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.
"Isn’t that him? The one...?"
With voices full of anticipation, another woman nodded. "The calendar guy."
A collective gasp of excitement erupted. People were jumping in place, covering their mouths and even swinging their fists, reacting in every possible way. Even as they scrambled to take photos with their phones, they couldn’t stop.
"He’s the most handsome man I’ve ever seen."
"Look at that body. I’d be happy to date him just once."
"Isn’t he like, two meters tall?"
"Oh my god, I can’t believe I’m seeing the man of my dreams in real life. I might cry."
"Cherry is such a good boy. He’s doing this because he was well-fed with treats."
"I knew this day would come. Cherry is a grateful cat."
Of course, their enthusiastic praises did not go unheard. Ezra glanced at the women before nudging Dane with his elbow and gesturing toward them.
"I think those girls are talking about you. Shouldn’t you acknowledge them at least?"
Dane simply smiled and waved his hand with no words. The women’s cheers grew three times louder. But this was no unusual occurrence for the others, who showed no particular reaction. They passed the time by chatting about the little boy who came to watch and baseball, all while the ladder truck arrived. Dane, as expected, climbed up the ladder with ease, and the others watched from below.
"Good boy, yeah."
Dane spoke with an unexpectedly gentle voice as he slowly approached the cat. His careful, deliberate steps were almost like he was concerned the cat might be scared. The slow and cautious way he moved toward it made everyone hold their breath as they watched.
With his long arms stretching slowly due to his height, Dane almost reached the cat, which tensed up, shrinking further in a defensive posture. Its ears flattened, and its tail fluffed up, ready to spring away at any moment. But Dane never took his eyes off the cat and quickly grabbed the scruff of its neck. The cat let out a sharp, short sound and struggled, but Dane’s grip was firm and experienced. He lifted the cat into his arms smoothly, and the crowd cheered and clapped as they watched him descend the ladder with the cat safely in his arms.
"Wow!"
"He did it! He did it!"
"Thank you so much!"
"Ah, thank you so much! I can finally relax... I was so scared."
With a sense of relief, the crowd began to speak in brighter tones. Dane found the cat’s owner, a woman with tears in her eyes, who hugged the cat tightly and expressed her gratitude. The sight moved everyone, and they placed their hands on their chests in awe. Then, after a few moments, people began talking among themselves.
"Hey, do you think it’s okay to talk to him?"
"What, the firefighter? Are you seriously going to ask if he’s the calendar guy?"
"No, don’t put it that way! Be less direct!"
"How about asking about the chili from this year?"
"That’s worse!"
In the midst of their awkward deliberations, a woman, who had disappeared for a moment, appeared again, holding a few calendars. All of them were firefighter calendars featuring Dane. She approached him, holding out the calendar and a pen, and nervously asked,
"U-um... could you sign here, please?"
The normally shy woman, who barely spoke, had gathered enough courage to ask, and the women who had been gossiping in the background were left wide-eyed in shock. But that wasn’t all. She bravely took out her phone and carefully asked if they could take a photo together. Dane called over a colleague to take the picture of ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) them both. Dane granted the honor of taking a photo together. Of course, the others couldn’t let this incredible opportunity slip by. A photo with the calendar guy!
"Hey, me too! I want one too!"
"I’ve been buying these calendars every year! Look!"
"I was first!"
"I was first!"
Before long, everyone who had run home returned, each holding the same calendar. Some of them had torn off the cover to keep it, waving the loose sheets around excitedly. In the end, it took much longer for everyone to get their signatures and pictures than it did to rescue the cat.
Unbelievable.
Grayson watched the scene with his arms crossed, frowning. Watching the mechanical behavior of those who treated it like a regular event made him feel speechless. What are they doing?
Tsk, he clicked his tongue in annoyance when, suddenly, he thought he heard a faint human voice coming from somewhere. It was drowned out by the noise of the crowd, almost like an auditory hallucination.