Page 25 of Blazing Hearts

Taking a deep breath, Mallory answered the call.

“Hey, Josephine,” she said, trying to keep her tone casual, though the tension in her chest betrayed her.

“Hey, Mallory. How’s it going?” Josephine’s voice was warm, comforting.

“I’m… okay. I’m just… thinking,” Mallory replied, leaning back in her chair, her fingers idly tapping against the desk.

“Thinking? About what?” Josephine pressed gently. Mallory hesitated. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to voice the turmoil that had been churning inside her, but Josephine had a way of making her feel heard without judgment.

“I’m still trying to figure out this thing with Kara,” Mallory admitted, her voice lower now, tinged with frustration. “I want to be with her, but I keep holding myself back. I keep thinking… What if it ends like it did before? What if I get too close and it all falls apart?”

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and Mallory could almost feel Josephine’s understanding radiating through the phone.

“Mallory,” Josephine began, her voice steady but kind, “I know you’re scared. I can hear it in your voice. But the thing is… you can’t live in fear forever. Ember’s told me about your shared history, but you can’t keep yourself locked away because you’re afraid of what might happen. You have to trust that the person you’re with will meet you where you are, and if it doesn’t work out, that’s part of life. But the alternative is living in fear of whatcouldhappen, and that’s no way to live.”

“I’m not sure I can just jump into it,” Mallory confessed, her voice small. “It’s so hard to shake the fear of losing someone again.”

“I understand, really. I’m one of the few who could possibly understand your worries. It wasn’t an easy thing to deal with when I first started dating Ember,” Josephine said, her tone sympathetic. “But sometimes, the best thing you can do for yourself is to trust, even when it feels scary. You don’t have to throw yourself into it headfirst. But you owe it to yourself, and to Kara, to stop hiding from what you want. You deserve happiness, Mallory. You deserve love, even if it means taking a chance.”

Mallory’s heart pounded in her chest. She knew Josephine was right, but that didn’t make it any easier. It didn’t take away the fear that had been building up inside her for so long. But for the first time, she realized that maybe it wasn’t about waiting for the fear to disappear. Maybe it was about acknowledging it and moving forward anyway.Maybe it was about giving herself permission to be vulnerable.

“Okay,” Mallory said, more to herself than to Josephine. “Okay, I’ll try. I’ll try to let go of the fear.”

Josephine’s voice softened with approval. “That’s all anyone can do, Mallory. Just try. You’ve got this.”

Mallory sat in silence for a moment after the call ended, her mind racing. Josephine’s words had struck something deep inside her, something she hadn’t realized she was missing. The idea that she didn’t have to have everything figured out, that it was okay to take risks, was liberating in a way she hadn’t expected. Maybe it was time to take that leap of faith with Kara.

She glanced at the clock. Her shift was about to begin. With a deep breath, Mallory stood up, feeling a sense of quiet resolve settle over her. She didn’t have all the answers, and she wasn’t sure how it would all work out. But for the first time in a long time, Mallory felt ready to embrace the unknown, ready to move forward—no longer held captive by the fear that had controlled her for so long.

It wasn’t a perfect solution, and there were still doubts swirling in her mind. But with each step she took toward the ER, Mallory felt the weight of her fears begin to lift, just a little. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. Enough to give her the courage to face whatever came next.

And maybe, just maybe, that was all she needed.

* * *

Mallory stood behind the counter in the ER, sorting through patient files, her mind drifting back to Josephine’s words. The quiet hum of the hospital around her felt like a contrast to the storm of thoughts swirling inside her. Josephine had told her to take a chance, to stop letting fear dictate her choices, but it was easier said than done. How could she let go of the fear, of the uncertainty? How could she take that leap when the consequences of falling felt so devastating?

Her shift had started quietly—too quietly—and Mallory was grateful for the calm. She’d welcomed the chance to think, to breathe, and to prepare herself for whatever the night would bring. But no matter how much she tried to sort through her feelings, one thought kept creeping in: Kara. It had been days since they last spoke, and though she could still feel the lingering tension between them, Mallory knew she needed to make a choice.

The ER doors suddenly swung open, breaking her reverie. Mallory’s head snapped up, instinctively looking toward the entrance. A group of firefighters filed in, moving with purpose. But it was Kara at the front, still dressed in her firefighting gear, covered in soot, her face streaked with ash. She moved with a quiet, commanding energy that seemed to take over the room. Mallory’s breath caught in her throat as she watched Kara approach, the wild energy of the fire still radiating off her.

Kara was carrying herself like someone who had just returned from the front lines, and the sight of her, strong and unwavering, stirred something deep inside Mallory. She felt the familiar pull between them—intense, undeniable—but this time it was heavier, charged with something more.

Beside Kara, a fellow firefighter was guiding a stretcher with a patient, the man’s body twisted awkwardly as he struggled to breathe. The air in the ER seemed to thicken as Kara moved, her focus sharp as she led the way. The patient was critically injured, his breathing shallow from inhaling smoke, and the urgency in Kara’s movements was unmistakable. She was in her element, calm amidst the chaos, giving orders in that voice of authority Mallory knew so well.

Mallory couldn’t take her eyes off Kara. She watched as Kara quickly handed the patient off to a doctor, her hands steady, her expression intense. There was no hesitation, no panic—just the quiet competence of someone who had seen this all before. But then, for a brief, heart-stopping moment, their eyes locked across the room.

Time seemed to stretch. Mallory’s pulse quickened and her breath caught in her throat. Kara’s gaze was intense, unwavering, as if nothing in the room mattered except for the connection between them. Mallory’s heart skipped a beat, and in that one instant, it was as if everything else—the ER, the patient, the steady hum of activity—faded away.

Kara’s look held for a moment longer than usual, and in the brief silence that followed, Mallory felt something shift. Something powerful. The air between them seemed to crackle with tension, a magnetic force drawing them together despite the distance.

Mallory’s chest tightened. She knew the pull, knew the attraction, but in that moment, with the chaos of the ER all around her, it felt even more undeniable, more impossible to resist. But she could hardly breathe under the weight of it all. The moment passed as quickly as it came, but Mallory couldn’t shake the feeling that it had changed everything.

Kara’s movements were deliberate as she finished up the paperwork, her hands steady despite the lingering exhaustion from the fire. Her face was streaked with soot, her ponytail slightly disheveled, but there was an undeniable rawness to her appearance—an intensity that seemed to pulse from her very being. She moved with purpose, her gaze occasionally flicking over to Mallory as she went about her business, but Mallory couldn’t tear her eyes away.

Mallory felt a flutter of anticipation, a restlessness stirring in her chest. She had tried to push this feeling aside for so long, tried to keep the growing attraction at arm’s length, but the more she watched Kara, the harder it became to deny. Kara wasn’t just a firefighter; she was a force, a presence that commanded attention even in the most chaotic of situations. And right now, that presence was drawing Mallory in like a magnet.

The patient no longer her concern, Kara turned; her eyes locking with Mallory’s. The connection between them sparked, crackling in the air, and Mallory’s breath caught in her throat. Kara walked toward her with purpose, and Mallory instinctively stood a little straighter, her heart racing as Kara closed the distance between them.

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