by Piper Snow
* * *
On Saturday night, I slid out of the cab, careful not to let my ball gown get caught as I stepped onto the sidewalk. My dress was as black as midnight, strapless and pooled out around the waist into a bell shape.
I wore my fiery red hair down, and accessorized with long black gloves, heels and clutch. The silky material felt so soft on my skin, and I really did feel like royalty. While I’d been to a lot of events that required dressing up, it’s rare that I attended a ball, so I wanted to look the part.
I lifted my dress above my shoes as I began walking up the steps into the beautiful 1940s era building, nervous to meet my date for the night.
I noticed a tall man waiting near the golden double doors, and wondered if it could be Dean. His blonde hair was swept to the side, and I could tell even from a distance that he was very handsome. Standing there in a suave tuxedo at the entrance, he looked like he was from another time. He looked very dapper, like a real gentleman, and I hoped he was the man who’d asked me to be his date.
“Ella?” the handsome gentleman asked as I approached, and I had to restrain myself from fist-pumping the air and saying “Jackpot!”
“Dean?”
“That’s me,” he said, blushing a little as he held his arm out for me. “It’s nice to meet you. I really can’t thank you enough for being my date tonight.”
“It’s my pleasure!” I said, looping my arm into his as we crossed the threshold into the mahogany and gold-speckled foyer. “Thank you for inviting me.”
“I have to admit, I really didn’t think you would say yes,” he said as he handed our tickets to a man by the entrance of the ballroom. “A gorgeous rockstar like you, on a date with a firefighter? That’s the kind of thing that happens in movies, not in real life. I guess I just got lucky.”
I laughed. “I’m the lucky one! I love dressing up like this. Jaz and Kelly were joking that I looked like Cinderella.”
“Well, Cinderella, I’m sorry I’m not much of a Prince,” he laughed as we followed the large crowd into the huge ballroom. I marveled at the high ceilings, decorated with intricate designs and dotted with crystal chandeliers that glittered all over the room. I felt like I’d stepped back in time. “I’ll take a hunky fireman over a Prince any day. You guys are heroes. It’s an honor to be in the same room with such brave men and women.”
“We’re just doing our jobs. Events like these always make me nervous. I’m not used to such fancy digs.” He motioned to his tuxedo. “But it always raises a ton of money for burn victims and their families, and that’s a cause I’ll always happily support, even if it means looking like a penguin. Sorry, I’m talking too much. I do that when I’m nervous. I’ll shut up now.”
I laughed, trying not to notice how all the people in the room were staring at us.
A waiter appeared holding a tray of champagne, and Dean picked up two, handing me one before introducing me to some of his fellow firefighters and their wives.
“Hi Ella, I’m Mike,” a young man with dark hair combed back into a quiff said as he shook my hand.
“Mike here is still a probie,” Dean said as he slapped Mike on the arm.
“Probie?” I asked.
“Probationary Firefighter,” Mike explained. “I just wanted to say how great it is that you took time out of your busy schedule to come tonight.”
“It’s my pleasure to be here, honestly. I’m having a great time.”
“Ella,” Dean said as he held his arm out to an older man with a white handlebar mustache and kind eyes. “This is Frank Milano, my Lieutenant.”
“Lovely to meet you, Lt. Milano,” I said, shaking his hand.
“Please, call me Frank,” he said, beaming. “I gotta say, I’ve never met a rockstar before.”
“Well, I’ve never met a Lieutenant before. You certainly throw an amazing party!”
“Oh, well thank you! I’m sure it’s nothin’ compared to all the Hollywood parties you’re used to, but we do scrub up alright when we want to. We got to, now that we’re famous by association! Ever since this guy invited you, we’ve had a whole lotta media attention comin’ our way, looks like we may even double last year’s fundraising efforts. So you make sure he shows you a good time,” he chuckled.
“I’ll do the best I can, Frank,” said Dean.
“He’s doing a fine job. Best date I’ve had in a long time,” I said, squeezing Dean’s arm as he blushed crimson next to me.
A tall blonde woman with prominently arched eyebrows and pursed lips walked by, and I couldn’t help but notice the way she was staring at Dean – even though she was on the arm of another guy. Her eyes darted to me, and I felt the sting of her ice cold glare deep into my bones.
