The Chance

by Theresa Puckett

  “Sir! Sir! Are you alright!” I heard her ask, and suddenly I realized she was checking me out to see if I was alright.

  “Yea. Yea. I had my mask on…” I said, reaching down for the mask, forgetting that she knew I had it on.

  “I know that, but are you burned, did you inhale smoke, are you hurt in any way?” she continued the barrage of questions to me, and I shook them off with a wave of my hand.

  “No! No, I’m alright! How’s the kid?” I continued on, the child being my first concern since it was her I risked my life for.

  The paramedic stopped and turned to look towards the other ambulance where the child was at, crying while her family swarmed the back of the ambulance to get to their lost member who was forgotten in the fire as it raged on.

  “I think she’ll be alright.”

  I smiled and nodded before I slumped back in against the metal back of the ambulance itself. Relaxing now. I did my good deed, I felt.

  A short time later though, out from within the house came the other firefighters and the all clear was given. One of them, a larger figure that I recognized as my boss, came over and stopped before me as he pulled off his helmet, his brow trickling with sweat. Looking down to me with those large grey eyes of his.

  “Kowalsky.” He said, a man of few words, often straight to the point.

  I nodded, cowering before him. I expected a reprimand. “Boss?”

  “Good job.” He said, a man of even fewer praises, and I felt relief flooding through me in that moment as I relaxed. I thought I was in trouble for rushing off as I did. “Thank you, chief.”

  “Don’t do it again. My niece is fond of you.” He nodded once more, patted my shoulder, and turned to leave to head back towards the other policemen, paramedics, and reporters who were there on the scene.

  A well of emotions gushed in from my belly as I leaned back in against the ambulance behind me, and closed my eyes. I felt like a hero that was for sure. But I also felt for the first time like a real firefighter.

  Chapter 5

  I arrived home later that evening after I finished the small report given at the precinct over what happened, gave my statement to the police, the fire marshal, and to the criminal investigation team who was sent into the home in case of a possible criminal misconduct. All of which took a lot more energy than I felt I had within me, thanks to the adrenaline reserves I had when I rescued the kid leaving me.

  I didn’t leave unwelcomed though. Boss Adamms once more patting my shoulder, the others congratulating me on a job well done, even stating that I surpassed “Rookie” status that normally was supposed to last a year just from my actions alone. It felt good, it felt right, and I did feel indeed like a hero as I smiled, and left.

  What truly made me feel like a hero though came later as I pulled up into the driveway of my small bachelor pad like home. Just a simple 2 bedroom, 1 bath flat on the outskirts of the Northern part of the city, located on a small little lake outside of a place called Huntertown. The gravel crunched beneath the wheels of my Pontiac, and the smell of oil and armor-all scented the inside of the car as I slowly stepped out, and made my way to the house.

  Inside was a prize waiting for me that was better than all the praise I received that day. Cheyanna herself sitting on an old laz-e-boy that I owned, reading one of my magazines by the lamp as she looked up suddenly when I came in through the door, and dropped my backpack on the ground.

  She looked at me surprised, and I couldn’t understand why. Heck, I was the surprised one! We had dated, several times since the concert, and she’d even been to my house several times to relax, watch a movie, and even to study in privacy when the comfort of her little apartment (no bigger than 2 bedrooms and a closet) didn’t suffice. So she had the key to the place, and I even told her if she wanted she could come over.

  And apparently, here she was.

  Still surprising though.

  But then she got up quickly, crossing over the floor as she walked over towards me quickly and wrapped her arms around my shoulders and gave me a hug suddenly as I was caught off guard and wrapped my arms back around hers, not knowing what to do, or what to say, or how to react to her as she just held me.

  “Oh my God. I heard on the news what happened. Are you ok? You’re not hurt, are you? Please tell me you got out of that alright?” she said, her voice higher pitched than I intended as she pulled back slightly and held my cheeks in her soft hands as she looked me over like a mother hen observing her young. Her eyes quickly scanning all across my body, looking for any signs that I had injured myself.

  Quickly I reached out to allay her fears. Placing my palms against her shoulder to gently stop her as I pressed down. “No! No, I’m alright. Jesus no! Calm down.”

  Eventually, she did calm down as she saw I wasn’t burned, I wasn’t hurt, I wasn’t injured or anything like that and just stepped back. Looking up towards me then as she puckered her face in anger. A look I never thought I’d see as her brows knitted together in a concern I never saw. The light quiver of her bottom lip to me indicating what she was thinking. “Don’t you scare me like that! What were you thinking running into a burning building like that?”

  I was a little dumbstruck since not even my Mother had that much concern for me as a Firefighter. I just looked at her, not knowing what to say as I lowered my hands down to my side for a moment. I wasn’t feeling shame, but I was feeling… worried? Worried was something I suppose I felt, but I was mostly dumbstruck on how to answer her. I knew at the time I wasn’t thinking.

