Flames & Firehoses (Arsonist X Firefighter)

Chapter 18

Two months later:

"That's lit!" Henry beamed at me, as I waltzed out to him in my new, red, cocktail dress and matching-shaded high heels.

"Yeah, I lit the stove and unscrewed the valve on the propane tank next to it. We have a about thirty seconds, before this thing blows!" I chuckled maleficently and hurried my steps out of an old, aluminum food-truck/mini-RV.

"Aww! You did it without me!" the firefighter whined, straightening the bright-red tie, around the crisp, white collar of his sleek, black tuxedo.

"You'll still get to watch it explode!" I pacified with a chuckle, raking my eyes over his groomed physique, from his clean-shaven face to his shiny, waxed, leather shoes.

"I want to watch something else explode tonight too!" Henry wrapped me in his arms and nuzzled his lips into my ear.

I grinned and fell into his embrace. He supported my arched back and dipped me; then, spun me around and pressed me close to himself, once again. The firefighter danced his hips in a gentle rhythm with his hands on mine, swaying them in time with his, while we waited for the blast to occur.

"Any second now..." I impatiently sang, but settled into the comfort of Henry's arms and waited (without any anxiety!) for the magic to happen.

The economy-sized RV jumped into the air, as smoke erupted from the windows, breaking the glass with a loud shatter; then, the vehicle landed on the ground with a thud. Fire slithered out of every crack and enveloped the food-truck, almost within an instant.

"Yes!" I celebrated with a squeal of delight and a small skip within the reassuring restraints of my boyfriend's muscular form around me.

Henry stood with me in silence and let me savor the sight. I could feel the dimples of his smile against my cheekbones, as he enjoyed the moment with me. In just a few months of dating, we'd gone from being unreliable friends-with-benefits to being in a committed, romantic relationship, where both of us were gladly willing to sacrifice ourselves for the other!

As Henry had promised, he took care of the Danny problem! Using my idea of falsely leading the D.E.A. agent into believing that he no longer knew where I was, the firefighter spent countless hours listening to my former lover's sobs and rants at bars and strip clubs (throughout the days when Henry was still in L.A.). Danny finally retreated from his hunt for me and sulked in the realization that I had successfully evaded him.

Still, I didn't know if I could ever publicly use my real name again, without causing the curious agent to sniff out my location! As unfortunate as it was, when I did hear my birth-given name said, it always came from someone whom I considered a member of my family now: Henry, Mike, Josh and, surprisingly, Karen. The receptionist, turned bartender, became more interested in Mike than any of us could've anticipated! Skeptical of the stability of the paramedic's emotional state, I kept a wary eye on the blossoming couple, because I felt personally responsible for Mike's reckless condition.

Every now and then, I noticed Henry's younger brother glance at me with heart-broken longing; but, he recovered quickly, never causing a problem that required addressing. I often wondered if I was imagining it; so, I didn't speak of it and, generally, pretended that I was oblivious to it (if it, even, really existed).