„Hey." Andy shouted as she walked through the door and got greeted with a wiggling tail and dog kisses. „Hey Pepitaa." she leaned down to pet the little dog. „Where's Papi Huh?" she asked her.
Andy got back up and walked further into the house looking for her dad who she found in the kitchen. "Hey dad, why didn't you answer me?" She asked a little annoyed. "Sorry Mija." He said with his head under the sink.
"You okay?" She asked worried.
"Yea yea, but ... can you maybe walk pep. I want to get a few things done but she won't let me. She needs to get out some of her energy."
"Uh yea sure." Andy said and walked to the front door, getting the leash before they both left.
They walked through the park and Andy actually found herself enjoying it. She was never really a pet person and even when she fell In love with Pepita she was never keen to walk her.
She turned her eyes back onto the track and not that far from her was a tall good looking guy walking in her direction. He caught her gaze immediately. Tall, muscular and those eyes. Usually Andy was so collected but the way he smiled at her made her feel like 14 when she had her first crush and she started blushing.
Her eyes were locked to his, so unfortunately she didn't pay any attention to Pepita who stopped right in front of her and Andy fell over her landing on the dirty path.
She stared at the ground hoping she would sink into it but instead a big hand was held into her sight. She looked up and saw the handsome men standing over her.
Oh god this was soo embarrassing. Of course he saw her falling like an idiot. Ugh he probably laughed at her or something.
But quickly Andy's thoughts were pulled somewhere else. Seeing him up close now he was even more handsome. His dark brown eyes had a sparkle to them and that little smirk made her insides turn.
„You okay?" he asked. „Oh Yea yea I'm good." Andy stuttered and took his hand to get up. She was now standing right in front of him, a lot closer than you would with a stranger but his eyes kept her there. She was lost in them.
He cleared his throat and made a little step backwards. „You have a cute dog." he said smiling at Pepita who was patiently waiting and suddenly on her best behaviour.
„Oh it's - it's my dads dog actually." Andy couldn't believe she just said that. Yes technically that was true but why would she bring up her dad now?
"That's nice. Listen I'm usually not that forward... but if by any chance you are interested." He held out a card to her and was sure he didn't have a chance with her. Without a doubt she was the most beautiful and captivating women he ever met.
Andy smiled shyly at him and tucked her hair behind her ear as she took the card from him and looked at it. "Oh you- You're a firefighter... Robert." Andy said as she read battalion chief Robert Sullivan. Wait did she just use his first name? This man was undoing her, she was never one to be shy around guys. She knew what she wanted, what she liked and how to get it.
"Yea is that a problem?" He asked and the smile left his lips. "Hm... No." she contemplated telling him that's she's a firefighter too and she wasn't sure why but for some reason she didn't.
"So... can I expect a call from you or...?" He asked with his smile now returning. Slowly Andy got back her cool. "You have to wait and see." She teased him and shrugged her shoulders before she started walking away.
"I'm Andy by the way." She said as she briefly turned back to him. And oh the big smile she flashed at him now made his knees weak.
"MAYA, ARE YOU HOME?" She yelled as she entered their apartment after bringing Pepita back to her dad. She headed to Mayas bedroom and she could hear silent moans but in this moment she didn't care.
She hammered against the door. "Maya I need to talk!" She said determined. "Uh a little busy right now." Maya replied from behind the door.
"Carina, I really need your girlfriend for a few minutes." Andy continued. "Seriously?" Carina questioned. "I'll talk to her real quick otherwise she will never shut up." Maya told carina. "Maya I can hear you." Andy said stern.
Maya opened the door but didn't come out. "Well do you need me or not?" She teased her. "Yea yea fine." Andy waved her off and walked back into the living room area.
Maya hesitantly followed her and watched as Andy paced around. "Okay sooo I walked Pepita for my dad and we went to the park and then there was this guy and ..." she rambled and took a break as just the memory of him made her breathless. "Maya he's sooo HOT and he was charming. Oh god you haven't seen him, I can't believe someone could look THAT good!!" Andy said letting herself fall onto the couch.
"So what's the problem?" Maya asked. " I made a complete fool out of myself." Andy whined. "He flashed that gorgeous smile at me and I like FLEW over Pepita and face palmed the ground!" she hid her face behind her hands before she run it through her hair.
"Andrea Herrera, what has that man done to you?" Maya chuckled, never having seen her friend like this. "I DONT KNOW okayyy, but like ugh he was so hot and charming and... I'm repeating myself but he was HOT." Andy gushed. "He gave me his number and I wanna call, like I reeeeeeally wanna call but I already made a fool of myself and what am I supposed to say? Hey here's the girl that fell over her dog like an idiot?" Andy sighed.