  “Well… It’s my job Chey. That’s what I do. I’m a firefighter so running into a burning building to rescue someone is what I’m supposed to do.”

  My explanation seemed to have been enough to allay her fears as she just turned to the side, and brought her hand up slowly, covering her face for a moment as she relaxed, speaking her words in a muffled tone through the fingers surrounding her lips.

  “I know… I know. I’m sorry.” She said with a sigh as she continued on. “I’m just being stupid. I know you’re supposed to do that because you’re a firefighter. Hell… my Uncle is your boss, my cousin is in high school wanting to follow in Uncle Kendrell’s footsteps, and my Dad even worked as a Cop.”

  She stopped for the moment and turned to me then, a frown on her face and I suddenly knew why she was so angry. “I guess I just got too worried. I like you a lot, John. And I don’t want anything to happen to you. I certainly don’t want you to get hurt.”

  I nodded, her sentiment making me almost tear up. Hell, the first time I’ve ever had someone care about me that much before. But despite the emotional hit that I took to my heart, I smiled all the same and looked towards her, trying to help her fear as I stepped up. My hands once more going to her shoulder.

  “Hey, you don’t have to worry. I don’t intend to go anywhere. I plan on living forever.”

  She scoffed, and just raised a hand to brush a knuckle across her eye. “Is that so huh?”

  “So far so good,” I replied with a tilt of my head and a soft smile.

  A moment went by, just looking to one another.

  And then she just leaned in and kissed me. It was so sudden that my mind blanked out at that very moment, unsure of what to do, though my body certainly knew as I just wrapped my arms around her waistline, feeling her lips pressing in against mine as she pressed ever closer to me. I could feel her lips, so soft and warm, pressing against mine. The deepness of her kiss one I never felt before.

  We’d kiss before, since the night in the park. The occasional peck, the glancing brushes of sweetness. Never once admitting to anything else other than simple affection and courting and flirting and all. Never wanting to admit to one another that there was anything there.

  I don’t know why we didn’t, in hindsight. Maybe I was scared that if I pressed the issue she’d run, or maybe she felt the same and just wanted something low key and fun while she focused on her schooling. I never questioned it, just to be happy to have th
at affection.

  “You’re still making me worried…” she murmured against my lips, and I responded in the only way I knew how with my kiss addled brain. I wrapped my arms around her tighter, pulling her closer towards me as I felt her body against mine. The feel of her softness against my warm body, her breasts against my chest. Her waistline in my hands. It felt right, it felt like something I needed. I hadn’t ever held someone like this before, and it showed, but I didn’t care. It was like my body was doing it on its own. Through instinct.

  Luckily, she responded as well as I spoke against her lips once more. “I’m sorry.”

  “Just shut up and kiss me John…” was all she said. And we deepened the kiss. I could feel her tongue pressing against my bottom lip, and I responded in kind as I let my own tongue press against hers. Sweet, and delicious she was, hazing my mind and causing me to lose all rational thought.

  The next thing I knew I was stepping back and I fell down against the couch behind me, landing among the soft cushions as the wood creaked beneath me. Its age showing as I slumped down in the center towards the floor.

  The addition of her weight did little to cause more stress to the couch as I felt Chey straddling my body once into my lap. Placing a leg on either side of me as she simply kept her arms around my shoulders. The difference in height now made up as she hovered above me. Our difference in height really only a difference of 3-4 inches, though here it made little difference as I slid one arm around the curve of her rear, and another hand up along her back, feeling my hand slipping along underneath her shirt.

  She didn’t stop me but continued to urge me on as she spoke. “Keep it up… I want to show you how worried I was.” She said through hushed tones.

  I didn’t want to, not here. So I quickly moved my arm down along her body once more to the back of her rum and lifted her up as I moved to step, holding against me.

  She gave a squawk of surprise but clung to me as I hefted her up into my arms and carried her off into my bedroom. Closing the door quickly behind me with a loud crash as the door slammed shut, separating me from the rest of the home, the rest of the world, and the rest of everything else as we continued on towards my bed. Pushing her down atop it as I climbed in with her to continue on unabated.

  An hour later we laid there, together, in the double bed that I slept in for the last 3 years. Its size was small, but fitted us perfectly well as Chey laid there with her mass of curly red hair all around her in a sheet, panting as I caught my breath as well, looking up to the ceiling as the blanket barely covered me below the waist.

  I continued to catch my breath, feeling both numbness and pleasure washing over me as I felt my body finally relax for the first time in such a long time. It had been a good day indeed. Saved a life, became a hero for a day, came home, had sex with a woman I really liked. My mind not able to comprehend all of the good things that seemingly were happening to me at once.

  “Wow…” was all I said. My breath coming out in a huff as I inhaled the scent of sweat and sex and the cleaned sheets that I had washed the day before, not ruined by the motions of our bodies, laying in the wet spot from our hour-long adventure with one another.

