Smoke and Fire (Surrender to Them 1)

“My parents hate that I live in Chicago. They want me to move back home.” She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “I guess they’re going to get their wish now.”

“You’re going to quit your job and move back home!?” My attempt at calmness quickly failed.

“What choice do I have?” She shrugged again. “At least they’ll take care of me until I get back on my feet.”

This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.

“Can I at least get you to drive me to my apartment to pick up whatever is salvageable and stay here with you tonight?” I put my fingers against my forehead and let my face slowly sink into my palm.

“I would…” She sighed and when I looked past my hand, she was grimacing. “But they already repossessed my car and my parents are coming by tonight to help me pack everything up.”

“Were you even going to tell me any of this?” I dropped my hand and shook my head in disbelief.

“Honestly—no.” The grimace on her face tightened. “You always judge me when I screw up and I figured it would be easier to just call you after I was gone.”

“Oh my god, you’re the worst friend ever!” My anger finally flourished and there was nothing I could do to control it. “Fine, I’ll deal with this myself!”

I was beyond angry at Anna when I left her apartment, but when I got down to the lobby, I realized I was right back where I started. I had to get back to my apartment and see if there was anything I could salvage, and I really wasn’t friends with anyone in Chicago besides Anna. It was difficult for me to trust people normally, due to some issues from my past, but Anna and I just clicked from the start after we met at work. Of course, that was before she bottomed out after her last relationship, and it seemed that she had really hit rock bottom.

If I still had an apartment, I would have asked her to stay with me. I would have done anything to help her, including loaning her the money she needed to pay her parking tickets before it all blew up in her face. It was too late for that, though. I was just as helpless as she was, but I couldn’t call my parents for help. I had to stay as far away from the town I grew up in as possible, and even a phone call could set things in motion that I wasn’t strong enough to handle.

“Hey, could I use your phone again?” I walked up to the front desk in the lobby of Anna’s apartment building.

“Sure.” He nodded and slid it over.

I can’t believe I’m calling Trent for help again after everything he’s done for me already.

Four

Chase

“So, how was she?” I looked over at Trent when he stepped into our apartment and slammed the door shut.

“She seems to be okay.” He exhaled sharply as he walked into the living room and took a seat across from me. “I gave her my number as a courtesy. I didn’t expect her to actually call me.”

“Did you ask her out?” I leaned forward in anticipation. “Please tell me you asked her out.”

“I did.” Trent nodded and smiled. “She seemed pretty receptive. I don’t know if she’ll call again, though. She’s going to be dealing with a lot of shit over the next few days.”

“You didn’t mention that we usually send up sharing all of our dates, right?” I chuckled and leaned back against my chair. “It’s been a while since you were the one bringing them home.”

“No.” Trent shook his head back and forth quickly. “She might not even be into that sort of thing.”

“Are you ready for that sort of commitment? It’s been years since either of us had a serious relationship.” I raised my eyebrows and looked at him.

“I don’t know.” Trent shrugged and sighed. “I mean, I do want a wife and a family at some point. The years are ticking away.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” I nodded and tapped my fingers on the chair. “Maybe it’s time for both of us to think about settling down some. We’ve definitely had a good run, though.”

“Who knows, man. It might be an awful date.” Trent leaned forward and started to stand. “Or, she might just be another one night stand.”

“Too bad we can’t find a good chick that likes the both of us. That would be perfect.” I chuckled and looked up once he was on his feet. “Are you heading to bed?”

“Yeah, It’s past my bedtime and I’ve already missed my first nap.” Trent laughed and waved as he walked towards his bedroom.

I should sleep too, but I’m more drained than sleepy at this point.

My thirty-five year old body definitely didn’t feel like the same one I had at twenty-five. I was bigger, stronger, and a lot leaner, but there was a weight on my eyelids that wasn’t usually there. I always tried to sleep before the end of our shift, so I could enjoy every second of my time away from the station, but the fire interrupted that plan. I had enough seniority that I didn’t have to go out for the mundane calls, but if there was a fire in our district, I was driving the truck. I was happy to get my hands dirty and help people if there was an actual emergency, but I wasn’t fond of being a glorified paramedic or dealing with car accidents. Thankfully, most of the First Responder stuff was left up to the rookies.