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Well, Troy thought that might be a name he’d have no problem forgetting. Just like he would remember the heat in the man’s eyes, and though it hadn’t been intended as anything remotely close to erotic, it had felt like it to Troy.

Oscar snorted. “C’mon, I’ll get you a drink to replace the one I spilled.”

Troy sighed,rubbing his temples. “It’s...a very long, very stupid story.”

“One you obviously don’t want to talk about.”

Troy eyed Dean. “You’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?”

Dean grinned. “I might.”

Troy shook his head. “Look, Oscar and I were a thing once. We dated for about a year, and it was great while it lasted, but itended. I wasn’t expecting him to come to Fort Dale, and it looks like he wasn’t expecting me to be here. We were taken off-guard, but that doesn’t mean a thing, okay?”

Dean held up his hands. “Alright. It just didn’t look like it meant nothing, is all.”

“How about you mind your own relationships?”

“Damn, ouch, alright.”

Troy sighed. “No, I’m sorry. I slept like shit last night, and I feel like if something doesn’t happen today, I’m going to lose my mind.”

Dean patted Troy’s shoulder. “You never were very good at sitting still. But if it makes you feel better, it’s time for you to get going.”

Troy’s head snapped up toward the clock overhead and gave a whoop. “Hell yeah, I can get out of here!”

“You’re going to be gone for, like, an hour. You realize you have to come back, right?” Dean asked dryly.

Troy snatched up his tablet and the bag of medical supplies. “Doesn’t matter that I’ve got a whole double shift ahead of me. I get to stretch my legs and pretend like I’m not coming back here for an hour. That’s worth everything.”

“Not exactly a long-term planner, are you?”

“You should know that about me. I live in the moment, for the moment, Dean, that’s how it works.”

“I bet your finances look amazing.”

“It’s really a lot of porn and beer.”

“Alright, so normal finances for the military.”

Troy laughed, bouncing out of the office and down the hall. It didn’t matter that he’d probably end up bored out of his skull again shortly after returning. At least he had a moment’s illusion of freedom.

His day was looking up.

The elevatorto General Winter’s floor hummed, though Troy was pretty sure there was a rattle that shouldn’t have been there. He also knew if he said something to the General, the man would undoubtedly hop to getting it fixed, and some poor bastard would be forced to drop whatever they were doing to follow the order. General Winter was a stickler for ensuring things were done in a timely manner, except for his routine checkups.

Well, at least there wasn’t any music in the elevator.

When the car came to a stop and the doors opened, Troy got out with a bit of a skip. It was a pleasure to visit General Winter instead of Dean, and not just because it allowed him the freedom to wander around. There was the added bonus that General Winter was such a serious man, Troy delighted in being as playful as he could to see if he could draw a reaction from the older man. Sure, it might have been a bit like poking a sleeping tiger, but he couldn’t help himself.

Troy all but bounced up to the front desk. “Hey, I’m here for General Winter...you...are not Christian.”

Oscar stared back at him with an expression that could not have been more pained if he tried. Troy looked around in bewilderment as he tried to figure out what he’d done wrong. The lobby looked like the one outside General Winter’s office, but there was no sign of the normal bright-eyed receptionist.

“You’re in the right place,” Oscar grunted.

Troy blinked, unnerved that Oscar had read his mind. That little trick might have been cute and endearing when they were dating, but there was something incredibly unsettling about the idea that he was that predictable or Oscar had that good a sense of him.

“What are you doing here?” Troy asked.