The weekend couldn’t come fast enough.
???
Pierce stood on the beach watching as the medical team checked over some of the recruits a short distance away. Those who had already been cleared were stretched out in the sand.
He couldn’t help but chuckle. They were all exhausted, and it showed. But that’s what happens during BUD/s. Those brave enough to undertake the grueling training are pushed beyond their limits, both physically and mentally. What many people don’t realize is that BUD/s is more of a mental game than it is physical. In Pierce’s opinion, BUD/s is about eighty percent mental and twenty percent physical.
He shook his head, still grinning as he turned toward the shoreline. The tide rolled in steadily and calmly, waves hissing softly against the sand.
This was the quiet moment after the chaos, when the day’s work settled, and the ocean reminded him why he loved this place.
He stared at the endless stretch of blue. He took a deep breath, letting the salt air fill his lungs. The ocean was powerful, unforgiving, and beautiful all at once. It didn’t apologize for what it was. It reminded him that no matter how rough the storm was, the tide was always pulled back, but it always returned. There was comfort in that. In knowing some things didn’t run when things got hard.
He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Normally, he would have ignored it until after he was finished for the day, but since he had a few minutes to spare, he pulled his phone from his pocket.
As soon as he saw Charley’s name he felt something shift inside of him. His chest tightened, and his heart felt like it had skipped a beat. But then a slow grin tugged at his mouth before he could stop it.
As he read her message, he felt his smile grow. She was asking about that coffee date he had asked her about.
His first reaction was to say he’d meet her right now. But he knew that was out of the question. And the rest of his week was a shitshow due to the training schedule. He texted a response.
Pierce:Hey Charley. How did you know I was thinking of you? Coffee sounds great, though this week is a little crazy for me. Can I give you a call this weekend and we can set a date?
He got a reply immediately.
Charley:Perfect. I’ll wait to hear from you.
He grinned again as his heart did a little dance. He couldn’t believe how a simple text from her made him react this way.
He had all intentions of reaching out to her next week, once training settled a little. But it made him happy knowing that she’d reached out first. It showed she was interested. And hell, just seeing her name pop up made his whole fucking day.
“Why do you look like you just won the lottery?” Ray’s voice came from his right, dripping with suspicion and amusement.
“What do you mean?” Pierce asked, trying to play it cool.
Ray snorted and gave Pierce a look that meant “don’t even try to blow smoke up my ass.”
“That’s the face of a man with a reason. Spill it.”
Pierce shook his head, but the grin wouldn’t leave. “Charley texted. Asked about grabbing coffee.”
Ray’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, look at you.” He slapped Pierce’s shoulder hard enough to jolt him. “See, I was right about the whole ‘meet cute’ thing.”
Jesus, not this shit again, Pierce thought to himself.
“It’s just coffee,” Pierce said, though he could feel his ears heating.
“Yeah, and I’m the Easter Bunny,” Ray quipped. “Good for you, though. She’s great. Don’t fuck it up.”
Pierce rolled his eyes, but the compliment landed. “Thanks, Ray.”
Ray clapped him once more on the shoulder. “Alright, lover boy. Back to work. I need your help. We had three separations today.”
“Any of them a surprise?” Pierce asked.
“Holcomb, Wells, and Babcock.”
Pierce’s eyes snapped up toward Ray’s. “Babcock? Seriously? Man, I had him in my top ten who were locked in. What the hell happened?”
