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Sebastian was nervous about meeting my friends, understandably, perhaps. I tried to reassure him, but he felt they’d be judging him: he was undoubtedly right.

He looked delicious in a white T-shirt and blue jeans, and, with his bare feet jammed into a pair of flip-flops, he looked like he
’d just strolled off the beach. Except for the fact that when he walked, he still had a pronounced limp.

I heard Nicole
’s car pull up and I leaned out of the window, waving excitedly. I pretended not to hear Sebastian murmur, “Incoming.”

I ran out of the door, and Alice leapt on me first, hugging me tightly.

“Oh my God! It’s so good to see you, Lee!”

“You
’ve lost weight, beotch!” yelled Nicole, grappling me around the waist, and smearing a lipstick kiss onto my cheek.

“I
’ve brought chocolate and champagne,” sang Jenna, flinging her arms around me.

And then Nicole shrieked.

“Omigod! Omigod! Is that what I think it is?”

She grabbed my left hand and stared at my engagement ring. There were loud gasps and shocked looks from Alice and Jenna.

I nodded.

“You guys are all invited to a wedding
in the Fall,” I said, quietly.

At that, there were loud shrieks and cries of congratulations, plus a few tears. They all hugged me again but I was growing uncomfortable, aware that Sebastian would be watching
, and waiting for us to come in.

“When did this happen?” said Alice, grabbing my hand again to look at the ring.

“That’s a nice piece of rock, Venzi,” murmured Nicole. “But are you sure about this? I mean right now, the way everything is…”

“I
’ll tell you all about it later. Just be… cool, okay?”

“Well, come on,” said Nicole, rather tersely, “let
’s meet the paragon.”

“Nic!” I said, my voice warning.

She held up her hands. “I’ll be good.”

Which didn
’t fill me with hope.

Sebastian was standing in the middle of the living room when my friends walked inside. I could tell he was nervous, but to anyone who didn
’t know him, he would have merely appeared arrogant.

I introduced everyone, and Nicole couldn
’t help herself, running her eyes up and down Sebastian’s body: it was practically a Pavlovian response with her when she saw a cute guy. Jenna and Alice had taken sneaky peeks, too; they were just more subtle about it.

The girls settled themselves around the room, and then an uncomfortable silence descended, with everyone
’s eyes fixed on me. I could tell Sebastian was feeling overwhelmed at having so many people in our small home, so I smiled at him, took his hand, and led him back to his favorite chair.

I could see the pitying faces of my friends as they watched Sebastian limp painfully across the room. I wished they wouldn
’t – Sebastian loathed being pitied – but their reaction was understandable.

I perched on the arm of his chair, and he rested his hand on my knee. It was as if he needed physical contact with me to get him through what he clearly saw as an ordeal.

“Well, you know what I’ve been doing,” I said, calmly. “I want to know what all of you’ve been up to.”

Gradually the conversation began to flow. Sebastian was silent at first, but slowly Alice began to draw him out, asking about his plans to go back to school.

“I was going to study Italian and English Lit,” he admitted, “but that kinda got interrupted.” He glanced at me and I squeezed his hand. “But I don’t know now.”

“Lee says you speak several Arab languages, too.”

“Plus Italian and French,” I added.

Sebastian looked slightly embarrassed. “Well, yeah, I can speak Arabic, but I don
’t read it well.”

“Could that be something for you?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I thought maybe I’d look into some paralegal studies. I’ve kinda been helping out a neighbor who’s got immigration problems.”

“You didn
’t tell me about that idea, Sebastian?” I said, delighted that he was planning ahead.

“I haven
’t decided anything yet, Caro, I’m still thinking about it.”

“Well, there
’s plenty of time – you don’t have to decide now.”

“No, I can just
continue sponging off you,” he said, quietly.

He was still refusing to touch his disability pay checks, and the money was collecting dust in his bank account.

The conversation died away, my friends staring everywhere but at us.

“Sebastian, no,” I whispered, really upset.

“It’s what all your friends are thinking, Caro,” he said heatedly. “I can see it in their eyes.”

“Don
’t assume you know what I’m thinking,” snapped Jenna.

“I agree,” said Nicole, evenly. “Because I was actually thinking that nearly dying in the service of your country earns you the right to have some time off – and if my friend is having as many orgasms as she says she is, you must be doing something right.”

