training wheels. // evan 'buck' buckley

xxviii. conversations over dinner

my fingers clicked across the keyboard at my desk in the call center, the sound blending into the hum of activity around me. the atmosphere was always buzzing - calls coming in, operators responding, the never-ending rhythm of emergency services moving like clockwork. i had gotten used to the controlled chaos over the past few months, but today i felt a little off-kilter.

my mind kept wandering back to the night with buck, and every time i thought about it, a small smile tugged at the corners of my lips. we were in a good place now, comfortable, no more hesitation or unspoken words between us. it felt like we had finally crossed over that line we had been tiptoeing around for so long, and surprisingly, everything seemed to just… click.

“charlie?”

the voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and i turned to see maddie standing by my desk, arms crossed and a knowing smile on her face. maddie was always good at reading people - especially me, who had been careful not to mention anything to her directly. but from the look on maddie’s face, i suspected i didn’t need to say a word.

"hey, maddie," i greeted, trying to sound casual as i tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

maddie leaned against the edge of the desk, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "so, i think it’s time you stop pretending like i don’t know what’s going on."

my heart skipped a beat, though i managed to keep my expression neutral. "what do you mean?" i asked, tilting my head in faux confusion.

maddie raised an eyebrow. "you and buck."

i froze for a second, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. there was no denying it now. maddie had that look - the one that said she had figured it all out long before anyone else had. "i, uh…"

"you don’t have to explain," maddie said, smiling warmly. "i’ve known for a while now. buck finally came clean to me the other day, but i could tell long before that. you two have always had this... thing."

i let out a breath i didn’t realize i was holding, my shoulders relaxing. "we do have a thing, don’t we?" i muttered with a smile, more to myself than to maddie.

maddie chuckled softly. "you do. and from what buck told me, i don’t think it’s just a casual thing. he’s serious about you, charlie."

my eyes widened slightly, and i looked up at maddie, my heartbeat quickening at the words. hearing someone else say it - confirming what i had already felt - made it feel even more real. "he said that?"

"he didn’t have to," maddie replied with a soft smile. "the way he talks about you, it’s clear how much you mean to him."

i bit my lip, feeling the warmth spread through my chest. buck and i had been navigating this new territory carefully, but hearing maddie say it so plainly made me realize just how much i had already fallen for him.

"thanks for telling me," i said quietly, feeling a little more at ease now that maddie was in the loop.

"anytime," maddie said with a wink

later that afternoon, i found myself back at my apartment. i had invited buck over, knowing that we didn’t really need an excuse to hang out anymore. it wasn’t like before, where the air between us had been thick with unspoken tension and uncertainty. now, we were just… us. comfortable. easy.

when buck showed up, he greeted me with a casual grin and a kiss on the cheek, and we both flopped down on the couch like they we done a million times before. only this time, there was no awkwardness, no questioning where we stood.

my legs stretched across buck’s lap as he absentmindedly scrolled through his phone, and i flicked through channels on the TV, not really paying attention to anything in particular.