“Hey man, how you doin'?" Tom asked.
“Fuckin' exhausted dude,” Avery said while throwing his bag over his shoulder and stretching.
“What'd you do last night? I didn't catch you at Nog,” Tom said referring to their local hangout, Tir na Nog, a local Irish pub in Daytona Beach. It was in their usual routine to meet up for dinner or drinks after their shifts were over.
“I actually, kind of, had a date.” Avery said. Was it really a date if it was in a hospital?
“A date? With who dude?” Tom grilled him. They told each other everything, and he was completely blindsided by Avery's admission.
“Well it wasn't really a date. It seemed more like just hanging out with a cool girl. A really fuckin' cool girl actually. Remember that blonde we cut out of that beetle?” Tom's eyes got wide listening to his words.
“The one with the great tits?”
“Um, sure. Yeah. Turns out she has a name—Emily. I saw her again when the Cap took me to the hospital. And after work, I took her dinner.” Avery couldn't stop grinning. Thinking of her made him happy and he hadn't been happy in a while. He hadn't been miserable, but he couldn't have called himself happy either.
“Oooh, man. Did you—ya know—” Tom humped the air, his face twisted in exaggerated pleasure. Avery punched him hard in the arm, meaning for it to be less rough than it actually was.
"No, dude! She's a really nice girl. I wouldn't do that to her, but I think I will text her and see if she wants to go out again.” Avery admitted. He did so without hesitation. Why wait?
Avery: Hope you have a good day. Want to catch dinner tonight? - A
He sent the message before Tom could look over his shoulder and catch what he wrote. He would never live it down if any of the guys saw gushy texts to a girl. That was the kind of shit firemen never let die.
Walking down the hallway to the locker room, Tom was one step behind him the entire way. He made his way to the common area and flopped down on the community couch. He was just starting to drift off when he heard the tones drop for a call. It is going to be such a long day.
Four hours and twenty-seven-thousand dollars later Emily was the new owner of a brand new, silver Volkswagen Golf GTI. Despite her brother-in-law insisting on something bigger, or American-made, she was loyal to Volkswagen. The best part of the quick purchase was, she could get rid of Ben faster. “Thanks for your help this morning, but I got it from here,” Emily said jingling the keys to her new car.
He gave her a starched goodbye.
Asshole. This was exactly why she couldn't stand him. At times, he could be flat out rude. Even her parents hadn't cared for him and they'd always found the best in everyone.
Getting behind the wheel of her new car Emily decided she needed Starbucks and maybe a little time on the beach. The hatchback was sportier than her beetle had been. Driving it gave her a rush of adrenaline. As an event-planner, she rarely had time off to do whatever she wanted. Her weekends were inevitably filled with shopping, bill-paying and trips to the bank to do the normal adult things she had no time for during the week.
The beach loomed into view. She watched the waves crawl over the sand while stopped at red light. Since infancy, the beach had always been one of her favorite places. Her grandparents had lived in the ancestral beach-house for a while. After that, her parents had moved in when Emily was just a month old. Therefore, the sand, water and weather had become indelibly threaded into the patchwork of her life.
The house had been standing empty since her parents' passing. And though, Emily had inherited it, she couldn't bear to live there. At times, it was enough to sit on the deck and watch the tides, recalling the memories. Inevitably, she would go back to her apartment. It felt more like home and she was afraid she would never be able to really go back.
The closest Starbucks was a white, stuccoed building set on stilts in the sand. Its attendants were all tanned and never seemed disgruntled. Who could with so much sun spilling in the windows? She parked and noticed a big, red firetruck in the parking lot.
Apparently firemen enjoyed overpriced coffee as much as she did. She placed her order for a Venti Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino and waited for it at the end of the counter.
"Excuse me ma'am. Your car appears to be on fire," came a deep voice from behind.
"Fuck! What?" she said flying around. She choked in surprise. "Oh my God, Avery. Jesus!" She slapped his shoulder. He chuckled.
"You should have seen your face," he said in his normal voice, a huge grin on his face.
"That was rotten!" she said, laughing despite the fact that her heart could have exploded from beating so hard.
"That's for the pillow," he said, his eyebrows waggling as he sipped his hot coffee.
"On break?" she asked.
“Yeah. Did you get my message?” Emily grabbed her phone out of her purse, hitting the home button with her thumb only to discover her phone had died.
“I guess not. Looks like I forgot to charge this thing last night. Sorry about that.”
“Venti Strawberries and Cream Frap,” a young barista bellowed from the other side of the counter. Emily received her drink and stripped the paper from her straw.
“You have a thing for frozen drinks huh?” Avery laughed.
“Are you kidding? This is the best thing on the menu!” She offered him the cold drink as she had done with her shake the night before.
The firemen chattered and nudged each other behind them as she shared a taste.
“Not half bad. I bet it doesn't have any caffeine in it though,” he laughed. “If I am spending six dollars on something at Starbucks, I'd better be able to fly afterward.”
Emily snorted out a laugh, clapping her hand over her mouth when it attracted everyone's attention.
“My message was asking you if you want to go to dinner with me tonight.” Avery said, sipping his hot coffee.
