Page 11 of SEAL Mates

“Yeah, you’re right. I need to stop feeling sorry for myself.”

I hated fucking depression. It was like a snake that crept up slowly all over your body, and once you were trapped, you couldn’t get out of it. Even if you knew while it was taking over you, that once it did you couldn’t get out. Alec had witnessed it so many times, and he was the one in the house which stopped me going down that hole. The one I couldn’t get out of.

“Derek, I'm not going to let you fall again. I know the signs. You can’t work full-time, so there’s only one thing to do, figure out what to do next. So, let’s go and get something to eat before we go to the Town Hall?”

I shook my head, this was where Greg held his meetings. It was crazy but there was something about the mountains that us SEALs ran to. It was as if it was our haven, living in lodges being away from the madness of the world, which was how I met Alec in the first place. We were both in the local pub and it didn’t take long for us to know we were both suffering from PTSD. Maybe it was a sixth sense and we could sense it from each other. Either way, we clicked immediately because we had something in common. Not only had we both been in the Navy, nor that we suffered from PTSD, but we were as bored as fuck. We needed someone to connect with and do stuff with, so when Alec suggested we moved in together. I didn’t hesitate, anything was better than living in a log cabin and not knowing anyone.

“I wouldn’t mind eating at Rib Inn.”

He chuckled, “You read my mind.”

“I’m surprised you’re in. No one gives a ticket either.”

He rolled his eyes and then headed out of the door. It was a cheap shot. Any sheriff who worked here, wasn’t doing it for the high crime rate. They moved here to get away from so many high risk crimes. It wasn’t as if nothing happened here. There was the odd fraud case, murder (but not often) missing persons, kidnapping etc. But the main crimes that took place here were non-violent crimes such as theft.

A life he was happy with, and at times I wondered if it was a lot better than mine. It was clear even if we were happy in our own little worlds for now. We were missing something. Something we craved for, a touch of a woman.

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