Ninety-six hours is both too much time and too little time to be with someone. Too much because it’s just long enough that your body wants to take a nap, or watch some trash television, or cuddle up to him while you play Fruit Ninja. Not nearly enough because how can you possibly waste a minute playing Fruit Ninja when the person you care about is going to North Africa to do god knows what, probably while being shot at?

In the end, I wind up taking off work entirely. Heath does the promised security sweep at my mom’s house; she practically fawns over him as he does everything from checking window locks to installing a carbon dioxide detector.

We do cheesy couples things, going for hikes and brunch and walks in the park. We have sex over and over again, finding new positions— or rather, Heath places me in new positions, and I relish the way he knows just how to move me, just how to have me.

And then, of course, I think about not having him— not having any part of him, sexual or otherwise. I’ve gotten used to him being in my life so quickly, but I know I won’t be able to get used to his absence nearly as fast.

“Vic’s throwing a party tonight— it should be small. I know you and him didn’t get off to a great start, but I’d like for you to come with me,” Heath says on Monday afternoon, when we’ve got less than twenty-four hours left together.

I’m far from eager to see Vic again, but he’s Heath’s dad— and besides, maybe now that I know what to expect, things will be different. I nod, and Heath looks genuinely grateful. He looks even more grateful when I text him a picture of what I’m planning on wearing that night— a navy blue mini-dress— and what I’m not wearing— panties or a bra.

Heath: Forget the party. Let’s get a hotel.

Karli: You don’t mean that.

Heath: Try me.

I don’t try him, though, because in some ways I think it’s sort of sweet that Vic is throwing Heath a going-away party. It’s certainly the most paternal thing I’ve heard of the man doing. I head over to their house at six o’clock, hoping I’ll get there a little early for some one on one time with both Heath AND Vic. Maybe he and I can mend some fences before the crowd arrives.

Or maybe not, I think when I pull up to the house.

The driveway is packed with cars, as is the front yard, as is the side yard, as is basically every open space around the house. I can taste the acrid sting of cigarette smoke in the air even from inside my own car; when I park and get out, the smell is overwhelming to the point that I cough. The sound of deep-voiced conversation is pouring through the front door, which is propped open despite the cold air outside.

I take a breath (and cough again), then collect myself and start toward the house, eyes peeled for Heath.

I don’t see him, but I see enough people that I’ve got to be looking at an entire regiment or division or however it is people are groups in the military.

The main room and the kitchen are absolutely packed with guys that look like the store brand versions of Heath— broad shouldered, chiseled jaws, massive forearms, and steely gazes, though not (to my eyes, at least) anywhere near as attractive as Heath is.

There are a few women in the room too— some who I can tell are girlfriends or wives, though a few who I can tell are also military, including the woman who accompanied Heath, Jack, and Leo to my mom’s house that night. She smiles at me and gives me a short wave, then goes back to her conversation.

I smile cordially, weaving through the crowd, but Heath isn’t anywhere to be seen. Vic, however, is in the center of the fray, seated on the kitchen counter and telling stories that are hilarious to him and his listeners, but mostly seem to involve explosions, dismemberments, and a few slightly racist terms that make me cringe. It’s my bad luck that Vic’s eyes find me right in the midst of one such cringe.

“There she is! Come over here, Karla!” he shouts across the room. I don’t correct my name— what would be the point? He’s clearly drunk; his words aren’t slurred, but he’s red-cheeked and shiny. I make my way over to him.

“Hi, Vic,” I say kindly, hoping I can swing this interaction into something positive despite the fact that Vic’s hand is a little too friendly on my back when he hugs me too tight.

“Boys, lemme tell you, Heath will not shut up about this one. I thought she was just a piece of ass, but I think he’s serious,” Vic jokes, elbowing me like I should think this is a compliment.

