This Thing Called Love: A Novella ✔️

Six - Leo

"So let me get this straight," Chief says, crossing his legs up on the coffee table. "Valentino is engaged, but he never told your family?"

We're sitting in the common area of the firehouse, the early morning sunlight streaming in through the windows.

Our shift is just beginning, and guys are still trickling in. I wave as Jabari and Deangelo race through the front door with barely a minute to spare. "Good morning, ladies. Nice of you to join us."

Deangelo flips me the bird before they disappear around the corner.

I turn my attention back to the chief. "He didn't even tell his parents." I drag a hand down my face. "He's a private guy, but don't you think that's weird? I mean, he hasn't dated in who-knows-how-long, and suddenly he's engaged?"

"You haven't dated in who-knows-how-long either," he says. "Just sayin'."

"But we're not talking about me."

"Maybe we should be? You've still got some shit to work through."

I shake my head. "No thanks. I'm good."

"Whatever you say." Then he shrugs. "Maybe it just happened and Val didn't get a chance to break the news?"

"Yeah, maybe."

Molly said their engagement is new. Still, something feels off. And getting more info didn't work the way I'd hoped. Every time I brought up the subject, she managed to turn the topic around to me. I left her house not knowing anything more about their relationship than when I'd gotten there.

"So what do you think of the girl?" Chief asks. "Have you met her?"

I nod. "Last night when I dropped off Sonny." I smile, thinking about it. "She's nice. I like her. She's more laid back than I thought she'd be."

And pretty. And funny, and smart. We had fun getting to know each other. It felt natural, like we'd hung out hundreds of times before. And when I came back in after taking Sonny out, Molly had let her hair down and it fell around her shoulders in—

Chief smirks. "What's that?"

"What's what?"

"That look." He stabs a finger into the side of my arm. "You like her."

I push his hand away. "I just said I like her. She's marrying my cousin."

He shakes his head. "Don't play coy. You like her like her, don't you?"

I frown. "She's taken."

"Doesn't mean you don't like her."

"I just met her!"

"And?" he says with a grin. "You're smitten."

I can't hold back my laugh. "I am not."

"Okay. Keep tellin' yourself that."

I cross my arms over my chest and lean back into the couch. "Even if Molly weren't with Val, I'm not looking to date."

"Oh, come on, seriously?" Chief says. "How long are you going to let what happened with old what's-her-name control your life? You need to get back on the horse. A good looking guy like you shouldn't be alone."

"Are you flirting with me?"

"Ha! In your dreams." He lets out a snort. "So, what do you say?"

"I say I don't want to get back on the horse. I'm perfectly happy being single."

I pick at an imaginary piece of lint on the couch, and refuse to look him in the eye, but I can feel Chief's gaze drilling into the side of my face.

"Have you talked to her?" he asks.

I'm quiet for a moment. "Not since we broke up, and I plan to keep it that way."

"But what if—"

I cut him off. "Absolutely not. Jessica lied to me. I can't be with someone I don't trust. That's a deal breaker."

"It's probably for the best. She's a Badge Bunny. All she and her friends care about is hooking up with someone in a uniform." Chief shakes his head. "That might be okay for guys like Jabari and Deangelo. They go through women faster than they change their boxer-briefs. But that's not you. You deserve better than the Jessica Armstrongs of the world."

A slow breath seeps through my nose. "Just wish someone had given me a heads up before I fell in love. Jessica may be beautiful, but that means nothing if she's not honest."

"You stick to your principles, kid, you know that? Says a lot about your character."

I flash him a quick grin. "What does it say about my character if I tell you I'm after your job?"

Chief's laugh fills the room. "You'll have to wait until I'm retired—and I've got a ways to go."

I pretend to kick the idea around. "Then, I'll wait. I'm not going anywhere."

"You better not be. There's no way I'd be able to tolerate these assholes if you weren't around. It's like living with a bunch of wild animals!"

I laugh because he's right. As fun as our station is, some of the guys aren't housebroken. Somehow, I ended up the glue that holds their shit together. Hard telling what kind of state this place would be in if I weren't around.

Chief stands from the couch. "I'm on breakfast duty. You want pancakes?"

I glance at the time on my phone. It's just after seven. Probably too early to text Molly and ask how her night went. Hopefully, Sonny didn't give her too much grief.

I shrug. "Sure, why not."

"Plain, blueberry, or chocolate chip?"

"Surprise me."

Once I'm alone, I stare again at my phone.

It is too early to text, right? On the other hand, what if Molly's up? She has Sonny now, and dogs couldn't care less about appropriate waking hours.

Nope. Not gonna do it. If I contact her now, she might think I'm some kind of creeper. I'll wait until later, that way it won't look so weird.

Except it's not weird—I'm only being friendly. It's not like I like her like her or anything.

🌴

9088 words in total. Can I keep it under 40k? Who the hell knows! 🙈

Leo opened up a little in this chapter and it has me all like 😬 Sounds like he doesn't appreciate dishonesty! If that's the case (and who likes liars, right?) it's not looking good for Molly...

Thank you for reading!