Wheels Up (Out of Uniform 4)

“God, I hate that you know me so well,” Wes admitted. “And yes, she’s having a lot of tests done. They don’t know much yet, just that she’s having irregular heartbeats and shortness of breath. Being worried for her sucks every bit as much as missing you.” He hadn’t meant to say that last part and immediately looked away. “Never mind.”

“No.” Dustin’s hand was gentle as he turned Wes to face him. “I miss you too. Never think I don’t. And I’m sorry about your sister. She keeping her spirits up?”

“Oh yeah.” Wes managed a smile even as his heart clattered with the news that Dustin missed him too. “Got me hooked on a new game we’re both playing. Bombarding me with new playlists. My parents are nervous wrecks, but she’s still all sunshine.”

“Good.” Dustin looked deep into Wes’s eyes, for what felt like the first time in weeks, and licked his lips. He hadn’t dropped his hand from Wes’s shoulder, and it was a warm, solid weight tethering him to the spot, unwelcome heat arcing between them. For a split second, Wes swore he was about to kiss him, and he was torn between desperately needing that and praying he wouldn’t as he was sure he’d shatter, never recover if their lips met. But then Dustin glanced away, shaking his head. “Sorry.”

“Me too.” That was really all there was to say. He was sorry. Sorry he’d never told Dustin he was navy. Sorry for this transfer he’d had no say in. Sorry for all the pain this was causing both of them. And most of all, he was sorry that he’d never know what that kiss tasted like, never know the feel of Dustin’s lips, his taste, the little sounds he’d make. He’d never know what might have been, and that killed him.

* * *

Wes needed another beer. Curly and Bacon’s friends were fun but exhausting. The bar that the SEALs all seemed to like drinking at was packed for a weeknight, probably due to happy hour specials on food. They’d pushed three tables together and the tables were covered with baskets of fries, onion rings, and heaping platters of wings. The crowd had a lot of couples, but as usual, Curly’s girlfriend, Rachel, traveled with a crew of several single women too.

To Wes’s surprise and relief, not all the couples were male-female. Curly and Bacon were friendly with a SEAL on a different team, who had brought his red-haired professor boyfriend along, and another civilian who had a skinny little blond guy hanging on his arm. The mixed crowd was...nice, and not something he’d seen a ton of back in Virginia. Eventually, Wes would work up to discreetly telling Curly that Rachel could can it with the matchmaking—obviously it wasn’t going to be a huge deal, but he still hated personal conversations.

“So tell us what EOD had you doing,” Curly prompted. “You blow anything up today?”

“Yeah, we had inventory duty,” Bacon added. “Let us live vicariously.”

It was the third day of Wes’s training with the EOD group on the new bomb disposal tech. Three long days with Dustin by his side. “Not much,” Wes said, very conscious of what he couldn’t say with the civilians around. “Had me in the new bomb suit today though. That thing is pretty and the mask has far more visibility than the old suits.”

“Oooh.” Rachel leaned forward. “I saw one of those in a movie.”

Wes nodded even though real life was nothing like the movies. The suits were hot and bulky, and while potentially life-saving, also cumbersome and difficult to maneuver in. Usually, they left the suit work to the EOD technicians, but there were circumstances where Wes had be prepared to go out himself, with the team counting on him.

He told them a bit more about the tech on the suit, but being the center of attention was hard for him—he was a guy of action, not words. “Anyone else need a drink refill from the bar?” he asked before they could do another round of questions.

No one took him up on the offer, so he headed alone to the line at the bar. Bored, he pulled out his phone.

Heck. A “call me when you’re free” message from his mom. Probably reporting on the latest round of specialist visits and tests for Sam. And probably not good news or she would have led with that. He couldn’t call her at the noisy bar, but he’d do it as soon as he could make his goodbyes.

Debating going back over to do just that instead of ordering a beer, he glanced at the table.

Oh hell no. Apparently, some officers liked this place too because Dustin had just walked in along with another guy in a lieutenant’s uniform. Bacon and Curly were gesturing for them to come over, but Dustin looked every bit as uncomfortable as Wes felt, all stiff with deep lines bracketing his handsome face. But apparently, his friend knew the SEAL with the professor boyfriend because he headed right over with a hearty greeting, leaving Dustin to trail behind.