. I enjoy picking it up personally.” Tally nodded and felt flattered the General, no, Sarah, trusted her to accompany her on the trip. “Is everyone ready to go?” Sarah looked at the 8 women in the room, all of them nodding in response.
They headed toward town, all 9 of them crammed into a Chevy Suburban, Sarah driving. Tally had offered to take the back but the biddies insisted on her taking the passenger’s seat. The trip into town was only 30 minutes but Tally wasn’t sure she took a breath the entire time. Sarah was an absolute vision. Her hair was down, pulled forward over one shoulder. The light that shined through the window made her look like a literal angel, Tally thought to herself. She felt so lucky to be spending time with Sarah, even if her feelings weren’t shared. She was just happy to be near Sarah in a non military situation. Tally hadn’t realized she was staring until Sarah turned and smiled at her. She blushed fiercely before turning her head and looking out her own window.
They arrived in town and started strolling lazily down main street. Tally and Sarah walked next to each other, while the biddies trailed a few feet behind. Tally hadn’t been in town much, save a few trips with Abigail and Raelle during War College breaks. They passed a small apothecary and Tally stopped.
“Would it be ok if we went in? I want to grab something for Abigail.” Tally chuckled softly and Sarah smiled in response.
“I could use something for my arthritis,” came a shout from one of the biddies behind them.
“We should go in. That woman doesn’t stop complaining if her knees are acting up,” Sarah whispered to Tally as she gestured toward the door. Tally giggled in response, causing Sarah to swoon.
“I heard that!” Corrine shouted as the 9 of them entered the apothecary.
Tally quickly found the anti-itch cream, something she imagined would make her sisters laugh. Abigail might actually need it too, she thought to herself. Corrine found some cream for her arthritis and they checked out before continuing through town. Sarah gestured for Tally to hand her the bag she was holding. Tally was expecting her to see what she bought, but instead, Sarah carried it for Tally, which caused Tally’s heart to bloom.
“Sarah, I…” Tally had started before they reached an area of the street that was closed off. A large group of people had gathered around something, causing the path forward to be quite tight. Tally strained to look in between the heads in front of her. She finally saw a group of dancers, performing for a large crowd.
“We might be able to squeeze through.” Sarah mentioned to Tally as she looked for the easiest path through.
“Oh. I don’t want to get lost or separated from the group.” Tally was nervous as she looked at Sarah.
“You won’t lose me.” Sarah smiled at Tally as she offered her empty hand. Tally’s eyes widened but she took Sarah’s hand, marveling at how perfectly they fit together. They interlaced their fingers before starting through the crowd. The crowd was thick with people, making it difficult to make progress. Tally didn’t mind that it was taking a while. She was enjoying how warm Sarah’s hand was and the fact that she was holding the hand of the literal head of the US Army. After a few minutes, they had managed to make it through the crowd. A few of the biddies were swearing as they squeezed through the small exit of the crowd.
Tally hadn’t realized she was still holding Sarah’s hand until she reached up to fix her hair. “Oh! I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize.” Tally went to let go of Sarah’s hand but Sarah squeezed in return. Sarah looked at Tally, her face a mix of hope and nervousness. Tally’s breath hitched as she realized Sarah didn’t want to let go. They could continue on without a risk of getting separated but Sarah wanted to hold Tally’s hand. Tally squeezed Sarah’s hand in response, leaning a little bit closer as they continued on.
Tally swore she heard an “about time” mumbled from behind them as they made their way to their destination.