Page 44 of The Exception

Sonya looked him up and down. “I forgot you’re new here. You should definitely add this place to your list. The wings are great and the drinks are strong.”

“Thanks for the tip. Maybe I’ll add it to my ‘takeout on the couch’ list.” He took off his jacket and hung it on his chair. “This is actually my first time out with another person since I’ve been back. And I’m not actually new to the area. I grew up here. In Fairfax.”

Her eyes narrowed in a way he hadn’t seen in weeks, and he held his hands up. “Now before you go accusing me of lying, I never told you I was new here, just that I didn’t know anyone.”

The bartender came over and Sonya ordered a beer without looking at the list. He asked for the same.

“So tell me how those two things coexist,” she said. “Not being new and not knowing anyone.” She crossed her legs and let her high-heel dangle from her toes.

He’d probably tell her that story another time if she asked, but tonight he liked that they both seemed to be enjoying themselves already. Something about her expression had changed the moment they’d walked through the door, like she’d put down a whole bunch of heavy things.

Their conversation last week still played on a loop in his brain. He hadn’t told anyone that story. He’d skimmed over it with his therapist, kept it completely from Marielle. But in that moment all he cared about was making sure Sonya knew she wasn’t alone in that feeling of helplessness. Even if it meant opening an old wound. And then it had taken a different turn.

“The crowd I ran with when I was younger, they weren’t exactly a good influence.” He took a sip, remembering. “Not that I was without blame—I made my choices—but there came a time when I needed to make a decision and it had to be all or nothing.”

She studied him, probably picking up that he was leaving out some details.Can’t bullshit a psychologist.He’d learned that early enough.

“And that decision involved moving away from here?” she asked.

“To Afghanistan, to be exact. Well, first Fort Bragg. Bootcamp has a way of turning off that little switch in your brain that wants to get into trouble. It took a lot of push ups and latrine duty, but mine got sorted.”

Sonya swallowed from her bottle, pointing it at him. “That switch was the first thing I noticed about you.”

He laughed. “Oh, really?”

“Yep. I took one look at you,DoctorBen, and I said this one’s trouble.”

He might have been offended at yet another snap judgment made against him if she wasn’t smiling at him. “My first inclination is to say takes one to know one, but I get the strong feeling that’s not the case with you.”

She pressed a hand to her chest and let her mouth drop open. “Are you saying I’m boring?”

“Not at all.”

She blew out a breath then took another chug from her bottle. “No. You’re right. Sometimes I bore myself to tears.”

He felt the smile slide off of his face. “You can’t be serious.”

“Did you know I was supposed to be married right now?”

He blinked at her, caught off guard. “Um… I heard a little—”

“I flew all the way to Hawaii without telling a soul that I was going to elope.”

Wait.Hawaii? The flight they met on…

He rubbed at the back of his neck, replaying that interaction in his head. He’d done it a few times since they’d become friends, punishing himself for not seeing a good thing coming. Thrown together with one of the most beautiful women he’d ever met, and he managed to screw it up by slipping into that cocky facade that kept him from having to connect.

Sonya had let him off easy compared to what she could have done, and he’d thanked his lucky stars for it, but now he knew what a kindness it really was. Sonya wasn’t the type to take her shit out on someone else, though. She was a lot better than that—than most people, really.

“But it didn’t happen,” he said. “The wedding.”

“It didn’t.” Her shoulders sagged and she blew out a breath. “The one time I try to go off script, it comes crashing down.”

“Is that something you struggle with?” he asked. “The need to control a situation?”

She cocked her head to the side. “Don’t psychoanalyze me, intern.”

He laughed, unoffended. “I’m not. I swear. It’s just, I get that, or at least the general idea. I’ve always had trouble with the opposite. Structure scares the hell out of me.”

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