Page 3 of Never Give Up

“Yup,” Poppy cuts him off. “We heard him. But we also know how to do our jobs.” The sarcasm practically drips from her voice.

“Thanks. I’m headed out.” But he doesn’t move. And one minute turns into two, with him still standing there.

My cheeks start to burn with the realization that he is watching me, waiting for me to acknowledge him.

“Ten-four, see you later.” Poppy’s vibrant cheer is strong enough to scare anyone.

He sighs behind me, muttering something under his breath as he leaves.

Me? I just sit there, finally able to catch a full breath because I didn’t have to relive the worst humiliation of my life like I was a freshman in high school all over again.

“Come on, Maya. You can get over this. Over him.”

I find a smile even though all I want to do is lay my head down on the table and cry. “Over what? He’s just a… friend. I don’t even really want him.”

Poppy’s brows rise, calling me on the lie.

“Hiya, Maya? Crazy lady trying to lie to me here? It’s me. We both know he’s the only one you talk to besides me.” Poppy’s famous Irish attitude rears its head, and it’s only a matter of time before she explodes and throws a pen at me or something. “So don’t lie to me about it being a crush or you not really wanting him.”

“Bill’s still in the office. I don’t want to talk about this.” Heat continues burning my cheeks and I stare at my keyboard.

“Just… You deserve more, Maya. And one day very soon, like our next off-shift, we’re getting drinks and we’re going to vent about this shit.”

I can’t say anything to Poppy, even if I did know what to say to her, because our emergency phone line blares to life with an ear-splitting ring. For the next few hours, we are beyond busy taking medical calls, logging traffic stops by deputies, and handling everything else that comes up. I don’t even have a chance to go to the bathroom, let alone think about the fact that I lost my best male friend and the only man I wanted to be with in one fell swoop.

Still, when the lines go quiet, all I can do is think, what if I kept my mouth shut?

Before I can get very deep in my thoughts, the emergency phone rings again.

“9-1-1, what is the address of the emergency?” My brain flips to professional mode as I handle the call.

The hours tick by slowly, until our relief shows up just before shift change.

“Come on, girl, hurry up before the sun gets us.” Poppy’s already up and walking out the door before I can sign out of my computer. “You walking home again?”

With a nod, I wave her off and start the short journey home with nothing but the thoughts I’d been trying to ignore all night as my company.

Brian smiling at me while I trained on codes and call types.

Our late-night conversations about his boys and the life he wanted for them.

The friendship and advice we passed back and forth about failed relationships and what we wanted in the future.

My heart and mind play a cruel game with me, making it impossible to think of anything else while the minutes slip by.

I take my time walking the mile to my house, enjoying the brisk air and the chance to clear my mind. Living so close to work makes it easy to save gas money in the summer, and I love the quiet that comes with the time alone.

As our driveway looms ahead of me, something isn’t right. Stopping in my tracks, I stare at the closed door and the open window to its side, clearly showing the couch through the glass.

The living room light is on.

Brandi, my roommate, doesn’t just leave the light on. She’s obsessed with making sure that no one can see into our windows at night while we’re sleeping.

Slowly, I make my way inside, suspicion clouding my mind and making every horror movie I’ve ever seen start to play through my mind at the same time. Until I see the bright-pink piece of paper stuck to our fridge.

Out for the night.

Don’t forget to turn off the light.

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