Eddie never expected to feel this way about a coworker, especially someone like her. When he first joined the station, he’d noticed her calm, focused demeanor. She was a rock—never flustered, always steady, and so quiet that most of the team had learned to respect her unspoken presence.

At first, he simply admired her professionalism, the way she handled the chaos of calls with a composed grace. But as the days passed, he found himself paying attention to the small things—the way her eyes softened when she spoke about the crew, or how she took a moment to check in on someone after a tough call, even if she never asked for help herself.

It wasn’t one single moment that made him realize he was falling for her. It was more like a gradual pull, something subtle that crept up on him when he wasn’t looking.

It was in that moment that he looks realized what had been happening. It wasn’t just respect he felt for her—it was something deeper, something that went beyond the stoic exterior she wore. It was the way she let people in, even if it was just a crack. It was the way she had become his anchor without even trying. And somewhere along the way, he had fallen for her.