Chapter 4: Too Hot to Not Look

Felicity

Felicity walked back to her office as she rubbed her temples. She could feel a headache coming on that was clearly caused by the current events in the chow hall. She walked by the apparatus room and the firefighters were busy doing their assigned chore. So far, the day had been quiet outside of the station. She just wished it had been on the inside.

She sat at her desk and filled out paperwork, made phone calls and finally had her lunch. She felt exhausted. She was ready for this day to end so she could escape her own mind.

She got up and checked on her crew again. She didn't see Weston anywhere. She closed her eyes and listened hard. She heard a shower running. She glanced once more to make sure everyone was busy and then walked towards the showers. She could hear that there was only one person in there.

He was singing. His voice was beautiful and deep. It filled her ears with such joy and her headache seemed to get sidetracked.

She carefully pushed the locker room door open. Weston had shut the shower off and stepped outside of it. There he stood in all his chiseled, tanned glory.

The water glistened in the fluorescent light as it slid from his torso to his thigh. He had a towel in his hand but none around his waist. Everything was just there, out in the open, taunting her with desire.

He began to dry his body which made hers ache. She watched as he started with his dark hair, moving down to his smooth chest and then his arms.

He bent over to dry his legs and she thought she would lose all her senses. She pulled in a deep breath and tugged at her lower lip with her front tooth.

He was perfect in every way.

She heard footsteps coming towards her, so she calmly, but quickly shut the shower room door and made a beeline for the linen closet.

"Cap?" she heard one of her crew say behind her.

"Yeah. It's me. Just making sure you're all keeping caught up on laundry duty. That is one thing you don't want to fall behind on."

She stepped back into the hallway as the rest of the crew headed towards the showers to end their day. Everyone was more than ready to head home or wherever the night took them. Felicity was just ready to get out of this hallway. She hoped no one paid attention to her flushed face and racing heart.

She made brisk eye contact with Perry, nodded, and then rushed back to her office. She promptly shut the door behind her and placed her entire body weight against it. She let out a sigh and placed her hand on her chest.

Maybe she just needed to find a random stranger to cool this fire burning deep inside her. Maybe that would put an end to her desire for Weston.

But she knew better. Yes, he was attractive with a body she wanted to touch from top to bottom but it was more than that.

It was the way he looked at her. She knew she wanted more than just something physical. She wanted his heart too.

And for that, there was no replacement.

***

The shift was getting close to ending. The next crew was busy starting their nightly routines. None of the current shift crew had made their way out of the locker room yet and Felicity found that quite odd.

She walked slowly back towards the locker room, this time listening intently to what was happening on the other side.

There was a bit of conversation happening.

Felicity's right ear grew larger and pointed as she leaned closer for a better listen.

"I think the captain likes you, new guy," she heard someone say.

The others chuckled.

"Yeah, proby. She's got the hots for you. You'll probably have to clear the cobwebs though because it's been a while for her," said someone else.

The laughter got louder and there were high fives heard.

Felicity cringed because they weren't wrong on either point and just as she was about to bust up their comedy routine, she heard Weston speak up.

"That's not how we speak of our captain. Her love life is none of our business. It has nothing to do with how she runs this station or her authority over us. I suggest you all take a good look at yourselves when you are home tonight. Ask yourselves what kind of firefighter you want to be. I am hoping your answer isn't the current firefighter you are. You're all pathetic--"

"You want to go again, proby?" asked Perry.

And before another fight could erupt or Felicity could chime in, the fire alarm rang drowning out their conversation instantly.

The dispatcher announced the location and the severity. It was a big one. The current shift ran back to the apparatus room, changed back into their gear, and loaded up with the night shift. This one would need all hands-on deck.

She glanced over at Weston as he threw on his gear as fast as he could. He jumped up into the truck and looked at her like it could be the last time. She wanted to reach out and kiss him. To tell him she knew what he had done in that locker room in her honor.

But she just looked back into his stare as they drove away. She hopped in her truck and threw on the flashing lights and followed behind.

They pulled up in front of the high school. It was in complete flames. She knew by looking at the building it would be a total loss and she also knew her anxiety was about to skyrocket.

This reminded her too much of a past she tried so hard to forget.

She stood there, dazed.

"Captain Turner, are you okay?" asked a supervisor from another local station.

It was no secret what she had gone through. Everyone knew and everyone either walked on eggs shells when there was a big fire, or they made double sure she was okay.

She wasn't but there wasn't anything she could do but move forward. And so, she did, towards the fire to do what she had to do.

"Absolutely," she lied.