Chapter 25 - Kyle #2
She also brought her face so close to mine that I could feel her lips moving when she spoke. My heart was hammering in my chest, and every instinct was screaming at me to close the distance, to kiss her the way I'd been wanting to since the moment we'd been sent back.
“In that case, I want you," she whispered.
My breath caught. Time seemed to stop.
"...to go outside and take care of Florence Reynolds."
For a second, my brain didn't process what she'd said. Then it hit me, and I couldn't help but laugh even as she pulled away and walked to the couch with a satisfied smirk. She'd played me. Completely and thoroughly played me. And the worst part? I was happy about it.
Seeing her smile, seeing that spark of mischief in her eyes instead of the panic and fear from before, was worth any amount of embarrassment or frustration. I'd missed this version of her. The one who felt safe enough to tease me, to push my buttons, to let herself be playful instead of guarded.
"Florence?" I asked, still trying to recover from the emotional whiplash. "Our teacher, Florence?"
"She's my patient today," Lily said, settling back onto the couch with a look of supreme satisfaction. "But I can't deal with her right now. So you're going to do it for me."
That woman gave me the creeps, but I couldn't miss this opportunity to show Lily I could be useful, that she could count on me for things big and small.
"And what do I get in return?" I asked, leaning against the doorframe.
"The satisfaction of helping me."
"And a date," I countered immediately. "On Saturday."
"No."
"Then I'll go tell the nurse coordinator where you've been hiding." I crossed my arms, trying to look stern even though we both knew I'd never actually follow through. "I'm sure they'll be thrilled to find you locked in here instead of working."
"Why are you looking for excuses to spend more time with me?" she asked.
Because I'm falling for you all over again. Because every moment I spend with you makes me remember why I loved you in the first place. Because I'm terrified that if I don't take every opportunity I can get, we'll run out of time and I'll lose you again.
"Because as long as we're in this situation, I want to spend as much time with you as possible, I don't need an excuse to be with you, but I'd give you a million reasons if it meant you'd say yes," I actually said.
She sighed, "Fine. We can go out. But it's not a date."
I smiled, victorious. "We'll see about that."
"Go now, before I change my mind."
I left the break room with a grin on my face that I couldn't hide at all.
Even though I hated being sick, nothing would change the happiness I felt inside.
If I'd realized anything during this second hospital experience, it was that caring for patients definitely wasn't my calling.
I couldn't wait for this shift to be over.
But more than that, I realized something else: Lily was playing a dangerous game, trying to fix everything she thought needed fixing while refusing to acknowledge what was clearly growing between us again.
And I was playing an even more dangerous one, trying to win her back while pretending I'd be fine if she never let me all the way in, even if we fix everything and go back.
If we ever go back, I thought again, the words echoing in my mind with increasing frequency. Because the more time I spent here, the more I wondered if going back was really what I wanted.
Here, I had a chance to be the person I should have been. Here, I could protect Aria from bearing the burden of our parents' divorce alone. Here, I could save Leo and prevent a tragedy. Here, I could make sure Lily's mother got the treatment she needed.
And here, I might actually have a shot at winning back the girl I'd never stopped loving. Even if she wasn't ready to admit she might still love me, too.
I found Florence Reynolds in the waiting area.
Unlike at school, where she always wore long, unflattering dresses, here she was dressed a little more relaxed, wearing sweatpants and her hair down. In my real past, the boys and I used to joke around about how "old," "sexy," and "mature" our teacher was.
Now I see her, and it's like seeing someone my age, a normal person, not as old and mature as I used to think she was before. It's incredible how someone's perspective can change over the years, especially when you have a different vision about how an adult really is.
She wasn't as intimidating as she used to be when I was little. Although there was no doubt, I still felt nervous in her presence, maybe because she'd always been an authority figure for me.
"Kyle! What a pleasant surprise. I was expecting Lily," she said, standing to greet me.
"She had to step away for a moment. I'll be taking care of your appointment today," I replied, trying to keep my voice professional as I led her to one of the private examination rooms. "So, what brings you here today, Miss Reynolds?"
"Please, call me Florence, at least when we are not in school. It's enough being bullied by all of you little demons. I'm not as old as you want me to feel."
I looked at the spec sheet. She was right. "Oh, you're the same age as me."
The words left my mouth before I could process them, and I looked at her face to make sure she wasn't paying attention to me.
Bad news, she was.
"I may look young to you, but we are definitely not the same age." She said, laughing.
"Yeah, yeah, sorry, I mean... my... mother... when she had me?" What was wrong with me? "Do you have any kids, miss? Sorry, Florence?"
Could this conversation get any worse?
Knowing that her carelessness led someone to leak a video that ruined so many people's lives made me unsure how to act around her.
At school, it was easy to pretend I was a kid because there were so many other people around us that the teacher could focus on.
But here, it was just the two of us. And it was hard not to act like we were two adults.
"No, I don't have them yet. Why the question?"
"It's part of the general paperwork."
"I'm here for my prescription. I've never been asked that question before."
"It's part of a new protocol to confirm the feasibility of certain contraceptives. I'm grateful they're working for you then."
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you?"
"Ummm, yes?"
"Well, thanks. But my prescriptions are for my blood pressure pills, a health complication due to my family and not because I'm old," she joked, winking at me. "Not for any contraceptive."
I felt my face turn red with embarrassment. Definitely, even with all my experience and maturity, I wouldn't have been able to talk to this woman without making a fool of myself. So I proceeded to do what the paper told me to do to get out of it quickly.
I read the sheet, and she was right. My job was just to take her blood pressure and draw some blood for general tests so the doctor could prescribe her medication.
I prepared the blood pressure cuff, trying to ignore her gaze. She settled into the chair and extended her arm toward me. I could feel her gaze on me, but I tried to avoid it at all costs.
When I finished taking her blood pressure, I started writing it down in the document.
"You know, there's something different about you this year. More confident. More... worldly." She said, filling the silence between us.
"Why do you think that?" I couldn't help asking her, curious about what she had noticed about me that made me different from the child I was.
"You're not joking around with your classmates like you used to. You're more focused on listening to the lectures. It's as if you were a different person from one moment to the next."
"I see," I replied, not knowing what else to say. She was right, and I was worried that my actions were already becoming noticeable, even to someone who once thought I was invisible.
"It's not a bad thing," she added, sensing my silence. "Don't feel like you have to be someone you're not to fit in."
But was that what I was really doing, or had I just changed and grown? I didn't feel any different than who I had always been, but some things were no longer part of the person I used to be.
"Well, thanks. I think the experience I'm having in the hospital has helped me understand the real world." I lied because there was no other explanation I could give her about my sudden “maturity.” Then, I added, "We are finished here. The doctor will come to see you in a bit."
I decided to leave as soon as possible. I didn't want to continue being read by someone who was apparently sensing that I was someone else.
"You are welcome. It was nice to see you, Kyle."
"Likewise, Florence," I replied without looking back.