Chapter 11
“Wow, El, that was amazing. The kids, they loved you!”
I am practically bouncing by the time we get back to the car.
Elena seems to be herself again, now that the presentation is finished, and something tells me she simply had the jitters.
Maybe that’s why she was so short with me.
Fascinating, because once she started talking with these kids, her whole face lit up like a Christmas tree.
I am still grinning at her when she turns on her heels to face me, her eyes flashing with fire.
It makes me stop dead in my tracks and swallow.
Maybe I was wrong after all. What did I do now?
“What did you just call me?” she whispers.
I blink, confused.
“El?”
Her gaze holds mine and I must clench my fists not to crumple. Should have stuck with Elena. I run my tongue over my bottom lip, ready to apologize, when she softly closes her eyes and smiles.
“I like that.”
The way it falls off her lips, makes my heart stutter.
Her raw honesty and sudden softness overwhelm me, and I physically stumble back a couple of steps.
By the time she opens her eyes again, she notices the confusion on my face and for a moment I see her mask falter.
Her eyes widen and her hand trembles as if she wants to reach for me.
She stops herself at the last moment and swallows.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to make it weird.”
She turns sharply and continues her walk toward the vehicle. Her shoulders tense and her spine goes rigid. She opened up to you, moron. And you fucking recoiled. Way to go, hotshot reporter.
“You… you didn’t.” I breathe as I rush after her.
She glances over her shoulder trying to be nonchalant, but she can’t hide the flush on her cheeks. Is she nervous? Her shoulders lift in a shrug but she pauses before she steps into the car.
“I saw you too, you know?” Her voice is suddenly husky.
“Huh?” I squeak, too scared to move.
“You were playing superhero too. That kid felt so safe she practically fell asleep in your lap.” She huffs but when she turns to face me, she looks at me with a warm smile tugging at her lips.
“Must have been nice.” She winks and my breath catches.
“For the kid or me?” I chuckle nervously.
“Yes,” she grins as she steps in and closes her door.
Yes? That doesn’t tell me anything. My head reels and suddenly I feel my stomach flutter. Is Elena flirting with me? Don’t be absurd. You are just an assignment to her. One she doesn’t even like. Then why does it feel like she does?
The ride back to the station is a lot more pleasant than the one of this morning, even if traffic is horrible.
Elena seems to take some joy in teasing me and I enjoy trying to keep up with her.
I steal glances at her when I can—at the way her lip twitches when she tries not to laugh at one of my jokes, how her eyes sparkle with mischief, and how she chews the corner of her bottom lip when she is thinking about something.
If only you could take that lip into your own mouth…
wow. No. Stop right there. I am here for work.
“Maya?”
“Huh?”
I blink hard and the world comes back into focus. My cheeks start to burn instantly as I realize I have been staring at her lips and I completely missed what she just said. I try to chuckle and quickly turn my head to look out the window.
“Sorry, what were you saying?” I ask, my voice surprisingly steady.
“I asked if you enjoyed yourself today?” Her voice suddenly wavers.
When I turn to face her, I see her brown eyes dart to me with anticipation.
My grin replaces the blush and I nod. God, it was fantastic to see Elena in her element like that.
It was as if those children touched a part of her that she normally shelters from the world—something gentle and caring.
It was incredible. As if the softness carved out her strength even more.
The kids felt safe with her. I felt safe with her. No. I feel safe with her.
“Maya?” she asks again, worry slipping into her voice.
“Yes, yes. Sorry. I was actually just thinking about it. Elena, it was wonderful,” I rush out. “You really have a way with kids. Just how you explained everything and then made them do the stop-drop-and-roll thing.”
Elena chuckles. “I didn’t make them do anything, that was all them, babe.”
I giggle and nod. It was all them, but she had definitely encouraged them.
Did she just call you babe? I wouldn’t have gotten that response from them.
Only El seems to hold that kind of magical power.
Oh my god, she totally called you babe. Don’t read anything into it now, Maya.
She was just friendly. Does Elena even do friendly? Shut up!
***
By the time I drop my bag near the shoe rack, I am so exhausted that I can only stumble to my couch before collapsing. The presentation at the school was a nice calm way to start our day, but that was about all the peace we got.
