“No, they’re fine,” I answered insistently. “I’m just not particularly experienced at interacting with them.”
“Mm, step one would be using simpler language,” she suggested with a sly wink. “Maybe stay away from all of those big words.”
“Good advice.”
“But I wouldn’t worry.” She traced a finger over my arm. “You’ve got this. You’re funny and confident, and you’re a firefighter. You’re going to do great. Anyway, what can I help with?”
“Oh, yeah, I forgot I’d asked you to come for a reason,” I said awkwardly. “Uhm, could you help me put up the posters on the tour’s stops? Ash said that visual presentations will make it more… engaging.”
“Of course.” Rhea patted me on my arm. “Just show me where.”
We walked around the station, putting up posters and joking with one another. The whole time, it felt like my heart was going to leap out of my chest. Whenever I saw Calder or Ash working on their parts of the day, I felt a powerful pang of jealousy. One part of me wanted to fight them, but I also saw the way that they looked at Rhea, and the way that she looked at them.
It made it harder that she was looking at me in the same way.
The two of them had agreed to do this whole thing together. I felt the pressure of that weighing heavily on my shoulders. I didn’t want to be the one guy who ruined everything. But I wasn’t sure whether I could give her what she wanted from me.
“There you go, last one,” Rhea said when we’d finished with the poster on the door of the gear room. “It’s almost time, isn’t it?”
“Starting in fifteen,” I answered nervously, shaking my shoulders and arms to try and get rid of some of my anxiety. “I hope I don’t bomb.”
“No way,” Rhea said, taking my hand and opening the door to the gear room. I followed her curiously, wondering where this could possibly be going. It’s not as if we had a lot of time to get up to shenanigans.
Inside, Rhea put her hands on either side of my face, staring intently into my eyes. “You’re going to be amazing. You love your job, and you’re a hero. The kids know that. They’ll think you’re the coolest thing since sliced bread.”
“That’s a high bar,” I whispered. “Sliced bread isreallycool.”
She chuckled, before pulling my head down for a kiss. It was short and gentle, the kind that could encourage you to run into a burning building. I felt myself gain a bit of courage, and I suddenly believed that I truly could do anything I put my mind to.
“Thanks,” I said with a smile when Rhea backed away. “I might need a top-up a little later.”
Rhea shook her head as we left the gear room. “We’ll see how the day goes, okay?”
“Aww,” I said, but the playfulness I felt drifted off as I noticed Calder approaching us. He had a mischievous look on his face, one that wasn’t very familiar to me.
“Hey, there’re some people already.” He gave Rhea a wink. “Don’t sneak off too often, they might notice.”
Rhea blushed, and gave him a playful hit on his arm. She seemed to be really happy right there, between the two of us. Almost automatically, she leaned against me.
“Don’t worry, I know how to behave myself,” she answered, before starting to walk away. “Ash actually asked if I could help give out some fliers. I’ll see you guys later, okay?”
We both watched her walk away, and Calder let out a sigh when she was out of earshot.
“She really is something, isn’t she?” he said to me, and I simply nodded. I wasn’t sure how to say what I was feeling. Mostly, it was confusion. I could see how Rhea lit up when she spoke to Calder, and how comfortable she seemed around both of us at once. I didn’t want to take that away from her, but I didn’t know if I could really date her seriously with two other men.
I did manage to settle on something to say. “She’s magnificent.”
“Ah, I know you’re not sure about all of this,” Calder answered, probably sensing my hesitation. “But just give it a chance. You might be presently surprised.”
He slapped me on my shoulder before he headed off, probably to go prepare for his own talks on the grownup side of things. I headed over to the fire engine to wait for more people to show up.
Soon enough, the entire station was abuzz with curious people; mostly kids gawking at the engine and parents grabbing lemonade.
I noticed Rhea flitting through the crowd like she was dancing, offering informational pamphlets to everyone with a bright expression. Everyone seemed to be enchanted by her, and I couldn’t blame them. Just being around her was enough to put anyone in a good mood.
Is it greedy of me to want that all for myself?I thought as I helped a dad get a good picture of his toddler in the rig.Would the magic be more powerful if I shared her with the others? What if it’s far better than I could imagine?
“Thanks,” the dad said, and I nodded at him. The little kid offered her hand for a high-five, and I complied, to which she giggled.
