𝐘/𝐍'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕

When I stepped into Madelyn's apartment, I wasn't sure what I expected, but the place had an easy kind of warmth. It wasn't overly decorated, but it was lived-in. Cozy. The kind of place where people actually spent time together.

Madelyn stood off to the side, watching me with an amused expression as I set my toolkit on the counter. "You look very serious right now."

I smirked, pulling out my screwdriver. "I take fire safety very seriously."

She nodded, lips twitching. "Of course. Can't have me going up in flames."

"Nope. I'd never hear the end of it if the actress I was supposed to be protecting caught fire on my watch."

Madelyn chuckled, crossing her arms. "Oh, so now I'm your responsibility?"

I glanced at her, catching the glint of teasing in her eyes. "Well, seeing as I'm the one checking your detectors, yeah. Just for today."

She hummed, watching as I reached up to unscrew the first detector in the kitchen. "So, do you actually think anything's wrong with these, or did I totally con you into coming here?"

I snorted, pulling out the battery. "The wiring on this one is loose. So, congratulations, your con job has been somewhatvalidated."

Madelyn grinned. "See? I knew I wasn't completely full of shit."

I shot her a look. "Mmm. Jury's still out."

She laughed, leaning against the counter as I finished up. "You ever use your firefighter skills outside of actual fires?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, like—do you just walk into places and start assessing hazards? Check your friend's apartments for hidden dangers?"

I smirked. "I do give my friend Lili shit about keeping candles too close to the couch, she's literally dating a firefighter and still does it."

Madelyn gasped, placing a hand on her chest. "I knew you'd be a candle hater."

I scoffed, snapping the detector back into place. "I don't hate candles. I just don't trust people to use them responsibly."

Madelyn shook her head, grinning. "You're exactly the type of person who'd date someone with a candle addiction and suffer in silence."

I chuckled. "Not a chance."

"You would," she insisted. "You'd just blow them out whenever they weren't looking."

I laughed, moving to the next one in the living room. "Well, I guess I'll never know until I date someone with a candle addiction."

Madelyn tilted her head, watching me. "Never say never."

I glanced at her, but she just smiled, like she hadn't said anything remotely suggestive.

I shook my head, finishing up in the living room. "Alright, last one's in the hallway."

She followed me down the hall, standing off to the side as I grabbed my stepladder. "For the record," she said, crossing her arms, "I appreciate you coming by."

I glanced down at her. "You're welcome."

She smirked. "See? You do care."

I rolled my eyes, stepping up onto the ladder. "I care about making sure your apartment doesn't burn down."

Madelyn chuckled. "Uh-huh. Sure."

I shook my head, unscrewing the last detector. As I pulled it down, I heard the front door open.

"Oh, thank God," JD's voice rang out. "Did your future wife come by yet—oh wow, hi, sorry."

I turned slightly, catching sight of him standing in the entryway, eyes wide with mock surprise.

Carlacia and Drew followed right behind him, both of them giving Madelyn identical knowing looks.

Madelyn groaned. "You guys suck."

Drew smirked. "You invited us to live here, remember?" Drew leaned against the wall, watching me work. "So, is she actually fixing anything or was this all just an excuse for you to flirt?"

I smirked, tightening the screws back in place. "Oh, I'm working." I glanced at Madelyn. "Whether or not this was a con job is still up for debate."

Madelyn crossed her arms, feigning offense. "Are you accusing me of manipulating a public servant?"

JD snorted. "That's exactly what she's saying."

I smirked. "At least you own up to it."

She grinned. "I never said I did."

Madelyn narrowed her eyes. "Don't y'all have somewhere to be?"

Drew chuckled, shaking his head. "Nope. We're exactly where we're supposed to be."

I smirked, replacing the battery. "You all have a very specific dynamic."

Carlacia grinned. "Welcome to the circus."

I chuckled, stepping off the ladder and packing my tools. "Alright, you should be good now. Just test it later and make sure it doesn't beep again."

