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Ember grunted as she smashed the final kolnut and put it into the bowl for selling. The shop had been back up and running for a couple of weeks now. While she was still firm in her decision to not take over the shop, she still wanted to help out until her father could sell the shop to someone else. Once that happened, she would start the process of accepting the internship that Wade’s mother’s friend offered her.
Wade stepped back into the shop, having been helping out with bringing in deliveries and helping where he could. She never asked him to. He just jumped in to help, taking on whatever he had the ability to do in the shop, only asking questions when he wasn’t sure how Ember and her father kept things. Brushing the ash from his shirt, he stepped behind the counter and wrapped his arms around Ember from behind. The two had become much more comfortable touching each other since they discovered they could.
“You’ve been working for six hours now,” he said gently. “Let’s go take a break and get some lunch, hm?”
Ember smiled and turned into his embrace, resting her palms on his chest. “I’d like that. Let me just go get my father to take over.”
She stretched up to give him a quick peck on the lips, then left his arms and started toward the stairs. Wade watched her go, and then he grabbed a cloth and wiped down the service counter and register. The shop door opened and a young Firish man stepped inside.
“Welcome to the Fireplace,” Wade greeted with a smile.
The Firish man stopped in his tracks. He was about Wade’s height but a little thinner, and wore a dark coat. His flame faltered as he looked Wade up and down.
“I’m confused,” he said with a hesitant laugh, “what would a water person know about running a business selling to the Firish? Where’s Bernie and Ember?”
Wade gestured to the stairs. “They’re upstairs, they’ll be down shortly. I’m just watching the place until they get back,” he explained.
The Firish man eyed him suspiciously but before he could say anything, Ember and her father made their way back downstairs and into the shop.
“Oh,” Ember said in surprise, stopping in her tracks. “Asher. What are you doing here?” she asked, absentmindedly smoothing over her skirt.
Asher cast one more judgemental glance at Wade before flashing a big smile and stepping closer to Ember. “I just came by to get some fireworks for a little celebration I’m having this weekend. I thought you might also be interested in joining?”
Ember awkwardly glanced between Asher and Wade, then smiled nervously. “What are you celebrating?” she asked.
“My parent’s forty-year anniversary,” Asher said. “They’re throwing a big party. Come on, you’d love it!”
Ember shifted uncomfortably on her feet. “I don’t know, Asher, I don’t think it’d be very appropriate.”
Wade stepped closer to her. “Why wouldn’t it be appropriate?” he asked innocently.
Asher chuckled, though cut his eyes at Wade in annoyance that he broke into the conversation. “Well, Ember and I dated a couple years back. What’s the matter, Ember, afraid old feelings will come rushing back?”
Wade’s smile faded as Ember rolled her eyes. “No,” Ember said firmly. “And we only went on three dates, I’d hardly call that ‘dating.’ And anyways, Asher, I’d like you to meet Wade, my boyfriend .”
Asher’s smug grin faded as he looked back to Wade, this time really taking him in, looking him up and down. He laughed slightly. “You’re joking, right?” he asked incredulously.
Ember grabbed Wade’s arm, causing Asher to flinch and take a step back as she pulled his arm around her shoulders and rested against him, steam gently wafting from where their bodies touched.
“No,” Ember insisted. “I’m not joking.”
Asher folded his arms and broke eye contact, glancing around the store. “Well . . .” He pondered for a moment before turning back to them. “The invitation stands. Bring your new boyfriend with you if you want.”
“Really?” Ember said suspiciously. “You’re inviting us both?”
“Yeah, why not?” Asher responded. “He’s clearly good enough for you right?”
Ember met Wade’s eyes for a moment and then turned back to him. “I’ll think about it, Asher. Thank you for the invitation. What fireworks would you like?”
Asher set his jaw as he looked between Wade and Ember, his flame flickering ominously. He forced a smile and said, “Whatever you recommend, beautiful.”
Ember pressed her lips together and nodded, awkwardly brushing off the comment as she went a couple aisles down to get the fireworks. The thirty seconds she was gone felt like minutes to Wade as he stood, nervously fiddling with the hem of his shirt to hide his sweaty hands. The street outside the window suddenly seemed very interesting to him as he tried to ignore the glare Asher bore into him, his flame seemingly burning a little hotter.
“Here they are,” Ember said as she came back, rounding the counter to ring him up. Wade let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “That’ll be seventeen dollars.”
