I carried on as if I didn’t notice.
“I was told by the Station Chief that I was rooming with you.”
Daniel’s mouth dropped open.
I grinned and winked. “I’m looking forward to it.”
The look of horror on his face was bloody hilarious.
4
Reed
The cafeteria at Waypoint was vastly different from the station where I was posted. Granted, I had been in Antarctica for less than a week, but I could already see the cultural differences between the two research stations.
Waypoint was tiny, and that made it feel more like a small family than a formal research station. People gathered during mealtimes just like an extended family, and you got to meet everyone. Mealtimes were peak social hour, and I loved that.
I was already wondering how I could get posted here. The problem was that they didn’t have an airbase.
I stood in line for dinner and served myself the delicious Thai cuisine that was on the menu tonight. The aroma of coconut milk and lemongrass drifted through the space. After what Daniel had put me through with all the running and sweating, and then missing lunch because he had let me sleep through the entire afternoon, I was starving.
We loaded our trays, and Daniel led me to a table where his friends were already seated.
“So, Daniel’s husband,” the Russian scientist addressed me with a grin.
“Yes, Daniel’s roommate,” I grinned back.
“Former roommate.” He pointed at me with a finger.
I nodded to acknowledge. “Correction. Yes, Daniel’s former roommate?”
“We are all dying to know how you two met.” He threw Daniel a dirty look before turning to me and putting on a sweet smile. “The esteemed doctor here and my roommate for four fucking years apparently considers it beneath him to share that he has been married to a man all this time!”
His voice rose the longer he spoke until he was pointing a finger at my husband and glaring.
Sam, who was sitting next to Viktor, gave him a chiding look. The accusing finger lowered.
“People have reasons,” Sam said. “Sometimes we want to share… but…” He shrugged. “It doesn’t work that way. Doesn’t mean we don’t care.”
I watched the wind go out of Viktor, and he visibly deflated.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.”
Daniel put his fork down. “It’s okay.” He smiled at his roommate.
Daniel took a deep breath and glanced at me. I squeezed his knee with my left hand and gave him a small nod.
“Reed and I met when we were both deployed on a classified mission that I can’t talk about.”
The shift in the air around our group was immediate. I wondered if they knew anything at all about the life their beloved doctor had before they met him.
Daniel continued, “I was a field surgeon as part of the U.S. Special Forces, and Reed was part of an Australian team that was sent to help us. He provided air support.”
“That’s where the accent comes from,” Grant said.
“Yeah. We were… thrown into an ugly situation. The country’s government had sought our help to take care of the civilians affected, but the rebels were steadily gaining ground. We were there for about a month, and during that time, he and I… we got close.”
“Must be veryyyyyy close,” Viktor teased.
