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“You could start with, ‘Why aren’t you talking to me?’”

“And what if he tells me to fuck off?”

“Then you know for sure.”

Troy knotted his fingers together nervously. Knowing would certainly be better than this strange purgatory he’d been stuck in. Troy would swear he could still feel Oscar’s lips against his and the press of his hand on his shoulder. It had dragged out the last remnants of emotion he had for Oscar, and Troy could feel them bubbling beneath the surface, just waiting for an excuse to burst out.

Dean smiled, patting his side. “Just go. General Winter’s office hours will be up soon, and you can probably catch him on his way home.”

“Oh, boy, I get to ambush him. That’s sure to make him talk to me.”

“Do you have any other options?”

Troy frowned, no, he didn’t.

“Dammit,” he muttered, pushing away from the desk.

He didn’t feelany better about the plan. He felt like he was lurking outside the building. It wasn’t like anyone was going to give him crap for hanging around outside. Generally speaking, people on the base assumed you were where you were supposed to be and didn’t question it, well, with the exception of a few hard-ass, nosy sergeants.

The wait also had the nasty side-effect of leaving him to stew in his own thoughts as he waited on the bench outside. A million scenarios ran through his head as he waited impatiently, and not many ended well. It had been six years since the two of them had seen one another, had been with one another. So much about them could have changed. Did Troy really want to risk another dose of heartache just because of a few good memories?

Troy flopped bonelesslyonto his bed, pushing his phone away so he could stare at the wall instead. He hated arguing with his father, especially regarding Troy’s decision to join the military. It had been a sore point since Troy announced his decision, and his father was a bullheaded man who didn’t let things go easily.

What should have been a simple phone call home turned into a full-blown yelling match. Troy should have known better than to bring up how much he was enjoying his work at the base and definitely should have known not to take his father’s bait when the man made a snide comment. Now, it would be days before he felt comfortable enough to call his parents again, and just when he was starting to get the first real pangs of homesickness too.

The bed sank, and a shadow fell over him. Troy turned to look up at Oscar, who was frowning down at him.

“How long have you been here?” Troy asked.

“Long enough to hear you call your father a stubborn ass.”

“Great,” Troy muttered.

The last thing he wanted was for Oscar to hear his family drama. Sure, they’d been dating for months, but that didn’t mean Troy wanted to dump his bullshit on him. Oscar only had his brother, having lost his parents at a young age, and Oscar practically worshipped his brother.

“I bet I sounded like an ass to you, huh?” Troy asked.

Oscar chuckled, lying beside Troy. Before Troy could move, he felt himself pulled backward toward the hard press of Oscar’s chest, and the man’s warmth wrapped around him as Oscar pulled him into a tight hold.

“That depends, was your dad being a stubborn ass?” Oscar asked.

Troy snorted. “He thinks I’m wasting my time, going into the military. If I wanted to enter the medical field, I should have just gone to college.”

“Old argument, huh?”

“Well, old if you count a year and some change. But yeah, it’s come up a few times.”

Oscar nuzzled his face against Troy’s neck. “So, why didn’t you?”

“What?”

“Go to college.”

Troy shrugged. “I don’t know. It didn’t suit me. I didn’t want to spend my days working nine-to-five jobs, trying to squeeze in as many classes as possible for the next eight to ten years. I wanted to be doing stuff, and the military gave me that chance, you know? Instead of sitting around waiting to be a doctor somewhere, I can be here, helping where I’m needed. And I like my life. I like what I’m doing.”

Oscar kissed his neck gently. “Then that’s what matters. And probably means your dad is being a stubborn ass.”

Troy chuckled, turning his head so he could see Oscar’s face. “Yeah?”