Maybe he was just making an observation.
I mumbled a quiet “thank you.”
He shrugged it off and then asked, “Why’s your face so red?”
I wasn’t sure if he was playing dumb or just genuinely clueless, but thankfully, he didn’t push the question. Instead, he asked if I wanted to take a tour of the station.
“Is that allowed?” I asked, unsure.
He chuckled, clearly amused, and said, “There are some parts you can see, just stick with me.”
I grinned, “Sure, let’s go meet your firefighter friends!”
As soon as I said that, a few of his colleagues walked by, comparing abs.
I definitely enjoyed the view.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t exactly reach out and touch, and they seemed to notice my stare, so they quickly toned it down.
“Nathan, is this your girlfriend? She looks pretty young.”
“Watch your mouth, or you’ll be running laps,” Nathan shot his friend a warning look.
The guy immediately backed off, “No way, I just showered!”
“She’s a University of Pittsburgh student, here to thank us. What’s going on in that head of yours?”
Nathan scolded his friend, then turned to me. “Don’t mind them. We’re used to being rough around the edges.”
I nodded, saying it was fine.