23. Gabby
23
Gabby
M y foot taps nervously as I hover over the printer, waiting for the discharge papers for one of my patients to print.
“What’s going on?” Marissa swivels in her seat to look at me.
“Huh?” I press a few buttons, hoping the machine didn’t jam.
“You’ve seemed distracted all day.”
“Is it that noticeable?” I worry that I made a mistake or did something wrong.
“No.” Marissa shakes her head. “Nothing bad. You’ve just had your head in the clouds ever since the firefighters stopped in earlier.”
Ah yes, the firefighters that volunteer to visit with patients and hand out stuffed animals to the kids. It’s so sweet to see a young patient’s eyes light up when they see a real firefighter has come to spend time with them. They act like they’ve been visited by actual superheroes, and in a way, they have been .
Three of the guys from the department showed up today, and of course, Alex was one of them. It was the first time I’d seen him since I poured my heart out to him the other day. The moment we locked eyes, my nerves got the best of me and I dropped a cup of ice I was bringing a patient. He just smiled with those dimples of his and helped me clean it up.
“Grab the papers.” Marissa points to the glitchy printer that’s spitting out the forms I need.
“Ah, sorry.” I pick up the papers and start putting them in order. “When the guys were here earlier, Alex pulled me off to the side and asked me to have dinner with him tonight.”
“And…you’re not hungry?” Marissa looks at her watch, well aware our shift will be over soon.
“I’m just nervous to go out with him.” My coworker blinks at me like I sprouted a third eye, so I decide to elaborate. “We hang out a lot, but I feel like this time, he’s thinking it might be a date.”
“You lost me.” Marissa stands and stretches. “I thought you two have been dating for a while.”
“You’re kidding.” I drop my papers again.
“No.” She hands me a stapler. “I’ve seen you together plenty of times here and around town. Rumor has it that Alex hasn’t been with anyone in ages. I think everyone just assumed you two were an item.”
“Get out of here.” People think Alex and I are already a couple? Good thing no one from work witnessed that awful date with Josh. What would they think then? Thankfully, I have not seen or heard from Dr. Payne since that crazy night. His name doesn’t even show up in the hospital database, leading me to believe that there was indeed some type of malpractice suit .
“I’m serious.” Marissa places a hand on her hip while she looks me up and down. “Quite frankly, I’ve been waiting for a wedding invitation.”
“Oh my gosh! I’m not. We’re not. I-I don’t know what we are.”
“Well, whatever.” Marissa shrugs. “Get your booty out of here and go have a meal with that man. Don’t worry about putting a label on whatever good thing you two have got going. Just enjoy it. Some of us would pay to have what you do.”
“Thanks.” I finish discharging my patient while mulling over Marissa’s words. She’s right. I need to worry less about putting a label on us. What Alex and I have is special, and even though Aly has done her best to keep me occupied these past few days, I’m really looking forward to spending time with my favorite person tonight.
Once I get home, I enlist my roomie, the fashionista of our group, to help me pick out the perfect outfit for tonight. I want something that’s a little nicer than my usual wear but still casual in case Alex is not considering this a date. Basically, I don’t want to be under or overdressed.
“Should I go with the purple or the blue?” I hold up two shirts for Michelle to study. I’m still on pins and needles anticipating this evening and can’t wait to go out at the same time. Go figure.
“The blue. It reminds me of Alex’s eyes.” She was elated when I asked her to help me pick out an outfit for tonight. “Are you sure this is a date?”
“I have no idea.” I walk into the bathroom but keep the door cracked open so I can talk to my roommate. “He told me he wouldn’t push me into anything, but then he asked me out.”
“But that’s not unusual. You two go out all the time. It could be just as friends. ”
“Exactly.” I walk back out and twirl for Michelle to study my outfit. “When I told Marissa about tonight, she told me that she thought Alex and I have been dating for a while.”
“I can see that.” Michelle pokes through my jewelry box and hands me a pair of earrings. “Everyone who lives here knows that you two are very good friends, but to someone on the outside? It probably does look like you two are a couple.”
“Hello.” Alex’s voice carries from the hallway.
