Page 53 of Unbearable

“They’re all good guys. They’ll love you, I’m sure.” I chuckled. “They love anyone who can put me in my place.”

She laughed and continued helping me put the desk together.

Dotty and I had been working mostly in silence whilefixing up the cabin, and that continued as we assembled the desk. Even when we didn’t say a word for hours, I enjoyed her company way more than she probably even knew.

As I settled into the driver’s seat of my car, the white noise from the engine helped calm the noise in my head. The quiet anticipation of the weekend filled the air. It seemed like a long shot that Dotty would actually come to this wedding with me, but it worked, seeing as she was hopping into the passenger seat.

We agreed on an audiobook for the drive, but I couldn’t focus on it. My mind was racing, thinking about seeing some of my old friends at the wedding, knowing that someone who should have been there wouldn’t be. The memories flooded back.

In boot camp, I was lost, but my saving grace was that everyone else seemed to be too. We were all running away from something.

When I met Mark and Steven, we instantly clicked. The three of us became inseparable. It healed a part of me that was missing the loss of my friendship with Dotty.

Mark and Steven made it through boot camp by pushing each other through the chaos and uncertainty, never allowing the others to give up.

A year after we enlisted, we deployed together. It was a moment that forced me to grow up fast, to confront the harsh realities of our world.

War was brutal and unrelenting, and it left its mark on all of us, but through it all, the three of us stuck together.

Until one Tuesday morning, the three of us woke up together.

And that night, only two of us went to bed.

It was a typical day when we were ambushed and lost Steven, but, damn, did he fight until the very last moment. But that’s the thing about war. It’s fuckingwar. It’s brutal and raw and ugly.

The loss was profound, leaving a scar that could never entirely be healed. It taught me just how fragile life could be and the importance of those you care about. I never wanted to let a moment pass with regret. It shaped who I was, instilling a sense of resilience and a commitment to protect and support those around me.

The bond I shared with my military brothers was unbreakable, forged in the burden of shared hardship and loss.

As I glanced at Dotty, her presence was a stark contrast to those times. She was a reminder of the light and warmth. Every time she was near, the world seemed to make a little more sense, settling me. Her familiar sense of warmth always seeped into my soul, as if it was meant only for me.

The audiobook droned on, but my thoughts were with Steven, wishing he could have been here.

After over an hour of silence, I cleared my throat. “We have about thirty minutes left. Do you want to stop at all? There’s a rest stop up here.”

“I’m good. Unless you want to.”

“Nah, I’m good. Just wanted to make sure you were comfortable.” I smiled.

“All good. Tell me about your friend getting married. Mark, right?” she asked.

“Yeah. He’s a good guy. I met him in boot camp. Webonded quickly. He lost his dad around the same time I did, which fueled both of our decisions to join the military. That gave us some common ground. He’s the kind of guy who always knows how to make you laugh, even in tough times.” She smiled, and, damn, I wanted to be on the other end of that smile every day.

“Sounds like a good friend to have.” Her eyes were focused on the passing scenery outside the window.

“He’s one of the best,” I agreed. “I can’t wait for you to meet him and my other military buddies, Daniel and Nick.”

“I’m excited to meet them. What do they know about me? Should I be worried?” she joked.

“They know everything there is to know. There were many drunken nights when they managed to get all my secrets out of me. I was pretty private for a while when I first joined, not giving many details about my personal life, but Mark and Steven managed to get me to open up.”

“Is Steven going to be there?” she asked.

“No, he passed away on our first deployment.” I paused, then decided to share more. “Mark, Steven, and I, we did everything together.” Dotty reached out and placed her hand on mine. “Losing Steven changed everything for me.”

“I’m so sorry, Trent,” she said, her voice was sweet and gentle. I nodded, feeling the familiar ache deep in my gut.

“His death taught me a lot about life. It’s part of why I am the way I am now, and for that, I will be forever grateful for him.”

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