Chapter 14 #2
“To be honest, I was so preoccupied with the aftermath of the… accident that it took a long time to even register.” He shrugged, but his shoulders were drawn up with tension.
“Regaining control over my body was a lot more important and took me longer than I’d like to admit.
Adjusting to my new life was hard, and letting go of my career dreams was the least of my problems. In the end, it was just a job.
And who knows, I’m still really young, so maybe one day I’ll get to go back. ”
I nodded.
That did not sound like someone who’d developed a medical fetish because of unresolved trauma.
Something loosened in my gut, and I finally managed a smile that felt real.
“I really hope you get to live your life the way you want to.”
Eric smiled at me, but before he could reply, a waitress came over and placed two steaming mugs of tea in front of us.
“Your food will be ready soon,” she said, then gave us a nod and disappeared again.
“Food?” I asked, raising my brows. “I thought you said you were out for a bite to eat when I texted?”
Eric grinned nonchalantly. “I thought you might be hungry.”
Juuuust great.
My stomach swooped.
How was I supposed to stay suspicious if he was so considerate?
“Thank you. What did you order?”
Eric smiled. “For tea, I went with a pumpkin spice chai. And for dinner, I chose sandwiches with chicken breast. I hope it’s light enough for your stomach.”
In that moment, I didn’t care. I’d probably have eaten acid if he’d been the one to order it for me. Not that I told him that. I didn’t want him to think I was crazy. Besides, I didn’t want a lecture because I wasn’t taking care of myself.
“Thanks, that sounds good.”
I took the mug and reveled in its warmth as I slowly raised it to my face and gave it a sniff.
It was still way too hot to drink, but it smelled heavenly.
Like cinnamon and cloves, with a hint of cardamom and warmth.
If it tasted anything like it smelled, Eric had found the perfect choice for a day like this.
When I put the tea down again, I found Eric watching me intently, his eyes slightly narrowed.
“It smells good,” I told him, waiting for his face to relax.
Seeing his face transform was quickly turning into one of my favorite things.
“I’m glad. I…”
“Eric, fancy meeting you here!” a new voice said with a playful, amused lilt to it, making my brain come to a screeching halt.
I knew that voice.
Right?
“Bennie.” Eric’s nostrils flared as he got up to meet the stranger. Wait. Bennie. That was the guy he’d told me about. The IT guy. Eric’s friend.
Why did I recognize his voice?
I quickly turned my head toward the newcomer and examined him as he was giving Eric a quick side hug, trying to figure out where I’d met him. Maybe somewhere on campus?
Possibly.
He looked a bit older, though. More like he was in his late twenties or early thirties, not really like a college student.
Then again, there were older students on campus too.
But his face wasn’t familiar to me at all, and I would’ve remembered him because he was stunning.
Almost as handsome as Eric, but in a completely different way.
While Eric was this dark, brooding, stoic type, Bennie reminded me more of a surfer—an easygoing smile on his face, blond hair a bit shaggy with very light highlights that made him look like he was spending hours out in the sun.
He was a little smaller than Eric too, and slimmer, more wiry than built.
Nope, his looks didn’t ring a bell.
Bennie caught my gaze and gave me an easy grin. He nudged Eric and squeezed past him, walking over to me with his hand extended. “Hey,” he said, offering me his hand to shake. “I’m Bennie, this one’s best friend. You must be Finn; I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Eric told him about me? A flutter made my chest feel too tight.
I grinned and took his hand, but shuddered when I first made contact with his icy skin. Holy cow, had he stuck it in a fucking freezer?
“Nice to meet you. Eric was just telling me how you were teaching him IT stuff.”
Bennie laughed, giving me a wink that I could swear made Eric growl a little. “I’m trying, but some are harder to teach than others.”
I gave a polite chuckle, but my mind was already wandering off again. His voice was like an itch I couldn’t scratch because I had no idea why I knew it.
“You look a lot better than you did that night at the club,” he stated, taking a step back to take me in from head to toe. Behind him, Eric pressed his lips into a thin line, firmly walking past Bennie to sit down again.
“You were at the club?” I asked, raising my eyebrows. Had I heard it there? The whole night was nothing but a blur, so I guess it was possible.
I swallowed and sat back down. My stomach gave a pang, and I pressed my hand to it, trying to get rid of the nausea suddenly hitting me.
Not being able to remember a whole night felt… awful.
Was there even more that I’d missed?
Bennie nodded. “Yeah, I basically had to drag your guy there.” He rolled his eyes dramatically. “He’s not the most sociable.”
Eric rolled his eyes, but not in a good-natured way. Nope, the muscles around his eyes tightened, putting a strain on his smile.
“I wouldn’t know. We get along fine,” I said, winking at Eric.
I wanted to put him at ease. He shouldn’t feel bad about not being the club type of guy.
Especially because I wasn’t one for going dancing either.
Nope, I usually preferred smaller pub settings.
