Chapter 39
About an hour ago, a report came in that the cat that had been raised was stuck in a tree and couldn’t come down. Usually, when Dane was inspecting his equipment with an unmistakable look of boredom, yawning lazily and showing signs of irritation, it was unusual for him to immediately hop into the car. Grayson followed suit, though he still didn’t understand why he did so. It was literally an action he took "without realizing it." By the time he snapped back to his senses, the car was already speeding down the road.
No one mentioned anything about Grayson joining the call-out. The attitude was clear: they wouldn’t get involved, no matter what his intentions were. However, Grayson preferred it that way, because right now, the only thing bothering him was one person.
That man, Dane Striker, was sitting with his arms crossed, shaking one leg nervously. His usual indifference was replaced with visible restlessness, likely because the cat was troubling him. Seeing this unusual behavior made Grayson feel strangely off. No matter how big the fire, Dane always showed signs of annoyance or boredom, but whenever animals were involved, he acted differently. Once, he had rescued a squirrel, and another time, he had picked up a fallen bird from its nest and placed it back. Dane always appeared serious and focused when dealing with animals. And once the task was done, he would always lose that sparkle in his eyes, fading into a dull, empty stare. Grayson had grown used to it by now.
What was unfamiliar to him now was his own reaction. For some reason, since "that day," Grayson had begun to care about every little thing Dane did. Why was that? Even Grayson himself didn’t understand it.
More than anything, he didn’t like the current situation. This was no time to waste here. The fire station business was finished, and they should be leaving, just like they always did. His father had told him to hang on for a year, but surely there were ways to get out of it, and it wasn't impossible. He had to do so. Life was too short to wait around for his destined love.
Yet, nearly a month had passed since that day, and Grayson was still here. Even though he couldn’t explain it to himself, he still found himself tagging along on the calls, almost like following Dane.
Wait, following him? Me?
He frowned at this newly realized fact when, at that moment, the car arrived at the scene. As expected, the first to get out of the car was Dane. He quickly put on his coat and headed straight for the tree where the cat was stuck. While the others set up a ladder, Dane put on his helmet and prepared to climb. At a distance, Grayson noticed what appeared to be the cat's owner, a woman, pacing back and forth nervously with the neighbors.
"It's not working; we can’t lean the ladder," Diandre said after a few failed attempts.
Ezra immediately grabbed his radio. "Let's call for the ladder truck. We’ll wait in the meantime."
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The firefighters who came to assist casually chatted with the residents while keeping an eye on the tree, making sure nothing happened to the cat. Meanwhile, a group of women gathered nearby, whispering excitedly.