Sebastian looked startled, then amused.

“Is that what she said?” he murmured, glancing over to me, before fixing his gaze on Nicole.

“I’m paraphrasing, of course,” replied Nicole, meeting his eyes.

Sebastian shrugged. “She taught me everything I know.”

Jenna chuckled, and Alice laughed out loud.

“Don
’t mind me,” I said, my face glowing beet red.

“Later, baby,” said Sebastian, taking my hand and grazing my knuckles with a kiss.

There was a knock at the door, which was a welcome interruption to my public embarrassment.

“I
’ll get it,” said Sebastian, pulling himself out of the chair.

Nicole
’s eyes followed him across the room, then she turned to smile at me and winked.

“You and I will be having words,” I hissed at her.

“Just telling him the way it is, Lee. He didn’t seem to mind: I don’t know, is he the kind of guy who keeps score, because I dated a musician once who used to make a note of my orgasms in his diary, not that he could even tell which ones were faked.”

“I
’ve never faked one,” I batted back at her.

“God, I hate you!” she said.

I was half-listening for Sebastian’s voice at the front door. When he switched from English, I guessed who our new visitor must be.

Nervously, Atash made his way into the room, smiling at my friends, while they turned to stare, giving brief, puzzled smiles back.

“Hi, Atash,” I said, and quickly introduced them to him.

He smiled again and nodded politely, but looked
uncomfortable.

“We
’ll be next door,” Sebastian said to me.

Then he steered Atash into the kitchen
, where I heard him filling the kettle to make the horribly sweet tea that was traditional in Afghanistan, while they chatted away.

“What language is that, Lee?” said Alice. “Is that Arabic?”

“No, that’s Dari. Sebastian says it’s related to Persian not Arabic. He speaks Pashto, too,” I added, proudly.

They looked suitably surprised, and I was pleased that Sebastian had had a chance to impress them with something other than his looks – or his hot temper. I knew that had been bothering him.

“With those language skills, I’m surprised Military Intelligence didn’t snap him up,” continued Alice.

I didn
’t answer, but couldn’t meet her eyes.

“Oh,”
she said, knowingly, and swapped a look laden with significance with the others.

And then I heard Sebastian
’s laughter coming from the kitchen: a long, loud, joyous laugh. I thought my heart would stop.

“Lee, are you
okay?” said Jenna anxiously. “You look…”

“Sebastian
’s laughing.” I could hear the tremor in my own voice.

“Oh, honey,” said Alice, giving my arm a squeeze.

“You’re doing okay, Venzi,” said Nicole, formerly Sebastian’s harshest critic. “I think you’re both doing okay.”

Atash left soon after, hurrying out of the door, smiling shyly.

“What was all that about?” I said, thrilled to see that Sebastian was grinning broadly.

“Atash wanted to know if I needed some hashish,” he said casually.

Jenna and Alice looked slightly shocked, and Nicole frowned.

“Excuse me?” I said, sharply. “I hope you said
‘no’.”

Sebastian shrugged. “He said it
’s good for pain.”

I noticed Sebastian hadn
’t answered me directly, and he
so
wasn’t getting away with an excuse like that – but it was a conversation to have in private.

“And what else?” I said, eyeing him curiously. “What aren
’t you telling me, Hunter?”

Sebastian
’s grin became wider.

“He was wondering why I was making the tea when I
’ve got four wives to do it.”

My mouth dropped open, and Nicole snorted with laughter.

“Well, I hope you put him straight! Sebastian?”

He grinned wickedly.

God, I’d missed that smile
.

“I
’ll put him straight, Caro. Eventually.”

Jenna started to laugh and then Nicole joined in. Soon we were all laughing our asses off. Damn, it felt good.

“You and I will have words later, Hunter,” I said, in a threatening voice.

“Looking forward to it, baby,” he said
, still grinning at me.

After Atash
’s visit, we moved outside to sit in my yard, enjoying the nice weather. I’d dug out an old sundress to wear, and had the pleasure of watching Sebastian’s eyes drift up and down my legs. I hitched my skirt slightly higher and raised an eyebrow at him, as his eyes followed my movement and he ran the tip of his tongue over his lips.