12. Josh
12
JOSH
“You’re hovering. Why are you hovering? I told you, I’m fine.” Nia’s voice has that sharp edge that only comes out when she’s irritated, and I can’t help the laugh that bubbles up as I catch the look on Ryder’s face.
He’s trying to look stern, but there’s a glint of humor and amusement in his eyes. Nia has a way of getting under his skin, not that he’ll ever admit it. Ryder’s the kind of guy who prides himself on being unflappable, but Nia? She’s a force of nature, and even he can’t help but be swept up in her wake of chaos and destruction.
“I’m hovering because your damn brother threatened to cut off my dick and feed it to me if you got hurt on my watch again. I don’t know about any other man who’s ever been in your life, but I happen to like my dick, thank you very much.” Ryder crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the closed door of the truck bay, glaring right back at Nia. “You’re the idiot who thought it was a good idea to do stupid shit while you work with your brother’s best friend. Don’t blame me when James decides to be extremely overprotective and call in a favor, or six.”
Nia leans back in her chair, proceeding to ignore Ryder, and goes back to the cribbage game she’s been playing with Gem for half the night. “Suit yourself. But keep in mind, you might be his best friend, but I know where you sleep at night.”
Watching the two of them go back and forth is like watching a well-rehearsed play, where you know all the actors and the roles they’re playing, yet the performance still manages to surprise you. There’s a rhythm to their banter, a comfortable ease that comes from years of familiarity. It’s like being in on an inside joke that only they understand, and even though I’m technically an outsider to their dynamic, I can’t help but feel a sense of belonging in this moment. It’s a reminder that in this line of work, your team isn’t just your colleagues… they’re your family, your lifeline.
“How do you know Ryder?” Ignoring him in favor of the woman who’s captivated me for longer than I’ll ever admit, I sit down next to her.
“James and Ryder played football together in school. Ryder joined the military but James went pro.” No, I don’t really give a shit about her brother or Ryder or their friendship in the slightest. I just like listening to Nia talk. Like the night we spent together, her voice does something to me that I’m not prepared for. It soothes the darkness there. The indecision and the chaos that I keep from everyone around me.
Unable to help it, I catch myself staring at Nia’s neck, thinking about kissing the soft skin above her collarbone.
Why am I being so weird around her? Oh yeah, the first time I was with her, she ghosted me. Then she saved my life and almost died in the process. I’m honestly afraid of what will happen when I give in and ask her for all the things I find myself wanting. She is a pain in the ass, but one that I want with every single breath I take… I just can’t for the life of me figure out how to ask her out properly.
Gem sighs, putting her cards down on the table. “I gotta pee. Be back in a minute.”
Ryder follows her in after checking his phone. “Don’t forget we’ve got truck meeting in ten minutes. See you in there, Josh.”
When we are alone, Nia cocks her head to the side and pokes me in the forehead. “Why are you being weird?” She pokes my forehead again, and I have to close my eyes to keep from grabbing her hand and kissing her silly.
You’re at work. Keep it together, man.
“Nia.” I clench my hand in my lap, holding it against my thigh. “Will you go out to dinner with me?”
Catching me by surprise, Nia laughs.
“What?” I look around, hoping no one is there watching my embarrassment.
There isn’t anyone there.
“I told you,” she says quietly. “You owe me Chinese food. Yes, Josh.” Nia nods slowly. “That means I’ll go on a date with you.” She holds out her free hand. “Give me your phone.”
Blowing out a breath that creates a dull aching sensation in my chest as I exhale, I decide to just go ahead and let her all the way in before I hand her my phone. “Look. You scare the shit out of me, Nia. You’re gorgeous, ridiculously so. You’re smart as hell, and you’ve got a wild streak that leaves me wanting to follow you wherever you’re going. I don’t remember the last time someone affected me this way. Since the moment I saw you surrounded by annoying little kids in that roller rink, it’s like you invaded my brain and won’t let go.”
I have absolutely no clue what to expect when it comes to the spitfire sitting next to me. None whatsoever. So when she lets her hand fall to my lap and takes my hand in hers, I swallow rather than say anything else.
“You’re sweet, Josh.” She clears her throat. “I don’t mean that in the same way I’d use it with Gino or even Ryder. You’re open, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But you should know, I’m not wild. I don’t like adventure. Again, you should give me your phone.”