“Do you know that woman?” I whispered to Dean, who turned his gaze to see who I was looking at.
“Oh. Yeah. She was supposed to be my date, before she decided one of the guys from another precinct would look better by her side.”
“Well, she’s sorely mistaken. And I think she’s just realized what an idiot she was for letting you go. Lucky for me, though!”
A coy smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “No, lucky for me!”
As the night went on, more and more people began to walk onto the dance floor, all the beautiful dresses twirling to the music. I knew Dean would be too nervous to ask me to dance, so I decided to make the first move.
“Would you care to dance?”
His eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Of course! Cinderella can’t go to the ball and not dance,” I joked.
He stood up, adjusting his bow tie before holding his hand out for me and walking me onto the dance floor. He began leading me in a waltz, and my jaw almost hit the floor. “Hey, you can dance!”
“My mom’s a dance teacher downtown. She forced me to learn every single day after school. She wanted me to be a ballet star.”
I pressed my lips together, trying to stifle a giggle, and surprise flashed in his eyes.
“I’ve never told anyone that before! Please don’t tell the guys, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
I nodded. “Your secret is safe with me, Baryshnikov.”
He narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously, before we both burst into laughter, causing the people dancing near us to stare – including his ex-date.
“Ooh, she looks pissed,” he said, relishing in her jealousy.
“Let’s give her something to really make her jealous,” I said. I felt his heart pounding hard in his chest as I tilted my head up and kissed him. It was a real passionate kiss, I wanted to make a show of it for our audience of one. But then, something sparked, and I began to get lost in it. His lips were so soft, so warm, and before I knew it I was parting them with my tongue, deepening the kiss until I let out a slight moan and my knees began to tremble.
Pulling away, I slowly opened my eyes.
“Wow,” I whispered, my heart beating just as hard as his. I looked up into his crystal blue eyes and smiled, until I realized he was frozen in shock. “Dean? Are you okay?”
He just stared down at me, eyes wide and mouth hanging open, and nodded his head. I looked around, noticing more than just one set of eyes watching us, and hearing many whispers echoing around the room. The ex-date was fuming, and I couldn’t help but smile at her.
Before I could make sure Dean was alright, I heard a tapping on the microphone through the speakers that had been wired all around the ball room. Frank was on stage, asking everyone to take their seats, so I grabbed Dean’s hand and lead him to a table.
As we sat down, I noticed he was sitting so still, so silent, just staring at me in shock. I’d never seen such an odd reaction from a guy I’d kissed before. It was almost as though he was catatonic. I hoped I hadn’t gone too far with that kiss, but I was glad I did it. It was the most amazing kiss I’d ever had.
“Alright, well,” Frank started, adjusting his jacket nervously. “Welcome everybody! For those who don’t know me: I’m Frank Milano, Lieutenant of Engine Company 71.
We here in the department really appreciate you all taking the time to get gussied up and support this truly great cause. Let’s give a round of applause to the all the organizers, shall we?”
Applause erupted from the audience, but Dean still sat motionless next to me. I tried not to notice as the Lieutenant continued.
“Now, as you know, this night isn’t just about raising money for a good cause. It’s about honoring our fallen heroes and rewarding their comrades. Earlier this year...” He paused, wiping a tear from his eye. “We in EC71 lost a good man. We lost him to one of the worst fires our division has ever faced. Stan Matheson was a helluva firefighter, and a good friend to all of us. Not to mention a great husband to wife Lucille, and father to daughters Sarah and Allison, who are still mourning their loss, which is why they decided not to attend tonight. But, if it wasn’t for the bravery and courage of one man sitting in this very room, we would have lost many more good men just like Stan. This man did as all us firefighters do every day; he risked his life to save others. He saved the lives of five civilians and three of our own men who’d been injured by falling debris, and almost lost his own life in the process. I gotta tell you, ladies and gents, I’ve fought fires for near on thirty years now, and I’ve never seen a man so ready to give up his life to save others. The bravery of this man in the face of danger was unlike anything I’d ever seen before, not even in myself. And that’s why, tonight, this man is our Guest of Honor. Every year, we recognize one of our firefighters for committing an outstanding act of heroism by awarding him or her with the prestigious Heart of the City Medal, and tonight I’m proud to present one of my own men with it. So, everyone, let’s hear it for Dean Winter!”