“I’ll be out in a second.” I put my earrings in and walk into the living room.
Relief washes over me when I see Alex dressed in his regular outfit of jeans and a SBFD T-shirt. This is normal attire and I can handle it. Okay…I might be a little excited.
“Sorry I didn’t invite you along, Peanut.” Alex shoves his hands in the back pockets of his jeans while I grab my purse off the hook near the door.
“No worries.” Michelle brushes him off. “Carter and I are going to the movies anyway. You two have fun.”
“Thanks,” we say in unison and make our way toward the elevator. As the door opens, Alex turns to me. “Do you think Carter and Michelle have something going on?”
“Why do you ask?” I push the button for the ground floor. “They always hang out a lot, kind of like us. Oh!” The light bulb in my head turns on.
“Yeah, oh is right.” Alex smirks as the elevator reaches our floor. “I feel like they’ve been spending a lot more time together lately. Then a few weeks ago, he mumbled something about being stuck in the friend zone. But I don’t know. Forget I said that. I have zero sensibility about these things.”
We get to Alex’s SUV and, always the gentleman, he opens the passenger door for me. I decide I need to know what this is about. “Is this a date?” I blurt out as I sit down .
“Do you want it to be?” The creases in his dimples begin to show.
“I’m not sure,” I say honestly because I’m a ball of utter confusion. The wall I built around my heart is starting to crumble, which excites me and scares me at the same time. “You said you wouldn’t push me into anything. Wait!” I gasp as a completely new thought pops into my head. “You’re not doing this out of pity because my previous date passed out in his potatoes?”
“What?! Why would you even think that. Unless…have you seen him? If he’s bothering you, I’ll pun—”
“No, Alex, I’ve not run into hi—”
“And he’s not even said he’s sorry? What an—”
“Alex, leave it be. I don’t think he even works at the hospital anymore. I’ll let you know if there’s a problem. But answer me… I need to know your intentions.” Finally, he gives me a chance to get a full thought out, but now he has the goofiest grin on his face.
He sits and clicks his seat belt into place. “The truth is, I’ve missed you. We haven’t seen each other in a few days, and I just felt like spending time with one of my closest friends.”
“I missed you too.” I’m surprised how disappointed I am by the term friends, but that really is all we are right now. “Where are we going?”
“I made reservations for us at The Lighthouse.” He keeps a straight face while turning out of the parking lot.
“No!” I gasp and place my hand over my rapidly beating heart. I cannot show my face there again anytime soon…or in this century. The last time I saw that place was the morning after my disaster date when Alex took me to pick up Stinky. Despite being abandoned in the parking lot overnight, my trusty sidekick on wheels started right up and we hightailed it out of there .
“I’m kidding.” His shoulders shake with laughter. “I figured we’d have dinner at The Local.”
“I can’t believe you did that.” I try to look annoyed, but I’m excited to go back to my favorite restaurant.
Within twenty minutes, we’re settled into a booth with a sampler plate of appetizers between us.
“Are you still planning to come with me next week to my parents’ anniversary dinner?” He squeezes a lemon into his water.
“Yup. My days off were approved. Is the itinerary still the same?” We’re supposed to drive out on Friday night and come back on Sunday.
“Actually…” He fidgets with his straw. “I was thinking about driving back Saturday night after the party instead of Sunday morning.”
“Don’t want to spend any extra time with the Joneses?” The change doesn’t bother me at all. I’m just along for the ride. And moral support.
“Yes, but there’s more to it than that.” He hesitates for a moment. “I have an interview on Monday and I want to have enough time to get into the right headspace before it.”
“Interview?” My stomach plummets thinking that after all of this, he’s planning on moving somewhere else.
“Yeah.” He stretches his hand behind his head. “There’s a lieutenant position opening and—”
“Here?” I hold on to the side of the table, trying my best not to jump out of my seat. Dear God, please say it’s here. I can’t imagine him not working in the building next to me. “You’re talking about the same department, right?”