“I’m definitely serious,” I say in response, smiling at the people who were looking at Vic. I could only see their backs before, but now that I’m looking at their faces from Vic’s point of view, I see something that startles me. It’s not admiration, even though I’m sure Vic thinks that’s the case. It’s pity. Vic is the too-drunk friend, the chronically too-drunk friend, but he’s someone they can’t just leave.

One of the guys up front— he’s one of the older men in the group— reaches forward to shake my hand. “Pleasure, Karla,” he says.

“It’s Karli, actually,” I answer. “Thanks.”

“So sorry,” the man says. “Heath is a good guy. He’ll do right by you. I know it’s hard to have your partner deployed, but you’ll get through it. My wife has had to deal with a half dozen deployments just in the past few years. Trust me, you learn to be every bit as strong as the soldier you’re with.”

“Thank you,” I say sincerely. “I really appreciate that.”

“That’s my girlfriend over there,” another man says, this one only slightly older than me. “I can introduce you? Might be nice to have someone to talk to who’s been through it, once Heath has left.”

“You guys are bringing this down!” Vic says, shaking his head. “He’s not gonna be gone that long. Besides, you know they treat those SEALS like they shit gold. Drop them in, then yank them out. Meanwhile, we live there, deal with the day to day bullshit…and what do we get? Grunt status,” he says, rolling his eyes and taking a swig of a beer that he realizes from the flavor isn’t his. He finishes it anyway.

“Sounds like you’re a little jealous,” one of the older guys jokes, and there’s a chorus of laughter. Vic’s eyes, though, are a touch stony, and I can tell that the statement was true.

“Has anyone seen Heath, by the way?” I ask. “I can’t find him.”

“I think he’s around back,” the guy who suggested I talk to his girlfriend says. I smile and skirt away from the group. I hear Vic launch into another war story as I find the back door and cut through.

Heath is out back, along with Jack and a few other guys. They’re drinking and smoking cigars, which surprises me a little; cigar smoking isn’t something I thought Heath would be in to. It’s also not one of those things I’ve ever really understood— for starters, why is it considered so much more highbrow than smoking cigarettes? And why do people think they smell good? I’ve never figured it out.

I walk up, wobbling a little on the soft dirt. The mountains stretch out before me; Heath and his friends are under an oak tree that must be as old as the hills themselves.

“Hey,” I call out, and the group spins to see me. Heath smiles lightly, though not in the unfiltered way he does when we’re alone.

“Karli!” Jack says, grinning. “My sister was just accusing Heath of stealing you from her this morning.”

I wince. “It’s just because he’s leaving so soon,” I explain.

“I told her that. And she was just kidding, anyway. She thinks the whole story is basically a storybook romance. Heath’s the knight, you’re the princess, that kind of thing.”

“I can get into being the princess,” I say.

“Are you coming out with us tonight?” Jack asks. “Rule is that Heath has to do one shot for each deployment, plus an extra to keep him alive this time.”

“Tonight?” I ask, turning to Heath.

“It won’t take long,” he says. “It’s not that many shots.”

I bite my lip. It isn’t fair for me to want to keep Heath to myself on our last night here. He’s Jack’s friend, after all, and Vic’s son. But knowing that’s another few hours we won’t be able to spend alone stings more than I want to admit.

“Okay,” I say. “I can come. When should I be there? And where is it?”

“Not entirely sure yet,” another one of the guys says. “We’ll probably go straight from here, once the kegs run out.”

“Oh,” I say, surprised again. I look at Heath.

“Sorry. I forgot. There are all these traditions, I just never…well, I never really had to think about how they’d effect someone else before, you know?”

“Right,” I say, nodding, and I can tell from Jack’s eyes that the rest of the group can see how Heath has wandered into dangerous territory. “Okay.”

There’s a stretch of silence, and they all puff on cigars for a moment. I feel like I’ve interrupted something, the girlfriend in the middle of a bro circle— and it’s not like this is the time with Heath I wanted anyhow. I eventually tell Heath I’ll meet him inside when they’ve finished, and head back.

Right through the door, I nearly collide with a petite brunette sporting a pixie cut I’d die to be able to pull off.

