Chapter Eighteen #3
Matt and Trey got to work, and by the time they stumbled into camp eighteen hours later, they were dirty, exhausted and elated to find they’d earned one of the top three times. Everyone made it back within the twenty-four-hour limit, and then Howe dropped a bombshell.
“Okay, that was your warm-up,” he informed them. “Now we’re gonna mix it up a little. Top finishers will be paired with low finishers, and you’re gonna do it all over again, this time for a grade.” He gave a smart-ass grin. “Now go replenish your gear.”
For the second go-round Matt was paired with a cocky dude named Cody, and he groaned inwardly. Cody was a solid performer, but his teamwork left a lot to be desired. Hardly anyone liked him.
“What if you find yourself stranded behind enemy lines with someone you can’t stand?
” Howe asked the group. “SEALs by nature have strong personalities, and sometimes they don’t mesh well.
It’s a fact of life. But when your lives depend on working together, you have to find a way to push past your differences. Load up!”
As the men scrambled for the pickups, Howe shouted, “You’ll have eighteen hours instead of twenty-four this time. And remember, it’s for a grade!”
By the time he and Cody staggered into camp with fifteen minutes to spare, Matt was stressed, furious and running on fumes. He checked in with Howe, stowed his gear and headed for the room he shared with Trey.
“How’d it go?” Trey peered up at him from where he was slumped on the edge of his cot, dirty and unshaven.
“Came this close to punching the little shit,” Matt grated. “Now I’m gonna go punch the speed bag instead.”
“Fuck yeah.”
He and Trey changed into workout gear and headed for the gym; no matter how Spartan the facilities were, there was always a gym.
They spent a satisfying hour pummeling the equipment, then enjoyed a hot shower and yet another cold MRE.
After that was some well-deserved rack time, and when Matt woke up, more or less refreshed, he checked his phone to find a voice mail from Shane.
Horrified, he realized it was Tuesday morning and he hadn’t spared a single thought to his situation since he’d talked to him.
“What a great fucking friend,” he berated himself as he hurried to his rock, wondering if Shane was at this moment on his way back to a ship in the fleet.
Luckily the message got right to the point. “It’s gonna be okay, Soup.”
Matt slumped in abject relief as he continued, “They gave me one last chance and I ran it with almost a minute to spare. Thanks to you. I’d kiss you right now if I could.” Shane’s voice dropped low. “Like, I’d really, really kiss you. All over.”
His whole body flushing hot, Matt glanced around, but no one was paying the slightest bit of attention to him. The message ended there, so Matt thumbed out a quick text. Save it for Vegas, stud. Great news, though! Had no doubt.
No reply, but then, Shane would be in the middle of his own workday. Matt stowed his phone and headed off to get ready for the first evolution.
They ended up playing phone tag all throughout that week, until Matt finally reached him late Friday night.
“So you’re still there, huh?” he said by way of greeting.
“Yep, still here, and here to stay. I’m feeling much better.”
“Good. Did they hammer you during the board?”
“Not really. This one master chief said he needed a damn good reason not to bounce me for performance reasons and demanded to hear my excuses. I said there were no excuses, but if they gave me one more chance, I’d come in under the limit and I’d never let them down again. Guess it worked.”
“Told you they liked you.”
Shane’s chuckle this time sounded almost bashful. “Bernson said some really nice shit, too, so I guess they do.”
“Well, don’t get a big head about it.”
“With you around? Not a chance.”
“Yeah, I’ll keep you in line, don’t worry.”
“Hey, Soup.” Shane paused. “Thanks for sticking by me. Seriously. I was scared shitless, man. Didn’t know how much I wanted this until it looked like it’d be taken away.”
“Anytime. And hey.”
“What?”
“I’m really glad you called me,” he said softly. “I give you a lot of crap, but I also hope you know I—” His throat closed up and he cleared it nervously.
Shane gave a quiet laugh. “You like me?”
“I admit nothing.” He didn’t have to, did he? It was written all over him.
“Oh, I made a reservation for us in Vegas today.”
“Yeah?” Matt swallowed against the mix of anticipation and grief swirling through him. I’m just not ready for this to end.
He shoved the thought away, striving to keep his voice even as they discussed dates and agreed upon a meeting time.
“Should I rent us a car?” Matt asked.
“Nah. I wasn’t gonna stay the entire week with my family, so I’ll fly back to San Diego and drive up to Vegas. Then we can drive home together.”
Their plans made, they reluctantly said their goodbyes. Matt lay there on the rock for a minute, thinking how stupid he was, teetering on the verge of falling for someone he could never be with.
The week in Vegas had to get this out of their systems. It had to.