Chapter 60 Feel Like Hearing A Story

Chapter 60 Feel Like Hearing A Story

Steven's POV

The evening suddenly felt warmer, the chill gone from the air.

Rebecca and Grace stood side by side—something about watching them felt peaceful.

I'd never let myself picture a scene like this before.

Jeffrey walked up and bumped my shoulder. "Captain, are you falling for her?"

I glanced at him. "She's not my girlfriend. Don't start with that."

He wasn't backing down, still watching Rebecca. "Seriously though, back in our unit, everyone figured you had zero interest in women and got pretty spooked."

I frowned. Even if I wasn't chasing women, that was none of their business.

Jeffrey caught on that I wasn't following and clarified. "We all thought you were into guys. For a while, nobody wanted to be alone with you."

My jaw tightened. I couldn't figure out who'd started that garbage.

"Who said that?"

"That kid Nolan. Even if you wanted to settle up with him now, you couldn't."

He turned away like it was nothing, but the way he bent forward, clutching his stomach, gave him away.

I grabbed Jeffrey to keep him upright and shouted toward Grace. "Medicine—get his medicine, now."

The skewer in Grace's hand hit the ground. She bolted into the house. "I'll get it right now!"

Rebecca handed me a pack of tissues. "Here, wipe him down first."

I took them and wiped the sweat from Jeffrey's forehead. "Hang in there. Medicine's coming."

Watching him doubled over like that made my chest ache.

How bad must the pain be for a guy like him to not even be able to speak?

I wished I could take it instead. If I'd been sharper back then, maybe that mission wouldn't have gone sideways. The guys wouldn't be dead, and Jeffrey wouldn't be like this.

Grace handed over the medicine. Jeffrey tossed it back and swallowed, then sat slumped in the chair for a while before he could talk.

"Captain, quit looking like that. I'm still breathing."

That didn't make me feel better. "Did you blow off your checkup again?"

Grace helped steady him. "He went, he went. The doctor said he's doing fine."

I didn't buy it and kept staring at Jeffrey. But he turned his head, dodging my eyes.

Grace tried to move things along. "Alright, alright, let's eat."

Jeffrey and Grace went back to the grill. Rebecca shifted closer to me.

She kept her voice low. "Jeffrey's condition—what caused it? Your injuries are connected to his, aren't they? Same thing?"

I looked into Rebecca's eyes. I knew I couldn't lie to her.

But I also knew I couldn't tell her the truth. For one, I didn't want her carrying that weight. For another, those details were classified, and I had no clearance to share them.

Jeffrey set a plate of grilled beef in front of Rebecca. "Rebecca, if you want the story, just ask me."

She really did want to know, staring at Jeffrey with those expectant eyes.

If someone had to tell it, better him. At least he had a way of making it sound less brutal than I would.

Jeffrey sat down beside her. "Rebecca, you're sharp. Yeah, we went through something bad."

He kept his tone casual. The way he told it didn't rattle Rebecca, which only made me respect her more.

He could spin it without dragging everyone down.

Jeffrey speared some greens with his fork and stuffed them in his mouth. "We had to recover something from some bad guys, and we walked straight into their trap."

He had a knack for storytelling—knew just how to pace it.

Rebecca leaned in. "What happened next? You all made it out, right? You're not ghosts, are you?"

Jeffrey pulled a face. "Actually, we're ghosts. What you're seeing isn't really us."

Grace walked over and tapped his shoulder. "Alright, quit scaring Rebecca."

Rebecca smiled at her but kept pushing. "So? What really happened?"

I coughed deliberately, signaling Jeffrey to wrap it up.

He glanced up at me, then finished in a flat tone. "Later, our brilliant captain fought his way through those guys and got us out."

I didn't want Rebecca knowing more, so I moved some meat from my plate to hers. "Just eat. Stop asking so many questions."

She looked at the meat, then grabbed Grace's arm. "Grace, look at him. I ask a few questions and he's already telling me to shut up."

Grace smiled and added meat from her own plate to Rebecca's. "Eat up. Look how skinny you are."

Jeffrey chimed in. "Really skinny. Even in a room full of pianists, you'd be the thinnest one there."

Grace grabbed Rebecca's hand, surprised. "Rebecca, you're a pianist? I've always wished I had artistic talent."

Rebecca lit up talking with them. When Grace heard she was performing at the Duke's dinner, she said she'd come and drag Jeffrey along.

Grace mentioned she'd always been curious about music but could never figure it out. Then she remembered she had a keyboard at home and kept insisting Rebecca had to play something tonight.

Rebecca didn't know how to say no, so she and Grace headed upstairs to get the keyboard.

Jeffrey and I stood in the yard, watching them go.

Jeffrey said quietly, "Captain, you can play piano too, right?"

I looked at him. "What, you want lessons?"

The word "lessons" seemed to trigger something. He backed up fast. "Forget it, Captain. I don't think I've got any artistic talent. I'm better off in the audience."

After they set up the keyboard, Rebecca looked at the three of us. "What would you like to hear?"