Chapter 32
The lady at the front desk smiled sweetly when I walked inside the practice. I did my best to reciprocate her smile.
“Hello, I have an appointment with Elijah.”
“You must be Evelyn Somers, then.”
I gave her a nod. She tapped a number in her phone with a pencil, and I took the opportunity to take a deep gulp of air before she put the phone down.
“He’ll be here in a minute. Can I get you a coffee?”
“I’m too nervous, so I’m not sure that would be wise.”
Not that I would’ve had the time to finish the drink. Elijah appeared in the lobby, wearing a white coat like the doctors did in Grey’s Anatomy. Would I also get one? How cool would that be! He grabbed my hand and almost crushed it with his firm grip.
“Evelyn, welcome!” He gave me a sign to follow him upstairs. By the time we got to the second level, I had to do my best to not puff too loudly. These nerves were not doing me any favours. “How have you been?”
“Good, thank you.”
“I’ll present you to the dietician you will follow for the next few weeks. You will follow two dieticians, but you’ll start with Linda.” First, he gave me a little tour of the place. I did my best to listen closely, knowing fully well I wouldn’t remember this in a few minutes.
Elijah stopped in front of a light wooden door, then knocked. A soft voice welcomed us inside. The office smelled like fresh coffee and soft perfume. A blonde woman who was probably in her early thirties gave us a wide smile.
“Linda, this is Evelyn, your new intern.”
Linda took my hand, and unlike her boss, her touch was soft. Everything about this woman gave me a sweet and cosy vibe. There were many plants and framed pictures of her cats. Now this was exactly how I envisioned my future office.
“Linda especially takes care of diabetes patients.”
Which almost seemed ironic as she gave me the most saccharine smile to ever exist.
“You can leave, Elijah. I’ll take care of her.”
My jaw almost dropped at the familiarity. She gave me a playful wink, and I smiled back, my nerves already getting under control. Elijah didn’t take it the wrong way and went for the door.
“Very well.”
Linda motioned me to sit in one of her plush sage green chairs. The perks of a private practice were that you could customize the place in the most awesome ways possible. I almost felt too dirty for her pretty interior.
“In half an hour, we will have our first patient,” she started, lacing her fingers on her wooden desk. “The first two days at least, I’ll ask you to simply follow and take notes.”
Easy enough.
“Once you’ve seen how it really goes, I’ll let you handle the patients. I’ll always be with you, in case you have questions or doubts, of course. Does that sound alright to you?”
She seemed to be one who would always try to help out others and give feedback in the most positive way. This was probably the best person I could’ve started with. I straightened in my chair. I would not let her down.
“That’s perfect.”
Her grin became toothy. “Great. Then let’s get you a coat.”
***
My eyelids were growing heavy. It was barely 8 PM, and I was so ready to sleep until the alarm would beep the next morning. My nerves had kept me going through the first day of the internship. Now that the adrenaline was gone, I felt like a ragdoll. The only reason I hadn’t gotten to bed yet was because I had promised Danté and Jasmine I would tell them every single detail of my day around supper. Supper was over, so a part of me hoped that Danté would soon depart. He was helping Jasmine and I clean the kitchen when his phone chimed. The way his face became grave told me it was bad news. I silently asked Jasmine to leave us. She gave Danté a worried look before going to her room.
“Are you alright?”
Danté gave me his phone without answering. It was like he had barely heard me. My pulse quickened when I took the phone.
Dear Mr. Ortega,
Thank you for your interest in our association.
We regret to inform you that your application has not been accepted for our volunteer program in Sri Lanka. Although your profile is promising, your specialization is not what we are currently looking for.
Kind regards,
Laura Meskens from Global Volunteering HQ
Shit. I had never been good at comforting people; I didn’t know what to do to lift his spirit. Though it wasn’t the end of the world, I could see why he was so disappointed. Right now, his plans and dreams had been crushed. My heart hurt for him. I put the phone aside and laid a hand on his arm.
“I’m sorry you didn’t get the spot.”
Danté looked empty. Without thinking, I grabbed his hand and took him to the couch. He sat down, his eyes still unfocused. I pulled him closer, stroking his head.
“I’m really sorry. I know how important this is for you.”
His arms found their place around my middle, and we stayed like that for a while. We never talked about his plans. The last time Danté had brought up his desire to travel and to volunteer, he had said he didn’t want to do long-distance relationships. It had scared me to death. In the meantime, things had changed. Even if we never talked about it, we were a team. And team members didn’t give up on each other. I wouldn’t give up on him just because he would be far away for a while. There were many volunteering programs all over the world. Danté was a very skilled physiotherapist, so I was certain that he would be able to find something. It wouldn’t be the first destination of his choice, but it could still be a wonderful experience.
“Just promise me you’ll try again.”
Danté let me go, his head slightly tilted to the side. “What?”
“This sucks, but don’t give up on your dream. You’ll try again, right?”
He stayed silent for a while. There was a war going on inside his head, one he had to wage himself. When he looked back at me, I didn’t know which side had won. Danté tugged on my hand, and I ended up on his lap. A position that could’ve become saucy rather quickly, if he hadn’t buried his face in my neck, hugging me closer.
