Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
MATTHEW
A week later, everything was back to normal. Ish.
My fridge still had more food than I could eat, since I never ate lunch at home—I got a free meal from the cafeteria at the hospital—and I was too tired to cook at night. Of course, two nights after I'd gone to bed after only eating a couple of apples, I opened my fridge to find a few microwave-ready meals sitting in the prime spot.
I'd come to the conclusion that someone was watching me, but I wasn't as concerned about that as I should've been. Why wasn't I more freaked out by the fact that someone was watching me closely enough to tell I had been too tired to cook dinner?
Maybe because whoever was watching me didn't seem to have any ill intentions. All they'd done so far was try to improve my life.
Or maybe they were just trying to soften me up with gifts and free food so they could do whatever they wanted to me. Maybe they were a cannibal, and they were fattening me up and giving me things so I'd be happy and healthy and they'd get better meat.
Or maybe I should stop watching the TV shows in the nurses' lounge.
As I left the hospital that evening after a particularly disgusting day—so many bodily fluids. Even I had my limit, and I'd reached it today when a snot-nosed tween had puked half-chewed chicken all over my scrubs—I found myself wanting some soothing vanilla ice cream.
Changing out of my third set of scrubs for that day, I put on the spare outfit I always kept in my locker since the clothes I'd been wearing under my scrubs felt stained and dirty, even though they actually weren't. Then I sprayed myself with some deodorant just in case I still smelled like bad chicken even after my shower.
Instead of heading straight home, I aimed for a convenience store that I knew carried my favorite brand of ice cream. A tub of vanilla with some sappy romantic drama would be just the thing to help me wind down. It was my day off tomorrow, so I would get to sleep in.
I relaxed when the flickering signboard of the convenience store came into view, and tightened my coat around me as I walked briskly across the street, sighing when I stepped into the warm store, the bell above the door tinkling as I entered.
"Hey, Matt. Long shift?" the older man behind the counter asked, his brown eyes crinkling as he smiled at me, his freckled, wrinkled face making me feel at ease as I smiled back at him. He was one of the few people I allowed to call me that, and he was as close to a father figure as I had in my life.
"Hey, Joe. I came for some ice cream, so yes. People really need to check their chicken before they cook it."
"Don't I know it! My Marybell would never start cooking until the chicken was blushing at her thoroughness."
I chuckled, smiling fondly at him as I aimed for the small freezer where all the ice cream was.
"You should come have dinner with us one of these days. I'll ask Marybell to make chicken."
I groaned, and he cackled like the madman he was, enjoying my pain.
"Be careful, old man. Or next time you need your gutters cleaned, you'll have to pay that punk neighbor of yours." I'd heard a lot of complaints about the 'no-good boy next door,' and Joe snapped his mouth shut, taking my threat seriously. He really hated that kid, had ever since he'd sent a baseball through their kitchen window and almost hit Marybell.
I found the ice cream I'd been looking for, and grabbed the box, turned around with my focus completely on my food, which was why I slammed into a wall of muscles. Peering up, I realized I knew the man I'd crashed into, and took a step back so I could meet his eyes properly.
"Ten? What are you doing here?" I asked, then rolled my eyes at myself. Clearly, he was here to buy something. What other reason would he have to be here?
"Hey, Matthew. Fancy seeing you here," Ten said with a grin, his blue eyes just as intense as last time as they seared into mine.
"Yep. Ice cream," I said, waving the box, then stopping when I realized how awkward it looked.
"Nice. I like vanilla too," he said with a wink, and I rolled my eyes. Of course he'd make an innuendo about that.
"Not me. I like a little spice," Joe chipped in, and my gaze snapped to his, horrified.
"Joe! I don't need to know that!"
Joe shrugged, completely unrepentant, and I turned back to look at Ten.
"Thank you for the other day, by the way. I never got to thank you properly."
Ten gave me a thoughtful look, then looked like he'd made a decision of some kind.
"How about you thank me with a coffee sometime?"
"A coffee? That's not much, is it?" He'd saved me from a long and emotionally taxing conversation with a woman who wouldn't have cared one bit about what I had to say, and I felt like I owed him a lot more than a coffee.
"I was asking you out, Matthew. Or maybe asking you if you'd take me out?" He frowned, as if he himself wasn't sure what he'd meant.
"You want to go on a date? With me ? This isn't a joke, right? Or a pity thing?" Maybe Ten thought I needed some kind of ego boost after the shit he witnessed? Or maybe he just wanted to get in my pants?
