The Wicked Collection

by Vivian Wood

  “Baker. I need you to confirm some data on the patient in 403,” the nurse said, even as she kept an eye on Ryan’s biceps that wouldn’t be confined to his button-up.

  “Oh, uh, sure! Yes, be right there. Ry, I have to get back to work, but—do you have plans for dinner?”

  “Dinner? No, not yet…”

  “Great! Do you want to go out with Will and me?” She bit her lip. “I mean, you can finally get to really know him, and—”

  “Will? He’s still around?” Ryan made a face. “I don’t want to be a fifth wheel…”

  The nurse rolled her eyes and walked away.

  “Don’t be silly! You won’t be at all.”

  “Poppy, for real. That would be awkward.”

  She scoured the room and spotted Penny, a fellow intern, though Penny was a nurse and not a doctor. She was the closest thing to a friend Poppy had in this place, and they’d hung out a few times. Penny was likable, friendly, and most importantly single. “Penny! Come here a sec.” Penny pranced over with her open smile and big, brown eyes. “This is Ryan, my best friend since forever.”

  “Hey,” Ryan said.

  Penny, usually open and outgoing, turned a deep red. “Hey. Hi,” she said. What the hell are you doing? her eyes asked Poppy. But Poppy was used to this sort of reaction around Ryan.

  “Do you have plans for dinner tonight?” she asked Penny.

  “Me? Uh… some friends are hosting a LAN party, and I might—”

  “Land party? Whatever, forget that. We’re going to dinner tonight. Ryan just got into town. You should totally join us.”

  Penny’s eyes grew even wider as they drank in every inch of Ryan. He smiled affably. “I hope you don’t mind,” he said to Penny. “I don’t know anyone here besides Poppy. And Will. I’d sure appreciate the company.”

  “Oh!” Penny said. “Well—”

  “Will’s coming, too,” Poppy said suddenly. “It’ll be a foursome type of thing.”

  Poppy didn’t think it was possible, but Penny grew an even deeper red. “Well. Um, I guess so?”

  “Baker, I’m sorry to interrupt your social gathering.” The nurse was back, and this time she managed to keep her eyes off Ryan. “But I really need—”

  “Sorry, coming, coming,” Poppy told her.

  “It’s okay, I’ll show him out,” Penny said as she smiled up shyly at Ryan.

  “Thanks! I’ll text you both the name of the restaurant in a few.” She was grateful for Penny, but there was a gnawing doubt in the pit of her stomach. She watched the two of them head to the elevators together, and Ryan leaned down to say something to Penny that made her laugh.

  What’s wrong with you? Poppy forced the raw feeling out of herself as she opened the door to handle her patient.

  4

  Ryan

  “Glad you could join us,” Will said.

  Jesus, I’m only a few minutes late, Ryan thought to himself. Actually, he hadn't been late. He’d just been sitting in the car for the past fifteen minutes trying to convince himself not just to go through with it, but to actually make an effort. It was what Poppy would want—all of them getting along. Plus, Penny didn’t seem like such a bad girl. Quiet maybe, but that was alright.

  “Sorry,” Ryan said. “I got tied up.”

  “Yeah? How so?” Will asked.

  “Will,” Poppy hissed, and elbowed him in the ribs.

  “What? I’m just curious what he’s doing with himself, now that he’s back and unemployed,” Will said as he downed the last of a pint. “I mean, besides crashing other people’s dinners, of course.”

  “Don’t mind him,” Poppy said as she smiled at Will. “I’m glad you could make it. We’re all glad you could make it.”

  “Are we, Poppy?” Will asked. “I doubt Ryan has any interest in hearing about the big project I explicitly invited you out to share the news with.”

  “Nah, it’s cool,” Ryan said. “Tell me about it. That is, if you think I have the intellect to be able to understand all those big words you’re going to throw at me.”

  “I’d rather not right now,” Will said. “The mood’s kind of ruined.”

  “Will, if you’re going to be like that, maybe you should move onto something stronger,” Poppy said. She tapped his beer glass. “You might be an annoying and obnoxious drunk on whiskey, but at least you’re happy and tolerable.” He faked a laugh, and she covertly rolled her eyes at Ryan.

