Meeting Kyle.

{if BillyNumber = 1
}{if BillyDeal = 1}{else
}Beth got behind the wheel and drove home... but not before putting Billy into her phone as "Math Club Student." It seemed innocuous enough.
{endif
}{endif
}

Beth arrived home around 4:30, thanking the universe for her short commute. When she entered the townhouse and stepped into the entryway, A young man popped up from where he had been laying on the couch under a blanket. SportsCenter was flickering quietly on the television. In jeans and a tight brown t-shirt, the young man was quite good looking; muscular and lean. He had Brian's jaw and chin, but with rounder cheeks and lighter grey eyes. His big grin was certainly the same as Brian's.
"Ms. Wilson? Nice to meet you, ma'am. I'm Palmer. I mean, I'm Kyle." He chuckled, extended a hand to shake.
"Alright first of all, it's Beth. Second of all..." Beth bypassed his hand and gave him a hug. {if Shame < 70
}Oooh.... he smells good. Manly, but not stinky.{else
}He had the musky scent of a man who needed a shower, but it could wait a little longer.{endif
} "Welcome home. It's so good to finally meet you."
"You as well, ma'am."
"Beth."
"Fuck, sorry." His eyes widened. "I mean...shit sorry. Beth."
Beth smiled. He's cute. "Relax, soldier. {if Shame < 70
}That's a fucking order.{endif
}"
Kyle Palmer. Lance Corporal, USMC, had been honorably discharged after a four year tour. He'd been deployed, first in Iraq, and then Syria. Now that he was done with his duty, it was time for him to fit back into civilian life. He wasn't eager to see his and Brian's parents, for reasons he didn't seem to want to get into, and Beth didn't press. That's why he was crashing here, and not in Newport Beach with them. He would start looking for a job, but he was really excited to be home in time for their wedding.
Beth recounted the story of how Brian had proposed, and some little bits about the upcoming wedding. Kyle snorted when Beth talked about the Thanksgiving proposal. "Sappy. I like it." While they talked, Beth pulled out a bottle of white wine and offered Kyle a glass, which he took, but toyed with more than drank throughout the conversation. Beth talked a little bit about her job {if Teacher = 1
}as a teacher. {else
}at WFG Financial. {endif
}Kyle was listening attentively, never betraying a hint of boredom.
Beth was coming to the strange realization that Kyle was very charming. He had a slightly "rough around the edges" demeanor that she supposed was typical of recently discharged soldiers, but his politeness was refreshing and his smile was roguish. He had much of the traits that she found attractive in Brian, with the additional benefits of youth, and the physical training of a soldier. She knew, from Brian, that Kyle had been a bad kid: ****, fighting, eventually a stolen car and a joyride before an arrest. Community service, instead of jail time, had led to enlistment. She got the sense from Brian that his parents had pushed him into the military as a way to "get rid of" the problem.
{If AngelaOut = 1
}Placeholder for text about clubbing with Angela{elseif AngelaIn = 1
}Placeholder for text about Angela coming over{elseif DerekDinner = 1
}Placeholder for text about getting ready for dinner with Derek{else
}What's going on... ? Beth wondered to herself before it hit her that this was the positive male attention she'd been missing from Brian since he started the internship. Not entirely, but she'd been deprived of it enough that she was practically hanging off every word Kyle was saying.
Kyle trailed off as he took notice of her distraction. "Sorry, I'm boring you. Military life isn't as thrilling as it seems."
"No, it's nothing like that... I was just thinking how funny it is... you and Brian are so similar in some ways, but so different in others."
"Well, he's respectable, for one."
"Hey are you hungry?" she herself was, and was feeling quite good between the wine and the surprisingly pleasant company that Kyle was providing.
"Yeah I could eat."{endif
}