Asher stepped over to the counter, glancing back at Wade every couple of seconds as he fished out the money from his pockets. After paying for the fireworks, he reached over to take the box of fireworks from Ember, deliberately resting his hands directly over hers. Ember tensed and froze, locking eyes with him as he smiled and winked at her before finally pulling the box from her grip and leaving the store. She exhaled with relief as she watched him disappear from the window down the street.
“I’m sorry about him, Wade,” Ember said, walking back over to him.
“So, you dated him?” Wade asked apprehensively.
Ember rolled her eyes. “We only went out a few times, and he had to practically bully me into seeing him the second two times. I never clicked with him. This was during a time I wasn’t very confident in myself and didn’t know how to take up for myself, so I found saying no to him difficult. No doubt he’s on an ego trip now that he knows I’m seeing you.”
Wade nodded slowly. “Are we really going to go to his party?” he asked apprehensively.
Ember laughed and shook her head. “I’d rather not give him the satisfaction. Don’t worry about him. He barely even comes to the store anymore.”
Asher quickly made a liar of Ember for the next few days leading up to the weekend celebration. He came in daily, usually at least twice, for any excuse he could think of. He lingered in the shop far longer than he needed to for the small amount of items he would typically get. And of course, he’d make any excuse to talk to Ember. He would usually start small such as asking for details about a particular item, and then he would try to make the conversation personal. Every time he tried, Ember would redirect the conversation back to the item in question. By Friday, Asher was fed up. He clearly wasn’t getting through to Ember. So he decided he needed to change tactics.
Friday afternoon, he waited for Wade to walk out of the shop. He was carrying two large bags of garbage in one hand and a stack of broken down boxes in the other. Once he’d rounded the corner of the shop to get to the dumpster, Asher was at his side.
“Hey,” he said casually, “Wade, right?”
Wade suddenly felt uncomfortable and started tripping over his words for a moment. Gathering himself a moment later, he said, “Yes. How can I help you?”
Asher laughed a little and grabbed the stack of boxes from him without first asking if he needed help. “It’s not about what you can do to help me, friend. It’s what I can do to help you.”
Wade clutched the bags of garbage a little tighter and followed Asher to the dumpster. “What do you mean?” he asked apprehensively.
Asher sighed disingenuously. “It’s Ember. I’m worried about her,” he said, leaning against the side of the building as Wade hoisted his garbage bags into the dumpster.
“Wh-What about her?” Wade asked, folding his arms.
“It’s just that . . . she works so hard and doesn't get out much. Be with people that are like her, that understand her. That’s why I invited her to the party,” Asher admitted, though Wade wasn’t sure how much he could trust he was telling the truth.
“Okay, and where do I come in?”
“I thought maybe you could reason with her,” Asher said, pushing away from the wall and spreading his hands. “I’ve tried to bring up my invitation to my party tomorrow with her, but she keeps brushing me off. I think it would be good for her to get out and be with some of her old friends for a change. Even introduce you to them, of course. There’s been a lot of talk about you, you know, the man who stole Ember’s heart.”
Wade felt a bit fluttery inside knowing that he’d apparently been the talk of the town over the past few weeks. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “So what is it that you want, then?” he asked hesitantly.
Asher clasped his hands together with a chuckle. “Well, as someone who cares about Ember, I was hoping you could encourage her to come to my celebration. I know you’d want her to relax and unwind with her friends. And I feel like you would learn a lot by being immersed into her culture for a night.”
Wade considered for a few moments. Asher did have a point. Ember deserved to have a good time with other Firish people, and he still had a lot to learn about them if he wanted to be worthy of dating her. She’d been working so hard at the Fireplace since the flood to serve her community until it got back on its feet, and she deserved some time to decompress.
“Okay,” he said hesitantly, “you may have a point. But I can’t make her go if she doesn’t want to.”
Asher shook his head. “Of course not! But I think she does and is just afraid of how you’d feel. You know, with our history and all. But I must assure you that that is all in the past. I would never do anything to jeopardize what you both have.”
Wade studied him, gauging how much he should trust him. He seemed to be genuine. Wade definitely wanted what was best for Ember, and Asher seemed like he did too. It was very mature of Asher to not hold anything against him for dating Ember. He may have had a bad attitude about it at first, but he seems to have come around.
“Okay, I’ll talk to her,” Wade relented with a sigh. “I appreciate that you are trying so hard to look out for her.”
