“Because of the military?” I asked.
“Yeah. I joined when I was nineteen and I definitely could have retired by now, but I like it. Like my job.”
“What do you do?”
“Uh, I’m in financial management. Basically, I oversee budgets.”
Rick laughed at the following silence. “Boring. I know. Nobody likes finance, but we’re essential cogs in the machine. Can’t do anything without money.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Well, the grill’s probably hot. I’ll get the burgers going so they’re ready when Nox gets here.”
I deflated against the counter once he was outside and Jae leaned over, letting his head rest on top of mine.
“You okay?” he asked softly.
“Yeah. You?”
“Fan-freaking-tastic,” he mumbled without enthusiasm.
“Sounds like it,” I said with an eye roll.
He chuckled lightly wrapping his arm around my back and squeezing me. “I really am okay, just exhausted. I feel like I’ve been running on fumes for so long, trying to get the gym ready and open, and I was an idiot for thinking I’d maybe get a little bit of reprieve once it was. And I’m slightly depressed that I’vealready managed to eat half the kimchi my mom brought. It’s the stress. I end up snacking and the kimchi isso good.”
He groaned, our bodies swaying as he leaned more of his weight onto me.
“You know what I just realized,” I said, my eye landing on the camera mounted in the corner of the living room. “This isn’t going to be very surprising if he happened to check the security cameras. I know he gets an alert when there’s motioned detected at the front door or the deck.”
Jae laughed softly again, “You’re right. I didn’t think of that.”
“He’s not going to be mad, right?”
“Mad? Why would he be mad?”
“You know, ‘cause of all the attention.”
“No way, it’s not like we invited half his squadron. It’s literally just us and Rick.”
My nose scrunched as I groaned.
The slider opened once more and I jumped. Rick gave us a strange look as he slowly closed the door behind him.
“Am I interrupting something?”
“No.” Jae said with a hint of confusion in his voice. As I studied Rick’s eyes on us, I realized he must be thinking Jae and I’s physical affection was odd. I shrugged Jae off and moved to the island to grab my water bottle.
Rick cleared his throat, pulling some burger buns from the paper grocery bag he’d brought.
“You got the condiments, right?”
Jae went to the fridge, pulling out a range of items that someone might want to put on their burger. I rolled my eyes at the kimchi he pulled out.
“I thought you’d be trying to ration it out,” I commented.
He shoved me playfully with a scowl. “Shut up.”
I laughed softly.
