Dani strolled along the chipped pavement beside his cousin, a sheepish smile tugging at his lips despite the lingering soot on their clothes and the faint burn in their lungs from the dorm fire. Esmeralda, his cousin's gaze swept over him conspicuously, her eyes narrowing like she was piecing together a puzzle he didn't want solved. But Dani didn't care much; they were four blocks clear of the chaos now, bodies still radiating heat from the blaze, but otherwise unscathed. He hadn't bothered calling Frederick yet, truthfully avoiding the inevitable interrogation that always followed anything dramatic. Frederick's questions drilled deep, annoying and relentless, and Dani lacked the mental energy to navigate his endless probing right then.
"You are engaged," Esmeralda muttered, staring straight at the road ahead as if conversing with the asphalt itself, though Dani knew the words were aimed squarely at him.
"What?" he asked, feigning confusion with a tilt of his head, but she whipped around to face him, her expression stern and unyielding, clearly not buying his daydreamy distraction for a second.
"I said, you are engaged," she repeated, enunciating each word like a teacher correcting a wayward student, her message landing crystal clear this time.
"Tell me something I don't know," Dani sneered, annoyance bubbling up hot and quick. Esmeralda had a habit of this, always siding with Frederick like he was some flawless knight, never mind the quirks. He'd confided in her about Ace last year, and she'd practically cheered at the rejection, dismissing any notion of pursuing him as foolish. Dani wondered if her disdain stemmed from Ace's casanova reputation or something deeper, like protectiveness wrapped in judgment.
"Well, you obviously have forgotten, seeing how you're all smiles after chatting with the magnificent Ace Harlan," she shot back, her voice dripping with mockery as she waved her arms dramatically, imitating a swooning fan.
Dani rolled his eyes and sighed, picking up his pace to put some distance between them. "I wasn't smiling, Mels," he denied flatly, striding ahead with hasty steps, though his cheeks warmed at the accusation.
"Oh no you don't, girl," she bellowed, galloping to catch up in five long strides, matching his rhythm without missing a beat, her breath coming in determined puffs.
"What's it now?" Dani yelled, his annoyance spiking into full-blown frustration, halting to face her with hands on hips.
"The problem is that you're letting Ace wrap you around his little finger," she said, pointing a finger accusingly, her eyes flashing with concern masked as scolding. Dani scoffed, feeling insulted by the implication that he was the one being played.
"It's the other way around, bitch!" he fired back, flinging the left cluster of his long hair over his shoulder—it had somehow kept its shininess and silkiness through the fire's ordeal, a small victory amid the mess.
"Oh, so you're fully aware," she interrogated, grunting as her quick steps began to tire her out, sweat beading on her forehead from the effort.
Dani smiled inwardly as he noticed her fatigue, thinking to himself, "Dumb bitch," while increasing his pace even more, leaving her farther behind with each stride.
She stopped in her tracks, breathing profusely, and Dani heard her voice echo from the distance he'd created. "Better stop those dumb games, boo; it always comes back to bite!" she yelled, her words carrying a warning tone that lingered in the air.
When he turned back to look, he saw her hailing a taxi, sliding into the back seat as it zoomed off into the traffic, leaving him alone on the sidewalk with his thoughts.
He sighed deeply, honestly believing he wasn't playing any games at all. "There's no game," he reassured himself aloud, shaking his head to dispel Esmeralda's words, convinced he wasn't the coy bitch she painted him to be. He knew exactly who held his heart—Frederick, and Frederick alone.
"I am in love with Frederick," he declared to the empty street, the words a mantra against the confusion stirring inside. "Ace is just...." But his voice trailed off, unfinished, as he spotted Frederick's white Nissan approaching from the distance, sleek and familiar. Esmeralda must have called him, ever the meddler.
The car screeched to a halt directly in front of him, and the tinted window on the driver's side rolled down smoothly. "Get in, Mrs. Dave," Frederick said, his brown eyes glinting mischievously in the evening light, a playful nickname that always coaxed a reluctant grin from Dani.
"So no... oh, are you okay? No check-up?" Dani inquired, a touch annoyed, folding his arms across his chest. He was used to Frederick's nonchalance by now, the way he skipped straight to banter without the fuss of worry.
"I can see you're doing all right," Frederick replied with a smirk, then paused dramatically. "Your firefighter friend, what's his name? Uh...." His voice trailed off, as if searching for the word, but Dani rolled his eyes, knowing full well Frederick remembered Ace's name—he was just being petty, stirring the pot in that subtle way of his.
"Ace," Dani said bluntly, meeting Frederick's gaze without flinching, refusing to play into the game.
"Yeah, that's right! Ace!" Frederick yelled, snapping his fingers multiple times in quick succession, feigning sudden recall with exaggerated enthusiasm.
"Get in, my love... let me take you to a treat," he growled in that annoyingly sexy voice, the most attractive feature Dani had noticed about him from the start—deep, rumbling, like velvet over gravel.
"Are you crazy? I look a mess!" Dani protested, gesturing to his soot-streaked hoodie and disheveled hair as he walked briskly around the car to the passenger seat, sliding in anyway.
"No, darling, you look wonderful," Frederick said as he drove off, probably toward some five-star restaurant, his hand reaching over to squeeze Dani's thigh with affectionate reassurance, the city lights beginning to flicker on around them.
Dani settled into the leather seat, watching the buildings blur past, a mix of warmth and unease settling in his chest. Frederick's touch grounded him, a reminder of their solid life together, but Esmeralda's words echoed faintly, poking at doubts he didn't want to name. The evening air rushed in through the cracked window, carrying the faint scent of smoke that clung to his clothes, a stubborn remnant of the day's chaos—and of Ace's unexpected tenderness. He glanced at Frederick's profile, strong and steady, and pushed the thoughts away, focusing on the promise of dinner and normalcy. Yet deep down, a small spark wondered if the fire was truly out, or if it waited, smoldering, for the right breeze to reignite.