Madelyn nodded. "Got it. Thanks, Captain Safety."

I shot her a look. "Captain what?"

She grinned. "Captain Safety. You know, like a superhero, but for preventing dumb accidents."

I rolled my eyes, smirking. "I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that."

JD leaned toward Carlacia. "She's pretending she didn't love it."

Carlacia nodded. "Mmm-hmm."

I exhaled, shaking my head. "Alright, I'm heading out."

Madelyn crossed her arms, tilting her head. "What, no post-job drink?"

I looked at her, amusement flickering in my chest. "Is that my official payment?"

She smirked. "Well, I was gonna offer dinner, but since you're running off—"

I sighed dramatically. "Fine. One drink."

Carlacia grinned. "Oh, this is gonna be fun."

Madelyn shot her a look. "You're staying out of this."

Drew smirked. "Good luck with that." As I grabbed my bag, Madelyn reached for my screwdriver to hand it back.

But when I turned, we were suddenly very close.

For a second, neither of us moved.

She held the screwdriver out between us, but her fingers lingered just a little too long as I took it. Her eyes flickered up to mine, and I swear—for just a second—something charged passed between us.

Then JD clapped his hands. "Welp, I think we should all take a moment to appreciate this successful fire safety inspection."

Madelyn exhaled, rolling her eyes as she stepped back. I shook my head, but when I looked at Madelyn again, she was still smirking.

.  .  .

Madelyn poured the drinks while JD, Carlacia, and Drew continued their relentless teasing. I had barely agreed to one drink before I realized what I had gotten myself into—Madelyn's friends were relentless, and I wasn't sure whether I found them hilarious or annoying yet.

"A white wine for you," Madelyn said, setting a glass down in front of me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Mmm conwoman and server, weird combo but great job on the drink choice."

She smirked, sitting across from me. "I have good instincts."

Carlacia, who was sprawled out on the couch with her own drink, let out a short laugh. "Good instincts? That's what we're calling it?"

Madelyn shot her a look. "Yes, Laci. That's what we're calling it."

Drew, who was nursing his beer, glanced between us. "You know, it's really nice of you to actually do the fire safety thing. I honestly thought Madelyn was making that up just to get you over here."

I huffed a laugh. "I wouldn't have come if I thought it was fake, I mean it seems like it partially was but,"

JD pointed at me. "See? That's what makes you different. Most people would've just gone with the vibe and hoped for the best."

I smirked. "Yeah, I don't really do the go with the vibe thing, I'm not a do it for the plot person, anymore at least."

Madelyn tilted her head, watching me. "No? What do you do then?"

I took a sip of my drink. "I like to know what I'm walking into." JD let out a low whistle. "Ohhh, you're one of those people."

I gave him a look. "One of what people?"

Carlacia smirked. "A planner. A strategist. The type who has to think about something fifty times before acting on it."

Madelyn grinned. "Yeah. She totally is."

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. "You guys get all that from one drink?"

Drew chuckled. "We're really good at reading people." I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms. "Alright, then. What else do you think you know about me?"

Madelyn's eyes glinted with amusement. "Oh, I love this game."

JD leaned forward, tapping his chin. "You've got a protective streak. The whole firefighter thing, your energy—you've got that caretaker vibe."

Carlacia nodded. "And you don't like accepting help. Bet you're real stubborn about it too."

I huffed. "That's not—"

Madelyn smirked. "She totally is, I can tell."

I turned to her. "You're enjoying this way too much."

She took a slow sip of her drink, smiling behind the rim. "Maybe."

JD pointed dramatically. "And that—that right there—is why she brought you here."

Madelyn groaned. "Oh my God, shut up." Drew laughed. "No, no, go on, JD. You're on a roll."

JD wiggled his eyebrows. "Madelyn never just invites people over for a casual fix the smoke detector hangout. If she does, there's always an ulterior motive."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "An ulterior motive, huh?"