As soon as we arrived at the station, Elena made me change into some sports clothing so that I could join in on drills.
She had tossed me a pair of sweatpants and one of her old station T-shirts and now her smell lingers on my skin.
I don’t want to admit it to myself, don’t dare to admit it, but it is intoxicating.
Coward. I shake my head and take a few moments to gather my thoughts.
The question of what is happening is still at the forefront of my mind, but I also know the answer.
I can ignore it, or I can be a grown-up and analyze it.
You are attracted to Elena Gonzales, your subject.
Fine. I am attracted to her. Is that really such a bad thing?
Not unless you want to be accused of being a biased reporter, not to mention have a full-blown ethics discussion with Helen.
God I can’t do that again. It already cost me my job once, and I am so close to getting it back.
To get back to the position I want to be at.
But Helen wouldn’t think twice about pulling the rug out from under me.
Especially if she thinks I became biased.
I push the thoughts away. It’s nonsense.
First of all, I am perfectly capable of remaining unbiased, and second, this so-called attraction is just a trick of the mind.
I’ve seen Elena run into a burning building, I felt the thrill of that call myself, and we have been spending three 24-hour shifts together in close proximity.
I still can’t believe I did that. But yeah, of course we’ve grown closer.
It’s the combination of adrenaline and close proximity.
I should not confuse that with other emotions.
I run my hand over my face and stop halfway.
This is something Elena does. Am I starting to mimic her behavior unconsciously?
I let out a grunt. So, what are you going to do?
Before I can answer that, my phone buzzes. I frown and fish it out of my pocket.
21:02 E. Gonzales –
Hey there, superhero. Shall I pick you up around 19:00 tomorrow?
Tomorrow? I blink rapidly until the memory of our café meeting returns to me.
We agreed to have dinner at Prado de Flores.
I grin, already excited to win this so-called bet of ours.
And even if I lose, I get to have dinner in two great places with Elena.
I win either way. Wait. Elena wants to pick me up?
That sounds an awful lot like a date. My mouth runs dry.
I know I shouldn’t risk it but before I can stop myself, I type out a reply.
21:04 Maya Carter –
Ha! The superhero would be you, just ask the kids. They all agree. The only thing missing is your cape.
Seven sounds good, let me send you a pin with my address.
My thumb hovers over the send button for a brief moment. Then I close my eyes and press it. No going back now. I send her a pin with my location right after, and almost immediately my phone buzzes again.
21:06 E. Gonzales –
Real heroes don’t wear capes.
21:06 Maya Carter –
Oh, I know. They wear turnout coats and helmets. Does that sound like anyone you might know?
I add a smug-looking emoji at the end, mirroring the look I must have on my face right now. Over the past few days Elena and I have grown into this comfortable bantering style of communication and by the looks of it that works perfectly well for texting too.
21:10 E. Gonzales –
Sounds like Rodriques, really. Want his number too?
I snort as I can almost hear Elena’s low voice deadpan the line. With another laugh I fall back into the cushions again and type out a reply. For a moment I am tempted to say that I already have my eye on another cutie, but I quickly banish the thought before I cross that line.
21:10 Maya Carter –
Nah, I think one firefighter at a time is enough for me.
21:14 E. Gonzales –
Trouble keeping up?
21:15 Maya Carter –
Only because I am not as fit as you… yet!
21:16 E. Gonzales –
Is that a challenge?
21:16 Maya Carter –
Maybe… would you like it to be?
21:19 E. Gonzales –
I don’t say no to challenges. Let’s get you fit. Got some ideas.
I stare at my screen until it dims and goes black, my mind still spinning.
Is Elena flirting? Or is she actually taking me up on getting me fit?
You and your big mouth. I groan again. If I don’t answer her text, it will get weird.
If she was flirting it’ll feel like a rejection.
If she wasn’t flirting, she might think I thought she was. My brain can’t keep up.
21:21 Maya Carter –
I don’t know if I should be scared or excited…
21:26 E. Gonzales –
Both, but neither… Not until Monday.
I stare at my screen again, chuckling as my cheeks grow crimson. Yeah, this feeling in my stomach is definitely the result of a chemical cocktail in my brain. Nothing more, nothing less. Uh-huh.