Page 32 of Embers of Love

“Are you real?”

Josephine smiled and reached over, taking her hand. Her dark green eyes were thoughtful. The touch was real, she definitely felt it. The warmth that travelled between and the goosebumps that rose across her forearm confirmed that this was definitely real.

“Yes, I’m real,” Josephine confirmed.

Tears welled up in Ember’s eyes. “How?”

“Well, I heard about the party from one of your coll?—”

“No,” Ember cut her off. “How did you live through these past few days? I could barely think! Sometimes I felt like I couldn’t breathe! Not seeing you has messed me up so bad! How are you okay?!”

Josephine looked at her sadly. “Love, I was not okay. Trust me. I waited outside for hours, hoping I would simply catch a glimpse of you. Avoiding you was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life!”

“Then why did you do it? What was the point of it?”

Josephine looked at the ground. Pulling her hand away from Ember’s.

“Because your mother is right. I love you, but I can’t ignore the fact that I am much older than you. You have your whole life ahead of you while I’m closer to the end of mine.”

“You love me?” Ember asked, hanging on to that more than anything else Josephine had said.

The doctor looked her deep in the eye. A range of emotions played across her face, but the sincerity in the words that followed was undoubtable.

“Yes, Ember. I love you. I actually think I have loved you since the very first night we spent together.”

Ember felt something snap within her. Like a broken dam, the tears flowed freely. She’d thought she already cried her eyes out enough but that was not to be. There was far more left. She buried her face in her palms. Hearing those words meant the world to her. Since that night Josephine left, she’d questioned herself over and over again on whether what they shared was real or not. She was thankful that it was.

“So why won’t you stay with me?” Ember asked, hating how she sounded like she was pleading, but she knew it was exactly how she felt. All these years she had spent building this façade as someone unflappable. She could run into a burning building without hesitation but a life without Josephine was something she dreaded above all else.

“It’s for the best?” Josephine replied.

“For who?!” Ember demanded. “Because I don’t see how this is doing either one of us any good!”

“For you, for your mother, and maybe for me too. I can’t bear the thought that it was me who drove a wedge between you two. Family is important.”

Ember wanted to rage, she wanted to scream in frustration. Nothing Josephine was saying made sense. Why did her mother’s approval matter so much? Why did it matter that she was older? They loved each other, that was what mattered the most!

“I know what you’re thinking,” Josephine said in that gentle voice. “Sometimes, love is not enough, Ember. It’s hard to admit, I know, but it’s not. I’ve lived through it before.”

Josephine got up. “I didn’t want to leave things as they were, not without speaking to you. I want you to know each moment we spent together will forever remain the best times of my life.”

Ember couldn’t bear to look at Josephine as she walked away. Something broke within her. What little light that was left within her was snuffed out. She stood from the bench, feeling like a husk of herself. She walked into the fire station. It was emptier than it had been earlier. They’d all gone home. It suited her just fine. She went about checking the equipment, going through the motions.

A tap on her shoulder made her turn around.

“Are you okay?” Kiera asked. She’d made an attempt to tame her thick, wild red hair and pull it up into a ponytail to keep it out of her face. It didn’t do much good as strands were already sticking out.

“Yes, why do you ask?”

“Well, I called you three times and got no response.” Keira looked bewildered. “I was standing right next to you.”

“Sorry, guess I was a bit distracted.”

“Okay.”

Kiera didn’t sound like she believed Ember, but that was okay as long as she didn’t prod any further. Soon the alarm rung, signaling an emergency somewhere in the city. It came as something of a blessing for Ember. She wanted to be on the move. She wanted to be doing something that would distract her from the pain she couldn’t seem to get rid of.

She got behind the wheel of the fire truck. Normally, Elle would drive, but when she caught her eye, there was an understanding that passed between them.

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