Alternate Title: The Proper Way To Say Thank You
I walked up to the dimly lit fire hall and looked around. There were two trucks parked inside and not a soul in sight.
"Hello?" I called out, shifting the heavy basket of expensive coffee in my arms. "Anybody here?"
A door on the right opened, and a young man in a dark blue shirt and jeans stepped out. He looked like your all-American quarterback, with light hair and blue eyes. Not bad looking at all, I thought, but he wasn't the real reason I came.
He looked me up and down. He was probably wondering what I was doing there at 1 a.m., in a cute summer dress and done up like I was about to go on a date.
"Hi!" I greeted him brightly. "My building was on fire three nights ago, and you guys saved me. This coffee's for you guys, my way of saying thanks."
"Oh," he said, smiling. He seemed really flattered when he took the basket from me. "It's no problem."
"No, it's a huge deal," I insisted. I woke up to the smell of smoke and fire licking the walls of my flat. I would've burned alive if it wasn't for them and, in particular, the one who carried me out.
"Do you want to come in and say hi to the guys?" he said. "They'd really appreciate it."
"Yeah, I'd love to."
He led me past the door and into a big man cave-like room. There was a kitchen on the far side and couches and a big flat screen to fill up the rest of the space. Everybody looked up at me when I stepped in, even the ones who were playing Halo.
"She brings good coffee," one of them said after glancing at the basket I gave all-American.
"Hi," I said, this time more shyly. I used to think hot firemen were an urban legend, but here I was standing amongst ten of them. Even the ones who were over fifty still looked really good.
"My building was on fire three nights ago. I just wanted to say thank you so much for what you guys did. You're my heroes. And, um, I brought coffee as a present. It's really good coffee."
There was a chorus of "you're welcomes" and "aw, it's nothings." Their captain, the one with a bushy mustache, said with a little bow, "You're very welcome. Our duty, but it's always good to hear from people."
I was a little embarrassed about my offering because it suddenly seemed very insignificant, but I reminded myself that I needed to make a special thank you to only one person.
"Um, is there somebody here named 'Stevens'?" It was the only identification I remembered from his uniform.
The firemen looked at each other.
"He was on the phone outside, so he's probably still there," all-American said. He gave me directions to the other side of the building, away from the parking lot.
I nodded. "I'll go find him. Thanks again, everyone."
I waved goodbye to the room in general and went back out to the hall. Just as I reached the entrance, I saw Stevens walking back. When I first met him, he was in full gear, so I only knew that he had full lips, the kind that I fantasized sucking on and kissing. But now I saw that he was about 6'2", with dark hair and green eyes. The exposed part of his arms looked lean and veined.
"Hi," he said in a tone that said he recognized me, but couldn't place me. "Can I help you?"
"No, I'm just here to say thanks," I said. Lucky me, a warm breeze passed by, making my skirt flutter around my legs a little. I put a loose strand of my hair behind one ear. Flirting 101.
"Oh," he said, finally recognizing me. "You were the one on the fifth floor."
"Yeah." I smiled, glad to see I was memorable enough. I held out my hand and introduced myself. "I'm Evie."
"Sean." He shook my hand.
"I don't think I thanked you enough the other night. You saved my life."
"It's nothing," he shrugged. His eyes flicked towards my cleavage, which I put on full display just for him. "Just doing my job."
"You guys keep saying that, but you have no idea how grateful the people you save are. Like me, for instance."
Sean took a long sniff of the air. "I can tell how grateful you are. You brought good coffee."
Despite trying to look seductive, I laughed.
"It was the least I could do for everybody," I explained. I casually fingered the low neckline of my halter top. "But I wanted to thank you in a more special way." If he didn't get the hint, I'd have to be more explicit.
"Oh. Okay."
I looked at him closely. He was playing dumb.
I looked around to check that the coast was clear. Then I grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him beside one of the fire trucks, on the side of the hall farthest from the man cave.
Sean looked confused until I gently pushed him on the truck.
"I want to say thank you in a more personal way," I repeated, giving him a meaningful look.