“Of course.” He gives me a look of confusion. “I passed the test a while ago and it looks like they have it narrowed down to Smitty and me. ”
“This is fantastic!” I gush. “Alex, you would make an amazing lieutenant!”
“You really think so?” His face lights up. No question, I’m one of his biggest supporters, and he is mine. Alex has had my back since the moment we met…which was when I locked my keys inside Stinky less than twenty-four hours after arriving in my new hometown. Not the most graceful introduction on my part, but that certainly didn’t matter to Alex. He’s been coming to my rescue since day one.
“Absolutely. I’ve never seen someone stay so calm under pressure. You’re the perfect person to handle that responsibility, and you already have the respect from your coworkers. I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank you. But I don’t have the job yet.” His face flushes at the attention, and I wonder how many times someone has stood in his corner or told him they believe in him. I get out of my seat and scoot into the booth next to his side.
“In case no one has ever said it…” I place my hand on his shoulder. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks,” he mutters without making eye contact with me. His response confirms my suspicions. How could you not be proud of this man?
“Has—”
“I love this song,” Alex cuts me off and nudges me out of the booth. “Let’s dance while we wait for the rest of our food.”
We make our way to the dance floor where other couples have already gathered as a country ballad plays from the jukebox. I’m too short to rest my head near his shoulder, so I opt for his chest instead. No complaints here.
“Mmm.” I snuggle in closer while Alex keeps a firm grip around my waist. “Have I ever told you that I love the smell of your cologne?”
“I don’t think so. ”
“This is kind of embarrassing, but I loved when my room flooded and we had to take turns sharing your bed. Your sheets always smelled so amazing.” Good heavens, I’m getting comfortable way too fast.
“I enjoyed sharing my bed with you too. I especially liked the night I woke up to find you on top of me.”
“You stop it right now.” I snap my head up to look at him. “We promised to never talk about that night.” There may have been a moment when I woke up to find myself straddling Alex in bed. To this day, I have no memory of the action, only the aftermath when Alex woke me up. I was so embarrassed, I never even told Michelle or Aly about what happened.
“You mean the time you mounted me like I was your noble stallion and we were galloping off into the sunset?”
“I swear, I was asleep. I didn’t know what I was doing,” I hiss, hoping no one heard him.
He begins to neigh, earning weird looks from couples dancing nearby. I do the first thing that comes to mind. I jump up on my toes, wrap my arms around his neck, and shut him up with a kiss. At first, it’s hasty. I’ve caught him off guard. He takes a step back for better balance but never pulls his lips away from mine. Every nerve in my body flutters as he tightens his grip around my waist with one hand and runs his other hand up my back and into my hair.
“Get a room!” a voice calls from somewhere, startling us both and ending the most epic kiss of my life. Not that I’ve had many, but I don’t need to kiss a million frogs to know I’ve met a prince.
“Well, that was unexpected.” Alex pulls back with a surprised, yet satisfied, smirk.
“It was the only thing I could think of to get you to stop.” I pant. My heart is racing at triple speed.
“I thought you wanted to take things slow.” Concern washes over his face.
“Wasn’t that slow?” I place my hand on my hip, trying to act casual.
“If that’s what you consider slow, I’m all for it.” He places his hand on the small of my back and guides me to our booth where our dinner is waiting for us.
Reality seeps in as I sit down. Oh my God, I just kissed Alex. Me! I initiated it and I liked it!
“Hey.” He reaches across the table and places his hand under my chin. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
“I don’t know if I can put it into words.” I look into his bright blue eyes. “The more I fall for you, the more I’m scared to lose you.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“But you don’t know that. Life is unpredictable.” I berate myself for bringing this up again for like the hundredth time, but I can’t get it out of my head.
“Gabby, stop. The Earth could get wiped out by a giant meteorite tomorrow. No one knows what will happen to any of us. But you do have a choice. You can live in fear, expecting the worst, or you can live in the moment and enjoy what you have.”
“I’m trying to live in the moment.” My voice quivers. “But then my nerves get the best of me.”
“I know.” He runs his thumb over my cheek. “You just have to keep trying, and you know what?”
“What?”
“I’m not giving up on you.”