Page 27 of Knot Guilty

As soon as I finish braiding my hair, I’m on my feet to find Aaron. He’s not in the dining facility, where the rest of my team pretends not to look from me to Maxen and vice versa. I systematically check the areas around our assigned section, but he doesn’t turn up. Eventually, I find him leaning against a building at the airfield, watching planes take off and land.

Aaron doesn’t say anything when I take the spot next to him. A long, tense minute passes as we watch a big C-130 lumbering toward the far end of the tarmac to get set for takeoff. I’ve always been amazed that these humongous beasts ever manage to get airborne. Engines scream as the giant machine shoots down the runway and smooth out as she lifts her big ass off the ground.

“I’m sorry.”

“About what?” he asks tersely.

“I didn’t tell you.”

Aaron crosses his arms over his chest, subconsciously shutting me out. “No, you lied to me. There’s a difference.”

“I didn’t lie, ok? It was true when I said there was nothing between Maxen and me.”

He scoffs. “We were on a plane nine hours after you said that, Sadie.”

“I know.”

Aaron finally turns to face me, leaning his shoulder against the block wall. “So, what? You guys decided to go steady during the plane ride over.”

“Don’t be an ass, Aaron. When I left Mel’s, I drove around for a while and ended up at Maxen’s place.”

Aaron shoves off the wall and walks away. I follow, not understanding his anger. “I swear I didn’t lie to you. That was the first time we’d hooked up.”

Aaron rounds on me, his features darkened by a look that I can’t interpret. “I didn’t ask, Sadie! So, you’re fucking Maxen. Spare me the details.”

He seems surprised by the vehemence in his voice and takes off again. This time, I let him go.

Aaron’s anger stung. That he raised his voice to me has left me dumbfounded. That’s a first in our long friendship. Plenty of times, he’s called me out over stupid decisions, but he’s never been angry at me.

Turning away from his retreating form, I walk back to our assigned area to find Brock. I owe him an apology too.

Brock is the only one on my team left in the dining hall when I push through the doors. I take the empty spot beside him, pull the cup of coffee from his hand, and take a long drink. He doesn’t speak, and I wonder if he shares Aaron’s outlook on the situation.

“It happened after I left you and Aaron at Mel’s.”

Brock suddenly finds his hands interesting, refusing to look up. “Hey, you don’t owe me anything. Your private life is your own.”

“Yeah, well, you and Aaron are two of my closest friends, and I couldn’t stand for you guys to think I’d lied to you. I tried explaining things to Aaron, but he wasn’t interested.”

Brock’s smile is strained when he finally looks up and reaches out to squeeze my shoulder, “Give him some time. He’ll come around.”

Unconvinced, I hand back his coffee and stand. “Sure.”

On my way to the dorm room I share with Chelsea, I’m stopped by Captain Morrison. “Phelps, we’ve already got word on another shipment. The colonel wants you to meet with his staff at sixteen hundred. I know you guys have a rotation, so whoever you’re sending with the raid team should come with you.”

I make it back to the dorm without any further interruptions and collapse onto the bed, determined to get a couple of hours of rack time before meeting with the colonel. Before closing my eyes, I pull out my phone and take a minute to message Chelsea and Bash about the meeting. They both respond quickly, and I let out a long sigh at how this day has turned out.

My door eases open a few minutes later, and I recognize Chelsea’s steps as she walks into the room to lie down on her own bed. Sensing her eyes on me, I ask, “What?”

“I was just wondering how Grim took the news.”

I roll to my side, wincing because of my bruised middle, and crack one eye open. “He’s mad that I didn’t tell him.”

“Oh,” she replies in a deceptively casual way.

“Oh, what?”

“Nothing.”

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