Page 93 of Hunter

It rings. Once. Twice. Three times.

I almost hang up, heart hammering, when he picks up.

“...Hunter?”

His voice hits me like a warm wave—soft, surprised, a little guarded. I close my eyes for a second, leaning against the lamppost.

“Charlie, hey…”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah… really good, actually.” I swallow, trying to keep my voice steady. “I just thought I’d call and see if you wanted to get lunch or dinner or something. I mean, if you’re not busy.”

There’s a pause on the other end. Not long, but long enough for my stomach to twist.

“I’d like that,” he says finally, and I can hear the small smile in his voice. “I’m free tomorrow night, if that works?”

Relief floods through me so fast my knees feel weak.

“Tomorrow night is perfect,” I say, probably too quickly. “There’s that Thai place you like. Or…anywhere you want. I’m good with whatever.”

He laughs softly—a quiet, familiar sound that still makes my chest ache. “Thai sounds good. Seven?”

“Seven,” I repeat, committing it to memory like it’s the most important thing I’ve ever heard. “I’ll see you then.”

“Okay,” he says. “I’m… I’m glad you called.”

“Me too.”

We linger for a second, neither of us quite ready to hang up, then he says goodbye and the line goes quiet.

I stand there on the corner, staring at my phone like it’s a miracle. He said yes. Tomorrow night I’ll get to sit across from him and hear how his life has been. A nervous excitement fills me, and I shove the phone into my jacket pocket, inhaling the cool late fall air.

I probably won’t sleep tonight, but that’s okay. Because at least my thoughts will be on Charlie and not all of the things that have held me down for so long.

Tomorrow I get to see him.

I don’t know what will happen. He might want to stay friends. He might not want anything at all. And I have to be okay with both of those things, even if I want him in my life as my partner. Not because I need someone to fill a void, but because I love him. And I’m never going to stop.

The next morning, I’m up before the sun, the nervous energy from last night still buzzing under my skin. I text Ramirez on a whim, asking if he’s free for an early coffee. He replies almost immediately.

Hell yeah. Meet you at the usual spot in 20.

The “usual spot” is a little hole-in-the-wall diner near the old firehouse. We used to grab breakfast here after night shifts. And now we meet up to chat every week. He’s really cemented himself as someone I can call a friend over the last few months. And we keep in touch almost daily through text. It doesn’t even feel like he’s checking up on me anymore.

Ramirez is already in a booth when I walk in, two black coffees waiting on the table. He grins when he sees me.

“Hey, man. You get a release to come back to work yet?” he asks as I slide into the seat across from him.

“I did. Sooner than I expected, to be honest.”

“It’ll be good to have you back.”

I take a sip of my coffee, the bitterness grounding me. “It’ll be good to be back. How’s Becky and the kids?”

“She’s doing good, asking for you to come to dinner again,” he says with a proud little laugh. “Mia's been obsessed with soccer since she joined the team. Keeps kicking the ball into the neighbor’s yard when no one can go out to kick the ball around with her. Carlos is still all about dinosaurs this month, so not much has changed with him in the last week. Although, now I’ve got a plastic T-Rex in my locker at the station because he insisted I take it to work.”

I smile, genuinely. “Sounds chaotic.”