Her cheeks inflate when she laughs. “You do, actually. Constantly.”
“And yet it’s still not enough.”
She leans in and gives me another kiss. “Come on, fireman. Let me out of this truck so we can go in. If you don’t I’ll just open up my door on my own and I know how much you love it when I do that.”
“Don’t you even think about it,” I threaten out as I slip out of my seat. I see her laugh through the windshield as I walk around to open her door. When I open it, she holds out her hand for me to take to help her down. I wrap my arms around her in a hug, her hands holding me at my waist. “I take care of what’s mine, always.”
“I know you do. You’re a very good man, Miles.”
I press a kiss to the side of her temple where it meets my lips. The height difference between us makes it easy. “Only for you, beautiful. Only for you.”
An hour or so later, the four of us are sitting at the bar with Rae and Hanna sitting in barstools and Leon and I standing defensively behind them. I’ve learned that he works as a commercial contractor for the city rebuilding some of the older homes and buildings in Charleston. He and Rae met the same night I saw Hanna singing karaoke and she stole my hat from me. Rae, who, didn’t waste a single second to ask Hanna what had taken us so long to get here. My girl has no poker face with her friend though and immediately turned bright pink when asked.
“I held us up,” I say with an air of pride to my words. “It’s my fault.”
Rae side-eyes me as I kiss Hanna on the top of the head before turning her dagger-like eyes back on her best friend. “Mhhm, let the hot fireman take the blame.” When she thought I wasn’t listening though she leaned into Hanna’s ear and told her how happy she is for us and can see how much Hanna likes me all over her face.
“So, what’s it like working for the Charleston Fire Department?” Leon asks before taking a sip of his drink.
“Long days. Mostly boring days, but the days that aren’t boring are days you remember forever.” I shrug. It’s hard to describe what it’s like doing what I do. How do you explain to someone that you’re the person that shows up on someone’s worst day and sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you can’t make it better? “I love what I do though. I didn’t really have a direction when I came home from the Marines. Working for the CFD gave me a purpose.”
I feel Hanna’s hand slip into mine and give it a squeeze. Looking towards her, I see that she’s smiling up at me, proudly.
“Well I think what you all do is amazing. You keep our city safe. Just like Rae, but in her own way,” he says, looking at her with conviction. They share a moment between them that’s hard to miss, one that I’ve had with Hanna before. One where you can feel the mutual respect they have for one another. When I catch a glimpse of Hanna again, she winks at me.
“You know, your brother called me the other day,” Rae says, looking at me.
“My brother?” I ask, eyebrows pressed together.
“Yeah, the police officer.”Oh.
“Cooper? He’s not my brother, just a friend. Carter’s my brother,” I explain.
“Carter, Cooper, their names are too similar,” she laments, tossing her hands in the air.
“Oh, trust me, this is something we’ve talked about since we were little,” I chuckle. “He called you?”
She nods. “Yep. He got a call and wanted a social worker to consult with him on it. He’s a good dude.”
“He is a good dude. I hope tonight isn’t too hard on him.Holidays like today are pretty hit or miss, kinda the same story at the firehouse.” I shrug.
“We need more cops like him,” Rae continues. “Ones that stop, take a breath, and try to get to the root of the issue before acting. I think the world needs more of that, honestly. To take a collective deep breath before reacting.”
Hanna sits and nods her head in agreement. When the song changes over, the air between the four of us physically shifts. Rae and Hanna catch each other’s eyes which grow wide with excitement. Sure enough, as the song continues to play, I start to understand why. The iconic rift of “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”plays loudly over the speakers.
“This is our song!” Rae exclaims, standing up quickly and setting her glass down on the counter. She pulls Hanna from her seat and drags her towards the dance floor. When Leon and I go to follow them, they hold their hands up in silent synchrony.
“Sorry, boys,” Hanna starts.
“This is a girls only dancing song,” Rae finishes.
They look at one another and take off to go dance in the sea of people who are crowding the dance floor in the middle of the bar. It’s a little before eleven and the place is packed. Both couples and singles alike are all here to ring in the new year together. Hanging back, Leon and I stand by the stools to save them for when the girls return, watching them dance and throw their heads back, laughing.
“You and Hanna, you’re good together,” Leon says, glancing away from the girls and looking at me with a smirk.
“I think what you mean is Hanna is good forme. I’m still trying to figure out why she’s wasting her time,” I say honestly.
“Pshh, that girl is totally entranced by you. The wayyou treat her?” He peaks his eyebrows closer to his hairline. “You’re a good man, Miles.”