Asher beamed. “Of course! And I appreciate that you are not so threatened by me that you wouldn’t encourage Ember to do something nice for herself.”
Wade quickly shook his head. “No, of course not. I love her and I know that she will have a great time.”
Asher nodded and started to back away. “She most certainly will. Thank you for the support, friend. I would shake your hand but . . . you know.”
Wade decided not to go into the fact that he and Ember’s relationship was living proof that that wasn’t a concern. Instead, he just nodded and waved.
“Hey, what took you so long?” Ember asked as Wade reentered the shop.
Wade contemplated whether he should tell her about Asher. Ultimately deciding against it so that she could make her own decision instead of being swayed by Asher’s opinions, he said, “Oh, I was just thinking.”
Ember eyed him curiously as he rounded the counter. She was busy setting out some displays on the counter. “Well, is it a secret?” she joked.
Wade leaned against the counter with a chuckle, subtly leaning in close to her. “I was just thinking about Asher’s invitation,” he admitted.
Ember immediately paused what she was doing and turned to him. “Asher’s invitation?” she repeated. “Why would you be thinking about that?”
“Well,” Wade started, rubbing his neck, “I was just thinking about how hard you’ve been working. You deserve a break.”
Ember shifted uncomfortably. “Really? I thought you would be uncomfortable with the idea of going to a party knowing one of my exes would be there.”
Wade smiled softly. “Ember, I love you and I trust you. I’m not insecure about our relationship,” he assured her. “If you want to go, then you should go.”
Ember studied him for a moment, then laughed slightly. “Well, I don’t know. I know some family friends will be there that I haven’t seen in a while. But I don’t know how I feel about socializing with Asher there.”
Wade nodded. “I’m not going to tell you what to do, Ember. I just want you to know that I support you no matter what.”
Ember smiled and leaned in closer to him, putting her hands on his chest. “I love you, Wade,” she said softly.
“And I love you, Ember,” Wade responded, accepting her kiss as she rose up on her tiptoes.
“I think I will go,” Ember said finally after they parted. “I shouldn’t care about what Asher thinks anyway, and it has been a while since I’ve just been out and had fun.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Ember,” Wade said, holding her waist tighter. “You deserve a good time.”
“Will you come with me?” Ember asked. “You don’t have to, but I’d love to have you at my side.”
“I’d love to, Ember,” Wade answered, pulling her in closer. “I would love nothing more than to see you have fun with your friends.”
“And meet them,” Ember said into his chest. “They’ve been dying to meet you.”
Wade smiled. “You talk about me to your friends?” he asked bashfully.
Ember laughed and pulled away to look up at him. “Of course. You’ve become a big part of my life, Wade.”
Wade leaned down and kissed her again. When they parted, he said, “And the honor for that is all mine.”
— § —
The party was held at a restaurant, the Melting Mushroom. The whole restaurant had been reserved for two hours in the evening. Every table was packed with Firish people. Ember, with her arm around Wade’s, scanned each table, searching for people she knew. A few people she’d gone to school with were here, as well as many of the regulars she’d served at her father’s shop. There were also a few family friends there, like Flarry and Flarrietta. And of course, Asher.
“Oh, I’m so glad you could come!” Asher said as he approached the couple.
“I’m glad we could too,” Ember responded, holding Wade a little tighter.
“You both look great by the way!” Asher said, referring to Wade’s yellow dress shirt and Ember’s finest dress, a translucent sequined dress that had red, orange, and yellow gems that refracted her light and made her seem like she was glowing.
“Thank you, Asher. Where should we sit?” Ember asked.
“With me, of course! Right this way,” he said, gesturing for them to follow him.
Ember and Wade followed Asher to a longer table in the back, one that was clearly reserved only for close family. Asher’s brother was there as well as his grandparents, uncles and aunts, and cousins. Wade didn’t know this, of course, so Ember was the only one who felt a bit uneasy at the idea of sitting at the same table. Some of the other Firish people cast a curious glance Wade’s way as they moved through the restaurant, but most paid Wade no mind.
At one end of the table, two seats were reserved for the arrival of Asher’s parents. The next seat to the mother’s left would be Asher’s place, then Ember’s next to him. To the right of the father, Asher’s brother sat. Wade looked for his name but couldn’t find it.
“Oh, where will I be sitting?” Wade asked uneasily, fiddling with his fingers.
