21. Chapter Twenty-One

Trent

The hum of conversation dropped at the tinkling sound of a knife tapping the side of a glass.

"Ladies and gentlemen. If I can have your attention, please."

Trent put down his glass and focused on the man at the front of the community hall.

The Rural Fire Service representative waited a few moments until the room had quietened down. "Firstly, I want to use this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for coming here to the fundraiser today, for donating both time and money to the RFS. It's thanks to the community that we're able to do our job, protecting the people and towns across the mountains. The Blue Mountains is a world heritage area that is extremely prone to bushfires, and the mountains are home to over seventy-five thousand people. Our people worked tirelessly, often side by side with residents, to minimise the impact of these devastating fires. Unfortunately, loss is inevitable, as shown by the number of hectares lost to fire, the huge toll on our wildlife, and the loss of property. Our hearts are heavy at the loss of life, and I'd like to take a minute to pay our respects to those who gave their lives in the line of duty."

All heads bowed.

Trent stared at the tabletop as he thought of the brave people who'd been killed fighting the fires. Too many. Too many people taken in the prime of their life. Even one life lost was too many. He felt Callum shift at his side, pressing his knee to Trent's. He pressed back, the touch comforting.

The mood in the room was sombre after the minute of silence. It took a while for people to start moving around again, mingling, sharing stories of their recovery efforts and future plans.

"What about you, Trent?" Dr Tsui, the local general practitioner, asked.

"We'll be ready for bookings in the next week. Callum's done a hell of a job in the garden. It still looks barren, but at least it's safe. I'm hoping in a few months, there'll be more regrowth and things will start looking like they used to. The house didn't need much work. It was more smoke damage than anything else, so I've used the opportunity to freshen things up a bit. It's looking good now."

"That's good to hear. It will be great to get some visitors back to the town."

"Yeah. It will. I know a number of B and Bs are open again. Let's just hope people want to come."

"They will. You need to have faith." The doctor patted him on the arm.

Trent took a sip of his now lukewarm beer. He spotted Callum at the far side of the room taking to one of the local RFS guys. They were laughing and joking, so different to the last time Trent had seen them. Then they'd been covered from head-to-toe in soot and wielding hoses.

"Callum thinking of joining up?" Joe asked as he approached.

Trent turned at Joe's question.

"Hey, Joe. Yeah. He's thinking about it, anyway."

"He's not sure?"

"Oh, he's sure. It's me that's not sold on the idea. I could have lost him in the last fire, and I'm not going to let that happen again."

"Oh." Joe's eyebrows were sky-high. "That's how it is, is it? With you boys, I mean."

Fuck, I've just outed us. Not that Trent was in the closet, but was Callum ready for the whole world to know about their relationship? "Umm…"

"Listen. I'm just an old man, and maybe I'm talking out of my arse, but let me give you some advice. That man is one of the most giving men I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with. He'd give you the shirt off his back if he had to. If you try to stop him from signing up to the RFS if that's what he wants, then you'll just drive a wedge between the two of you. And for what purpose?"

"What do you mean?"

"If he joins the RFS, he'll receive training, he'll have proper equipment, and he'll be doing something that gives him a sense of purpose. If you deny him that because you want to keep him safe, it'll backfire. If a bushfire comes, he'll be in the thick of it, just like he was this time around. Not being a volunteer with the RFS isn't going to stop him trying to help."

Shit. He hadn't thought of it that way. Of course Callum would be doing whatever he could to help people out in times of need. It was in his nature, and nothing would change that.

"Just think about what I said, okay? Me and Mary have been together for nearly fifty years, so I do know a bit about keeping the missus happy. Ah… I…"

Trent laughed at the look of confusion on Joe's face. "I get what you're saying. Thanks, Joe. And don't forget the dinner invitation is still open."

As Trent watched Callum walk across the room, he realised Joe was right. He couldn't hold Callum back; he didn't want to hold him back.

"Hey, there. Saw you have a yarn with Joe. He and Mary doing all right?"

"Yeah, they're good." Trent drank the last of his beer and put the glass on a nearby table. "I was hoping we could talk. Fancy a walk outside?"

"I have a better idea. Let's go home." Callum smiled and linked their elbows together, leading him towards the doors.

Guess that answers the question about the relationship then. Trent couldn't keep the grin off his face as the two of them left the building.

Callum

It didn't take long to drive home, and soon they were pulling into the driveway and parking under the newly erected carport. The garage would take longer to replace, but Callum was pleased with his efforts in building the carport. But this afternoon, he wanted to show Trent something else he'd built.

After a quick detour inside for water, he led Trent from the house and down the back path. He could tell the minute Trent noticed the arbour—he stopped suddenly.

"Jesus. When did you do that? How did you do it without me knowing?"

He could hear the awe in Trent's tone, and his chest warmed. That was the reaction he wanted and why'd he'd prioritised the task and outsourced the bulk of the job. He followed as Trent slowly walked the rest of the way, finally reaching the arbour and running his hand along the back of the bench seat that was positioned under the structure.

"Do you like it?"

"Do I like it? Oh my god, it's amazing. It's even better than the other seat that was here."

"I made it wider and longer. You'll now be able to stretch out. I thought maybe you could have some cushions made. It'd be the perfect spot for that mindfulness stuff you've started doing."

"Forget the meditation, it'll be the perfect spot for snuggling, especially now it's built for two."

Callum laughed. "That thought had crossed my mind."

"It'll be nice and private once the vines grow up around and across the top of the arbour. It'll be my favourite spot in the garden."

Trent sat, reaching out and pulling Callum down beside him. They sat quietly together for a while until Trent broke the silence. "I wanted to talk to you. About the RFS."

Here we go. "Oh?"

"I've been giving it some thought. I think I've been looking at things the wrong way. I kept thinking that joining the fire service would put you in harm's way and I'd lose you, but now I realise that's not entirely true. I mean, of course there's risk, but life is about taking risks. I could lose you anyway—"

"Gee, thanks." Callum chuckled.

Trent rolled his eyes. "There aren't any sureties in life, and I can't go around not doing things, or missing out on things because there's a possibility something could go wrong. You taught me that. What was it you said? Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind?"

"I think the credit belongs to Nickelback, but yeah." He couldn't believe Trent remembered the conversation, remembered his words. Even back then, when they'd first started growing closer, he'd made an impact.

"So I'm making a resolution. From here on in, I'm leaving no stone unturned, leaving my fears behind."

Callum squeezed his hand. "I'll be here. We can face our fears together."

Trent's smile was brighter than the sun. Callum leaned in to kiss—

The moment was broken by Mushroom launching herself onto Callum's lap. He squealed in surprise. "Damn. Arsehole cat. So much for a romantic moment."

Trent laughed. "It's pretty perfect to me."

Trent rested his head on Callum's shoulder, one hand absently stroking the cat. Callum wrapped an arm about Trent's shoulders, holding him tight. Dusk wasn't far off, and a chill was setting in, but he didn't want to move, didn't want to disturb the moment. From their position on the seat, he gazed at the garden. A butterfly fluttered past, and he followed its path as it meandered towards the bush. Small green shoots were sprouting from the dark trunks of otherwise leafless trees. Nature was amazing, springing back from the brink of destruction with fresh growth, growth that signalled a future.

And from where Callum sat, the future looked bright.

Thank you for reading Facing The Heat .