"The Bus? Isn't there a name for it?"
Kaleo barely contained a laugh. "That is the name. 'TheBus.' No spaces. Two capital letters. Simple. Cheezy."
"Sounds like a good idea. No one has to really work to remember what it's called. Like," she sighed softly, "I can't remember what our buses are called. I'll think about it at some random moment in the next day or so."
"I'm the same with things like that. I can memorize a map for work with hardly any issues, but things like the name of movies? Or entertainers? I don't remember those all that well. I don't worry about it too much, it'll usually come to me in a few hours."
"Now that," she giggled a little, "I want to hear more about it. See you at Kandi's Cones?"
"Perfect." His stomach growled. "I'm getting hungry."
"Me, too." She sighed and Kaleo found that he liked the sound of her voice even more. "See you soon."
She hung up before him, and he was left looking at the screen of his phone.
A moment later he was up and on his feet, heading toward the headquarters of the CCFD. If he could find another firefighter as a roommate, that would be ideal. Even better if they worked some opposite shifts. He'd have some time to breathe and be alone.
Walk around barefeet, if that was even a thing here in Center City.
He had a feeling the floors might get a little too cold for him in the winter months.
Smiling, he followed the directions on his phone to the CCFD Headquarters and found that halfway there, he remembered the directions on his own.
Thank goodness he wasn't driving the rig anytime soon. He'd need to learn the streets of Center City like the back of his hand first.
It didn't take more than a few minutes for him to reach the main entrance of the Fire Department Headquarters.
He'd know how big of a city Center City was, but seeing the administration building that was over twenty stories tall really drove it home.
He let out a low whistle at the huge floor to ceiling glass windowpanes and jogged up the steps to the front door and opened it, feeling the cold chill of the air conditioner on his face.
It was almost like a blast of arctic air.
He shook his head. It was going to take him a while to get used to this city, but he was looking forward to the challenge.
It might be good not to spend most of the year sweating in the hot sun.
He'd have to wait and see.
FIVE
KALEO
There was something to be said for something sweet to make things feel better.
In his case it was the woman sitting across from him at the table.
Kandi's Cones was a color explosion when it came to decorations. The only things that were white were the bare bones of the place. The base counter, the tables and the structure of the chairs. The cushions on the bench seats and the cushions of the retro diner chairs were all bright colors, just a little short of neon.
The walls were covered in Pop Artwork depicting the menu in the ice cream parlor.
It was a riot of color and Lexie was loving it. Her eyes were moving over all of the artwork and the window displays.
And he was watching her.
"If I could live off of ice cream," she put another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth and mumbled around it, "I would."
He chuckled a little and looked down at his cup of ice cream wondering how he was going to work off all of the calories. Hestill had to find a gym to join. He was waiting to see where he was going to live first.
