Chapter 1 : What's Your Number?

"Cress!"

Cress jumped as Iko's firm blue nailed grip circled her left arm like a vice. She was sitting in the passenger seat of Iko's crappy four door sedan, trapped by circumstance, and now, Iko's perfectly polished nails.

"Hot guy alert. 3 o'clock."

"Iko," Cress groaned and rubbed her eyes with her free hand.

"Hurry up and look. The light is going to change any second and this guy is smokin'." Iko giggled.

Iko Nataki had been relentlessly trying to get Cress a date for almost two years. Cress insisted she was fine being seventeen and single. Iko insisted she needed a boyfriend to practice.

"Practice what exactly?" Iko would only shrug and winked suggestively at Cress until she blushed.

"All you have to do is look at him," Iko insisted. "Turn that cute little head of yours and feast your eyes."

"I—"

"Just do it, Cress, so she'll shut up about it," Cinder groaned from the backseat.

Cress was one of Iko's many best friends, but Cinder was Iko's stepsister, and her actual best friend. Cinder kicked the back of Cress's seat. Cress groaned again.

"Fine, but I'm just looking." She muttered, and turned her head casually to the right.

A large red fire truck idled two lanes over, the windows rolled down, the firemen enjoying the breeze. All the firemen looked tired and beat, their skin stained black from smoke, their hair caked with sweat and dirt. Of the three men visible, Cress could only guess at which guy had caught Iko's attention. But the one that caught her attention was the heartthrob in the driver's seat, his black helmet sitting easily on his head. Cress wrinkled her nose as he turned and spit out the window.

He glanced over and Cress blushed, jerking her eyes back to the car in front of them.

"Hot right?"

"They just came from a job. They're all probably roasting," Cress said.

"You're the absolute worst, Crescent Darnel." Iko huffed and punched the window button.

Cress gasped as her window rolled down, and Iko leaned across the console and shouted at the firemen.

"Hey! My friend thinks you're super hot."

"Iko!" Cress choked, sinking down in her seat.

But she couldn't stop her eyes from darting back to the driver. His eyes danced with mischief as he leaned further out of the truck window.

"What's that?" He called.

"My friend here thinks you're hot," Iko shouted, giggling. "She wants your number."

"I do not," Cress hissed, wishing for the first time in her tiny life that she would shrink even smaller than her five foot, one hundred and fifteen pound frame.

All the firemen hooted and Cress blushed as they studied her, Iko and Cinder.

"Which one wants Cap's number?" One of them asked.

Iko pointed at Cress and Cress shoved her off. She glanced out the window and gulped. The driver was staring at her with a goofy grin on his dirty face. She wondered what color his eyes were. Then she sighed. She would probably never see this man again, so it couldn't hurt to get his number and move on. Cress leaned out the window and cleared her throat.

"My friend won't leave me alone until you give me your number," she called, shooting him an apologetic smile. "Please?"

He hesitated but one of his buddies elbowed him. Then he flashed her a smile that made her skin tingle, cupped his hand around his mouth, and shouted, "It's 9-1-1, gorgeous. Ask for Captain."

Cress stared as he laughed again and then the truck pulled away.

"Did he just say 9-1-1?" Iko demanded as she jerked the car into traffic.

Cress snorted, grateful for the fireman's quick thinking and snarky response.

"How the hell is Cress supposed to call him?" Iko demanded. "That's rude."

"I think that's the point, Iko," Cress said, relieved. "I can't call him."

"What was the station number?" Cinder piped up from the backseat. "On the truck?"

"Eleven," the number slipped out before Cress could stop it.

"We could go there—"

"We are not going there," Cress interrupted, shooting a dark look over her shoulder at Cinder who just grinned. "I'd die of embarrassment and he'd think I was a psycho."

"He did give you his number," Iko began.

"He gave me the generic number for emergencies," Cress insisted, folding her arms and trying to look fierce. "Besides I do not want to date a fireman."

"But firemen are hot," Iko whined. "Like, literally. Who doesn't want to be saved by a muscular man who's an actual American hero?"

"You think everyone's hot," Cress rolled her eyes. "Hero or not, his job isn't saving me."

"You could literally be a damsel in distress, Cress—"

"Unless I'm in a horrific car crash, I don't think I'll see 'Captain' again."

"Famous last words." Cinder said flatly.


AN : Thanks for reading. This little series was inspired by a TikTok where a girl asks a fireman for his number and he responds "911." It reminded me of Carswell Thorne and thus this little series was born. Should be between 8-12 chapters, all 1k or less. Please let me know what you think. Cheers.