Unable to help myself, I snort and hand over the stupid device.
The door swings open, and Gem strolls back in, whistling, with a box of pizza in her hands. “Dinner’s here.” She waggles her eyebrows when she sees Nia handing me back my phone, but neither of us say anything to her.
I get up, leaving the two of them to their dinner and cribbage game. I know better than to waste time when there is food around.
In fact, I’ve just grabbed my first slice of pizza, the cheese still stringy as I pull it away from the box, when the tones drop. The sound is jarring, cutting through the easy camaraderie in the room like a knife. All the guys in the kitchen freeze, our instincts kicking in as we wait for the details. There’s always that split second of anticipation, the moment when everything hangs in the balance. Will it be a false alarm, something minor, or are we about to dive headfirst into another fire? The pizza forgotten in my hand, I strain to listen, my heart rate ticking up a notch as we wait to hear if it’s our call to action.
“Attention Birch EMS…”
I tune out the rest of the call as it becomes clear it’s not ours, but Nia’s and Gem’s, and a deep sigh escapes me, one I didn’t realize I was holding. The adrenaline that had spiked just moments ago begins to ebb away, leaving behind a kind of bone-deep exhaustion. I drop into a chair at the table, Gino taking the seat next to me with a similar look of relief on his face. It’s a strange thing, this constant pendulum swing between action and inaction, but it’s part of the job, part of the life we’ve chosen. Gino shoots me a tired smile, one that says we dodged a bullet this time, but there’s no telling when the next one will come.
“Man, after the week we’ve had, I kind of hope I can get at least a few hours’ sleep tonight.” He shoves almost the full piece of pizza into his mouth at once.
“Same. What’s it been, six calls today so far?”
“Seven.” Ryder sits down on my other side. “Seven for us, and nine for EMS.”
“Yeah.” I shake my head and grab another piece of pizza. “I honestly can’t wait to sleep tomorrow when I get home.”
“You can’t.” Will Geddy drops down on the other side of the table. “You and Ryder are supposed to be volunteering at the school with me to cover that fire safety demonstration that we missed.”
I forgot all about the demonstration, to be honest. “Shit.” I rub my temple. “Yeah, that’s right. I’ll sleep after that. And after I stop at my mom’s house because she’s left me about a dozen calls this week.” With a sigh, I realize I won’t be getting to sleep until at least the evening, and maybe not even then. Not if Nia agrees to go out for dinner with me.
While I’m thinking about her, I pull out my phone and smile when I see that not only had she put her phone number into my phone, but she also called her phone, too. No doubt making it so she has mine.
And I have a text from her, too.
Nia: Chinese food. Tomorrow night?
The message is straightforward, but it carries with it a weight of possibility. I can almost hear her voice in the words, that mix of confidence and playfulness that makes her so damn irresistible. The idea of sitting across from her, sharing a meal, maybe talking about something other than work is almost as perfect as a night with her could get.
Josh: Yup. Your place or mine?
I don’t think about it until after I send the message, but there is a huge possibility that she actually means going out on a date. And that means that I probably put my foot in my mouth in the first place.
Not wanting to think about how I most likely screwed up, I slip my phone back into my pocket, trying to focus on the conversation around me. But my mind keeps drifting back to her, to the way she looked at me earlier, to the way she laughed when I asked her out. It’s like she’s taken up residence in my thoughts, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to shake her.
And maybe… just maybe, I don’t want to.
“Not that this isn’t fun and shit, but maybe we can all talk about the fact that they want the fire department to pose for a calendar.” Cap walks into the kitchen with a bottle of water in his hand, looking like he’s just run a marathon. “You guys might want to consider a salad or six instead of that shit.”
Ryder, not afraid of pissing off the captain, lifts his shirt to reveal the perfectly sculpted six-pack that he’s had since I’ve known him.
“Don’t worry, Cap. I’ll be January for you, that way you can dress up like Santa and cover up your belly.”
Cap throws the water bottle at him, but the younger man catches it.
