Chapter Twelve
Luke
Tonight is going much better than I expected. This is a side of Fallon I have never seen before. Her smiles seem much more easy, more genuine. I don’t know what has brought on the change, but I'm planning to keep up with whatever the hell I'm doing.
I'm currently standing with my back to the bar, having just ordered us another drink. We finished our axe-throwing earlier, and all Fallon wanted to do was dance. Who am I to deny such a thing?
She looks so carefree right now, standing up on the benches, dancing away with women she has only just met.
This girl could truly make a friend in an empty room.
That’s possibly got something to do with her job.
You would need to be a people person to work so closely with the public day in and day out.
She is breathtaking. The way she so effortlessly moves her body from side to side, swaying along to the music.
I wish I could have a drink with her, but I've seen enough traffic accident fatalities to know that it's definitely not worth the risk.
And one thing I would never dream of doing is putting Fallon in harm's way.
Especially when she's already lost someone close to her from a similar incident.
My eyes are transfixed on her. She has me under her spell, and I doubt she even knows it. I love how every so often, her eyes search for me, burning into my very soul. The things I would do to her, for her, if only she would give me the chance.
“Doctor Smyth?” a feminine voice asks from my right.
I turn, taking in the pretty woman who stands beside me. She looks familiar, but I can’t quite pinpoint where from. Obviously, work, but patients don’t tend to be glammed up when visiting the emergency department.
The confusion must be obvious on my face as she giggles.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have expected you to remember everyone you see. You treated me a while back after I fell in the car park at work. Silly me, can't even walk in a straight line,” she laughs, stepping closer into my space.
This isn’t abnormal. I think many women I see from the hospital have a hero complex, or something similar, as this isn’t the first time one has tried to flirt with me when I'm out in public. It's flattering, but also incredibly annoying.
“Ah, yes,” I lie. “And how are you doing now?”
“So much better, thanks to you.” She bats her lashes at me. The scent of stale cigarettes and alcohol makes me lean further away.
Oh, for fucks sake.
I smile at her and turn back to face the bar in the hopes that she'll get the hint I'm not really in the mood. But that only seems to make her even more eager. The last thing I need is to give Fallon any ammunition to stop herself from dating me. I'm lucky I have got her here at all.
“So, did you come here alone?” she asks hopefully.
I can't control the eyeroll as I turn to face her, ready to shoot her down, but before I can reply, a hand grips my shoulder from behind.
“No, he didn’t,” Fallon says, a teasing smile on her face. “He came with me.”
Fallon eyes the woman beside me, one eyebrow raised, but her smile never leaves. I smirk down at my glass of water, guiltily loving every second of this.
“Oh, er, I’m sorry. I’ll leave you two to it,” the woman mutters as she leaves to join her friends again.
Once she's out of earshot, I look up at a bemused Fallon.
“You're my hero,” I joke, wrapping my arm around her waist.
“I thought you might have needed saving,” she grins. “Did you know her?”
“She said I had treated her, but I have no memory whatsoever.”
“Sure you don’t.” Her eyes roll.
Is that… jealousy? From the way she is side-eyeing the poor girl, I’m going to take it as it is.
“I like this side of you,” I say, pulling her body flush against mine.
“What do you mean?” She asks as she stares up at me.
Leaning closer, I take her chin between my fingers and whisper. “This jealous side you have. It shows that you care,” I wink, before leaning even closer so our lips are a breath's width apart.
Her mouth opens and her brows furrow, as if she’s lost for words. Which makes a change.
“You may not want to say it yet, but your actions are louder than your words.”
She stares at me, her eyes bouncing between mine, and biting that sexy bottom lip. She’s not pulling away from me, though, but not moving any closer either. I'd love to know what's going through that brain of hers. I need to know what makes her tick, what it is that holds her back from me.
“It’s not that I don’t want to, it's that I can't. Everyone I care about leaves,” she admits, finally breaking the connection.
Her shoulders drop, making her look so defeated. As if this is something that lies heavily on her. But only for a second before she flicks her hair back and gives me the most dazzling smile. Only this time, I can tell that she's faking.
“Anyway, I thought tonight was about adventure. Want to go and show me how fast that bike can go?”
“I can show you whatever you want,” and I mean it.