Chapter 6

"Do you guys always throw each other out of fire trucks in the middle of the road?" she asked, shielding her eyes from the morning sun as she looked up at him.

"Only when Brandt is driving." His voice drawled low and thick, he coughed as if to clear his throat.

"Good to know. Never drive with…"

"Brandt."

"Brandt," she repeated. "I think this is the first time I have ever seen you outside of the diner. Do you always walk around in all of that gear?"

He looked down, he hadn't even noticed that he was still wearing his heavy turnout gear pants, suspenders and boots. He had left his coat and helmet in the truck.

"Not usually."

"Just when you get thrown out of a fire truck?"

"Pretty much."

"You know, I always thought you were just quiet because we were in the diner. You definitely are a man of few words."

"I try."

She couldn't help but smile at him. His light brown eyes flared as they focused in on her mouth.

His angular face was smudged with black though she could see the streaks from where he had tried to clean it off. His black hair was long, curving around his face and falling slightly below his eyes. His undershirt was drenched with sweat. The dark blue material had a white Maltese cross surrounded by the words 'Philadelphia Firefighter'.

"I hope you were on your way back."

"Yeah, it was big factory fire. We were on our way back, my shift just ended."

"Oh no, was anyone hurt?" she asked. Ayden could sense her genuine concern.

"No, no, we got all of the homeless people out that were squatting. The fire tamed itself pretty fast no, outside damage just the factory."

"All of the firefighters and people ok?"

"Yup, we are all safe and sound."

"Well that's good to hear. I mean not the fire, but that no one was hurt."

An uncomfortable silence settled between them. She shuffled her feet and he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Well I better get going," she said while looking down at her feet. She had on the same sneakers she wore to work.

He panicked; he wasn't ready to let her go just yet. "Are you going somewhere close? I could walk you," he choked coughed and stuttered until the words fell out.

"I was actually headed home for awhile, my morning classes were both canceled. "

"Do you have work tonight?"

"No," she laughed a little, "Shockingly, today is one of the very rare days in which I have nothing to do. It's been awhile since I had one of those." As she said the last part, her eyes looked up as if trying to think back to the last day in question. His heart broke a little; no one should have to think that hard to remember the last day they had to themselves.

"Well, then you should commemorate the day," he said, a huge smile taking over his face. Though, he couldn't stop himself from leering just a little.

Kyle had been headed home to sleep the day away. As beautiful as the weather may be, all she wanted was her comfy bed and her television. But with the sudden appearance of Ayden she knew, sleeping would not be a possibility with all of the electricity pulsing through her veins.

"Any ideas on how I should commemorate the day?" She asked with a dramatic innocent look to match his leer, looking up at him from under her dark lashes. She forgot how fun it was to flirt.

"I dunno, but I am sure we could think of something," as his mind quickly wandered his voice deepened. He swiped his tongue over his bottom lip.

Her stomach lurched and her mind flashed to just what they could do. Damn hormones! She thought.

Ayden gave his head a quick shake, attempting to clear that lustful haze that was moving across his vision. "We could play it by ear, see how things go. Where we end up."

"Do you want to go get changed first?" She smiled a genuine smile that lit up her grey eyes like starlight. Just when he thought she couldn't get any more beautiful, she knocked him back on his heels.

"Sure, yes, ok," he agreed a little too emphatically. Thought listening to her giggle in response was worth it.

He swept his arm out in front of her and bowed, "After you."

She bit her lip as her cheeks burned. She stepped a small step in front of him and they made their way to the firehouse.

It was easier to chat as they walked next to each other. Less eye contact kept them both from getting distracted. She pointed out some of her favorite places to eat, as he did the same. Even if a small silence settled between them, it didn't feel uncomfortable any longer, leaving each one waiting for the other to speak.

He paused when he heard her say she worked at somewhere they had passed.

"Where did you say you worked?"

"The Boxing Leprechaun," she said pointing to a corner dive bar. "But it was only for maybe a night or maybe two at the most."

He looked at Kyle with wide eyes.

"Yeah, it was not a good place to work. Well, not a good place to be in general but definitely to work. But I needed a job at the time. And, to be truthful, bartending does bring in good money much better than waitressing. But that place. Yeah, it was no good."

"So, what you are saying is you can handle yourself in a brawl?"

She laughed and shook her head, "I guess. I definitely don't scare easy."

"What other jobs have you had?" he asked.

"Pretty much every odds and ends job you can think of. Bartending, Waitressing, of course. I worked in a flower shop for a bit. Great place to work, but didn't make much money. Working the register at different stores. Um… I teach a little, here and there."

"What do you teach?"

"Don't laugh," she said with a warning look.

"I won't," he said, he hands open in against his chest in surrender.

"I teach dance classes."

He smiled. That was what had been missing. Her sense of rhythm, her love of music, the odd way she walked, of course she was a dancer.

"You promised not to laugh!" she yelled.

"I'm not! I am smiling, not laughing… just smiling."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Oh really?" he asked. He barked a laugh at the ridiculous face she was making.

They both erupted into a fit of laughter as they turned the corner, arriving at the firehouse.

"Do you mind if I just run inside and change real quick," he said catching his breath. "I would invite you in, but the rest of the guys can be a little, well, quite a group of denizens."

She laughed at his choice of words. "No I don't mind at all."

"I'll be right back then," he said huskily.

She spotted a bench in front of the firehouse and sat on the back of the bench, with her feet resting on the seat. She leaned her head back on the cool brick and attempted to calm her nerves.

Though it really wasn't her nerves that were the problem, it was her libido. She had no reason for her body's response to this boy. Everyone enjoyed a good flirt session and casual company. But Ayden had woken something inside her. Just making eye contact with him had her body in flames.

As she sat, drinking in the sunshine, she felt her body relax. Her hair blew in the balmy breeze. The sounds of the city played a music that she had come to love. The sounds of cars driving on the hot asphalt, the music that spilled form their open windows. Doors opening, their chimes loud enough to be heard on the street, people shouting their greetings down the long streets. Even down to the click of the lights as they changed their colors. Her body relaxed and cooled. She was soon lost in her small meditation.