“I’ll kill you,” Cap says, deadpan, though the corners of his mouth twitch with barely suppressed amusement. “And I’ll let my daughter dispose of the body so no one will ever trace it back to me.” He reaches into the fridge, pulling out a neatly portioned meal in Tupperware which is a stark contrast to the greasy pizza we’re devouring like heathens. “From what I hear, I wouldn’t even have to say please. She’d take care of it in a heartbeat.” The room fills with laughter again, the kind that comes from shared experiences and inside jokes. Cap’s daughter is a force to be reckoned with, and everyone knows it. The thought of her exacting revenge on Ryder is both hilarious and terrifying.
“I don’t get how you’re perfectly okay with the fact that your daughter is a medical examiner.” Gino shudders. “Fuckin’ zombies, man. I’m telling you, my friend Dom has the right idea on it. He made me watch this documentary on how zombies are an actual possibility, and now he’s got me creating all kinds of zombie survival plans.”
The room goes silent as we all process Gino’s admission. “There’s no such thing as zombies,” Ryder tells him matter-of-factly. “You do know it’s all fiction, right?”
“Not even close,” Gino counters. “There are viruses out there right now, and drugs too, that can take away your impulse control and just make you snap. Just like that. I’m telling you, it could happen.”
He is so serious about it, like he is absolutely convinced that we could get called to a scene where zombies are, too. There isn’t a single shred of doubt in my friend’s mind.
“That’s it.” Ryder claps his hand on the table. “It’s just too easy. Like taking candy from a baby. I can’t.” He starts cracking up. “I can’t just let it go. You’re joking, right?”
“I’m dead serious.” Gino shrugs. “You don’t have to believe me. But when the zombie apocalypse happens, just know that I’ve got the equipment we need and a plan to get someplace safe.”
Ryder locks eyes with me, and all I can do is shake my head. “He’s not hurting anyone. He’s not on drugs. It could be a lot worse. He could be a hoarder or something like that.”
Gino gets up from the table and walks out without saying anything else to us, and honestly, I can’t blame him. It is either leave or settle in and prepare to be given shit for the rest of the night.
Ryder makes a call to his sister or his mom or some other female in his life right after Gino leaves. And they brought out a giant thing of makeup when we were gone on a fire call that lasted until two in the morning.
When we roll into the bay, I work with Will and Gino to get everything put away and cleaned.
“I’m gonna try and crash for a few.” Gino waves over his shoulder.
Ten minutes later, he is in his bunk snoring, and we are putting makeup on ourselves like teenagers.
“What the hell?” Nia and Gem pull up in the ambulance an hour later. “What are you doing?”
“Gonna scare the piss outta Gino,” Ryder informs them while he puts green makeup mixed with fake blood on his cheeks.
“Keep an eye out for Cap?” Will asks Gem with an unrepentant smile.
Gem and Nia both nod and stand at the door laughing while we finish getting ready.
“I’m gonna videotape this.” I look up just as Nia takes a picture. “You know, for scientific proof that zombies are real.”
“Okay,” Will interrupts the quiet moment. “We’re ready. Let’s do this.”
The three of us walk as quietly as possible through the bunkroom, with Gem watching the door and Nia following with her phone recording.
Ryder somehow ropes Charlie into helping us, even though he never wants any part in our games. And he walks out of the bathroom with his face wet and his hair slicked back.
“Had to get into the role.” He lightly slaps his cheeks and jumps up and down, shaking out his arms. “Okay,” he huffs. “Let’s do this.”
Ryder, Will, and I all hold up our hands from the opposite side of the room and start groaning. Charlie starts shouting, and all the guys wake up with a start. The lights flicker on and off, and then Charlie is grabbing Gino by the shoulders, shaking him.
“ Gino ,” Charlie yells his name. “Gino, wake up. You were right. Oh, you were right! They’re here.”
He falls under the bed right as Gino wakes up with wild eyes, swinging at Ryder.
“Stay back, zombie scum .”
He stumbles back over his bunk and slumps to the ground, right as Will completely loses it and collapses into a pile of laughter.
“Oh, you guys suck,” Gino snaps. “Assholes. Every one of you. I’ll get my revenge when you least expect it.”
When I turn around and see the smile on Nia’s face and the laughter in her eyes, I don’t give a shit what Gino does as payback.
“Let me help you get that off,” she offers, holding out her hand. “And to answer your text, my place is fine.”
My momma didn’t raise an idiot. I know I’ll take every single thing Nia offers me. And I’ll do it with a smile on my face.
Because at the end of the day, she’s mine… she just doesn’t know it yet.