“Oh, of course!” Asher said, feigning ignorance. “You see, Wade, some of the other guests were a bit uncomfortable sitting near a water person, you understand, so I have a special place for you to sit.”
Ember stood from her seat as Asher made an attempt to lead Wade away. “Asher, wait. You invited us both. Why would he need to be separated from everyone?”
Wade shook his head and approached Ember before Asher could respond. “It’s okay, my light. This is more a night for you than me, anyway,” he assured her, taking her hands.
Ember sighed exasperatedly. “But –”
“No buts, Ember,” Wade interrupted. “Not everyone understands our relationship yet. I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable, even if I feel like they don’t have a reason to be.”
Ember exhaled and squeezed his hands a little tighter. This felt all sorts of wrong, but she didn’t want to cause a scene. “All right. I’ll come find you soon, okay?” she promised.
Wade smiled and nodded. “Enjoy your company,” he said, releasing her hands and turning to follow Asher. Asher led him to a table about thirty feet to the left of his family’s table, a table that sat directly next to the kitchen doors and had a lone chair that faced the family table. Wade smiled politely at Asher and took his seat, eyeing Ember across the room, who’d taken her seat again and had struck up a conversation with one of Asher’s cousins.
“Thanks for coming,” Asher said with a sly grin before heading back to his table.
Wade frowned as Asher’s back turned on him. This was Ember’s moment to mingle with some old friends, of course. But Asher was acting a bit off. He initially wanted to trust him, but now got a sinking feeling in his gut about the situation. Every few moments, the kitchen doors would swing open, temporarily blocking his view of Ember. Ember would occasionally look his way, clearly feeling dejected about the seating arrangement. No one came to take his order either, though he didn’t mind. He’d eaten before coming since he knew the food would be too hot for him to take here.
Back at the family table, Ember looked over at where Wade was seated. He’d pulled out his cell phone and occupied himself, every couple of minutes looking in her direction to give her a smile. The sight just made her feel worse, it was wrong of Asher to invite them both just to put Wade in a corner.
“Ember?”
Ember turned to the sound of Asher’s voice. He’d been speaking to her, but obviously her mind had wandered. “Oh, I’m sorry, Asher, what was that?”
Asher laughed slightly to hide his annoyance. “I was just telling my brother Arsen about when we dated a few years back.”
“Oh,” Ember replied with a nervous laugh, fiddling with a kolnut in her fingers that had been served as appetizers.
“Yeah,” Arsen replied, leaning forward on his elbow, “what ever happened to you guys, anyway? Everyone thought you were cute together.”
Ember shifted uncomfortably and looked at Asher, who looked at her for a response. She started to regret agreeing to come. Well, if he wanted an answer, she’d give him one. Smiling calmly, she turned back to Arsen.
“Well, I just never really felt anything with him. The only reason I went out with him more than once was because he begged me to,” she said, turning to see Asher’s reaction. His jaw had slacked and before he could say anything, she stood up. “Now that that’s cleared up, I’m going to go sit with my boyfriend.”
Arsen’s laughter reverberated behind her as she walked away from the table. Wade looked up at the guffaw and smiled when he saw Ember walking over toward him.
“Is everything okay?” Wade asked as she grabbed a vacant chair and sat across from him.
Ember nodded with a sigh. “Yes, everything’s fine. I’m just starting to realize why Asher invited us here.”
Wade’s smile melted. “What do you mean?”
Ember laughed and rolled her eyes. “He clearly only invited us to try to get me to feel insecure about our relationship.”
Wade glanced over at Asher, who was glaring at them and speaking in a low voice with his brother. Then he met Ember’s eyes again. “What makes you say that?” he asked innocently.
Ember sighed and leaned forward on her elbows. “Well, red flag number one was having me sit at the table with his family when I’m not even family. Second red flag was having you sit over here. I had a feeling there was an ulterior motive behind that. Then once he got rid of you he almost immediately brought up us dating a few years back.”
Wade looked down at the table, trying to discern his feelings. On one hand, he was upset that he was so gullible to Asher’s manipulation to convince Ember to come. On the other, he was angry that Asher would disrespect Ember like this.
“I’m sorry, Ember,” Wade said defeatedly. “I should’ve never listened to Asher.”
Ember shook her head, her brows flickering in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Asher is the one that convinced me to get you to come,” Wade admitted. “Everything he said about you mingling with your old friends made perfect sense to me at the time and I just wanted to be supportive.”