My breath caught in my chest at the sound of his name, and tears filled my eyes. Finally awoken from the surprise of my kiss, Dean flashed me a sheepish grin before rising to his feet and heading towards the stage.
I couldn’t believe I’d spent the whole night with the Guest of Honor, a real life hero, and I suddenly felt foolish for kissing him so wildly on the dance floor.
I watched in awe as the Lieutenant pinned the medal onto his jacket, patting him on the shoulder as more tears fell from their eyes. The audience clapped and cheered for him, giving him a standing ovation as he walked down the stairs of the stage and back towards our table, people patting him on the back along the way.
I sat down in my chair, giving him the same shocked stare he was giving me only a few minutes before. He avoided making eye contact, fiddling with his shiny new medal as though he didn’t really want it to be there.
Once the applause had died down and the Chief of the Department took over the microphone to discuss fundraising, I asked the question I’d been dying to know the answer to.
“Why didn’t you tell me you’re the Guest of Honor? That you were getting the Heart of the City Medal? That you’re a god damn superhero?”
He shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “I’m not a superhero. I’m not anything. I just did my job. Any one of these guys and girls would have done the exact same thing.”
“But you nearly died. You put your life on the line to save eight other people! You are a hero!”
“I’m not a hero,” he said sternly, a flash of anger in his eyes. “I let my best friend down. Stan died because I couldn’t get to him fast enough. His daughters are growing up without a father because I failed. I don’t deserve any of this.” He unpinned the medal from his jacket and slammed it onto the table before standing up and heading towards the bar.
I felt terrible. I was incredibly out of my depth. Normally the awards shows I went to were for music and film, not saving lives.The people I socialized with were singers and actors, not heroes who went to work everyday knowing they might not come home. I picked up the medal and followed him, standing next to him while he waited for his drink.
“I’m so sorry, Dean.”
“It’s okay, Ella. You didn’t know. I’m the one who should apologize. I put you on the spot on live radio asking you to come here tonight. I didn’t tell you I was the Guest of Honor or that I was getting the medal, and then I blow up at you when you try to congratulate me.” He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “I’m sorry, Ella. It’s just a tough night for me. I don’t like being in the spotlight, especially when I don’t feel like I deserve it. But that’s no reason to be a terrible date. I understand if you want to leave.”
“I’ve had a wonderful night. And you do deserve this,” I said as I pinned the medal back in its rightful place. “Even Cinderella herself would be lucky to have you as her date. I’m not going anywhere.”
We spent the rest of the night dancing and drinking champagne. He told me about his life, how he was raised by his mother and grandmother in a little apartment in Brooklyn, how is mom taught dance in the basement of their building to pay the rent, and how he’d joined the fire department the second he was old enough to do so.
I told him about my childhood in L.A, growing up in the spotlight because my dad was a famous musician in the nineties, how I’d always wanted to be singer just like him, and how much I loved being in the Wild Diamonds.
We’d led such different lives up until that moment, but for some reason I felt as though I’d know him for years. He was just so easy to talk to, to be with. I felt so blessed to have met such a kind-hearted, courageous and humble man and was feeling very grateful to myself for saying yes to going on a date with him.
By the end of the night, most people had gone home and Dean and I were the only couple left on the dance floor. I didn’t know if it was his immaculate dancing, the champagne, or the way I felt protected having his big, strong arms around me – possibly all three – that made me say: “Let’s go back to your place.”
He leaned back a little to scan my face, as though he thought I could be joking. “Are you being serious? Because if you are... Hell yes.”
I asked myself the same question. I’d never slept with a guy on the first date before. Was I really going to do this? I nodded, my mouth suddenly dry from nerves.
Without saying a word, he held my hand and started leading me out of the ballroom. By the time we’d made it out into the street, he still hadn’t said anything.
“Shouldn’t we get a cab?”
“My apartment’s only a block away.”
“Oh, great,” I said, the reality of what I was doing suddenly sinking in. Excitement bubbled inside me as we walked down the street, the lights of the city dazzling me like they always did.
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