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“No shit. That’s a tough job,” Anthony said, crossing his arms and leaning back. He liked the guy more already.
“We aren’t, um,” Sam cringed slightly. She told her brother almost everything but wasn’t in the habit of sharing about her sex life. “We aren’t sleeping together.”
“Good,” Anthony said automatically, making her laugh despite herself.
“It’s not like we’re waiting for marriage,” Sam said, cringing again. “Aero struggles with physical contact.”
Anthony’s brows pulled together. “What do you mean?”
“Um, it’s part of why I came here. I wanted to talk to someone who might understand what he’s been through. Aero doesn’t like to be touched. He reacts negatively if someone touches him unexpectedly, and he,” Sam paused, suddenly unsure if she should be sharing Aero’s business without his consent, but she needed answers. “Aero has violent night terrors.”
Anthony stared at her, unblinking, for a moment before clearing his throat.
“Sam, he’s not, he hasn’t hurt you, has he?”
“No!” Sam shouted. “Aero’s very gentle. He doesn’t usually spend the night with me because he’s afraid he’ll have a nightmare and it’ll scare me.”
Anthony relaxed into his chair, but not completely.
“He’s been through something but doesn’t talk about it. He’s got scars on his chest,” Sam rubbed her own shoulder in sympathy. “He doesn’t see his family. He’s told me a little about his past, but there’s so much he’s not saying.”
“The man likely has PTSD, Sam. It’s not uncommon for service people, especially if they’ve seen combat.”
“He was in Iraq. Twice. For over a year each time,” Sam said.
“Then I can only assume he was injured, which gave him the scars. He probably lost friends out there. Is he getting help?”
Sam nodded. “He’s in counseling.” Aero had mentioned going to see his therapist a few times since they met.
“Okay. That’s good. Make sure he keeps going,” Anthony said. “All I can tell you is to be patient with him. Not knowing the guy, I can’t tell you if it’ll get any easier, but maybe if you give him enough time the whole truth will come out.”
Gazing into Anthony’s eyes, Sam took a deep breath and let it rip. “Aero and I were, um, spending time together, and when things went too far he locked up on me. He stopped me, which was fine, but then he wouldn’t look at me and I left. He has barely spoken to me since. It’s been three weeks.”
Anthony nodded slowly.
“I know he’s going through it, but how can I help him through it if he shuts me out every time something goes wrong?” She looked up at him pleadingly. The sight broke Anthony’s heart.
“Are you happy, Squirt? Does he make you happy?”
Sam nodded without hesitation. “Yes. He does.”
“Then be patient. Give him the time he asked for, but make sure he knows you’re still there for him. Then, if things don’t change…”
Sam looked up from her cup. “What?”
Anthony sighed. “Then you have to consider that maybe he’s not the one for you. If nothing gets better, or he’s unwilling to try and let you in, you should probably walk away. Life’s too short to be anchored to someone you can’t really be with or connect with. How can you build a future with someone who hasn’t dealt with their past? How will those issues affect you, your life, and your children, if you get that far? I’m sorry, Sam, but that might be the reality of your situation.”
Sam nodded, sipping her drink. The cool liquid settled on the concrete block of dread and sadness that had settled in her stomach. Before she could stop it, Sam blurted out, “He lost his wife and daughter.”
“What?” Anthony asked, choking on his beer. He coughed, hitting his chest a few times.
“Aero was married when he was in the Army and they had a young daughter. I don’t know what happened to them, but his wife and daughter died,” Sam said quietly, finally letting the cat out of the bag. “He doesn’t know I know.”
“How the hell did you find that out?” Anthony asked her, staring with disbelief. Problems were piling on here, and worry for his younger sibling chilled him.
“We were on a date and he had an episode.” Sam shivered, recalling the blank look on Aero’s face. “A photo fell out of his wallet when I was paying the bill.”
“Are you sure he’s not just, like, living a double life?” her brother suggested but she shook her head.