Ember was silent for a moment. Before she could respond, Asher appeared next to them, leaning against the table by his palm.
“Hey, Ember,” he said casually, clearly gritting his teeth. “I think you and I need to have a private conversation.”
Wade immediately stood from his seat. “Ember, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” he said sternly, meeting Asher’s eyes with a cold stare.
Ember stood as well, hesitantly looking between the two men. “Asher, whatever you have to say, you can say it right here,” she said, folding her arms.
Asher huffed impatiently then laughed. “Fine. You don’t belong with someone like Wade, Ember. You belong with someone of your own kind. Give us another chance,” he said, reaching out to grab her hand.
Ember jerked her hand away and Wade stepped forward so that he was toe to toe with Asher.
“She doesn’t want to be touched, and she doesn’t take orders from you,” he said sternly.
“Oh, and she does from you?” Asher shot back, turning to face him.
Wade balled his hands into fists. “No, she doesn’t take orders from anyone. Leave her alone.”
“You want to know why I even invited you here, Wade?” Asher asked, his inflection rising. “I wanted you to see how little you fit in with us. You don’t belong in our spaces, and you don’t belong with Ember.”
Wade boiled as Asher’s temperature rose with his anger, but he didn’t back down. “Ember deserves a lot of things in this world, least of all me. But I do know she deserves a whole lot better than you.”
Ember was about to step between them when a Firish waitress at the door called everyone in the small restaurant to attention, and the three turned to face the entrance.
“Attention, everyone!” she called as two other Firish people prepared to open the double doors. “Presenting the happy couple, Mr. and Mrs. Blaze!”
The doors pulled open as Asher’s parents walked into the building. The entire restaurant applauded and whistled as they walked through the crowd until they found their place at the head of the family table. By the time Asher turned back around, he’d find himself standing alone.
Ember and Wade quickly exited through a side door, one of the cooks shooing them from the kitchen. They quickly darted down the alley and vanished into the crowd walking alongside the road, out of breath. They walked silently for a bit, looking over their shoulders to see if they were followed. So far, the coast was clear.
“I’m sorry about Asher, Wade,” Ember said finally, staring at the ground as they walked.
“You’re sorry?” Wade countered. “He’s a major jerk. I can’t believe he treated you that way, like he had any say over your life.”
Ember sighed. “Yeah, that’s part of why we never clicked. On the few dates we did have, he’d talk about all his aspirations for his life, and I could never see myself in them. He would barely even listen to my own.”
Wade shook his head and joined her in staring at the ground as the Fireplace approached in the near distance. “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you.”
Ember looked at him. “You didn’t embarrass me, Wade. Asher’s the one who almost caused a scene at his own parent’s anniversary party.”
The two were silent during the last several yards it took to walk to the Fireplace and slip inside, locking the door behind them. Once inside, Ember stepped absentmindedly into Wade’s arms, and he didn’t object to wrapping them around her. They stood there like that for several minutes.
“I love you, Ember,” Wade said softly, breaking the silence.
“I love you too, Wade.”
— § —
Ember found it curious that Wade hadn’t come to visit the shop yet.
He usually came in just as they opened the shop. She had brief thoughts that he was more upset at her about what had occurred the previous night than he let on, but she didn’t let them linger for long. Wade was not one to hold in his emotions. That was his best quality. She trusted him to communicate. But then, why hadn’t he shown up? She tried calling his place a few times, but he never answered. After a couple hours had passed, she asked her dad to take over so she could go check on him.
The trip into the heart of Element City felt longer than usual. When she arrived at the Falls Apartment building, she smiled as she approached the doorman.
“Good morning, Niles,” Ember greeted. “I was hoping to see Wade.”
Niles eyed her curiously. “Wade? He hasn’t been home all night. I thought he was still with you.”
Ember’s flame faltered. “Wh . . . What do you mean? He didn’t come home last night?”
Niles shook his head. “I haven’t seen him. I’m sorry.”
Ember stared at him, hoping that this was some kind of sick joke. Unfortunately, Niles was serious. She stepped back, shaking her head as she turned, looking around. She walked forward but quickly broke into a sprint, not moving in any particular direction. She had no idea where to begin looking. She stopped in the middle of the square, frantically looking around. Water folk bustled about their business. Most paid her no mind, but some gave her curious stares as they passed, whispering to a nearby water person.
