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Friday morning,the day before the wedding and the last shift for most of us for four days, and I still haven’t seen London or even heard from her since that text exchange at the jewelry shop.
I’ve read through that convo and the other text messages I’ve sent her over the past week and a half, and I don’tthinkI’ve been pushy.I’ve just been trying to keep that connection with her, craving it, realizing that I've never gone this long without seeing her, and hating that the only reason IknowI’ll see her tonight is because of the pre-wedding dinner Marco and Renee are having, then I’ll see her again tomorrow for the wedding ceremony.Not because shewantsto see me, but because we’ll both be in the same place at the same time.
I've turned into that whiny, moping, sad-sack guy pining after the girl he wants and not knowing what to do about it.
Zach pops his head through the locker room door.“Luc, Cap wants to see you in his office.Said to make sure you saw him before you leave.”
“Sure thing.See you tonight?”I add
“Yep.It’s high time Renee made an honest man out of the lieutenant.”
“Amen tothat.”I return his wave as he walks back down the corridor.I check my phone yet again, hoping for a message that isn’t there.
Is this how women feel when a guy doesn’t talk to them after hooking up?Because I'm seriously wondering why we put ourselves through this?I said I'd wait for London, and I meant every word.I've pulled back on the texts, not wanting to seem pushy or needy.I've taken to distracting myself by helping Marco and Renee out with errands and getting everything ready for the wedding festivities this weekend.
That doesn’t mean I’m not as frustrated and confused as ever, trying to wrack my brain as to what I can do next to prove to her that this is it for me.She’sit for me.Done deal.
After saying my goodbyes to my crew, and telling Marco and Rhodes I'll see them later, I make my way to the Captain's office.I knock on the closed door before stepping inside.
“Luc, take a seat,” he says, sweeping his arm out as he moves around the front of the desk to lean his hips against it.
“This isn’t ominous or anything,” I say with a nervous snort.
When he smirks and waves a white envelope in front of me, I forget to breathe.“Isthisominous?”Cap replies.
“Already?”
Cap bounces one shoulder like it's no big deal.“Made a few calls, pulled a few strings.Got your results fast-tracked.”
I slump down into the seat in front of him, leaning forward, my eyes locked on the envelope in his hand, the one that could mean a lot of changes coming my way.
“But before you open this, I want to make one thing perfectly clear.”Nowit’s not ominous—it’s fucking scary.He continues, “Whatever the result, your home will always be 101.”
My throat feels a little tight all of a sudden.“Orders are orders, sir.”
He nods.“Yeah, they are.But the thing is, I've made it my mission not to lose any good firefighters from my house.And, as luck would have it, as of the end of this month, 101 is losing a lieutenant on one of our crews.This means ifthis”—he holds the results of my test out to me—”says what I think it does, then there’ll be a place for a lieutenant with your name on it.”
I open my mouth, words escaping me for a minute before I quickly blurt out, “Cap, I don’t know what to say.”
He grins and shakes the envelope.“Well how about you put us both out of our misery and open this up so we know if we’re celebrating or I’m running a retest boot camp, huh?”
My hand is shaking and my stomach is clenched tight as I take the results from him and stare down at it.“I didn’t realize just how much Iwantedthis until now.”
“Seems you’ve been having a lot of revelations lately.May this just be the first good news of many.”
My eyes bug out.“Cap, I—”
“Rossi, open the damn envelope.”
“Yes, sir,” I say, hooking my finger under the tab and ripping it open.I slide my fingers inside, pull out the crisp white paper, and unfold it.
I read the words and jump to my feet.“I passed,” I say, pulling Cap in for a hug.
“Of course you fucking did, Luc.Why do you think I put your name forward?”He claps my back, his voice full of pride.
“Thank you, Cap.I just ...”I stare down at the letter and I’m struck with the feeling that something—no,someone—is missing.I step back and meet his gaze.“I have to go.”
His lips twitch, his eyes all-knowing.“Go see your girl, Luc.Everything else can wait.”
