Sideways

Chapter 50 Sandbox

Undisclosed Military Base, Afghanistan, 2015

"I fucking hate the sand!" With a low, rumbling, frustrated groan, Cole sends a spray of fine sand flying as he kicks a small mound in front of their tent.

As they walked into the tent, Wes couldn't help but laugh, a deep chuckle vibrating in his chest. Just like Cole, he absolutely despised the gritty, unpleasant feeling of sand between his toes and the way it clung to his skin. His skin felt tight and itchy from the dryness; every breath felt like a scratch. Either of them would rather feel the warm sand between their toes beneath a swaying palm tree than endure the harsh, sunbaked Afghan desert.

A call rings out, and the video screen in front of them displays, "Encrypted". Wes grabs the mouse, accepts the call, and the screen fills with the face of their newest team member, Evan Buckley, aka Ghost.

Buckley beams a warm and sincere smile at both of them. Since the last time they saw their friend a few weeks ago, he has frosted the tips of his curly hair, giving himself more of a "dude bro" surfer look. But that is the thing, because looks can be deceiving, and there is a lot more to Evan Buckley than how he looks.

"Where are you guys?" Buckley asks.

"Can't tell you. You know that. Come on, Ghost." Wes chuckles.

"Somewhere really sandy," Cole teases, prompting a dirty look from Wes.

"What?" Cole asks defensively.

"Stop making me the bad cop."

"Hey, if the shoe fits," Cole shrugs his shoulders and dodges a swipe from Wes.

"That's cute. You guys should take this show on the road or, better yet, to a bedroom." Buckley teases from the video screen, and Wes gives him the middle finger. Buckley immediately clocked Wes's feelings for Cole and was one of the few people around whom Wes didn't have to hide his true feelings for Cole.

Yet, despite promising to keep it under wraps, his friend playfully teased them about how their relationship seemed so intertwined and couple-oriented. He relentlessly joked about their co-dependency. Buckley often chuckled, pointing out how they moved in sync, finishing each other's sentences, and how they appeared to exist in their own little world, as if their bond was an unspoken language only the two of them understood.

Wes couldn't wait for the day when Buckley had someone special in his life, so he could return the favor. Yet, despite all the teasing from Buckley and their other friends, Cole seemed to embrace it and just went along with it. He often told the others that they wished they had what he and Wes shared. It was utterly infuriating and drove Wes crazy.

"When are you guys coming home?" Buckley asked before he shifted on screen, and Wes could tell by the way he moved that he was hurting and in pain.

Looking him over through the video screen, Wes wonders how he is holding up after his first set of treatments, personally remembering the bone-deep fatigue and nausea he felt after his own first few sessions with the Navy scientists after they were rescued from Genesis. Before he even has a chance to ask out loud, Cole proves once again how in sync they are by asking for him.

"A few more days, and then we will be back with you stateside for a week or so before we head to Peru." Cole laughs before tilting his head at Buckley. "How are you feeling, Evan?"

Buckley, unsure of how to respond, shrugs and then exclaims with a smile, "I'd rather be relaxing at that all-inclusive resort in Peru; that's for shit sure!" On the screen, Buckley stands up, then turns his back to Wes and Cole and pulls the tan t-shirt from his belted uniform pants up over his shoulder.