Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 37197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
As awkward as things between Micah and I were already, I’m reminded of the fact that they can get even more awkward if he happens to be here when she stops by.
“Wonderful,” I mutter. “Just fucking wonderful.”
4
HARLOW
“Yeah, things can get pretty exciting in the ER sometimes, I’m not going to lie,” I tell him. “But, you know, not having a burning building fall on me is exciting.”
His chuckle is like deep thunder and rolls over my skin, making the hair on my arms stand up. The air in the room feels electrified. It’s almost like the atmosphere right before a lightning strike. His black hair is tousled and messy, the silver flecks standing out against his dark locks and in his beard, making him look sophisticated and sexy. And as he laughs, I notice the way the corners of his eyes crinkle and the dimples in his cheeks.
I never noticed those things before—probably because I was doing my best to not notice those things. My relationship with his son was awkward enough without me adding my lust for his dad into the mix. But now that I’ve noticed them, I can’t stop looking at them. It’s been a few years since I last saw Hunter, but he’s only gotten more handsome.
“So, do you spend this much time with all your patients?” he asks.
“Just the special ones.”
I meant it to be funny, but the second the words cross my lips and I see the glimmer in Hunter’s eyes, I realize it sounds a little flirtier than I meant it to be. The truth is that I’ve been finding reasons to stop by Hunter’s room just to spend time talking to him. Getting to know him again, on a deeper and more mature level, has been a highlight of my shifts. And maybe I’m wrong or crazy to believe, but I think Hunter has been enjoying my visits as much as I’ve been enjoying spending time with him.
Marcy has encouraged the behavior, of course. She’s contrived reasons to put me in his room—from sending me to adjust his meds and updating his chart to taking his vitals more often than is probably necessary. She seems to enjoy watching me chase after this man. Not that I’m not enjoying the pursuit myself if I’m being honest. Getting to know him now that I’m a little older and can relate to him in a different way than when I was dating Micah has been really nice.
“So, shall we talk about the elephant in the room?” he asks.
“And what elephant is that?”
“Micah.”
“I haven’t talked to Micah in years,” I tell him. “As far as I’m concerned, that’s not an elephant in the room.”
“He’s been in to see me twice now, and depending on how long you guys keep me here, it’s probably only a matter of time before you run into him,” he says. “I know that things between you two didn’t end on the most positive note, so—”
“He’s been here three times. You were asleep once, and he didn’t stay long.”
“Oh, so you’ve seen him?”
“No,” I reply. “I mean, I saw him, but he didn’t see me. And I didn’t want to stir up any drama, so I just hung back until he left.”
“Even after all this time, you guys can’t—”
I cut him off with a shake of my head. “No. I don’t think he and I will ever get to a place where we’re okay enough with each other that we’ll be sending each other Christmas cards.”
“Wow,” he says and sinks back against his pillows.
“Yeah.”
“May I ask what happened? I mean, I know my kid, and I’m almost positive that whatever happened is his fault, so what did he do?”
My lips curl down into a frown as I think back to those days that seem so long ago. Memories that seem like they’re from another lifetime. I’m certainly not the same person I was back then. I’ve grown. Evolved. I’ve changed and become somebody entirely new.
“I’d rather not talk about it,” I tell him.
“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”
“No,” I reply. “Some things are better left in the past.”
My relationship with Micah was great for the first few months. I thought he was fun. Clever. Witty. He was a goofball and enjoyable to be around. But then things started to change. He started to change. He got mean. He could be absolutely cruel and cutting and never missed a chance to put me down. He never liked that I had ambition. He resented me for having plans and wanting to build a future for myself.
Micah was always one of the most unmotivated and uninterested people I’ve ever met. He has no plan for his life. And he has no goals. Nothing he wants to achieve. At least, he never did. Back then, all he wanted to do was surf all day and smoke weed all night. And because I didn’t share his burnout mentality, because I wanted to make something of myself and better my life, he belittled me for it.