“I’m sorry, love.”
My heart did a flip at the nickname. This was the first time that he didn’t call me by my name, or Squirrel. Luckily, he couldn’t see my blush.
“What are you sorry for?” I asked.
“Not telling you I applied, and for ruining your night.”
“You didn’t ruin my night. But I wish you’d told me.”
His breaths were irregular, so I left it at that. His embrace tightened around me. “Can we stay like this a bit longer?”
I flipped my legs over his knees and nestled closer until my head was resting against his heartbeat. Danté laced his fingers with mine, still waiting for my reply. When I gave him a smile, the lines that creased his face smoothed out a bit.
“We can stay here as long as you want.”
***
Danté was scrolling on his phone while I went through my wardrobe. Jasmine had suggested we watch a Disney movie. I, of course, had agreed without even thinking. Danté on the other hand, had shot a look at Theo, who had just answered something along the lines of “Meh”.
“The girls always watch Disney movies. Better get used to it,” he had said, already bored at the mere idea of watching yet another “kids movie”.
The only difference was that Danté wasn’t comfortable enough yet to suggest something else. So after our workout, we both showered.
“Are you wearing the squirrel onesie tonight?” he asked without looking up. “I haven’t seen it in a while.”
Yeah right. That had been the whole point. I grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie from my wardrobe. Danté didn’t know it yet, but I had other plans for us tonight. Plans that didn’t involve a squirrel onesie or pyjamas. I hadn’t scrubbed and waxed for nothing. It had been a bit more than a month. I was tired of waiting. I went for the door and looked over my shoulder.
“Actually, I was thinking about wearing nothing at all after the movie. But if you prefer the onesie…”
His head went up so fast I feared he’d injured himself. His blue eyes locked with mine, a gorgeous pink now dusting his face.
“Nothing.”
“Are you sure?” I asked innocently.
The blue of his irises had almost been consumed by his dilated pupils. If I asked him to take me now, he would.
“Don’t wear anything. Please.”
I had no doubt that waiting and not letting anything show must’ve been hard for him. So tonight, I would let him do whatever he pleased. We both deserved it.
“I love it when you beg.” I could hear him swallow, and I gave him my prettiest smile. “Fine. You can undress me later.”
Then I slipped out of the bedroom to put on the least sexy outfit I owned. Everyone was already sitting on the couch when I emerged from the bathroom. Jasmine and Theo were talking. For once, Danté wasn’t participating in the conversation, his thoughts elsewhere. I bit my lip to keep from smiling. I knew exactly where his mind was. He didn’t care one bit about the movie we were about to watch.
As soon as Atlantis started, I nestled against him. His body was taut under my fingertips. When I looked up, his pupils were still as large as they were before. But like the gentleman that he was, Danté wrapped an arm around me and let his hand rest against my ribs.
Theo was flipping through the menu of a Chinese takeout after the movie. I did my best to ignore Danté’s growing impatience. It had been hard to focus on the screen when he was that close; I was just as restless. Tonight would be the night. It was something I had fantasized about way too many times. The only difference was that I was better at hiding my eagerness. Jasmine shot him worried glances every now and then, and Danté didn’t even see it. I followed Jasmine to the kitchen.
“Is he alright?” she asked in a hushed voice.
I leafed through a pizza takeout menu. Sex and fast food were always a nice combination. Maybe we could order something later. It was better to have the garlic bread afterward rather than before.
“Yes, why?”
“He seems stressed. Like he actually has something more important to do than being here.”
I closed the menu. Better to keep her aware of what was going to happen. I took a deep breath. “I told him he could undress me tonight.”
Jasmine burst out laughing, and I made a sign for her to be a tad bit more discreet. She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue, a big smile blooming on her face.
“Alright. I’ll sleep at Theo’s tonight.”
Thank the gods.
“Thanks.”
“Enjoy.”
“Trust me, I will. I probably won’t be able to walk tomorrow.”
And I was fine with that.
“I’ll expect some spicy details.”
“Anything you want.”
Theo didn’t get why Jasmine had suddenly decided to sleep at his place. From the shy smile Danté gave us, he did. My best friend gave me a kiss before practically running away from the apartment. Once they were gone, Danté waited for me to make the first move. I pressed a kiss to his lips, and his face lit up like a kid with a present. He pulled me down until I had no choice but to straddle his lap. Yet even now, he waited for me to set the pace. My heart almost burst with love and wanting. I kissed him again, pressing closer to him. His fingers trailed lines on the skin under my sweater.
Danté kissed my neck before lifting me up. I was ready to tear his clothes off when he laid me down on the bed. His touch was slow, agonizing. Goosebumps erupted on my skin everywhere he touched me. When he claimed my lips, the words almost stumbled out of my mouth.
“Make me see stars, Danté,” I whispered. “I’m yours.”
His gaze was so soft it made me tear up. Even if three words were left unsaid, in this moment, I knew he felt them too. His smile made my stomach tighten.
“Thank you.”