"WAIT! He gave you his number?!" Maya exclaimed and Andy nodded. "What's the problem then? Just go and call him!" Maya said trying to wrap this up so she could go back to her previous activity.
"What now? It's only been like 2 hours?! Doesn't that make me seem a little desperate?" Andy asked. „Okay I know you usually like to play your games with the guys but I have never seen you talk about any of them like this so obviously with him it's something different so just quit the games and go for it. And as for go for it I'm gonna go back to my hot Italian girlfriend now." she said smiling as she walked out backwards while talking. „Go get it girl." Andy shouted after her.
She got out her phone and dialled his number. And got up from the couch and paced around the living room trying to build enough courage to press call. She finally called and was fidgeting with her leg while she waited for him to pick up. Was this really a Good idea? She knew technically she shouldn't call him but how couldn't she?
"Robert Sullivan." She Heard a stern voice say and it didn't sound much like the men she met earlier. "Oh hey uhm, I'm - i'm ... uh...the girl- the women from the park... from earlier." And again Andy would have liked to disappear right this second or just hang up. What was it about this man that made her act like a teenager?
"Oh hey, glad you decided to call, didn't take you as long as I expected." He teased her and Andy's head turned tomato red but at least he couldn't see her.
"Uh - yea...no..." she mumbled. "So there's one thing though-" he started. Oh god did he know? No he couldn't possibly. "I never got your name." Andy let out her breath in relief. "It's Andy." She said. "Well Andy, would you like to go out with me tonight?" He said with such a sweet tone to his voice Andy could have melted right that second but she tried to keep her cool.
"Tonight? Yea sounds good." Andy said. "Great, text me Your Address and I'll pick you up at 7." He said. "Okay see you then Robert." "Bye Andy."
She hung up and let out a squeak with the biggest smile she had in a while but then she realized she had to find something to wear.
Andy stormed Into her room opening the closet and she started pulling out a bunch of clothes but nothing seemed right.
She had no idea how much time had past but Maya and Carina peaked into her room. "Are you okay? We Heard you grunting and cursing..." Maya asked. "Did your closet explode?" Carina laughed.
"No but a certain someone told me to not play games and go for it so he asked me out for TONIGHT." She said sassy. "Uggh shiiit I only have two hours left and I still need a shower and do my make up but I have literally nothing to wear." She said looking at the mess she made.
"Okay let's see some options." Carina said and pulled Maya onto the bed with her. Andy modelled some outfits for them and they helped her decide. She took a shower and got ready and just before seven she walked out of her room. "So what do we know about this Robert guy?" Carina asked. "That he's hot, she emphasized that a lot." Maya laughed.
"Well yes that he is. I don't really know much about him, he's a little older than me and ..." she hesitated thinking wether or not to tell Maya. "- well he'a a battalion chief with SFD."
Mayas eyes went big. "Oh girl no." Maya said disappointed. "You know you are not allowed to be in a relationship?! Wait does he know you are a lieutenant?" She asked.
Andy fidgeted with her jewelry. "I didn't really mention I'm a firefighter too." She said quietly. "Oh god Andy! You really know how to get yourself into trouble! You're gonna break his heart and probably your own as well." Maya was in full on mom mode but luckily for Andy the doorbell rang. "I gotta go." Andy said as she walked out. "TELL HIM." Maya yelled after her.
She went down the stairs and then she could see through the glass doors to their apartment complex. He was wearing a navy suit and though Andy didn't think it was possible he looked even better than earlier in the park.
Robert now saw her too and she took away his breath. She was wearing a burgundy dress that was hugging her body perfectly. Andy saw the way he looked at her and as she blushed she looked down for a second to regain her composure.
"Hey." Andy said after she opened the door. "Hey Andy." They both smiled at each other. He lead her to his car and opened the door for her. The drive to the restaurant was mostly filled with small talk but Andy finally started to relax around him. And even if the butterflies in her stomach were going crazy at least now she managed to talk without stuttering.
They sat down at their table and ordered.
"Did you grow up here or moved here?" Robert asked. "Lived here all my life. Grew up near the park, my dad still lives there."
"Yea that's a really nice area. What about your mom?" he asked. „Uhm she- she died when I was nine." Andy said trying to keep her emotions under control. „I'm sorry." he reached his hand out and put took hers. „My parents died too, plane crash, I was 16."
„I'm sorry."
„Okey different topic this is getting depressing." Robert joked.