  She looked incredible. He’d thought she was beautiful earlier that day, with her hair swept up and without a whit of makeup. It was, well, it was how he imagined she’d look in the morning. Complete with loose pants like she couldn’t find her own and had to borrow them.

  But now? Poppy looked even more mesmerizing. Her hair was blown out and fell to the small of her back. She wore a fitted camisole and flowing skirt, but hadn’t accounted for the chill of the restaurant. Through the thin material, he could make out every curve and line of her body.

  “Hi, Ryan.” Penny was to his right. Visibly nervous, she tucked the same strand of auburn hair behind her ear over and over again.

  “Hey,” he said. “You look good.” Penny blushed.

  “You, too,” Penny said. Will just grunted and snapped his fingers at the server for another beer.

  “Everyone ready to order?” the server asked. He was a wiry kid, likely a college student, with forearms covered in tattoos.

  “Yes, now we’re ready,” Will said as he looked pointedly at Ryan. He ordered for himself and Poppy, who opened her mouth to clarify, protest, or something, but snapped it shut without a word. Ryan noticed and looked at her quizzically, but she just shook her head at him.

  “And for you?” the server turned to Penny. She ordered a salad, as Ryan guessed she would. He'd never understood that. At the wedding he went to with Poppy last year, there was a sign at the open bar. No great love story ever began with someone eating a salad. He couldn’t agree more, yet it was almost always the go-to order for women on a first date.

  “I’ll have the number nine,” Ryan said.

  “Sir, that serves three people.”

  “Okay,” Ryan said.

  “Oh! Are you all sharing?”

  “Uh, I mean, I guess everyone can try some if they want,” Ryan said. He smiled at Penny, “I have a feeling the Cajun tacos are going to be a little more filling than your rabbit food.” Penny giggled, and he relaxed. It was the first real reaction he’d pulled out of her.

  When the food came, the waiter pushed together a pair of the small, square two-seaters to make room for Ryan’s spread. “Ryan!” Poppy exclaimed with a laugh.

  “This is ridiculous,” Will muttered under his breath.

  “Sorry, Will, can you speak up? Can’t hear you over here,” Ryan said.

  “Nothing,” Will said. He pulled Poppy close to him and handfed her a small oyster from his plate.

  “You know I don’t like these much,” she said, but she swallowed after two quick bites.

  Will took her chin and kissed her while Penny furtively looked anywhere but at the couple across from her. “But I do,” he said.

  “Yeah, well, you eat them, then,” Poppy said. She turned back to her own plate of gnocchi in wine sauce.

  “I’d rather eat them off you,” Will said. Ryan could see that his hand had slipped dangerously low under the table. He could only imagine where that hand was inching. Poppy slapped at her lap.

  “Knock it off, I’m eating,” she said.

  Ryan worked through his first plate, then the next. At first, he offered each dish to Penny. After the first few times, she started nodding at him. He generally didn’t like to share, but knew it was rude to let his date continue to munch on nothing but rainbow chard.

  When Ryan offered Penny calamari from the third plate, she held up her hand. “I can’t,” she said. “I’m sure it’s amazing, but I’m stuffed.” Her eyes widened as she watched Ryan happily polish off the plate in a few big bites.

  “I know,�
�� Poppy said to Penny, who didn’t need to say a word. “It’s amazing how much he eats. I always wonder where it all goes!”

  “It goes to the eight miles I ran yesterday, and the eight miles I’ll run before bed tonight,” Ryan said as he wiped up the remainder of the rich sauce with the side of baguette he’d ordered. “And that’s not counting the weights I'll lift.”

  “Don’t be modest on our behalf or anything,” Will said. “I mean, it’s not like you interrupted a special dinner at a fancy restaurant or anything, so please. Do tell us more about your gym routine.” Will had neatly patted his lips and pushed his half-eaten plate away.

  “Nah, I’m good,” Ryan said. “Why are you so interested in men’s gym regimens, anyway? You know, I think there are websites for that—”

  “Oh, hush, both of you,” Poppy said. “Change of subject. Please. Hey, Ryan, I ran into Mr. Stott the other day.”

