Page 119 of Brighter Shades of Light
As a reservist, I served one weekend a month and two weeks during the summer. That was it. There was the possibility of deployment if the Corps needed me, but for the most part, I was able to have a stable home life and career.
The dark thoughts I’d had after my first deployment had vanished, too, over time. It had just been me trying to get used to the military life. Training for it and doing it were two completely different things.
Sebastian appeared in the doorway, his hair tousled. He sometimes ran his hands through it when he was stressed and trying to figure something out, and he had worked hard lately. Too hard. Which was why we were meeting friends for dinner and having a night out.
I reached to fix his collar and smoothed it down. “I’m starving.”
“You’re always starving.” He eyed me through his glasses and slid his hand into mine.
Downtown Jacksonville was awesome, with its historic sites and abundance of down-home restaurants. Sebastian and I walked hand-in-hand down the sidewalk, seeing the Freedom Fountain in the distance, which honored everyone who had served in the United States military—past and present.
I had been pretty lucky with my duty station in North Carolina. Some Marines moved stations every three or so years, but I had been fortunate to stay at Camp Lejeune instead of being rotated elsewhere. Sebastian loved his job here, and we both adored the town. Maybe we’d eventually travel the world and live somewhere else, but for now, this was home.
As we approached the Angry Ginger Irish Pub, I saw Tristen standing outside with Jared and Lucy. He laughed and made a vulgar movement with his hands, probably telling a wild story.
After serving his required five years, he went into the reserves, too. He had been part of a Marine expeditionary unit while in active duty and had deployed twice on Navy ships. One of them had been a combat mission, and I was proud as hell that he handled himself well. From what I heard, he didn’t freeze up when it counted most, and that’s what mattered. Fear didn’t break him. It made him stronger.
“There you are, Captain Loser,” Tristen said, once spotting us. “You remember Evan?”
The man with Tristen smiled and leaned into his side.
“Of course I do. How’s it going, man?” I shook Evan’s hand before returning mine to Sebastian’s lower back.
“Good,” Evan answered with a faint blush.
Blake had dumped Tristen during Tristen’s first deployment overseas. His reasoning was he couldn’t handle the distance. Since then, my best friend had gone through seven boyfriends, some of them more serious than others. His most recent one seemed like a good guy, though. Quiet, kind of shy, and he shared Tristen’s love for history. They had met after Tristen moved to Jacksonville to be closer to me.
Sebastian greeted Jared with a clap on the back before pulling Lucy in for a hug. The couple had become just as much my friends as they were his over the years. Great people with the kindest hearts. Every time I had been deployed, they’d taken care of my man and made sure he hadn’t reverted to old, unhealthy habits.
“Ready to eat?” Sebastian asked. “Cody is so hungry I’m worried he’ll chew my arm off if we don’t get an appetizer, and quick.”
I smirked before chomping at his neck, bringing his point home.
We entered the restaurant and took a table near the wall. The place had an open floorplan with wooden tables, a huge bar that curved into an L-shape along one wall, and a homey, laidback atmosphere. Off to one side were pool tables and a dartboard. It was the perfect hangout spot that had amazing food, too. One of the best parts? It closed at two in the morning. So, we could drink and chill for a while after eating dinner.
I ordered spinach and artichoke dip for an appetizer as we looked over the menu. When the waitress dropped it off at the table, I dug into it like I hadn’t eaten in days. Sebastian watched me with amusement as I munched on the toasted pita.
“What?” I asked with my mouth full.
“I just love you,” he said, moving his thumb along the corner of my mouth to wipe away the dip.
He still managed to make my stomach flutter after all these years.
“So, Cody,” Evan said, and when all eyes moved to him, his shoulders hunched a little. “Tristen says you’re a materials engineer? I don’t think I know what that is.”
“Yeah. It’s kinda cool.” I took a drink of water to wash down the pita and dip. “My company deals with advanced materials research and development organization in the nanotechnology field. With engineered microstructures and powder metal processing, we develop and improve material advances. Right now, I mainly operate on the facility equipment and keep it functioning for the research and development team.”
Evan’s eyes glazed over.
Tristen snorted, “Nerd.”
Over dinner, the six of us talked about taking a vacation together when everyone had time off. Maybe to Hawaii to visit Rachel and Marcus. They had both been stationed at Kaneohe Bay. Three years ago when they got married, Sebastian and I flew out for the wedding. The beautiful water and tropical island vibe was a paradise I could get used to. Visiting Pearl Harbor had been surreal, and I might’ve shed a few tears, too.
Maybe.
“Have you talked to Keith lately?” I asked Tristen.
“Nope.” He shook his head. “Last I heard, he moved back to Emerald Falls and was working for his old man.”