  She caught her breath as she spoke out as well with a simple nod of her head. “Yea… wow.”

  I laughed, smirking somewhat as I shook my head, turning to look towards her as I shifted somewhat on my side in her direction. “That’s a good thing?”

  She turned as well to look at me. The blue of her eyes bright with mischief, despite the energy we expended over one another quickly being depleted. “What do you think stud?”

  That nickname made my heart only patter in my chest even more as I simply shook my head a little bit more. “Stud huh?”

  She smiled once more. “Like that huh?”

  I scooted closer towards her then, turning slowly on my side as I looked down along her body as she laid there beneath the blanket, spying the dark color of my silver comforter as it rose up past her breasts, up to her shoulders as she turned as well to face in my direction. The flimsy frame of my bed creaking as she was inches away from me, almost nose to nose.

  “Yea…” I said, breathless almost. “I really do.”

  She giggled, and turned where she laid to face away from me towards the wall before she scooted back, pressing her body against mine as I responded with a sigh, leaning in towards her to nuzzle my face against the curve of her neckline, burying my face in those curls of hers as I simply held her. Looking towards her, inhaling the smell of her warm skin, the sweat of our enduring fun, and the dull throbbing ache between my thighs.

  We laid there, for a moment, as I just listened to the sound of her breathing as she held her hand around mine. Enough time passing I almost thought she fell asleep on me. An idea I wouldn’t have minded before she finally spoke.

  “So what now?”

  I blinked, not pondering that statement at all before as I just let my hand slowly caress across the blanket on top of her body, trying to think of how to respond to her question. “What do you mean?” I asked, confused to what she wanted.

  “I mean right now. What do we do?” Chey replied, turning to look towards me now as I shifted my face in her direction, and just simply smirked in response. Not knowing what else to say in response.

  “I guess… I don’t know. What about you? What do you want to do?”

  “I don’t know…” she said, a little uncertain as she looked away for a moment before her blue-eyed gaze turned back towards me, and she shifted where she laid to roll onto her side, bringing her freckled face closer to mine as she continued on. “I really like you, John. But I don’t want to get in the way of your life. My schooling, everything else, not working. I just… don’t know.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh in response to that, and she looked up me almost offended at the sound I made before I placed my hand on her shoulder to reassure her, trying my best to ease the tension she had. “No no, I’m not laughing at you. It’s just… I was worried about getting in the way of your life.”

  “You couldn’t. I like you. You’re funny, you’re a firefighter, or you like a lot of the same things I like. You think I’m interesting….” She continued to trail on before I simply leaned in to kiss her, pressing my lips to her forehead.

  “Yea well I wasn’t always so interesting. Around you, I feel like a dork. So I sort of just took things easy because I didn’t want to get in the way of your college classes or anything.”

  She seemingly relaxed beneath my lips, and against my body as I felt the tension within her dissipate and relax, which only caused me to relax with her as I smiled, closing my eyes.

  “I guess we’re both pretty silly huh?” she said, and I simply nodded in agreement.

  “Yea. I guess we are.”

  She shuffled a bit, but I kept my eyes closed, just enjoying the feeling of my face within her soft hair for the moment as she continued on. “So what do we do now then? Are we dating?”

  The thought slowly crossed my mind as I slowly shifted beneath her and moved to lay on my back, opening my eyes into the darkness as I stared up at the ceiling and the mottled molding above that swirled in dappled motifs. My more alone time often spent staring at the ceiling above, making out shapes, and scenes and all with my imagination before boredom often took me and I fell asleep before rising again for work the next day.

  But now? There was no boredom, and the only imagination I had on my mind was Cheyanna Short, as I turned to look at her with that same smile I’ve had since we ended our intercourse. My body feeling warm once more as I squeezed, and pulled her over to me. I no longer felt like that silly kid, scared of chasing her off. I felt accomplished today. The past Jonathan Kowalsky giving way to the new version of me. I knew what I wanted.

  “Yea. I want you. If you want to date, I’d love to. I mean we don’t have to take it seriously. Come on over occasionally, you know, study. When you take a break we’ll go see some music. Cook. I can help, you know. Just fun st
uff. Take it nice and slow.”

  She smiled and nodded as she leaned in while I pulled, laying atop of my chest. “Yea. Nice and slow. Just you and me, having fun. Seeing the town. School. Fighting fires. Being a hero…” she continued on, trailing a finger over my chest as I felt her touch dancing along my sternum, sending goosebumps along my spine.

  “Yea… I already feel like a hero with you.”

  She smiled and kissed me once more. Her lips tasted sweeter than they had before as I lingered my touch upon her.

  “Well then… hero.. Why don’t you show me more in the morning what you can do before work huh?”

  And so I did, and many more evenings after that with Cheyanna by my side. My girlfriend now, who I was quickly falling for. Prepared for the future that laid ahead for me. I knew I was looking forward to my life now.

  THE END