“Excuse me?”
Ember whipped her head around at the voice. A few feet away, a water policewoman stood by with her hand perched precariously on her taser. She swallowed hard and held out her hands.
“Are you all right?” the policewoman asked. “You’re definitely not from around here, are you?”
Ember took a deep breath to steady herself. “I’m sorry. I came to look for my boyfriend. Wade Ripple. He never came home last night. I don’t know what to do.”
The policewoman rubbed her chin in thought. “Wade Ripple . . .” she repeated thoughtfully. “The name sounds familiar . . . Oh! We have a Wade Ripple down at the police station.”
Ember tried to contain her shock. “Police station? Why?”
“I’m not at liberty to say,” the policewoman answered, “but you’re welcome to come during visiting hours. They end at five this afternoon.”
Ember felt a sense of a strange mixture of relief and worry. She thanked the policewoman and took off down the street. Around twelve blocks later, she stopped outside the station, out of breath. Once she’d regained her composure, she stepped inside. The lobby went silent as she entered, various elements of people waiting in seats in the surrounding waiting area. She smoothed over her dress and approached the front desk, which was protected by a sheet of wall-to-wall heat resistant shatter-free glass embedded with wire mesh that contained an electric current.
“What can I help you with?” the earth man on the other side of the glass asked into a microphone. His nametag said Clay.
There was another microphone on Ember’s side and she leaned closer to it. “I was told I might find Wade Ripple here? I was hoping to visit him?”
“One moment,” Clay said as he turned to his computer, fingers tapping lazily across the keyboard. After a few moments, he said, “Looks like he’s in Block W. I’ll have a guard escort you to the visitation area.”
He hit a button on the desk which caused a distant buzzing sound just beyond a door to her right that read “Block D.” She thanked Clay and walked toward the door as it opened, revealing an air person in uniform. She followed him down a long hallway until they reached the visitation room. She anxiously waited in a metal seat, trying not to get hot enough to melt it. Her flame faltered as Wade was brought in from the other side of the room, his eyes widening as he saw her. He was inside a glass box on wheels, as were the other water detainees. The air guard left him beside Ember and retreated to the edge of the room, where he watched all the visitations carefully.
Ember and Wade stared at each other for a moment. Ember’s jaw was slack with shock, whereas Wade merely looked down in shame. Finally, Wade said, “How did you find me?”
Ember leaned closer to him. “I was worried when you never showed up this morning so I went to your apartment. When Niles said he hadn’t seen you all night, I got worried. Then I ran into this policewoman who said she recognized your name from an arrest that was made last night. What happened?”
Wade exhaled and teared up. “Well, on the way home last night . . . Asher and Arsen cornered me. I made attempts to get away but I was outnumbered. They tried to boil me. Thankfully, some police happened to be passing by as I tried to escape and they lied and said I was trying to snuff them out. Because our stories didn’t match, they arrested all of us for public disturbance. I used my one phone call to get my mom to get our lawyer. I’ve been locked up ever since.”
Ember felt her temperature rise as Wade told his story. “They ambushed you?” she asked breathlessly. Her chair began to creak under the heat and she took a deep breath to calm herself. “Wade, I am so sorry. I never knew Asher was capable of anything like that.”
Wade shook his head. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I got us into this mess by letting Asher get into my head. I wish I’d never asked you to go to that party. I just thought it would be fun for you.”
Ember exhaled. “That’s not a crime, Wade. You have nothing to be sorry for either. And it was really sweet of you to think of me like that,” she insisted. “How soon will you know when you’ll be released?”
“Hopefully soon,” Wade answered, looking around. “My lawyer is supposed to be talking to them now.”
As if on cue, a tall water woman burst into the room mid-rant with two water guards following close behind.
“– will have this entire department sued for false imprisonment! I hope I make myself clear!”
Her booming voice softened as she approached Wade’s enclosure. “Wade, good news. They’re releasing you. The reason the police showed up last night was because someone saw what was going on and called them. They corroborate your story. Your case should be cut and dry when it lands in court.”
The guards unlocked the padlock on the side of the glass case and the door swung open, the seal breaking. Wade stepped out and sighed with relief as he reached out his hand to his lawyer.
“Thank you, Dr. Brine,” Wade said as they shook hands. A guard returned his items to him as Dr. Brine responded before returning to their duties.
