Page 63 of Love Story

As soon as we were close to a signal, his phone exploded with notifications, and his smile dropped again as he glanced at the screen.

“Okay?”I asked.

“Yeah.”

But nothing was okay—his smile was less, his laughter quieter, and if I found out who was making him so sad, I’d drop them in boiling syrup.

Or worse, sic my friends on them.

I dropped him at Harriet’s place and gave him a few more kisses, not caring who saw us.

“Remember, I would do anything to be with you forever,” he whispered, and I smiled.

“Same.”

Then I waited until he was inside the house, waving as he shut the door.

Jesus.I have it bad.

I HEADED STRAIGHTto the fire station, hoping Conor was on shift.I was in luck—he was leaning against the side of the fire truck, scrolling through his phone, impossibly relaxed for someone on duty.

“Hey,” I called out, and he glanced up, grinning when he saw me.

“Sam Caldwell,” he said, slipping his phone into his pocket.“What brings you to my kingdom of fire and heroism?”

I rolled my eyes.“I need to talk.”

His grin softened into something more genuine.“Sure thing.What’s up?”

I shifted awkwardly, rubbing the back of my neck.“It’s… about Ben.”

Conor’s face lit up like Christmas morning.“Oh, this is gonna be good.Hang on.”He pulled out his phone, his eyes glinting with mischief.“Let me summon the troops.”

“Wait—what?”

Ten minutes later, I was crammed into a room at the back of the fire station.Coats lined the walls, and the faint scent of leather mixed with chocolate—Haider’s contribution from the shop.It was a tight fit, with me squished between Ryan and Haider on one side, while Conor perched across from me, his feet propped up on a bench.

“So,” Conor said, clapping his hands together.“Let’s talk about Samuel Caldwell and his feelings.”

“This is ridiculous,” I muttered, my face heating up as Ryan and Haider exchanged amused glances.

“No, this is necessary,” Ryan said, giving me a gentle elbow nudge.“You brought this on yourself by coming to Conor.”

“Exactly,” Conor said.“Now, spill.What’s going on with you and Ben?”

I hesitated, glancing at Haider, who was unusually quiet, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall.“I… I don’t know.He makes me feel all weird.”

“‘Weird’?”Ryan repeated, grinning.“Define weird.”

“Like…” I struggled for the words, gesturing helplessly.“Like I want to be around him all the time.And when I’m not, I’m thinking about him.And when he smiles at me, it’s like nothing else matters.”

Haider’s face lit up.“Sam, my dude, that’s not weird.That’s love.”

I froze.“Love?”

“Yes, love,” Conor said emphatically.“And you’re an idiot if you don’t do something about it.”

“I don’t know what to do,” I admitted, running a hand through my hair.“And I think I fucked up.”

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