“Tonight? Really?” Emily asked. She hadn't expected him to ask her out again so soon.
“Too soon, huh?” She could tell Avery was disappointed by her reaction. Heck, she was disappointed by her own reaction.
“I just don't know if I have the energy," she said. She hadn't fully recovered and she was by no means back to being herself yet. Already, her determination to visit the beach was fading.
“It's okay, I understand.” He was noticeably disappointed.
“Maybe you can just grab a pizza and come over to my place?”
What the hell am I thinking, inviting him to my apartment! she thought.
“Seven again?” he asked quickly. His smile could have illuminated Daytona International Airport runway on a foggy night. His zeal was contagious. Here she was, smiling like an idiot in the middle of a Starbucks. No guy had ever made her feel as wanted as this stunning man had in the past few days. He was too good to be true already.
“Sounds like a plan. I will text you my address in a little bit, once I re-charge this bad boy,” she said while holding up her dead iPhone.
“Until tonight,” Avery said, placing a kiss on her cheek and rejoining his crew.
Her smile stuck as she took her drink back to her car. She settled into the driver's seat and felt a tremor of pure excitement shoot through her.
His crew was gathering to leave.
“Holy shit. Who was that?” One of the guys asked, while they all started chiming in with comments about Emily.
“Nobody you need to worry about.” Avery said.
The fact that he had a giant coffee, and another date with Emily that night made his entire day. Screw napping, he couldn't wait to get off work at fifteen-hundred hours.
Seeing her was the most exciting thing he would be doing anytime soon. She brought a freshness to his life. Being around her renewed him more than any nap would.
Emily discovered that Becca hadn't cleaned anything in her apartment. The litter box was overflowing and there was an alarming number of empty cat-food cans in the sink.
Thanks Becca for not
doing anything but keeping the damn cat alive!
Flip came barreling down the hallway meowing the entire way. “I know, I missed you too buddy,” she said, stooping to pick him up. He purred like a little engine. “I didn't leave you on purpose, I promise little fella.”
She immediately charged her phone. Once it went through its full startup, she punched in a message to Becca.
Emily: Wow, thanks for leaving my house looking like a tornado went through it. Jeez!
That was when she noticed a text from Avery, earlier this morning. From the time-stamp, it must have been when he was getting to work for the day. Scrolling through all she had missed, she noticed another message from him moments after they ran into each other at Starbucks.
Avery: Can't wait to see you tonight.
His words had a greater impact on her than she could have anticipated. The newness of their relationship had her excited and hopeful. He made her feel like a teen getting ready to go on her first date. A mixture of butterflies and nerves rolled through her stomach.
Her thoughts flashed back to what seemed like years earlier. Her foggy memory placed Dr. Hart across from her at a dinner table, gently holding onto one of her hands while smiling at her. Do I really know him? Between the pictures she had found on her own Facebook profile including him, and now this distant memory could explain his strange behavior at the hospital.
No matter what the explanation, she was definitely more attracted to Avery than Dr. Hart. She had no problem with keeping things the way they were.
Her phone started vibrating on the counter noticing a new text from Becca.
Becca: Sorry, was going to clean this afternoon b4 they sprung you. Be over soon 2 help.
When will this girl learn that we speak English, not Bingo!
Emily was relieved to have help cleaning. She couldn't do it all on her own in time for Avery's arrival.
Emily: Thanks. See you soon. Oh, BTW date tonight... she replied to Becca.
To avoid appearing overeager, she avoided replying to Avery. Looking around her bedroom she picked up one of her laundry baskets and proceeded to load it with the clothes strewn all over the floor. After picking up, she gave herself what she'd been craving since her admittance to the hospital—a real shower in her own bathroom.
After seeing Emily at Starbucks, the rest of his day seemed to drag. Since he spoke with her, the crew had made tons of bullshit comments about passing her along to the other guys when he was done with her. I don't plan on being done with her was all he could think.
He couldn't stop thinking about her or smiling. No matter how tired or bored he was, every time he would lay his head back on the couch and close his eyes, he saw her—everything about her.
He could smell the scent of her, something she wore distinctly smelled of apples. Her short blonde hair pushed to a side bang, revealing her ocean-blue eyes. But what got Avery the most was her perfect smile. The dimples at either corner of it only exacerbated his admiration.
Captain Sullivan plopped down on the couch beside him.
“How'd your date go last night with our patient?” Avery immediately knew he was in trouble. Shit how did he find out?
“I am not sure I would call it much of a date, we just ate dinner. That hospital stuff is for the birds.” Sullivan's mustache bushed up over his grin. The captain could smell bullshit.
“Sure. Just dinner. Listen boy, you aren't in trouble. I just want you to treat her well. I was on-scene two years ago when both her parents were killed in a DUI accident. They never stood a chance against that drunk piece of shit.”
It felt like Avery had been punched in the chest. Her parents?
“Believe me, sir. I wouldn't do anything to hurt her.” No wonder she'd been so attached to her car. That explained the sadness in her voice when she talked about it.
