Wandas POV

I should not be this worried about what I'm wearing to Alex's firehouse, but I am.

I have several outfits strewn about my room and I haven't liked a single one.

I go back over to my closet hoping something will jump out at me.

But that's like going back to the fridge a minute after you looked and expecting there to be food you actually want in it.

Ugh.

I decide to sit on my floor and contemplate what I'm doing right now.

Which only lessens the time I'll have at the firehouse with Alex.

I should just pick something simple. It's not like it's a date. And who dresses up to a firehouse anyway, right? Right?

I honestly don't know because I've only been to one on one other occasion and, well, you know how that went.

I lay back into my closet, hoping the new angle will give me more clarity.

And it does.

I spot the shirt I wore when I went out to the karaoke bar for girls night.

I know how much Alex enjoyed the view.

I can pair it with some casual jeans to make it seem not so club like.

Having found the perfect outfit (or at least not letting myself think about it any longer), I was off to the firehouse, somehow managing to get out of the compound without anyone stopping or seeing me.

After sending a quick text to Alex, I crank my music as I pull out of the driveway and head for this.. day date, thing?

Yeah, whatever.

I see her standing outside the front building,

pacing back and forth. And if I'm not mistaken. She's playing with the rings on her fingers.

And the T-shirt she is wearing fits her perfectly.

How is that fair? She can wear a simple firehouse 11 T-shirt and look that good while I spent far too long picking out a shirt she's already seen me in?

Oh fuck. I'm such a dumbass. She's already seen me in this. Why didn't I wear something different?

As I'm in my car having a mini panic over my outfit, there's a tap on my window, making me jump the slightest bit.

It's Alex and she's smiling and it's making my heartbeat out of control.

I somehow get myself to lower the window.

"Hey, sunshine. Are you ready for this tour, or what?"

And with that new nickname, my heart skips a beat.

Why can't it make up its mind?

"Absolutely. I'm ready to be impressed."

She opens the door for me and offers her hand, "oh, you will be. Not to brag, but our house is by far the best." And then she winks.

Damn it. This is going to be an all day thing, isn't it?

Guess I'll just have to get use to not being able to properly respond.

That's fine.

She is gently pulling me toward the door, once again opening it for me, but reconnecting our hands once we enter.

I'm certainly not complaining.

We're almost immediately greeted by Max, "well hey, you two." She looks over to me and widens her smile. She knows this is a good thing.

"Hey Maxxy," Alex greets.

"Hi, Max," I answer.

"Are you trying to recruit Wanda?" She asks.

"Very funny. I'm giving her a proper tour, figured I owed her one."

"You do. You two have fun," she winks and then walks away.

"So, I figured we could start with the truck while there isn't a call out and then go from there?"

"Sounds good to me!" Too much excitement?

"So have you ever been in a fire truck?" She asks as we walk to the garage.

"I have not," I answer.

"Perfect. I can take your fire truck virginity then," she wiggles her eyebrows, effectively getting me to laugh.

"I guess so."

Once we're near the truck, I stop short.

It's kind of weird seeing it in the building instead of outside assisting the firefighters in putting out the fires.

"Pretty incredible, right?"

I look over to her and she is also admiring the truck, a sparkle in her eye that tells me that she honestly loves what she does.

"Yeah. It is."

Then she's tugging my hand again and leading me around, showing me where everything is located on the truck and attempting to explain what it's all used for.

I'm really more entranced by her. Her love for the job and excitement she gets talking about it is seriously so attractive. She has this confidence when she's working that makes you trust that she knows exactly what she's doing. And she does. I've seen her in action.

She opens the door and gestures for me to climb in, "after you, ma'am."

I haul myself up, taking in everything as I do.

She soon joins me.

"Ma'am, huh?"

"I'm trying to be professional. Would you rather me call you princess?" Her voice is low and unfair.

I mean, I do want her to call me that. But now is not necessarily the best time.

"Um.."

She laughs, "it's adorable when you're all flustered."

That didn't help me.

But I do notice now how close we are together. And I see her eyes flicker to my lips then back up. And suddenly it feels like it's 100 degrees in here, stripping our clothes off the only option to survive.

I so desperately want her to close the space between us, but she doesn't. She clears her throat and backs up slightly, breaking the heat, bringing it back down to room temperature. Okay, maybe not by that much.

I know she felt it. Feels it.

"So, uh.. what do you think?"

"It's pretty incredible. Your job is no joke, there's so much you have to know and you have to make these life altering decisions in the matter of seconds," I am honestly impressed.

"Yeah.. well, it's not the easiest job, but I love it. I can't imagine doing anything else," she lets her eyes travel over the interior of the truck.

"I can tell."

She brings her gaze back to me with a confused look.

I chuckle because she's adorable and I can't take it, "I can tell how much you love your job. The way you talk about it, your eyes light up like nothing else. You have a passion for this and for helping people. It's very attractive."

Now I see her move closer, that heat building back up.

"Oh, yeah?"

I gulp at the tone of her voice. It's tempting, so tempting.

Somehow I still find my voice, "Yeah. And don't even get me started on you in that uniform. Or when you're commanding people what to do. When you're running into the fire.."

By gravity or a magnetic pull, we're only mere centimeters away from each other now, neither of us even remembering we're in a fire truck anymore.

I start leaning in, desperate for contact.

I swear she is, too.

But then the alarm goes off.

And she's put into action, "come on, we have to get out of here quickly."

As she's saying that I see the team that must be on this shift putting on their gear. We're out of the truck just in time to let them climb in and head out.

The speed is impressive.

Then there's this weird electricity just sitting in the air as we watch the truck pull away, sirens blaring, followed by the emt truck and car. Everyone in there just as ready to run into a burning building.

Neither of us speaks. Knowing it'll only spark a fire we may not be able to put out.

It stretches on for too long.

"So.. ready for the rest of the tour?"

"Sure am," I get out.

She grabs my hand again, lighting it on fire, pulling me in another direction to show off the rest of her fire house.

She speaks with the same passion as she did while we were in the truck, but this time she keeps her distance.

The flirting is kept to a minimum.

She's still an incredible host, even giving me the chance to go down the fire pole, which she informed me, they do still use.

She made us some sandwiches in their kitchen, that being the only thing relatively available, she jokes about needing to get enough groceries to feed an army.

I completely understand that.

After a couple of hours talking and checking out the house, she has to get ready for her shift.

So I'm back in my car, not having left the parking lot, yet.

I'm going over it all in my head.

She was her normal flirtatious self at the beginning. I know she felt that pull in the fire truck, I know she was leaning in, too.

And then all of a sudden, she was keeping her space. Being a gracious host, still enthralled and excited, but drawn back at the same time.

The only contact we'd make is when she would grab my hand to lead me to the next spot at the house.

I am pretty lost here.

Did I do something?

What happened to make her draw back like that?