"Matthew, I'm asking you out because you caught my eye the moment I stepped into this store, and I've spent the past few minutes watching you like an utter creep and trying to find the right moment to approach you. I regretted not doing this the last time we met, but I don't want to make the same mistake again. I'd like to get to know you and see if maybe we can build something together."
I stared up at the stunningly handsome man with his sharp blue eyes, his square jaw with just a hint of stubble on his chin, and his dark brown hair that curled over his forehead, and wondered yet again if maybe I was dreaming. This man was asking me out?
"It's okay if you're not interested," Ten added, his smile softening to something concerned, and I shook my head quickly.
"You're not just looking for a night of fun?" I had to confirm, if only so I could manage my expectations.
Ten shook his head, his eyes sharp as they gazed into mine. He had such an intense vibe around him, and while with Ara it would've scared me, with him I felt...safe. Protected. Which was weird because I'd met the man twice, and not for long either.
"Okay," I nodded, and he smiled, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"How about I take you out to dinner instead? Tomorrow night, if you're free?"
I nodded, feeling a rush of something warm and gooey as Ten smiled widely. Maybe it was dumb to go on a date less than two weeks after breaking up with someone I'd been dating for close to a year, but now that I'd had time to think about it, I could see Ara had been using me. She'd crashed at my place most nights, and I'd paid for most of our meals. And then she'd taken off with all my money, which had been the kick in the ass I'd needed to finally break it off.
I deserved something good, didn't I? I got the feeling that Ten would be good for me.
Ten gave me his number, and I saved it to my phone before sending him a text only to discover it wasn't the first I'd sent him.
"It was you?" I asked as a chill raced down my spine. His was the number I'd texted last week instead of my landlord. What were the chances?
"Oh!" Ten blinked at me, then at his phone, muttering something under his breath.
My cheeks heated up, and I waited for Ten to cancel our date, to make up some excuse to leave now that he knew I was the same man who'd offered to pay his landlord with sex.
"It looks like Fate has been trying to cross our paths for a while," he said with a smile, and I stared at him. Maybe he hadn't realized what the text meant?
"So say six p.m., then? Do you wanna meet at the restaurant? Or I can pick you up?" Ten offered, and I pushed my worries to the side so I could reply.
"I'll meet you there."
"Great! I'll text you the details once I make a reservation," he said with a smile, then glanced at the tub of ice cream I was still holding. "You should probably get home before that melts. See you tomorrow evening."
"See you," I murmured, then watched him leave. He was so tall, probably a foot taller than me, his dark brown hair glowing golden when he passed under a streetlight outside the store.
What the absolute fuck was up with today?
It'd be Valentine's Day in a week. Was this some kind of Valentine's fever dream? Or some weird love magic messing up my life?
Well, messing it up in good ways.
After I left the store with my ice cream—Joe teasing me about my date as he took his time billing me—I made my way back home.
Inside, I plopped down on the couch after grabbing a spoon from the kitchenette, then sighed at how fucking comfortable it was. I was so glad to have it, especially after a tiring day like today.
As I ate the ice cream straight from the tub, I eyed my phone as my thoughts returned to Ten and our impending date. Was I really doing this? Going out with a man I'd only met twice, less than two weeks after breaking up with Ara?
I'd dated both men and women since I figured myself out, though I tended to be attracted to women more often. I was picky when it came to men, but Ten checked all my boxes.
He was big, well-built, and had a stunning smile. He'd also seemed kind, and a little protective when he'd come to my rescue the other day. When I was with a man, I liked feeling taken care of, and after Ara, I could do with a relationship where I didn't have to worry so much all the time.
I was getting ahead of myself. We might not even make it past the first date. What if he looked down on me because of my job? I wasn't going to get into a relationship again where my partner didn't respect me or consider me an equal.
I enjoyed working as an orderly in the ER, and, sure, most days it was exhausting, and some days I was really tempted to quit—like today—but there were also good days, when kids handed me candy because I looked tired, or when an old person told me stories from their past as I helped them settle in. It was rewarding work, and I was happy with it. I didn't want to study for years to be a nurse or a doctor like Ara and a few exes had tried to push me to. I'd never been good at academics or had any interest in the medical field. I had the basic knowledge I needed for my job, I could do first aid, and that was enough.
If it couldn't be enough for Ten, then this would be our first and last date.
My phone buzzed, and I scrambled to open it when I saw it was a message from Ten. I still couldn't believe he was the stranger I'd accidentally texted last week. What were the odds?
Ten: Here's the restaurant details. See you tomorrow at six. Can't wait!
I'd heard good things about the restaurant he'd picked from my coworkers, but I'd never been there myself. I was glad he hadn't picked some fancy place, though.
Me: I'll be there. See you then!
Well, I guess I had a date tomorrow.