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There is a history of the Civil War, then two more. In fact, there are books for each war our country has been in, and thick anthologies of historical philosophies. I wouldn’t know that, except it says “historical philosophy” on the spine.

Not a math major, definitely. There is a book on economics, but it seems to be a general knowledge sort. No real science. In contrast to my bookshelves, which are almost entirely filled with medical textbooks and fiction from when I was a teenager, this collection seems quite masculine.

No literature either, outside of a few anthologies that seem standard issue. He kept those, but he didn’t keep his ma

th textbooks. So definitely a humanities guy.

And what a piece of humanity he is. Dressed in long basketball shorts and a tank top, I can watch his muscles move underneath the fabric. He’s thick and broad, not wiry like a teenager. He has been strong for a long time. He looks settled in his body. Solid.

Cass is the same way, thick in all the right places. I bet they were heartthrobs in high school. Probably played the same sports. Maybe even dated the same girls.

To my surprise, that thought irritates the crap out of me. Dated the same girls. As if.

Am I jealous? That’s a new one.

“What’s so funny?” Will suddenly asks, interrupting my train of thought.

When I startle and look up at him, the book slips from my hands and lands on the floor.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” I babble, reaching for it.

He swoops in before me to snatch it up, giving it an appraising look.

“Japan, huh?” he asks with a smile. “Are you interested in travel?”

I shrug one shoulder. “I haven’t really had a chance to give it much thought, to be honest. Yes? I mean, why not?”

He smiles, settling onto the sofa next to me and sending a thrill of butterflies flapping wildly through my core.

“Have you gotten to travel a lot with the colonel?”

This is a safe question, worded carefully. I appreciate the way he is asking me.

“No… We lived in Seattle for most of the time I was growing up. I have family out there. He has always gone off on trips for a few days… A few weeks. He doesn’t take me with him.”

“That’s too bad,” Will nods thoughtfully. “I think travel teaches you things about the world you can’t learn from a book. I think it’s important.”

I can’t help but smile at his words. This is quite a personal conversation for a soldier. Actually fairly deep.

“Where would you travel, if you could go anywhere?” I ask him gently. “I mean… You don’t have to tell me. I know that is kind of personal —”

“I think Brazil?” he answers with a faraway squint. “Maybe Peru or Chile? I’d really like to see the Amazon. See the South American pyramids. I think that would be pretty fantastic.”

“Seriously?” I ask, surprised.

He raises his eyebrows like I might have insulted him mildly. “Yeah, seriously. Why wouldn’t I be serious?”

“Oh… It’s nothing. It’s just that usually when you ask people where they want to go, they all say Paris… London… Rome. Stuff like that.”

He shrugs, smirking. “Maybe I’ve had a little bit too much of Western civilization,” he admits with a chuckle. “I’d like a real shift in my frame of mind, you know? Asia… Africa… That sort of thing. London and Paris just seem like more of the same to me. But of course you don’t know for sure. You never really know until you get there.”

I let that sink in for a few moments. He really is deep. Definitely the educated brother.

“And… Cass? What about him?”

He smiles slyly. “I’m sure you’ll have a chance to ask him,” he answers noncommittally. “But in general we tend to stick together. Twins, you know. I realize it’s cliché, but it doesn’t feel right when we are too far apart.”

A million questions crowd in my mind, but I know better than to ask. Eventually I will understand. They will tell me, or I will just come to know. But I can’t pry too deep. Bad military manners.