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One would think I would’ve cut myself off alcohol after what happened a few years ago, and yet here I was using it as a coping mechanism.
“Maybe he likes you.”
“Ew!” I cried out as I shook my head. “I’d rather have Matthew like me,” I sighed dreamily as I cupped my face.
“What will you do if he does like you?” I got excited for a second but Marie felt the need to explain further. “Your neighbor, I mean. What would you do if he said he liked you?”
Right at that moment, my phone vibrated in my bag. I pulled it out and immediately noticed a number I didn’t know. When I read the contents of the message, I flipped my phone around so that Marie could read the text.
“Please start looking for a place. The petition is working, and I currently have half of the building’s signatures. Kind regards, A. Stone,” she read, and her eyes widened. “Woah.”
“Yeah, I don’t think he would ever like me,” I answered, feeling a bit annoyed by his audacity.
I had immediately sobered up and felt like crying. Why couldn’t I just enjoy a night out without him trying to get me riled up?
Marie noticed my annoyance and placed her hand on mine, softly rubbing my knuckles, and I weakly smiled at her as I swallowed my tears.
“Do you want to talk about Matthew and all the fun things you guys will do as a couple?”
“Yes, I would like that,” I murmured with a heavy voice, smiling weakly at her.
“Your neighbor’s a dick!” she blurted out, and I nodded in agreement.
“He is!” We spent the rest of our dinner alternating between discussing Asher and Matthew, and I felt way better at the end of our night.
Why is he so confusing?
Chapter 7
Asher
A rush. That was the only way I could explain everything that was happening around me. My boots echoed against the cold concrete floor of the fire station as I rushed to suit up.
A call had come in—an apartment building ablaze, one of the worst calls I had to deal with. It was almost routine for us to rush around the way we were, as the sirens rang in the background, and the captain shouted in the back for us to hurry our asses up.
Something gnawed at my gut as I ran into the bus with my colleagues, and we were en-route. Too similar, I thought to myself. It was all too similar.
As soon as we arrived, the flicker of flames that the building was engulfed in and the acrid smell reminded me of my past. A past that I had fought so hard to forget, but it haunted me.
The chaos and trauma that I had buried deep was revived as I marched into the building with my team; the sirens wailing in the back distracted me from the past. As hard as I tried to fight it, I couldn’t ignore the adrenaline that was pumping through my veins.
At that moment, I felt like I was addicted to this lifestyle. The rush, the danger pending, the uncertainty...it felt good.
My team and I moved in synchronized movements—a well-practiced ballet, making sure to call out for any victims who were still in the apartment as we extinguished the fire.
“It’s all clear here!” Jax shouted as he extended his arms outwards and down at a forty-five-degree angle.
“I think there’s still some people in the building,” I told him as he joined me by my side, and he shook his head.
“Nah, man; Damon and his team checked the other floors. It’s clean.” He slapped my back as he pushed me toward the stairs, hurrying me to leave the building that could collapse at any minute.
“Help!” We both stopped in our tracks as we heard the voice that screamed into the smoke-filled air. “I’m still here!” The person coughed, and we rushed upstairs, maneuvering between the fire and falling ceilings.
“Asher, it’s too dangerous!” Jax shouted as we came across a stumbling block on our path; the flames seemed to grow, and I shook my head as I looked at the flames.
“Get out of here!” I yelled as I pushed my arms up and crossed them over my face as I ran through the fire, following the timid voice that grew weaker at every shout. I could hear Jax’s faint cussing as I ran further away from him, and I knew he had done exactly what I told him to.
Was I being reckless? Perhaps, but there was no way I would leave someone to die. It wasn’t right.
