He had slept. A little. But then he’d jolted awake in a cold sweat, imagining all the ways his presentation could go wrong. He knew it was ridiculous. At the very least, he knew now that he could focus on Shane and get through it. It wouldn’t be as bad as last time. But it still felt sour in his gut, and that kept him from falling back to sleep. So he’d brought his laptop to bed and compromised, running through his notes and slides for what was probably the hundredth time. He took a shower, shaved, brushed his teeth, got dressed, and then studied his notes again until he heard Shane’s knock at the door. Shane was dressed in fatigues when he showed up, which Aaron guessed was specifically meant to mark him as a veteran. Aaron had never bought into the idea that there was something inherently special about a man wearing a uniform, but he couldn’t deny that even this casual style of uniform fit Shane better than anything else. He stood a little taller, his eyes were a little brighter, and he looked like he had a purpose.
