They spent the next two weeks together. They had exams to write, but when they were free they were together.

Ben had told his family about his plans after he’d passed his medical, and they’d reacted much the same as Allie had. His mother had tried to talk him out of it. When that hadn’t worked she’d cried. His father had tried to be supportive, but he’d also tried to get him to reconsider. Nicole had been on the fence. She’d been supportive because it’s what he wanted to do, but she’d been worried about him.

Allie had always been a fixture in their house. They knew all about her home life and what she had to deal with, so there was always a place for her at their table. They were happy to find out she and Ben were together and they were very supportive. They still held a place for her at the table, and they let her stay with him overnight.

They were both eighteen and about to graduate from high school. His parents had asked that they not have sex in the house, especially when others were home. They respected that Ben and Allie were adults, but there were some ground rules. 

They respected the rules and at night they cuddled as they slept, but when they were alone they couldn’t get enough of each other. They were so comfortable with each other they were able to explore their sexualities. Allie had never even heard of half the things he wanted to try, but she trusted him and enjoyed exploring sex with him. 

They experimented with different ways to pleasure each other and tried pretty much every position they could think of. Some of it was kind of awkward and some just didn’t work at all. Some of what they tried was incredible. Allie had never felt so happy in all her life, and Ben was the most incredible and attentive boyfriend she could have ever asked for.

They graduated together and walked the stage with the rest of their class, smiling and posing for pictures with his family since her parents hadn’t bothered to show up. She really hadn’t seen them for more than a few hours since the day after prom, and she really didn’t care. They got their space and she got to spend all of her time with Ben.

The day after grad Ben got the phone call she’d been dreading. The army was offering him a job. He went down to the recruiting center to sign the paperwork and get his instructions. She’d wanted to go with him but he’d gone alone. Hearing the dates and seeing him sign would have been too real, and she didn’t think she could have handled it.

* * * * *

 “One week?” Allie asked softly. “You’re leaving in one week?”

Ben just nodded as they sat in his car.

He’d gone straight home after signing the papers at the recruiting center and had picked her up so they could talk about what he’d learned. He’d driven to the school and parked in the back lot. It was the only place they could guarantee would be empty at three in the afternoon on a Tuesday.

“So what happens now? What’s the process or whatever they call it?”

“I have my swearing in on Thursday.” He leaned back against his seat. “Then on Tuesday morning I leave for boot camp.”

“How long is it?”

“Twelve weeks.”

“And I’m guessing it’s nowhere close.”

“No.” He shook his head. “But even if it was there’s no contact with the outside world. We won’t have access to the internet or anything.”

“Phone?”

“Maybe, but they said only every other week, and we could lose the privilege if we screw up.”

“Letters?”

“They said yes, but the post can be slow so there’s no guarantee I’ll get them all.”

“And then what?”

“I have grad and then they send us for our infantry training.”

“Like where you learn your job?”

He nodded.

“How long is that?”

“Fifty-two days.”

“And then you get sent somewhere?”

“To a base.”

“And it could be anywhere?”

“You can request where you go, but if there’s no space open or they need you somewhere else they send you where they need you.”

“So in twenty weeks you’re going to be trained up and at your new base?”

“Yeah.”

“And in one week you’ll be going to boot camp, then for three months I won’t really hear from you.”

“No.”

“Can I go to your grad? Or is that a military only thing?”

“You can go. I want you to be there.”

“Will you have any time off after grad?”

“No, not really.” He shook his head. “From what I understand the ceremony is on Friday afternoon and we fly out that night. We might have a few hours but I honestly don’t know.”

“A few hours? That’s not a lot of time.”

“I know.” He reached out and took her hand.

“I’m trying to be supportive. I’m trying to support you, but it feels like my heart is breaking just thinking about you leaving.”

“I know, baby.” He sighed and squeezed her hand. “I hate that I have to leave you.”

“What if I blow off school? Then when you’re trained and sent off or whatever they say, I can move to you?”

“I can’t let you blow off school.” He shook his head. “I know how important college is for you. Ever since we were kids you’ve talked about getting an education so you don’t have to be like your mother.”

“I can do school next year, after you move to your new place. I can just start there.”

“There’s no guarantee it will be near a college and I might not be there for four years. You’d either have to drop out or stay behind to finish.”

“What about community college—”

“It’s the same thing, Allie. I don’t know where I’ll be and there may not be any schools near me.”

“I hate this.”

“Four years is a long time, but it’s not forever. I’ll be living in barracks and making money so we’ll be able to see each other. I’ll come home for all of my leave and you can come see me during the summer. We’ll talk on the phone every night and we’ll email and write letters.” He smiled. “We can make this work.”

“I believe you, but it’s just so hard to think of you not being here. I know you were going to be leaving for school, but this is so different.”

“I know, babe.” He sighed. “But we can make it work. If anyone can, we can. I love you, Allie.”

“I love you too, Ben.” She squeezed his hand. “What do you have to do to prepare for boot camp?”

“They gave me a packing list and where to be to catch the bus. Other than the swearing in, I really don’t have much to do.”

“Can I go to your ceremony?”

“Of course. I want all of you there.”

“One week.” She sighed. “Wow.”

“Yeah, they don’t mess around.” He nodded.

“Why did you choose the marines? Why did you choose a job that’s so dangerous?”

“When I went in I looked at a bunch of different things,” he said after a pause. “This is the one that seemed right.”

“But infantry, why the marines and the infantry?”

“Allie—”

“Why a job where you’re going to be fighting and marching into danger? Couldn’t you pick something less dangerous?”

“I need to do something.” He shrugged. “I’m young, I’m in shape and this is something I can do to make a difference.”

“I just wish it wasn’t so dangerous.”

“It’s only dangerous if we go overseas.”

“And what are the odds that you won’t? Troops are leaving all the time, it’s all over the news—”

“I’ll be fine, Allie. I’m not going anywhere.”

She bit her lip as she squeezed his hand.

He knew she didn’t believe him, hell, he didn’t even believe it himself. There was a very real chance he could be sent overseas to fight, but it’s what he had to do. This was his calling, it was what he was meant for. He was signing up to go to war, and he was going to come home.