Madelyn exhaled, shaking her head. "Don't encourage them."

Carlacia grinned. "Yeah, Maddie, don't be shy."

Madelyn shot her a look. "Carlacia."

JD gasped. "Oh, full name. We're hitting serious territory."

I smirked, watching Madelyn's growing frustration. "So, what is it? What's the ulterior motive?"

Madelyn, refusing to look flustered, lifted her glass. "Maybe I just wanted to see if you actually liked white wine."

I took a slow sip of my drink, matching her stare. "Maybe I do."

A beat passed. The air felt charged, but before anything else could be said, Carlacia cleared her throat.

"Alright, so when's the wedding?"

Madelyn groaned. "I hate you all."

JD grinned. "And yet, you love us."

I shook my head, chuckling. "You guys are something else."

Drew smirked. "You'll get used to us."

I wasn't sure about that. But as I glanced at Madelyn, who was still smirking into her drink, I had to admit... I didn't really mind.

.  .  .

As I slung my tool bag over my shoulder, JD leaned forward on the couch, smirking.

"You know, Calloway, this isn't gonna be the last time we see you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?"

JD nodded. "Yeah, 'cause you still owe me a run on the court. I distinctly remember you talking a big game."

I smirked. "And I distinctly remember you not being able to handle a little confidence."

Carlacia laughed. "You unlocked his competitive mode."

JD pointed at me. "I'll get your number from Madelyn, and I'm calling you in for a game. No excuses."

I shook my head, amused. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."

Madelyn chuckled beside me guiding me toward the door. "Alright, I'll walk you down."

I raised an eyebrow. "You don't have to do that."

She shrugged. "I want to." I didn't argue.

The apartment door shut behind us, and as we walked down the stairs, the cool night air met us. There was a quiet between us—not awkward, not rushed. Just... easy.

When we reached my car, I set my bag down and turned to her. She stood there for a moment, her hands slipping into the pockets of her hoodie, eyes flickering over me like she had something to say.

Then, without much hesitation, she took a small step forward and wrapped her arms around me. I stiffened for half a second—not because I didn't like it, just because I wasn't expecting it. But the way she leaned into me, the warmth of it, the way she smelled like something soft and vaguely sweet—it was nice.

"Thanks for coming by," she murmured, voice quiet but sincere.

I hesitated before bringing my arms around her in return, squeezing lightly.

"Just doing my job," I muttered, but something about the way she lingered made it feel like more than that. She pulled back slightly but didn't step away fully, her eyes flicking over my face before she exhaled a small laugh.

"So... I feel like I should ask now that we're not in the middle of a circus," she said, tilting her head. She shifted slightly, rocking on her heels before meeting my gaze again.

"I kinda wanna see you again," she said, her voice light but deliberate.

I raised an eyebrow. "Kinda?"

She bit the inside of her cheek. "Okay, really."

A flicker of amusement passed through me. "This about another fire safety check?"

She grinned. "Would you believe me if I said yes?"

"Nope." I smiled, popping the p.

She exhaled a quiet laugh. "Fine, you caught me."

I leaned against my car, arms crossed. "So what is the excuse this time?"

Madelyn tilted her head. "Maybe I just like hanging out with you."

It was so simple, so straightforward. I felt myself smirking before I could stop it. "Oh yeah?"

Her lips curled slightly. "Yeah."

We were standing close—again. And I had to wonder if it kept happening on purpose. Her gaze flickered down for just a second—so quick, I might've imagined it. The streetlight above flickered slightly, casting a softer glow between us.

She exhaled, lips parting slightly before she smirked, breaking the tension just enough.

I tilted my head slightly. "I'll text you."

Her lips twitched, like she was fighting off a bigger smile. "I'll hold you to that," she said, stepping back just slightly as I got into my car.

"See you, Cline." I spoke before turning on my car. She leaned against the building just slightly, eyes warm. "See you, Calloway."

I shook my head, smiling to myself as I pulled out of the lot.