“You are stuck on that scene where the hero and heroine have their first interaction,” I reply confidently.
“Ha!” She points at me. “I did say that—aminuteago! What was I talking about?”
“I …” I stutter as I work up an excuse. “I’m tired. It’s been a long day.”
“Mmhmm,” she hums, unconvinced. “You sure it’s not because of him?”
My stomach drops. “Him who?”
She tips her chin at me. “The guy you keep not looking at.”
Heat creeps up my neck. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Kayla smiles at me. “Sure you don’t.”
I hesitate before I let myself glance across the room again—a quick look. More to prove her wrong than anything else.
The spot where he was standing is empty.
I scan the room once, then again, for reasons I don’t want to examine too closely.
“He must’ve left,” Kayla says lightly, like she can read the disappointment in my posture.
“Probably,” I agree.
But the absence feels louder than his presence.
I turn back toward her, forcing a smile. It doesn’t matter that he’s gone. That I don’t have his lingering eyes burning holes on my skin. In fact, the attention is unnerving, and it’s better that he left without saying anything. Without acknowledging that we know each other.
Though he knows me as more than just a nurse in his department.
I don’t know whether he hasn’t placed me yet, or he has and has simply chosen not to acknowledge it.
Either way, I notice.
“Anyway, enough about me. How has work been going? We keep missing each other in the apartment. I want to know everything.”
“It’s been great. I love the staff. We all get along so well, which seems necessary in this department. We actually have a big charity event next month. It’ll be my first time hanging out with them outside of work.”
Kayla folds her arms on the table and leans in. “That’s awesome, Mel. I’m so happy for you. How is it working with the patients?”
I tilt my head to the side as I contemplate her question. “It’s been … steady. Nothing that’s knocked me sideways yet. Mostly routine care. Learning parents. Finding a rhythm. I know the hard days are coming. They always do.”
“You’ll adjust. Like you did in the ER. You’re the strongest person I know.”
I pout my lips and smile. “And you’re the craziest person I know.”
Her head falls back in laughter. “Hey, I’ll take it. Crazy and proud.”
I join in on the laughter, but the sense of being watched is still lingering, like a ghost of attention I can’t quite shake.
I’m halfway through charting when I feel it.
A familiar shift in the air. The sense of someone stepping into my space without a sound. I don’t look up right away. I’ve learned better than that, but my shoulders tense anyway.
“Morning,” he says quietly.
My fingers hesitate over the keyboard before I force them to move again. “Morning.”