Olivia

My anxiety ran high as I stared at myself in the vanity mirror of my bathroom. The bright lighting of it seemed to show off all the imperfections on my face. I sighed before messing with my hair to try and get it to lay how I wanted it. The loose curls Cassie had done for me seemed to be having a mind of their own. I wore tight, black denim pants with distressing at the knees and belted them with a simple black belt. My silk top was tucked into my pants. Lacework framed the V-neck line, accentuating my chest.

I wasn't completely sure about the outfit for a Holiday party, but I still needed to do some major shopping to make up for all the clothing I lost. My options weren't exactly large at the moment, but I would be meeting all of Jason's coworkers and friends, and I wanted to leave a good impression.

Jason and I continued to hang out all last week whenever he wasn't on shift. When he was on shift, he made sure to call me at night and catch up with me. Over the past week, we'd grown even more comfortable with each other and shared even more great moments, yet I was still nervous about this...about us and definitely about meeting his work family. I wondered what everyone would think. I mean, they knew who I was? They all worked the fire that I was in, and they knew it was how Jason and I met. Who knows how crazy they think we are for trying to continue something outside of it all.

I could hear Cassie knock on the bathroom door before letting herself in. She wore blue jeans with a simple white top. Her black coat was draped across her arm. "You ready, babes? We're going to be late." She reminded me, stepping closer to me with concern. "You okay?" She asked. "You're looking kind of on edge."

"I'm just nervous, Cass..." I trailed off, glancing back at myself in the mirror. "I mean, who knows what everyone's going to think of me being there like this with Jason."

"Don't overthink it." She assured me, playing with my hair a bit. "Who cares what they think." She shrugged, popping her mint gum. "Besides, if he invited you, I bet they all want you there."

I sighed out before nodding my head in agreement with her. "You're right. I overthink constantly, and you know this."

"I do." She admitted confidently.

I rolled my eyes at her in response, causing her to laugh. "Let's get going, babe. Your man is waiting." She winked, earning a glare from me as she grabbed onto my hand and led us out of the apartment.

It was a short drive to the station. Cassie and I were already walking from our parking spot down the block. I felt my nerves start to kick into overdrive, and Cassie must have been able to tell because she wrapped a comforting arm around me and pulled me close.

"Are you really that nervous, babes?" She asked, stopping for a second so we could face each other.

"Yes." I mean, how could I not be? How could I not be nervous about going into a room full of the men and women who were on the scene when my life fell apart...and who knows the entire story." I belted out. "I mean...what if they judge me and think I'm just going after Jason like I have some firefighter fetish?

"Listen..." She started. "If you really don't want to go, we don't have to. We can call him up and make up some lie and have a Grey's marathon instead."

I smiled, grateful for my best friend's support but still shook my head anyway. "We're already here. I need to calm myself down."

Cassie nodded her head before locking our arms together and continuing to walk. When we arrived at the station, I could tell that a party was going on. The old red bricks were decorated with colorful lights and green garlands. Some people were hanging around outside, and I scanned through them to see if any were Jason. Of course, after only a few seconds of looking, our eyes locked. He leaned against the brick wall with his friend in front of him talking. A smile immediately grew on his face as he jogged toward us.

"Liv! Cassie!" He cheered. "I'm so happy you guys are here." He smiled, giving us both a hug. He pressed a quick kiss to my forehead before grabbing my hand and beginning to lead us to his friend, who he left behind at the wall.

"This is my partner and best friend, Russ." He introduced me. "Russ, this is Olivia and her friend Cassandra."

Russ smiled big before embracing me and then Cassie in a hug. "Glad to see you doing well, Olivia." He stated, looking me over. "My boy here's been speaking pretty highly of you lately." He added, earning a death glare from Jason.

I laughed softly as I could feel Jason tense up beside me. "I'm thrilled to hear that, and thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate all of you for what you did for me."

Russ tucked his hands into his pants pockets and shook his head. "No need. We're so grateful to see you standing here."

Smiling, I nodded my head in response to his statement. "You guys will always have my endless gratitude, know that."

Jason pulled me into his side and placed a kiss on top of my head. I smiled in response and held onto his arm with my free hand.

We all walked inside together, where the majority of everyone was. Jason began to point out his crew and tell me about their ranking and what that meant. He told me I'd get the chance to meet them all this evening and reassured me that they'd all be thrilled to see me here. I did feel kind of awkward being in a room with everyone who knew about one of the worst things that had ever happened to me but also grateful that they were there for us and happy to see me.

I couldn't feel Cassie next to me anymore and glanced around the room, only to see that she had sat down with Russ at the kitchen island as he was pouring something to drink for the both of them. They were both laughing and seemingly hitting it off, and that made me happy.

"Looks like they're hitting it off, huh?" Jason chuckled, draping his arm around my shoulders. I held onto his hand with mine and let out a laugh myself.

"I think so." I nodded. "We did talk about how similar they are, seems like a good match."

"Made right in heaven," Jason added as he began to walk over to one of the men who had made eye contact with us. I could feel my heart rate pick up as the man greeted us with a smile.

He was very tall and his grey hair and glasses added to his mature and prestigious look already. He wore a very nice suit with pins and gold detailing on it. The fire station logo sat proudly on his sleeve.

"Olivia, this is Captain Kenneth Howard, Cap, this is Olivia." Jason introduced us. Confidence filled his tone.

Captain Howard immediately embraced me and told me how pleased he was to meet me under better circumstances. I immediately felt my nerves calm down at the sound of his soft voice, filled with support and empathy.

"It's such a pleasure to meet you, really." I smiled as we pulled back from the hug.