  “No shit, really? I haven’t thought about him since senior year.”

  “Hey, language!” she said. She gave him a mock shake of the finger, but he knew her well enough to know there was some authenticity in it.

  “Sorry, Miss Modesty,” he said. “What’s he up to?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I pretended not to know who he was when he said hi to me in the store. It was too awkward. Plus I was covered in some kid’s vomit.”

  Will groaned. “Lovely dinner conversation, Poppy.”

  Ryan laughed. “The last time I remember seeing him, it was actually pretty cool. He was in charge of ‘babysitting’ us before we headed out for Senior Send-Off, and let us watch Star Wars instead of working on essays like we were supposed to.”

  “Oh, wow. You know, I think I’d rather write an essay than watch that geek fodder.” Poppy smiled as she picked up her glass of rosé.

  “Geek fodder? I’m sorry we’re not all as classy as you and don’t watch The Notebook on repeat.”

  “Hey! The Notebook is good! Back me up, Penny,” Poppy said.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never seen it,” Penny said.

  “I’m sorry, but as a screenwriter, I really can’t put up with everyone talking about these crap ‘films,’ if you can call them that,” Will interjected.

  “Seriously, Will, lighten up,” Poppy said. “We’re just talking.”

  Will pushed his oversized, thick-framed glasses up his nose. The movement didn’t shift how his eyes looked at all. Are those even prescription? Ryan wondered.

  “I’m sorry,” Will said, without an ounce of honesty. “But I did ask you to dinner to discuss my new project. And suddenly we’re on some kind of mockery of a double date.”

  “Mockery?” Poppy said. “What do you mean by that?”

  “Nothing,” Will said with a sigh.

  “You know, we’d be happy to hear about your project. But we’re not going to beg you,” she said.

  “Hmm,” Will said. “You know, I think someone needs to teach you some manners.” His words were already slurred, but it took both Ryan and Penny by surprise when Will grabbed Poppy’s head and plunged his tongue down her throat. Penny gasped beside Ryan.

  “Will!” Poppy yelled. She shoved him off of her and the restaurant, loud as it was with people talking, quieted down. All eyes were on their table. “I’m—I’m sorry about all this,” she told them all as she gathered her belongings. “I’m sorry!” she called out to the restaurant. Table by table, everyone was slowly starting to get back to their own dinner.

  “Poppy,” Will started. “Don’t make a sce—”

  “A scene? You think I’m the one making a scene? I’m sorry, you guys,” she said to Ryan and Penny. “I—I have an early day tomorrow. I think it’s best if I head out now.”

  “How are you going to get home? I drove you—”

  “You know, I think I can figure it out,” she snapped at Will. “Goodnight, all.”

  “’Night,” Ryan said quietly. Penny echoed her own goodbye after him.

  Will stood up and slammed the chair against the table before leaving without another word.

  “You know, it is getting late. I should probably be going, too…” Penny said hesitantly.

  “Can I give you a ride home? I just have a motorcycle, but—” Ryan began to say.

  “No, no! It’s okay. I drove myself,” Penny said.

  “Oh. That’s good. I mean, it’s good you didn’t ride with them…”

  “Yeah,” she said. “Well. Thanks. For meeting me.” She hurriedly walked away.

  “Yeah, sure,” he said to her retreating back.

  “Should I leave this with you?” The server appeared with a single bill in his hand.

  “Sure. Why not?” Ryan said. He was still nursing his one and only beer of the night.

  What in the hell did Poppy see in that asshole?

  5

  Poppy

  “Will! What was that tonight? I can’t believe you—”

  “Me? What's wrong with me? You’re the one who ambushed me and invited all these people when I explicitly asked you out and said there was something important—”

  “You know what? Just forget it.” Poppy sat down on Will’s tufted gray couch that perfectly matched the striped lounge chair while also complementing the brass-trimmed coffee table. It looked like it was out of a magazine on how to be an uptight jerk. Or from the guy’s place in Fight Club.