“Ah! Sorry, did I hit you?” I ask, pulling the door back— it opened inward and right on her.

“No! But you’re Karli, right? I’m Sierra. Nathan said I should talk to you. You’re new to the whole love’s-far-away-on-deployment thing, huh?” she asks cheerfully. There’s something about her voice that is contagious; it makes me smile at her despite the fact that I’m feeling more than a little wrung out inside.

“I am! That’s really nice of Nathan. How long have you guys been together?” I ask, leaning again the wall.

“Four years,” Sierra says. “He was deployed or in work-ups for two of them, basically.”

“Two years?” I ask, eyes wide.

She laughs a little. “Yeah, SEAL deployments are a little shorter, usually— I think less than six months most of the time. They’re still hard, especially when you’re a new relationship. How long have you and Heath been together?”

I wince. “A week and a half.”

“Oh!” she says, looking startled. “Wow, so it’s like…really new. How long have you known each other?”

I wince harder, and finally look at the ground. “A week and a half.”

“Oh!” she says again, and I can tell she has no idea what to say to this. “Well…” Sierra begins slowly. “It’ll be hard. But if you and Heath both want to make it work, it can. It makes it tricky, though, because you’ll be getting to know him from far away, you know?”

“Yeah. Yeah, it’ll…I mean, we’ve spent basically the entire week and a half together, so we’re more than just a few dates?” I say weakly, wondering if this is any kind of decent defense.

“Of course! Yeah, of course,” Sierra says, nodding supportively. “You both seem really happy about the relationship. It’s tricky making it when you’re apart, I won’t lie, but it’s not impossible.”

“Yeah. If it’s just six months…” I say, trailing off.

Sierra gives me a sort of grim smile. “Well, it’s six months of deployment. But I’ll level with you— he won’t necessarily be home right after. There’s training and sessions and work-ups and…a lot, honestly. I’m definitely not trying to suggest it can’t work out or anything, but I do think you need to know what you’re in for. It’s a lot of phone sex, basically.” She’s laughing at the end. I try to smile along, but I know it looks fake— because it is.

“I live in Denniston,” she says when she sees my expression, her voice sincere and kind. “If you need anything, look me up on Facebook, okay? Heath and Nathan aren’t tight, so don’t feel like you can’t talk to me.”

“Thanks,” I say sincerely.

Sierra scowls at something behind me; I turn to see Vic and the guy I remember as her boyfriend racing to drink Irish car bombs. “I wish Heath and Nathan were tight. He’d be a better friend than Vic.”

“How does Nathan know Vic?” I ask, noting the difference in age. “Was Vic like his…commander or…something?” I flush, realizing I know zero of the terminology and hoping it’s not a total military-girlfriend faux pas.

“Ha,” Sierra says, voice darkening as they load up a second round of car bombs. “Vic’ll never be in charge of much, not the way he acts. He’s been twenty-two for the last thirty years. Nah, they met at some sort of training and Vic…well. Vic is charismatic, if you’re a young soldier. He buys a round for the bar, he helps you get through drill, he’s nice. And he’s also an enormous man-child.”

“No kidding,” I say, thinking about my first interaction with him. “Heath and him aren’t very much alike.”

“No,” she agrees. “Neither are he and Nathan, really. It’s when all these guys get together, especially before one leaves…that’s when they sometimes wind up like this. Expect to be rolling Heath into bed tonight, and not in a sexy way.”

I shake my head. “He’s leaving tomorrow, so it’s our last night together.”

Sierra gives me a sympathetic look, one she quickly chases with “Oh, right! I’m sure it’ll be fine then. And hey, remember that he’s a SEAL. There’s no one more qualified for the missions he’s going on, right? So try not to worry too much. Remember— message me if you need to chat!”

I nod, but I’m not thinking about Facebook or SEAL qualifications or even the deployment, right now— I’m thinking about Heath, and I’m staring at Vic.

What world have I gotten myself into?