"You look like you're doing great. Boyd over here hasn't stopped talking about you all week." He winked. "Can't say I blame him."

I could feel my cheeks heating up as he said this, and I looked over to Jason only to notice he was going a little read himself, a shy smile plastered on his face.

"Take care of that girl, Boyd. Use your head." The captain warned gently, patting Jason on the shoulder.

Jason nodded his head. "Yes sir, I know exactly what I was blessed with, trust me."

Jason continued to introduce me to all of his crew, and we mingled and hung out for the rest of the party. Cassie and Russ had been glued at the hip most of the night, joking and laughing with each other. When it came to be about 10 pm, most of the people who weren't working there were gone, and it was really just Cassie, Russ, Jason, and I left sitting in the living area and talking with each other about random things.

I could feel myself growing sleepy and rested my head on Jason's shoulder. He wrapped a protective arm around me and pulled me closer to him. "You getting sleepy?" He asked.

Nodding my head, I cuddled into him a little deeper. "Yeah"

Cassie must have heard because I felt her pull on my jacket. "We can go now, babes. I'm getting tired too."

We all stood up as the boys insisted on walking us to our car, which we had parked down the block. Jason grabbed my hands and interlaced our fingers as we made our way down to the car. Russ and Cassie walked ahead of us, holding a conversation of their own.

Once we got there, Russ immediately walked Cassie over to the driver's door and helped her inside while Jason and I stood in front of the car. I leaned up against the hood of it as he stood close in front of me. Jason held both my hands in his as he stared into my eyes. Those eyes would always make me nervous but in the best way possible.

"I'm so glad, sweetheart." He smiled. "Everyone was so happy to see you."

"That makes me happy." I smiled, cocking my head to the side. "I'm glad I came too. Everyone was so welcoming to Cassie and me."

Jason pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead, causing my smile to fade a little. That wasn't enough, it wasn't enough for me anymore, and I longed to know what it was like to kiss him, to be in sync with him.

When he pulled back, I couldn't help but look away from his eyes and down at his rosy pink lips. They were so plump and moist, so tempting. If I had the courage, I'd probably have initiated a kiss right now. I was ready. I was ready to start really moving on from the past and allowing myself to feel good again. After the last week and tonight, I wanted more of Jason, and I wanted to trust him and let myself start to be more intimate, not just physically but emotionally.

"Jason..." I whispered, cupping his cheek in my hand. He looked into my eyes and watched as I glanced down at his lips again before looking at him. I watched as he examined my face, looking for any sign that what was about to happen shouldn't happen. His hesitation caused me to brush my thumb across the stubble on his cheek and nod my head.

Jason leaned in a little, still hesitating, so I did something that took both of us by surprise and leaned in the rest of the way, pressing our lips together, finally. My stomach fluttered, and I could feel my body grow warm even as the icy cold wind surrounded us. I couldn't help but smile into the kiss as my body was overwhelmed with happiness and content. Our lips moved perfectly in sync together. It made me question how I'd been around him so much and resisted this all that time. Jason pulled me closer against him, his hard chest pressed against mine, leaving no space between us anymore. My hands traveled up to his hair, and my fingers curled in on it as the kiss deepened even further.

We both pulled back for air and stared into each other's eyes in complete awe, breathlessly. I never wanted this moment to end. Jason pressed his forehead to mine before closing his eyes. My hands rested on his chest, feeling his heart nearly beating out of his chest.

"I wasn't expecting that." He admitted, opening his eyes again. "Wow..."

"Me neither..."

"I-I just, wow." He breathed out, earning a soft laugh from me.

"Wow is right." I nodded. "I can't believe I waited for that."

Jason gently held my chin between his thumb and pointer finger, tilting my head up so that I was looking directly into his eyes.

"The fact that you were ready is what made it so perfect, sweetheart."

God, this man was everything I could ever ask for, patient, kind, caring. At this moment, I felt nothing but complete adoration for him.

"I don't want to leave you..." I whispered, wrapping my arms around him and resting my head on his chest. I really, really, didn't. I wanted this moment to last for as long as possible.

Jason sighed and held me tightly. "I don't want you to go, but here's the deal." He started, pulling me back and holding my face in his hands. "I'm off at 7, I'll go home and shower, and I'll drop by and give you all the kisses you want."

I smiled, standing up on my tiptoes placing a quick kiss on his lips. "Yes, please."

"Can't wait." Jason grinned, kissing me once more.

He walked me over to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for me. Inside I could hear Cassie giggling to Russ, who was leaning against her window.

"You love birds ready?" She asked, a playful grin on her face.

Blushing, I nodded my head and put my seat belt on. "For now." I smiled, looking over at Jason.

"We thought we were going to have to get you two a room." Russ joked.

"Yeah yeah," Jason muttered, waving a dismissive hand at his best friend. "You guys get home safe. Call me once you make it, Liv."

"I will, as soon as I walk in."

"Good. " Jason smiled. "One more..." He trailed off, leaning into the car and quickly kissing me, bringing a big smile to my face. "I'll see you later." He whispered before stepping back.

Cassie said her goodbyes to Russ as well before rolling up our car windows so we could keep the heat inside. I waved to Jason as he watched us drive off down the road.

"What a kiss that was." Cassie laughed, glancing over at me. "Russ and I thought you guys were gonna end up making a baby." She teased.

"Oh please, that was the first time we kissed, and I guess we just couldn't stop." I shrugged. "It was perfect."

Cassie smiled and grabbed hold of my hand with her free one. "I'm glad babes, I'm really happy to see you happy."

"For once, I think I'm happy to be happy too."