“Think nothing of it,” Dr. Brine answered. She turned to Ember with a frown. “And who is this? One of their little friends trying to convince you not to press charges?”
Wade quickly shook his head. “No, this is my girlfriend, Ember,” he corrected, taking her hand to help her stand.
“Pleased to meet you,” Ember said with a smile. “Thank you for helping Wade.”
“Oh,” Dr. Brine said with a half smile, “how . . . different.”
Wade and Ember exchanged a confused glance at the comment.
“Well,” Dr. Brine continued before they could respond, “let’s get out of here, shall we?”
The three began to walk back to the corridor that led to the lobby.
“I’m certainly thinking that we go all in on this, Wade,” Dr. Brine advised. “Your case is a guaranteed win against that riffraff. First degree boiling is enough to get them each at least twenty years. That’ll be enough to get a little more trash off the streets for a while. Er, no offense, Ember.”
Ember’s brow flickered with confusion. “Why would I take offense? I would agree that criminals like that are trash.”
As soon as her response left her mouth, she stopped short just as they reached the lobby door as she realized Dr. Brine wasn’t calling criminals trash. Wade stopped with her and quickly came to the same realization as Ember.
“Dr. Brine,” Wade said, “that was extremely unprofessional, and quite frankly rude.”
Dr. Brine stopped and turned to face them. She laughed slightly. “Now, Wade, you know I don’t mean all of them. I’m sure your girlfriend is, you know, one of the good ones.”
Wade’s face hardened. “Dr. Brine, you are far too educated to be this ignorant. Move.”
Without waiting for a response, he grabbed Ember by the arm and led her through the lobby door past Dr. Brine. He stopped by the front desk.
“Excuse me,” he said into the mic. Once he had Clay’s attention, he said, “I’d like to pay the bail for Asher and Arsen Blaze, and I want to drop the charges against them.”
“What?” Ember and Dr. Brine said simultaneously from his sides.
The two watched in disbelief as he paid for both of their bail and signed the paperwork agreeing to drop the charges against them. Once he finished, he turned around and folded his arms.
“Wade, why would you do that?” Ember asked breathlessly, her hands spread.
“Because,” Wade started, staring Dr. Brine in the eyes, “Firish people aren’t trash. They did something dumb out of pride, and I believe anyone can be redeemed.”
Across from them, Asher and Arsen emerged from a door marked Block F, laughing and high fiving. They stopped short when they saw Wade and Ember standing there. The two groups stared at each other for a solid thirty seconds before Asher spoke up.
“Surely you didn’t pay our bail,” he asked, his arms falling limp to his sides.
“I did,” Wade answered sharply.
Another short moment of silence passed.
“Why would you do that?” Asher asked, folding his arms.
“Because,” Wade started, stepping closer to him, “I know why you did it. You don’t feel threatened by me just because I’m with Ember. You feel threatened because you can’t understand what I have that you don’t. You aren’t secure enough in yourself to just accept that you and Ember just weren’t compatible, and that doesn’t have to mean anything about your character. You attacked me because you feel inadequate with yourself, and that is a problem that you have to work out on your own.”
Asher stared at him for a moment, shifting uncomfortably. Finally, he laughed nervously and said, “What, you think this will make you worthy of Ember if you do this?”
Wade shook his head. “No. I don’t have to be worthy of Ember to know that I’m a better man than you’ll ever be.” He let the words fall before turning and taking Ember by the arm, turning back to Asher and adding, “But I know you have the capacity to be more.”
The two left Asher, Arsen, and Dr. Brine standing in the lobby with their mouths agape.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” Ember said, studying the ground as they walked down the sidewalk. “Regardless of Dr. Brine’s comments, you did have every right to press charges.”
“I know,” Wade acknowledged. “But I want to believe Asher learned a lesson today.”
“I hope so,” Ember answered, looking over to him. “I can’t believe he tried to boil you.”
Wade shrugged. “If I’m being honest, I’m not sure they were going to go through with it. At least not completely. I think he was just trying to scare me.”
“That still doesn’t make it right,” Ember insisted.
Wade nodded. “It doesn’t. But I believe in second chances.”
Ember smiled softly and exhaled. “You’re right, you know.”
“About what?” Wade asked.
Ember stopped and turned into his embrace, causing him to stop with her. “About you being a better man than he ever will be.”
Wade smiled. “Well, like I said, I hope he proves me wrong.”