Page 51 of No Going Back

“I’ve been a bit quiet.”

“You said you have an op coming, so Dex is obviously still alright with you operating.”

“Yeah. And I am good.” He met her eyes to reinforce his words.

“Even now, after this session? We got pretty heavy here today. Reliving it all.”

“I relive it fairly regularly. Nightmares. I’ve learned to handle it. Put it in a box.”

“Compartmentalizing. A skill learned in the Navy.”

The corners of Tyler’s mouth turned up ever so slightly. “Not sure it was intended for this sort of thing.”

“It’s a good technique to stay focused. But it’s not a long-term solution for this type of trauma.”

Yeah, he was beginning to realize that.

“Have you seen the lady you told me about since I last saw you?”

Tyler looked down. “Yeah.”

“It didn’t go well?” Claire kicked off her boots and curled her feet up under her, sitting back on the couch with her coffee. This was why he liked her. She was super relaxed and casual.

“It was going great until I fucked it up. Again.”

“What happened?”

Tyler told her everything, well almost everything. He didn’t go into details about their make-out session. “I know I was an asshole.”

“I wouldn’t say that. You both clearly have strong feelings for each other.”

“Well, I know she does about me, but I can’t....” He trailed off.

“How does it feel, knowing how much she likes you?”

“Christ, amazing. She’s amazing. But it scares the hell out of me, too.”

“Because you’ve never felt this way before?”

“No,” he admitted.

“Have you spoken with her since?”

“Only on text. I was in a briefing this morning.”

“And how did she seem on text?”

“She said we were good. Basically, told me to keep my head focused as we’re about to spin up.”

“And can you do that?”

“Yes.” Tyler replied instantly. “I know how to switch this off and stay focused, Claire. I’ve been doing it for years.”

“I can see that.” Claire smiled. “From what you’ve said about this woman, she sounds like she’s very understanding.”

Tyler smiled broadly, relieved to get the conversation off his ability to do his job. “She is. You have no idea.” His phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out. “Sorry.”

“No, go ahead. I understand.”

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