Page 65 of Burning Obsession

Then I hear him. “Victor.”

I turn my head toward his voice and see that he’s sitting off to the side in a corner that’s not crowded, giving us the space we need to talk. There’s a semi-circular couch with a small table with two coffees sitting on top of it. It’s cozy. Intimate even.

My feet start moving, one in front of the other, weaving my way through the tables until I stop in front of him. Do I hug him? Shake his hand? Why the hell is this so hard? Jake must feel the same way because he stands and we both do this awkward step, start to reach out then stop before finally sitting down, our bodies angled toward each other.

“Hey Jake, you look good.” He does. He has a five o’clock shadow but it makes him look even more rugged.

“You do too. Your hair looks wet,” he says, prompting me to lift my hand and run my fingers through my blond locks. Yeah, guess I have. The waves are even in full effect today. “How’s your sister?”

Okay, seems like we’re going to have an awkward conversation first before delving into why we’re here.

“She’s good. Had the baby this morning. We weren’t even expecting it. They had her scheduled to be induced next week.” I take out my phone and show him one of the pictures I’d taken of her. “Her name’s Miracle.”

He leans in to me, the spicy scent of his cologne wrapping around me. “She’s adorable.”

“She really is.”

“Guess that’s why you didn’t answer right away. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to.”

I’m taken aback by his words. Is he pissed that I didn’t answer? “Well you did tell me you didn’t want to see me again. Even blocked me when I tried to explain myself to you. Didn’t really expect to hear from you.” I catch myself, calming my voice as I hear anger start to entangle itself in my speech.

He rubs the back of his neck with his hand as he bites his lip. His eyes drop to the table as if he can’t look me in the eye.

“Yeah, I did say and do that. That day was hard for me,” he sighs heavily, and I wring my hands together. Fuck I wish I had a fidget or something. I’m going to need it to get through my story. “Finding out that it was you, and trying to process everything, was too much for me, and I reacted the only way I knew how. But I’m ready now to really listen to you.”

“I get that. I regret not telling you the truth. But I want you to know the day I met you in the café, I had no clue you were there. It was really a chance encounter. Fate. But I wasn’t following you. I literally went in to get some coffee, and then I saw you.”

“That was something I was worried about.”

“When you didn’t recognize me when I said hello, I saw it as a sign. A fresh start.”

“Where would I know you from?”

“So, I used to live in a different apartment. One night I woke up to our building being on fire. You rescued me.”

He nods his head, but he doesn’t interrupt; I appreciate that, so I keep going.

“Yeah, but the strange part is you shouldn’t have had to save me. I was out of the building, safe from danger.”

Jake’s eyebrow raises, clearly confused.

“Victor, you’ve lost me.”

“See, I made it out of the building, even helped the single mother across the hall with her two children to get out. But the oldest girl was having a meltdown because she couldn’t find her pet cat. She said he was still inside the building. The crying, umm, got to me. So I ran back inside to find it.”

Jake leans forward, fire in his eyes. “Why in the hell did you do something so stupid? You don’t have the proper gear, or training to deal with fires.”

“I couldn’t take her crying, knowing that I could help her. Stupid, but I’d do it again, Jake, in a heartbeat. If it were the same situation and that little girl were Miracle, I’d do it without a second thought.”

I clear my throat, rubbing my hands along my jean covered thighs.

“So you went back in but didn't make it out is what I’m taking from what you’re saying. I’m sorry but no, I don’t remember. I tend to remember the ones that don’t end well.” His voice softens as he speaks, and I get it. Those have to be the ones that stick with you.

“Yeah, I got trapped, and the smoke got too much with he fire closing in. I thought I was a goner. I almost was, then you appeared. I saw your name, then later found out which firehouse you were at. I truly just wanted to thank you. But then I saw you without all the gear, and well, instant attraction.” I worry my lip. “Found the cat though, and the little fucker ran out of the building. I ran into the mom a week later; she said he was okay, and her daughter drew me a picture. Called me her savior.”

“So why all the gifts for all those months? Why not just come to me and say thank you? How did you know so much about me? You said you weren’t following me the day you met me, but did you on other days?”

Fuck this is the hard part. I don’t really have an answer. Not a logical one, anyway. I pick up the coffee and take a sip. It’s warm, teetering toward the side of cold. He must’ve been here a while before I got here, or time is moving quicker than I think.