Clubs could get overwhelming fast, and I hated not being able to talk to my friends.
If we managed to find time to meet, I wanted to catch up on what was going on in everyone’s lives.
Eric’s smile lightened the nausea a bit. Maybe I should ask him what exactly had happened that night at the club. Until now, I’d been too chickenshit to do so, but not knowing was proving to be just as uncomfortable as possibly finding out that I’d done something embarrassing.
“Oh, I can see just how good the two of you are getting along.” Bennie waggled his eyebrows suggestively and gave me another grin, completely ignoring the way Eric’s jaw tensed in obvious annoyance. “Hey, do you guys have space for one more person?”
We’d have to pull a chair over, but… “Su—”
“No,” Eric said. His answer was quiet, but spoken with such a punch it hit harder than if he’d just screamed at the top of his lungs. “We don’t.”
Bennie stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. “But I’m cold. It’s freezing outside and…”
“Get an Uber or a cab,” Eric said with a shrug. “Hell, get your own table, far, far away from us for all I care.”
Weren’t they supposed to be friends?
“It’s fine, we can…”
Eric shook his head. “Nope. If you give him a finger, he won’t just take your hand, but your whole arm.” He leveled his friend with a stare colder than the temperature outside. “I told you I wasn’t available tonight.”
Bennie rolled his eyes, then looked at me. “So dramatic.” He let out a giggle. “But it’s okay. I just wanted to let you know that Aries wants to check in on you, soo… do your thing and then meet up with him.”
Eric narrowed his eyes, a muscle in his cheek twitching. “That could’ve been a text message. A voice message if you’re too lazy to type it all out. You really didn’t need to come here.”
Bennie grinned. “Maybe so, but I was curious about your date.”
My cheeks heated. Date? Did Eric think it was a date?
“Goodbye, Bennie,” Eric said, exasperation obvious in his voice. The way he sounded, almost bashful, I was expecting to see flecks of color rising to his cheeks, but they stayed fucking pale.
Huh. Maybe he should let someone check his iron levels too. Hey, maybe my stalker would become his stalker if he saw Eric’s paleness.
“Fine. I’m going. I’m going. It was nice to meet you, Finn. I hope I’ll get the chance to actually talk to you without Eric going all caveman soon.”
Bennie gave me one last grin, dodging a slight slap from Eric before heading over to the counter, probably to get his order to go.
“Sorry,” Eric said, pinching the bridge of his nose as he leaned back in his chair. “I swear sometimes it feels like I’m the older, more responsible one, not the other way around.”
I believed him because right now he looked like a frustrated father trying—and failing—to teach his toddler basic manners.
“I don’t mind,” I said, reaching for my cup of tea.
The dainty porcelain wasn’t as hot to the touch anymore, so I deemed it safe to take a sip.
Closing my eyes, I let out a little sigh.
It was good. And warm. Honestly, I’d probably drink hot dishwater just to feel warm. But this was actually really delicious.
“But I do. I wanted you to myself, and I told Bennie as much. Unfortunately, respecting one’s boundaries isn’t Bennie’s strong suit.”
I looked over to the counter, where Bennie was still standing, his shoulders shaking with laughter. I watched Eric’s friend for another couple of seconds, buying myself a little time to figure out how I felt about the fact that he’d just admitted he wanted me to himself.
An hour ago, that would’ve freaked me the fuck out. After all, my stupid brain had me halfway convinced that Eric was my stalker.
But now that I’d talked with him some more, now that I’d watched him react completely nonchalantly to the fact that he wasn’t in med school anymore, I was still freaking out about his comment, but in a completely different way.
Holy shit.
Was it possible that Eric was into me too?
Yeah, right?
I mean, with everything Bennie had said and his lewd expressions, the writing was on the wall.
I grinned as I looked at Eric. “Soo… if you want me all to yourself, how come we’re meeting in a public place and not, let’s say, at my apartment?”
Eric started coughing, his eyes bugging out of his skull.
“Uh… what?”
I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help feeling a bit satisfied about catching my stoic guy so off guard.
“If you want me all to yourself… why don’t we meet somewhere in private?” I waggled my eyebrows. “That way, no one can interrupt us.”
The while we’re fucking wasn’t said, but heavily implied.
It took Eric maybe another second to regain his confidence, but then a blindingly bright smile split his face. “You hungry? We haven’t gotten our food yet.”
I snorted. “Fuck the food.”
Well, not really; that would be disgusting.
Eric let out a surprised laugh, shaking his head as he stared at me in awe. “You know, I once thought you were this kinda innocent guy. But you’ve got a mouth on you.”
I batted my lashes. “What can I say? There’s more to me than meets the eye.”
Eric nodded, then got up and held his hand out for me. “Oh, I know that now. You wanna get out of here?”
I looked down at my socked feet. “Let me put my shoes on first, okay? And then, yeah, let’s get out of here.”