28 Years a Hero

2007

February 28,2007

There was a ceremony for the newest graduating class of the fire academy. Much of the time spent actually taking their professional pictures. I stood beside my best friend proudly,head held high. We had both finally graduated the academy together. It was more than I could ever ask for.

As soon as the ceremony was over,we went to a hotel our last night out of state until we would head back home and test for jobs. My dad wanted to come down for the ceremony but was working and so our mothers came,teary eyed and all your father's would have been proud of you kind of ways.

I had never thought I'd be a firefighter but now I knew it was what I wanted to do. We checked into our hotel late and changed into lounge clothes. Siting cross-legged on one of the two beds in the room I sat hunched over my computer editing my resume for later. I heard a click of a door and soft footsteps on carpet.

"Sky." Jay's deep voice hummed and I continued to type not looking away.

"What?"

"Get off your screen." He chuckled and I looked up. He was standing in front of me,with only a towel steam curling off his glistening wet skin. The towel was wrapped loosely around his hips,fastened by one hand. Even as he stood it was already sliding down his v-line.

"Jay, Get your shirt back on." I commented unimpressed at his toned body,that I had seen many times before.

"What? You don't like it?" He said childishly wiggling his eyebrows. I continued to look at my screen and snorted.

"Don't be a fuck boy." I commented plainly and he laughed making his towel slip more,having to hold it up higher to cover sufficiently.

"Hey! Woah watch it,language geez."

"Seriously nobody wants to see your blonde treasure trail that probably took you all twenty years to grow."

"Hey! No need to insult." He laughed pretending to be hurt,shuffling back into the bathroom struggling to hold the towel. I looked up and saw the dimples at the back of his spine where his cheeks started.

"Towel!" I called and he pulled at the back dashing into the bathroom.

"Stop!" Jay called,voice cracking at the end of the word,making me burst into laughter. When he returned I had finished my resume and turned the screen towards him.

"What do you think?" His hair was wet,which made it look darker almost brown and was stuck up in tufts all around his head a crown of a boyish king. Leaning forward and squinting his green eyes he moved closer.

"Can't tell."

"You need glasses." I chuckled turning the screen back to myself.

"Probably." He sighed scratching his chest in thought and jumping onto the bed next to me,knocking the laptop off of my lap.

"Jay! No stop,your bed." I ordered pointing sternly to the vacant bed beside me.

"Why? Yours is so much softer."

"Go." I groaned picking my laptop up and setting it on the desk so it wouldn't break. He was wearing sweatpants and an academy t-shirt the common uniform for night at the academy which reminded me of our long year together.

"At the academy they kept us separated,male from female." He sighed creeping up behind me. "I was hoping we could break the routine." He whispered making the hairs on the back of my neck stand like soldiers at attention.