His own feelings of loss came back full-force. Just a year before, while visiting for the weekend, Avery's kid brother Chad had been the victim of a hit-and-run driver while crossing the road near Avery's apartment. He had since moved to a different area of Daytona Beach. He couldn't bear to see that intersection on a daily basis.
The clock read three o'clock, finally. He couldn't get out of the station fast enough.
“You gotta leave soon, Avery is going to be here in an hour, and no, you won't be meeting him today. I'm not letting you scare him off!” Emily yelled at Becca from the kitchen as she continued unloading her dishwasher. After the pair worked their asses off for three hours, the place finally looked like a twenty-six year old woman's apartment and not a frat house.
Becca whined across the room, “but why noooooot?”
“No way, this is only our second date. Well, if you consider dinner in my hospital room a date.” Emily laughed. “If he leaves early I will text you to come over for some beers, but don't hold your breath.”
Becca threw an accent pillow from the couch across the adjoining living room, nailing Emily right in the back. She laughed while ducking down anticipating something to come whizzing past her head. Just as she was about to declare pillow war, Becca surrendered waving a piece of white clothing. “Wait, is that my underwear?” Emily questioned while gasping for breath between laughs.
“Ewww!” Becca chucked them while jumping up running for the bathroom. “I so need to wash your crotch crust off my hands now!”
“Tell me how you really feel about my vag, Becca!”
It felt good to be home.
Emily's phone vibrated on the kitchen counter.
Avery: What do you like on your pizza? Avery had texted.
Emily: Whatever. Cheese, pepperoni, sausage... Doesn't really matter to me. she answered.
Becca came back into the room, her face still pink from their shenanigans. She leaned on the counter, eyeing Emily as she tinkered with her phone.
"Okay, get out. He's coming," Emily said with a grin, looking up from the screen.
"But I wanna meet hiiiiim!" Becca whined again. "You never took a picture for me!"
"I'll think about getting one this time. Now, go, go, go!" Emily urged.
The phone buzzed in her hand again.
Avery: So basically you like meat in your mouth? Sorry, I couldn't resist. See you in a half-hour.
Emily couldn't help but crack up. Becca quirked an brow.
"He just made a joke about putting meat in my mouth." They both laughed. Emily and Avery shared the same sense of humor. She would have said the same thing were their positions reversed.
"Okay, I'm going then," Becca said, gathering her effects. "Call me if you get it awn!" she said with a raunchy look on her face.
"Out!" Emily said, giggling as her friend slipped out the front entrance. She did a last walk-through of the apartment, ensuring there were no more rogue pairs of underwear laying under the coffee table. Everything seemed clear and ready for visitors.
Extra cheese, pepperoni, and sausage would do. Avery had never put so much thought into picking out pizza toppings. He figured if he got everything Emily mentioned, he wouldn't disappoint her. Added to the bill were a 20 ounce Pepsi and Mountain Dew, two of his favorites. No matter which one she chose, he'd be able to handle drinking the other. As he packed the food into his car, all of it smelling heavenly, he texted Emily to let her know he was coming.
Avery: On my way
The GPS announced that it would take him eight minutes to get there. He wagered he could get there sooner.
The hum of his tires on the pavement filled his ears while he drove over the bridge onto beach-side. With a press of a button on his steering-wheel, the radio blared, overruling the sound. Avery sang along with Get Your Shine On. Moments later his truck was pulling into the guest spot reserved for visitors in her complex.
He grabbed the pizza and bounded up the stairs. He caught sight of her before she was aware of him. She looked out at the Atlantic, the wind raking through her hair. She kept trying to hold it down. Her hot-pink flip-flops went well with the pink and gray sundress she wore.
Her short but gorgeous legs were beautifully sun-kissed.
She must have heard his drool hit the floor, because she whirled around suddenly. There were those dimples again, punctuating the smile he'd been daydreaming about.
“Is that your truck?” She questioned, looking back at the massive, silver truck.
“Yup. That's my baby.”
Avery couldn't help letting out an uncomfortable laugh. Here was this petite girl drooling over his truck and all he could think was please don't ask to drive it.
“Why don't you come in, before the pizza gets cold. The wind is kicking up, I think we have a front moving through.”
Avery took in the decor as he entered. It was apparent a single woman lived there. Pink was everywhere. A small turquoise end-table next to the door housed a basket full of mail and a petite dish holding keys. In the living room, the white walls displayed a number of canvas prints. Everything from beach scenes to family pictures all centered around a black and white Marilyn Monroe print.
"I'll take this,” she said relieving him of the pizza box. She snapped him out of his careful inspection of her apartment.
“Extra cheese, pepperoni, and sausage," he said, turning his attention to the pie when she opened the box.
“Oh. My. God. That is, like, sex on a pizza.” She went into a cabinet for some plates and returned to the pizza, picking off a slice of pepperoni and popping it into her mouth. “Let's see. To drink, I've got beer, Pepsi, water and uh—” She opened the fridge. “—some flat ginger ale, month-old orange juice, and sour milk.”
Avery held up the plastic shopping bag containing the 20-ouncers. “I came prepared. Pepsi or Mountain Dew?”
“Oh, tough choice. Both are my favorite. I'll take the Pepsi.”
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