“You said not to stop until you tell me to.”
“You’re amazing. Do you want to stop?”
“No. I want you to come here right now and for you to touch me. Did you come?”
“Fuck, baby, you’re killing me. Yes, I came when you cried out my name. Juls, after this shift, will you pack a bag and come stay with me? I want to spend every minute of my time off with you. I want to fall asleep with you in my arms, I want to wake you in the morning by kissing you. I want to see you while I make you cry out my name.”
Is he for real? Yes, yes, yes I want that!
“Yes, I’d love that. But I’ll still be at work when you go home Friday.”
“That’s okay. I like the idea of living our normal lives together. I’ll go grocery shopping in the afternoon, and I’ll have dinner ready for you. When you stay over on days that you work, I can make you lunch and?—”
The tones rang out loud through the phone.
“Gotta run, baby.”
“Be safe!”
The words “I love you” were on the tip of my tongue. Good thing he hurried off before they could slip out.
With renewed energy, I bounced off the couch and made myself pasta with grilled chicken and broccoli. After I ate and cleaned up the dishes, I packed a bag with some clothes. I was too excited to wait. Friday morning, I’d just throw in my toiletries, and I’d be ready to go after work. I wandered around the house straightening up. Normally, I’d relax on the couch or in bed, watching TV or reading at this time of the evening, but I was too worried about Dylan to relax.
Eventually, I settled on the couch with my Kindle. I read for a while, glancing at my phone every few minutes, hoping it would ring again. How long did it take to put out a fire? Finally, hours after I should have been asleep, I brushed my teeth and forced myself to bed. He’d be tired when he finished, and it’s not like he said he’d call anyway. It was silly to wait up for him. I pulled his shirt up to my face, wrapping myself in the comfort of his lingering scent, and drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
The ding of my phone pierced through my sleep, jolting my eyes open. I reached over to my nightstand, fumbling for the phone.
Dylan:I’m back at the station, safe and sound. Hope you’re asleep.
Me: *kiss emoji*
Dylan: Go back to sleep. Can’t wait to see you.
With a smile,I rolled over and went back to sleep, much more soundly than before.
15
Dylan
“You got the list?” I asked Ryan as we loaded our gear into the station’s SUV and headed out to the grocery store. If a call came in while we were out, we’d have everything we needed to go directly to the call and meet the rest of the crew.
“Yep, it’s all the usual. Liam just added the ingredients for beef stew.”
Liam grew up helping out at his parents’ restaurant and we all reaped the benefits of his expertise.
We parked close and went in, nodding a greeting to the manager at customer service as we entered. They knew us well here. A couple of the crew came in during each shift to buy enough to last the three days, plus to restock the staples. If a call came in, we’d leave the cart at customer service, and they knew to hold it in the walk-in fridge until we returned for it.
Ryan and I made our way efficiently through the store. Our tastes were simple and leaned towards the healthy side. Chicken, burgers, eggs, bacon, and frozen veggies were staples every shift. The rest varied depending on who was cooking. I didn’t mind being on shopping duty. Better than clean up.
Fuck. I stopped short in the bread aisle. Kayla was there.
It was too late to turn around. She’d already seen me, and her sneer said this wasn’t going to be pretty.
She looked like a mess. She usually looked perfectly put-together, but now her blond hair was stringy and her lips, normally pink and plump, were dry and bare. Her clothes looked like they were meant to fit tight, but they hung off her too-thin frame.
“Hello, Kayla,” I said as pleasantly as possible. Ryan’s snicker told me I’d failed.
“Wow, it’s our city’s heroes. Good to see you living your dream. Grocery shopping to save the world. This is what you gave up our lives for?”