They enjoyed their food while having a light conversation. „Soo Andy, when will you tell me what you are doing?" he pried, she scratched her head trying to find a way out. "It's probably best if I never tell you." She answered flirty, hoping to distract him. "That bad huh?"
"Well In some ways yes." She said and that earned her a confused and somewhat sceptical look from Robert but he let it go for now.
They continued their conversation over dinner and a dessert they shared. As it got late they decided to head out.
Sitting in the passenger seat of his car Andy wished this night would never end. For once everything seemed like it was falling into place for her. It was easy to talk to him and she hadn't laughed like this in a while.
When Robert pulled up in front of her apartment complex he walked around the car to open her door and even when Andy usually didn't like stuff like that, tonight felt different, with him it felt different. He opened the door but didn't move out of Andy's way so she was caught between him and the car.
Their faces so close they could feel each other's breath on their skin and the air between them could have caught fire. Their eyes locked, neither being able to look away. And as if they got pulled together by an invisible force their lips met in slow kiss.
"I need to tell you something Robert..." Andy said as she pulled away from their kiss.
"That Sounds... bad..." Robert said.
"Because it is. I didn't want to say anything and ruin this but ironically I guess I'll ruin it anyways..." she took a deep breath and gathered her courage "I'm a lieutenant with SFD." She searched his face for a reaction but she couldn't read him.
"That- I... i wish you would have said that earlier..." he sighed. This had been too good to be true, of course there was something that would ruin it all. "So you didn't say anything because you knew this isn't allowed?" Robert asked.
"I didn't say anything because that rule is stupid anyways. We never met before on shift so why would we now and why would that be a problem then?" She rambled.
"Rules are rules Andy." He said frustrated. "Good Night Andy."Robert said and turned around got back into his car and drove off, leaving Andy outside the door looking after him.
For a few minutes she stood frozen in place before she stormed inside not even trying to be quiet for Mayas sake. She dropped her clutch next to her bed and fell on it as she started sobbing.
Maya hadn't fallen asleep yet and as she heard Andy crying she got worried so she wanted to check on her. "Andy? Are you okay? What happened?" She asked as she sat down on Andy's bed next to her.
"He- he was perfect. We were- perfect. But then I told him and and he just- he said rules are rules. And and he just drove off." Andy sobbed.
"Okay I take no joy in saying this now but I told you, you were setting yourself and him up for a heartbreak. But now that we are here I guess the only thing that will help is ice cream and some movies. Or would you rather read a book on smoke or wildfires..." she teased her friend in attempt to lift her mood but all she got was a pillow thrown at her face.
After ice cream and a movie Maya went to bed and so Andy laid alone in her bed. The room was pitch dark but in her head she saw scenes from their date replaying. She felt a little stupid for feeling so bad over basically nothing. Because that was what they were, they were nothing but she was grieving over the what if.
Because this felt so good and special and so different from what she had before. She never felt like this before, all the other guys were just toys for her but with him, she didn't want to play any games and yet she kinda did and ruined the possibility of them becoming anything.
The screen of her phone lit up so she reached out to take a look.
Robert: Are you still up?
Why was he texting now? She take a look at the time and by now it was 4 am. Was this keeping him up as well?
Andy: Yes
Only a few seconds after her message he called her.
"Okay, I've got something to say and I need you to just listen. Will you listen?" He asked her. "Yea, I'll listen." Andy said in a soft voice. Part of her was hopeful but another part was ready to get hurt again.
"I said rules are rules and that we can't happen, and that's literally what I've been doing my entire life. I passed on good things for my job, for my title, for my reputation but it got me nowhere in the end. Work is all I have and I don't want to spent my life like this. And I know we barely know each other and I don't know if you feel the same but I just have to say it. I have never felt like this about anyone before, I was never so captivated by anyone, I never opened up to anyone that easily and I never felt a connection like I do with you. And yes this is all brand new and maybe you think this isn't anything at all but you were right, the rules are stupid. I'm not saying this will be easy or uncomplicated it'll probably be exactly that, hard and complicated and probably messy as hell. But... I wanna try, I wanna see what there is and what could be. Andy I wanna see you again."
Andy had sat against her headboard listening to him. She blushed and grinned like a teenager. Seems like after all she hadn't ruined everything. He was willing to try, he was willing to throw away his principles for her.
"I do too Robert. I'm ready for messy because I think it's worth it."
"Great, then I'll pick you up for breakfast. Or is that two dates too close together?" Robert asked hesitantly. "Not at all. I don't care about those rules. Let's make our own."
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I'm sorry the date is so short but I didn't really know what to write there.
Also not sure what's wrong with me... I haven't written anything dark in a while...
