Page 58 of Revived
I can’t let my fears and worries overtake me right now. Wet stuff on the hot stuff; that’s what I have to focus on until I get home to her.
***
It took us three hours to get the house fully extinguished. Then another two to get all of our gear, equipment, and tools scrubbed clean. By the time shift change comes, I’m dead on my feet. I’m walking out of the station when Steel jogs up beside me.
“Hey, Lieu. You okay?” He asks with concern in his tone.
“Yeah, why?” I ask, confused at what he’s talking about.
“Lieutenant Byrne, with all due respect, we just put a fire out across the street from your own home? At your girl's house? How are you okay right now?” His brow furrows as he tries to figure out how I’m processing all of this.
I decide to be honest with him. He’s curious, and he’s man enough to ask, so why not? “I have to be. I can let it all out in about ten minutes when I’m at home and with her. Until then, that shit stays locked up.”
He’s taken aback by the honesty in my response. “How though? How do you do that so efficiently? I was torn up for you, and you seemed strictly business.”
I clap my hand on his shoulder. “Man, where were you when I was too wrapped up in seeing her to do the job? She’s safe. She’s in my bedand waiting for me. Everything else is just stuff. As long as I have her, I could lose it all and still be okay.”
He nods as he thinks it over. “That makes sense. You’re one strong motherfucker, Lieu.”
“Thanks. Now, I’m going to go home to my girl. Get some sleep, and I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
With that we part ways, and I make the short drive home. Once I’m in my driveway and out of my vehicle, my eyes automatically linger across the street. Where just twenty-four hours ago Elle’s house stood. The thought that she could have been inside the house has my chest aching and a paralyzing fear coating my blood.
I can’t take being away from her a second longer. She has to go to the gym today, so we already can’t spend the entire day together. Moving as quickly and quietly as I can, my feet move through the house and into my bedroom. I can hear her sniffling before I even make it across the room. Stripping out of my clothes as I go, I’m down to just my boxer briefs by the time I’m climbing in bed behind her. One of my arms circles her middle while the other wedges under her pillows.
“Shhhh… It’s okay, Boo. I’m here.” I nuzzle my face into the back of her neck as she tries her hardest to sniffle without me noticing.Yeah, that’s not going to happen.
I’m not going to ask questions that I already know the answer to. I know what’s wrong. She just lost her damn house, and I almost losther.I shudder just thinking about what would have happened if I pulled up and she was inside. She spins in my arms and her watery eyes meet mine.
“Everything’s gone. I had pictures of my mom in there, Sully.” She hiccups as she buries her head into my bare chest.
My chest feels hollow as I hold the woman I love while she grieves the physical mementos of her Mama that she lost today. I’ll hold heras long as she needs me to. She can soak up every ounce of strength that I have if it’ll make this easier on her. I make a mental note to call Rowan later and make sure our keepsakes of our parents are in fireproof lockboxes.
“I’m so sorry, baby girl. I wish I could make this better for you.”
I press my face into the top of her head and breathe her in until I can feel her down to the tips of my toes. Elle loves when I do this. I can always tell by the way she snuggles in closer. Little does she know that yes, I do this because I love the way that she smells, but I also do this to make sure she doesn’t smell like syrup. That’s how I know her sugar is sky high. The dexcom is cool and all, but I don’t trust it fully. Machines malfunction all the time.
She smells like coconut and a walk on the beach, just like her shampoo and body wash. She smells like the safest place in the world. She smells like the only girl I’ve ever loved.
“It’s okay.” She sniffles once more before sitting up. “I’ve got a lot of stuff to do today. I should probably get moving.”
Elle maneuvers just out of my reach before she stands up. “Come on, Elle. We can handle it all together. Just come finish talking to me. Please.” My voice comes out as a plea.
“I can’t. You go to sleep. You were up all night. I’ve got to call my Papa. Then I have to talk to someone who can tell me how this started in the first place. Finally, I have to call insurance and stuff. I’m going to have to figure out how to work out between all of that. I’ve just got a lot going on. So you get some sleep, and I’ll talk to you when you get up.”
Before I can answer, she’s out of the room, and before I get to the front door, she’s pulling down the street.
What the fuck.
Chapter twenty-seven
Elena Rossi
It’s been six days since I got the text about breaking up with Sully. Six days, and now my house has burned down. That’s not a coincidence. He’s reminding me how serious he is. I have to break up with Sully. Of course I have to; there was never any other option here. We've been cursed our entire lives. I thought that this time we were able to have a real shot at us, but instead of being revived, we’re being brought to ruin.
After leaving Sully’s house, I called Kenzie and headed straight over. I’ve been crying on her couch for the past twenty minutes while she just sits with me quietly. She lets me feel what I need to and say what I want to disclose without pushing or judging. That’s why she’s such an amazing person. I love the guys, and I love Addy, but they’re all strong willed and have no problem voicing their opinion. That’s not what I need right now.
I know what I have to do, and I don’t want to be talked out of it. I’ll figure all of this out as soon as trials are over. That’s it. I just have to get through the next week and a half. My watery eyes come up to Kenzie as I voice the one thing that I don’t want to do.
