Hearts on Fire (Book 5: Creek-Harbor)

Chapter 3 // Emma

I wish I could say that the fighting and screaming ended at breakfast. But unfortunately, it didn't, because Hunter and Cadence decided to argue all the way to school. And I was thankful when I got to work, but this day has only just started, and I feel like it's only going to get worse as the day goes on. Walking through the floor of the firehouse, a scowl formally rested on my face.

"I know that angry mom face...?" I hear someone say to me, ripping out of my own thoughts and looked up to see Dex, staring at me from the side of the Ambulance. Shaking my head and sighed for a moment.

Dex has become a good friend, my only friend really since I got to Creek-Harbor. He wasn't like most of the men here when I got my job, some of the guys here think a woman shouldn't be working a job like the one I do.

That a firehouse is a man's place, I mean they're not all like that, maybe just one or two of the older guys.  Most of the firefighters here are kind of young, late twenties, thirties and so on. They understand it's the twenty-first century, a woman can do a dangerous job too and be good at it.

But that said it has been a challenge, mostly because I am the only female here and new. Which kind of puts me in the outside circle, personally I don't get it because I'm not even a firefighter, I'm a paramedic there's a big difference but to some it still doesn't matter.

Dex wasn't like that, he welcomed me to the firehouse kindly and we got on really well. Kind of like siblings do I guess, he's the only one I trust here. And he's the only who knows why I came here and about Drew. And he's the only one who is going to know, it's not that I want to keep my past hidden because isn't. I guess I just don't want to keep reliving it, I don't want the questions that comes with my history. And I don't want people using my past or my grief as a way to make me feel like I can't do my job.

"So, want to talk about it?" Dex asked me again, shaking head and sighed.

"No thanks; -" I began answering while looking at my friend "I need coffee, do you want one?"

"Nah...I'm good" He replies and turns back to the stocking the Ambulance, nodding my head and began walking to the station's kitchen. I'm glad Dex doesn't push for answers when I say I don't want to talk about things. I show the same respect for him, when he doesn't want to talk about things which was all the time when I met him. He was really closed off and lost in a way, but these last few months that has changed, and I think it has something to do with the fact, that he's with his soulmate, the love of his life Thea Argent.

And I'm glad, they deserve the happiness around them. Thea she's a good person, I don't know her that well but Cadence loves as her teacher and I see the way she cares about the kids that she teaches. And from bits and pieces of what I know about her and Dex, is that she never gave up on him and that takes a strong woman which makes me respect her without knowing her.

I also believe that everyone has a soulmate, a person who gets into their heart and soul. Someone who consumes them with everything they have, and you would die for them because your love is everything. You only find that once in your life, I think and Dex has that with Thea.

And it's what I had with Drew and it's gone now. And I know that people fall in love again even after the pain of losing someone they love, but I don't even want to think about that part of my life again. I can't imagine falling in love again with another man or having more kids with someone else or being another man's wife.

Because I gave Drew my heart when I was fifteen years old, and I never took it back from him. even when we weren't together for those two years, I still loved him and wanted him more then I wanted anyone else. And that's never going to changed, I won't allow myself to feel what I felt for him, for anyone else.

My love started with him and it will end with him, it's the right thing to do.

Holding back my emotions just as I pull away from my thoughts, just as I bang into something hard and solid. Feeling myself fall slightly back, before slowly looked up to see,  lieutenant Argent on the ground with papers around him. And angrily staring at me.

Opening my mouth ready to apologize and help pick up the papers, only to be cut off by him.

"Seriously! Can you get your head out of the clouds and watch where your going" He snaps at me, taking a step back from him as he starts to pick up the papers. Feeling my own anger now, crossing my arms over my chest and looked at him with my own fury.

"Sure as soon as you get yours from your ass" I snapped back at him, Lieutenant Argent stops what he's doing and throws his eyes to me, and I swear for a second a see a shadow of a smirk of his lips, before being replaced with scowl.

"Is that anyway to speak to a subordinate?" He says to me and stands back up with the papers now neatly in his hands.

"I'm not a firefighter, which means you're not my subordinate. So I think I'm all good thanks" I barked back, L.t Argent shakes his head and takes a step closer to me, now we were standing face to face.

Letting my eyes linger on him for a moment, things have always been rocky with myself and the lieutenant ever since day one. And I don't like the way he treats me, like I shouldn't be here and like I don't know how to do my job.
On calls he keeps me away from dangerous rescues, which is stupid because I have to get to the victim on site. Instead he shouts for Dex, even though I'm the paramedic in charge. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I'm a woman, I don't know. Or maybe it's because he grew up with Dex and trusts him more on a call. My point is, he doesn't treat me like an equal on rescue calls and that annoys me.

And when he acts like this, like we should all back down to him pisses me off and I won't  back down to him. If he wants an argument, he'll get one from me.

Keeping my eyes on him, this is closest I think I've ever been to Elliot Argent.

He's handsome, in a way I suppose with his dark blonde hair, sea blue eyes. I've never seen blue eyes like that before, I know the pretty boy type I bet all the women circle around him, I feel sorry for the one woman who will ever have to put up with him as a life partner. No Thanks!

Feeling his eyes burn into mine, a look in his sea blue eyes that has never appeared before when we've crossed paths. A look that I can't place or don't want to place.

All I know is that we're stood face to face, closer than ever in a hallway and my heart is beating faster than it has in a long time. And I don't know what that means. Coming to my sense and took a few steps back away from him, and broke eye contact between us.

Shaking my head and sighed still pissed off, moving my eyes back to his. And firmly looked at him, because I'm sick of this crap.

"If you have a problem with me working here or how I do my job-;" I started to say as I keep my eyes on him, so he knows that I'm serious "Then take it up with the chief. Argent" I added and then turned and walked away from him, without giving him a chance to argue.

Safely making it away from him, shaking my head and placed my back to the wall and took a deep breath.

I don't know what that was, I just know that I don't like the feeling Elliot Argent brings out in me. or how my heart started to flutter when he was looking at me like that.

I think it's best all-round if I stay out of Lieutenant Argent's way, and he stays out of mine.