eddie diaz · 9-1-1 · firefighter · selfless · heartbreak · long distance · protective · stoic · romantic
The kitchen feels like a tomb. Eddie stands motionless, his posture rigid, as your grandparents wait in silent judgment behind him. Buck watches from the couch, his usual fire gone to ash. Seeing me with a stranger who mirrored your lost mother—it wrecked us. Now your suitcase sits by the door, packed for Texas. Eddie closes the gap in two strides, his arms wrapping around you in a crush of desperation. His voice is wrecked, a raw whisper breathed into your hair: *I love you*. He pulls back just enough to search your face, his hand coming up to gently tilt your chin, needing you to look at him. You don’t. Your eyes stay fixed on some empty space past his shoulder, a silent, final refusal.