When my alarm rings again, I don’t want to get up. It takes me five minutes to talk my muscles into moving.

By the time I’ve gotten dressed and fixed my hair into something resembling a ponytail, I’m running late. I take an Uber instead of the bus, pulling up at my parents’ house at six fifteen. I don’t bother with ringing the doorbell, just walk into the kitchen.

My mom is standing at the stove, stirring a bubbling red sauce. My dad is chopping cucumbers at the kitchen island. Noah is sitting at the kitchen table, contributing nothing.

“Evie!” my mom greets, stepping away from the stove to give me a big hug.

“Hey, Mom,” I say, squeezing her back before I’m passed to my dad and then to Noah. I’m the baby of the family, and I get treated like it most of the time.

Dinner turns out to be an authentic family recipe my mom sweet-talked a Michelin-starred chef into sharing with her. As we eat the pasta, maps and ticket stubs are passed around the table along with my mom’s phone to show off the slideshow of photos. It looks like an amazing trip. I’ve never been to Europe before. Annoyingly, the first thought that crosses my mind is whether Gray has. I’ve never asked where his deployments have been. He’s selective about sharing information…and I’ve also been living under the delusion that I’ll have time to get the answers, not that my access to them ends tomorrow.

After dinner, Noah corners me in the living room. “I’m worried about you, Evie.”

“What? Why?”

When I shared stories from work at dinner, he said he was impressed.

“I know you said you’re fine about Logan, but it seems like you miss him. You work all the time, you never go out, and—”

“It has nothing to do with Logan, Noah. I just started a new job. With long hours and lots of stress. If I show up to work hungover and make a mistake, someone could die. I’m not going to apologize for taking that seriously.”

“You shouldn’t apologize. I’m so proud of you, Evie.”

“Okay…so, what? We’ve established I work a lot. Why are you worried? You want me to go pick a guy up in a bar?” Because I already did. Oh, and he happens to be your best friend.

Noah cringes. “No. I just…do you have to work tomorrow?”

“No…” My answer is hesitant since I’m not sure where he’s going with this.

“Perfect. I’m going out with the guys tonight. Come out with us.”

“The guys?”

“Yeah. Emmett, Harrison, and Gray. Gray’s leaving tomorrow.”

I act like the reminder is news to me, not a stab to the gut. “Oh. I’m, uh, I’m not dressed to go out.” I gesture to my jeans.