Kael was a soldier; he wouldn’t need more of an explanation. He nodded beside me and looked out the passenger window.
“How long have you been in?” I asked.
I heard him swallow before he spoke. “Little over three years.”
“And you’ve already deployed?”
He nodded. “Twice.”
I was curious to know more, to ask him if he liked being in the Army, but we were pulling up in front of my dad’s house.
“We’re here,” I warned him. “It’s like a whole fiasco. Three courses. Lots of small talk and coffee after. Two hours, minimum.”
“Two hours?” He blinked.
“I know. I know. You can take my car if you want to skip it, as long as you pick me up later.”
“No, dinner’s cool. Anything else I should know?”
“My dad doesn’t do strangers. We could lie and say you’re my brother’s—Austin’s—friend? He’s my twin.”
“Austin. Got it.” Kael opened the passenger door and leaned down to talk to me while I was still in my seat.
I checked my hair in the mirror. It was almost dry. The air was thick with humidity and it showed. I wiped away the little black specks of mascara under my eyes.
I grabbed my phone. Austin hadn’t called back. The pounding guilt was there again for not answering the call. It was only one call, I reminded myself.
“I’ll tell you, however awful you think it’s going to be, it’s gonna be worse than that.” The more I thought about it, he probably should have stayed in the car. I didn’t even know him and he wasn’t exactly friendly—but neither was my dad.
“Mhm,” I thought I heard him say. I looked up as the passenger door shut. The reality of just how bad an idea it was to bring a stranger to Tuesday dinner was sinking in.