One in a Million (Book 3 in the Four of Us Trilogy)

9 | Unspoken

I believe you love who you love

Ain't nothing you should ever be ashamed of.

-Luke Bryan, "Most People Are Good"

Waynesville, Missouri

Miles

"COMPANY C! You have exactly three minutes to eat breakfast and then it's back outside for calisthenics!" Sergeant Lawson barked. "Don't waste time talking!"

I sat down with my tray of pancakes – which were actually tasty – and shoved them into my mouth at record speed. Dale appeared next to me and started shoveling food into his mouth even faster than me.

In three minutes, we were done and outside, doing push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and squats in the hot summer sun. I didn't think it would be as hot in Missouri as it was in Florida, but I was sorely mistaken. I was sweating in places I'd never sweated before, even during the heat of baseball practice. But I was still in pretty decent shape, thank God, so the exercise wasn't so bad, but it was just constant. Next to no breaks, only long enough to get a swig of water every hour or so.

Finally, after what seemed like half the day, and actually was, it was time for lunch. Once again, we had three minutes to eat, except it was grilled cheese sandwiches and potato chips this time. It was delicious.  I was starved after all the exercise, and those sandwiches were the best thing I could've asked for in that moment.

***

After a few more hours of training and another meal, it was finally time to shower, and it was the most glorious shower I'd ever had. I stepped out of the shower and put on my Army issued sweats, padding in my socked feet back to the barracks.

I tossed my bathroom bag under my bed and flopped down, relishing the moment of rest.

"Ugh," Dale groaned from the bed next to me. "This week has been hell!"

"Yeah, it's been tough, but we knew the first week would be difficult, right?" I asked, looking over at him.

"True."

My phone vibrated, and I glanced down at it to see a text from Rachel. My eyes lit up and a smile spread across my face as I read her words.

Hey baby, I just wanted to text and say I love you. I know you probably can't answer, but I just wanted you to know. xoxo

I typed out a quick reply and looked up to see Dale looking at me in amusement.

"Someone special?" he asked with a smirk, echoing my words from the day we got to boot camp.

I realized then that we hadn't even had a moment to discuss anything about our personal lives, but in the past week, we had developed an unspoken bond. Perhaps it was from being part of the same company.

I nodded. "My fiancée, Rachel. She's back in Tallahassee, in grad school for her Masters in School Counseling." I looked around, making sure Sergeant Lawson wasn't around, and showed him my lock screen – a picture of Rachel on the beach last summer, her blonde hair blowing in what had to have been a pretty strong breeze.

"Wow, she's beautiful," Dale said, looking back up at me and smiling.

"She is... she's my everything," I said, my heart constricting. I miss her so much.

"That's awesome, man," he said, and he glanced around again, just like he had when we got off the bus that first day.

My eyebrows twitched. "What about you, dude? You have someone waiting for you back in Atlanta?"