Free Phoenix Feather by Angela Wallace

Phoebe’s at her internship, so I can’t sit with her and keep her company. I’m supposed to be at mine, but while I was cataloging Aztec artifacts it occurred to me, while I’m being strong for them, I might need someone to do that for me.” She gave him a tentative look, open and vulnerable.
    He wanted to put his arm around her and draw her toward him, but knew he smelled like ash, and he didn’t want to smother her in it. He settled for interlacing his fingers with hers. She trusted him. It was a gesture he found inflaming, spurring his desire to protect her and make everything better. But he knew it couldn’t work that way. He didn’t know what to say, and he didn’t want to offer her empty comfort with words like, “I’m sorry,” or “It’ll all be okay.” Instead, he said,
    “Anything you need.”
    And he meant it with a ferocity usually reserved for family. That surprised him. So maybe a romantic relationship wouldn’t work out right now, and oddly, that didn’t bother him as much as he thought. If Aidan needed family, then that’s what he’d give her, because he felt himself drawn to her in a way that surpassed the initial, superficial attraction.
    “I know it’s a lot to ask…”
    Trent firmly shook his head. “I’m not the type of guy to run when things get rough.” He tried to let her see the sincerity behind his eyes.
    She leaned her head against his chest. “Sometimes I hate being alone,” she said in a soft voice.
    “I’ll do my best to help with that.”
    She straightened. “Can we go dancing again soon? With Chris and Phoebe?”
    He smiled, and risked brushing some of her hair behind her ear without transferring grease. She didn’t pull away. “Absolutely.” That’s what she needed: to know life went on. To know that it was okay to still enjoy things, even when not everything was good. Trent thought of his brother. Bryan had lost that, and despite Trent’s best efforts to help him remember, was currently lost in a world where nothing seemed good. He wouldn’t let that happen to Aidan, or to Chris and Phoebe, not if he could do everything in his power to help them keep going.
    “Hey, the firehouse is having a community barbecue on Halloween,” he said. “It’s part of a fundraiser and public education on Halloween safety. Why don’t you, Phoebe, and Chris come? It’s a lot of fun every year, and there are some guys in the company that would like to meet you.” He stroked her hair again. “It’s my day off, so if a call comes in, I won’t need to run off and leave you.”
    Aidan nodded slowly. “Maybe that would be good.”
    “I’m pretty good with a barbecue as well.”
    She tilted her head at him. “Do I have to bring dessert?”
    “Nope. On the city this time.”
    She smiled. “Okay.”
    “Do you know when he’ll have the results?”
    “Um, a couple days, maybe.”
    “Okay.” He rubbed her back. “Call me anytime for whatever, just to talk, or if you need a date to even the playing field…and when you know?”
    Aidan nodded. “Yes.” She took a deep breath and got to her feet. “Thank you.”
    Trent stood up. “I’ll call when I get off in sixteen hours, see how you’re doing.” He stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug because he thought she needed it more than staying smoke-free.
    “Okay,” she said after pulling away. She gave a last attempt at a brave smile and walked back to her car.
    When Trent had wanted to become a part of her life, he had imagined more nights of dinner and dancing, of getting to know her better through her intellect and wit. But he was getting the hard road, which he knew would help them get to know each other in one of the deepest ways possible. Too bad it was the dark road that showed a person’s true colors in the quickest amount of time. If Aidan survived this, they might have a very solid friendship as a foundation for anything he might hope to have in the future.
     
    ***
     
    Aidan paced back and forth