Flames & Firehoses (Arsonist X Firefighter)

Chapter 3

"You're not going to run away from me again, are you?" Henry asked with a light smirk, when my eyelids fluttered open.

"How did I end up here?" I asked groggily, moving my head so that I could see his face.

"You didn't want me to take you home, so I suggested for you to crash at my place," Henry explained.

I looked down at my nakedness body, tangled with his limbs, and suppressed a groan of disappointment in myself.

"I guess it's a sign that you subconsciously want to stay with me!" Henry poked fun at me, pulling me towards himself.

I tried to give him the stink eye, but failed miserably! We both knew he had won this round!

"What time is it?" I asked, suddenly panicking that I was late for work.

"Six a.m.," Henry smiled. "I can take you to your house or your car, so that you can get changed for work," he offered.

"Yeah..." I drawled out, sitting up slowly.

This was becoming increasingly awkward!

"Henry, listen..." I began.

"Friends with benefits. I get it!" he interrupted. "I'm not trying to rope you into anything here!" he grinned, remembering my fear of getting tied up and shoved into a trunk.

"I can't be...around you," I swallowed hard, trying to find the right words to distance him from me.

Our relationship was becoming strangely personal and I knew I couldn't stand to see him hurt from something I potentially did later down the road! This wouldn't work! We were on opposite teams! He worked to destroy what I created.

"Why not?" Henry asked in confusion, cocking his head to the side.

"There just...can't be anything between us... At all!" I said regretfully, unable to tell him the reason without revealing my darkest secret, as well.

How could I trust a complete stranger with information that could lock me up in prison for the next ten years or more, depending on what could be connected to me?

"I can't tell you," I looked up at him straightforwardly, with resolve.

"Something's bothering you," Henry noticed.

"I can't trust you not to tell," I shook my head and slid off the bed to search for my clothes.

That was as much as I was going to reveal about myself!

"I understand," Henry cast his gaze down onto his lap, as I dressed. "That just means I need to enjoy having you around every chance I get!"

He jumped off the bed, wound his arms around my waist and threw us both onto the bed. I squealed from surprise.

"What do you think you are doing?!" I asked, wide-eyed.

"Kidnapping you!" Henry grinned devilishly. "You're mine now. Mwahaha!" he cackled.

I laughed at his ridiculousness. He let me down and we both finished dressing. Henry grabbed his car keys off the wall hook by the front door and drove me to the bar, where I told him my car was parked. (I could never be too careful with people knowing where I lived!)

"Thanks!" I waved to him as nonchalantly as I could.

"Any time!" Henry smiled back and pulled away.

I walked behind the bar, towards the parking lot for appearances; then backtracked down a parallel street to my apartment. Running up the stairs, I checked the time, as soon as I got home - I had just enough to change, put on makeup and spray perfume over the musky scent of last night's adventures on myself.