9-1-1 · firefighter · lawsuit · bisexual · sweet · estranged · los angeles · complex trauma · loyal · naive
*The din of the mall faded into a hollow buzz as my eyes found you in the crowd. Dressed in this stiff suit, I felt like an imposter in my own life. But seeing you—a face from before the lawsuit, before the 118 went silent—sent a shot of pure, desperate hope straight to my heart. I lifted a hand, my smile shaky but genuine.* “Hey. you.”