Embers

~9~ Truth

Taylor's POV

That call lasted hours. By the time we get back to the station it's almost 6:00 am.

My eyes are gritty and my left bicep is aching. I strained it while I was getting the victim free from the drywall she was trapped under. It was worth it though; At least she has a chance to survive.

Everyone is hanging out; There's no point in going back to bed. We only have a couple hours left on shift. Keegan is at the coffee station, brewing a fresh pot. At this point, just pouring it into our eyes might have a better effect. 

Diego and Marcus are on the couch, watching the coverage on the fire we just put out. It was an abandoned warehouse. The people we rescued were squatters. The cause of the fire hasn't been determined, but arson isn't being ruled out.

I head to the locker room. I've got to get something for my bicep, it's starting to burn. As I round the corner, I see Ellie rooting through her locker.  She hasn't seen me yet, so it would be easy for me to turn back around and go out. I don't want to, though. I wanna talk to her. I need to know why I only get a professional relationship with her. The ambulance ride was awkward. How hard is it to make small talk? The tension was so thick, I was breathing better in that fire.

She still hasn't noticed me as I go behind her to get to my locker. I decide to just say something now. Rip off the bandaid, so to speak.

"Hey, Freeman. Good job on the call today," I say.

Really, it's something I would've said to anybody; there's no reason I should be so uneasy. She turns around, finally, realizing that I'm in here with her. Her eyes tighten, and she forces a smile onto her face.

"Thank you, sir. You all did a great job too," she says as she turns back to her locker.

"You can call me Taylor, I'm not your superior." I'm really tired of her calling me "sir."

She turns back around for just a brief moment to smile and nod at me.

Ok, I've had enough of this.

"Um, Ellie, can I ask you something?" I blurt out before realizing what I'm doing.

She turns back around to face me, her eyebrows raised. She's surprised that I'm speaking to her. We never speak to each other, unless it's during a call. The fact I addressed her by 'Ellie' surprises her too. We almost always use last names here.

"Sure," she says, her tone more skeptical than I hoped.

"Well, it's just, uh," I sputter like a fool.

I put my hand to the back of my neck and rub it, trying to get the words out. I look up at the ceiling, back at her, and I try again.

"I'm just wondering if I've done anything to offend you," I say in a rush. I was afraid I'd lose my nerve if I didn't just come out with it.

She looks surprised. She wasn't expecting that question.

As I wait a moment for her reply, I really stare at her features. Memorizing them...

She has dimples in her cheeks—Not deep ones, you really only see them when she smiles. But they're there, and they're adorable.

She has a freckle under her left eye. Her eyelashes are thick and dark, and her brown eyes take up half of her face. If a person stared into them for too long, they'd surely melt.

She's so beautiful.

Her ponytail is a little worse for the wear; That last call was hard on all of us—It's falling out in a couple places. It takes all I have not tuck one of the strands back behind her ear.

"You haven't offended me sir," she replies shortly. She turns around and shuts her locker door.

"Taylor," I remind her.

She stands there a moment, and I can tell she's trying to decide if she can leave. I'm not her superior, but I am a Lieutenant. That title does come with some respect.

"Then can I ask why you seem so pissed at me all the time? We don't know each other, yet you avoid me. You're friends with everybody in this house, even the Chief...yet getting you to even look in my direction is a challenge."

Damn, that came out way snippier than I intended

"I'm sorry sir." She replies.

This is going nowhere.

"TAYLOR!" I'm starting to raise my voice now. "Please call me Taylor."

"Fine," she snaps, starting to match my angry tone with her own. "I'm sorry TAYLOR, but you and I cannot be friends." Her steely gaze and her clipped words feel like a punch to the stomach.

"Can I ask why?"

She steps back slightly, calculating how much she wants to say. She's going to try to get out of this conversation as quickly and easily as possible.

"I just don't want to," she replies curtly.

"Why?" This time my tone is dark. I'm pissed.

I've never done anything to this girl. I've barely even talked to her. I've intentionally kept my music in my apartment from blaring, because I knew she didn't like it. Why the hell couldn't she even be civil with me?

Ellie takes a deep breath, and pinches the bridge of her nose. She looks down to the ground and places her hands on her hips. She stays that way for a moment. By the time she looks up at me, I can tell that she's finally going to tell me.

I don't know if I'm ready for this after all.

I match her gaze, glare for glare. 

"I cannot be friends with you, Lieutenant, because I'm attracted to you."

That was the VERY last thing I ever expected her to say. I had a million other scenarios playing in my mind. So, like a freaking idiot, I just stand there with my mouth literally hanging open.

She takes that as an opportunity to leave. She doesn't say another word. She turns on her heels and walks out of the locker room, without a second glance.