  Yeah. Probably more like that. She had a headache. She knew she should have stopped at her usual one glass of wine, but sometimes Will had a way of making her want a second just to numb his incessant nagging.

  “I’m not going to forget it,” Will said. Of course you won’t. “And do you want to know why?” No. “Come on, ask me why, Poppy.”

  “Okay, why, Will?” Maybe if she appeased him he’d shut up.

  “Because you’re in love with that asshole, that’s why.” She stiffened at the word “asshole.” She hated that word; it sounded like something her father would say.

  “Who are you talking about?” she asked.

  “My God, Ryan, Poppy, who else do you think I’m talking about? The waiter?”

  She was dumbstruck. “Ryan? You’re jealous of Ryan? You’re being ridiculous.”

  “I’m not,” he said. He shook his head and sat down in the chair, clutching a glass of scotch. “And honestly? I can’t even be surprised. It’s impossible to compete with that much history.”

  “We met when we were kids,” she said. Why was she having to justify herself to him? Justify her friendship? “We’ve barely seen each other as adults. What with my being in med school and him in the SEALs—”

  “Yeah, that’s another thing,” Will said as he took a swallow of the amber liquid. “The whole badass, ‘I’m a Navy SEAL, don’t fuck with me’ thing he’s got going on.” Poppy cringed. Some words stung her like a wasp.

  “It’s not like that,” she said. “He doesn’t even talk about the war unless—”

  “Oh my God, war,” Will said. “His whole beatdown, underdog hero shtick is disgusting. Straight out of a crap screenplay if I ever saw it. And you,” he said as he took another drink. “You just lap it all up.”

  “Me? What did I do?”

  “Invited him to our dinner, for starters! Drug along poor, plain Penny so it didn’t look so obvious. That shy girl was in way over her head thanks to you.”

  Poppy hadn’t even thought about that. She supposed maybe she had used Penny to try and soften the dinner a little bit. Make it not so awkward. But she'd thought Penny would be grateful! Everyone thought Ryan was hot. Penny didn’t seem like the type to go on many dates, after all. “Maybe you’re right,” she said slowly.

  “What was that?” Will leaned back in his chair. A smile played at his lips.

  “I said maybe you’re right. But I—I wasn’t thinking of it like that. It’s not like it was some mastermind plot or anything.”

  “I didn’t think you had some major strategy to play with everyone’s emotions,” Will said. “But if you’d
just stop and think for once, about anyone besides yourself… like me for example…”

  “Will, I’m sorry,” she said. “Truly. I didn’t—I guess I’ve been kind of selfish lately.”

  “And it’s not just about Ryan. It’s work, too. You’re always either at work, talking about work, or sleeping because you’re too tired from work. Honestly Poppy, it’s like you don’t care about anyone but yourself.”

  “I’m sorry, Will. Seriously. It’s just—I don’t know. I’ll try to do better.” She caught herself before she could say it was work that was stressing her out. She didn’t get it. All throughout med school, he’d acted like he was so proud of her. When did he change? Or is it me?

  He sighed. “I’d like to believe you,” he said. “I’ll try, but it’s hard when it’s been like this for so long.”

  For so long? She hadn’t even been an intern for six months yet. “I know,” she said carefully. “I’m putting work before everything else.”

  He shrugged and looked out the window. Childish. But at least he seems to have gotten off the Ryan kick.

  “So, tell me now,” she said.

  “Tell you what?”

  She sighed. I guess I’ll have to drag it out of him. “About your big news. I want to hear it.”

  “Oh, do you, now?”

  “Will, please,” she said.

  “Alright, alright, if you insist. Remember that script I wrote two years ago? The one about the lesbian teens in Iran? It’s been optioned by Netflix.” He sank back into his chair like it was no big deal.

  “Oh my gosh! Will, that’s awesome! Amazing! I’m so proud of you.” She jumped up from the couch and sat on the armchair beside him. His hands, the ones that had been all over her at dinner all night, didn’t move from his glass.

  “It’s not that big a deal,” he said. “It’s just an option, not a guarantee or anything. Probably nothing will come of it.”