by Jill Sanders
“You’re still going to work at UMH right?” she asked.
“Yes,” he blurted out quickly. “I’m so close to paying off my school and getting a position in surgery. I’ve heard that there’s a new opening coming up.” He smiled at the thought.
“You’ll be moving out of the ER?” she asked, her tone light.
“Hopefully,” he agreed, imagining the day he could start working towards the goals he’d dreamed of for a few years. “What about you? School starts next week.”
She nodded. “I had orientation yesterday.” She tucked her knees up to her chest and crossed her arms over them. “I’m not ready to go back yet.”
He chuckled. “You got spoiled having too much free time.”
She turned to him and picked up his hand. “I’ve enjoyed spending my spare time with you.”
His heart skipped as he leaned closer to her and took her lips. “Emily, I really want to go back to your place.” He sighed and rested his forehead against hers.
“I…” she started.
“I understand.” He sighed. “That doesn’t stop me from wanting to be near you.”
“No, I understand. It’s just…”
“Right.” He nodded. “Can I still kiss you,” he asked, “here?”
Instead of answering, Emily leaned in and placed her lips over his. He felt her melt against him and couldn’t help but lean back in the soft sand, pulling her over him until she covered his body with her own.
“This will have to tide me over for now,” he said against her lips. “When can I see you again?” he asked as she lay looking down at him.
“Classes start on Monday. I already have homework to work on.” She groaned. “Besides, my schedule at UMH shifted to Thursday through Monday.” She sighed and held herself up a little more so she could see him.
“I won’t have you in my classes this year,” he added.
“I know.” She started to roll away, but he kept her in place by keeping his hand on her back. “I checked.” She smiled down at him.
He started rubbing her back and heard her moan with pleasure.
“That doesn’t mean that we can’t make time to see each other,” he added. “If you want.”
“I’d like that,” she said before kissing him again. He allowed himself to get lost in the feeling of her next to him for a moment before he felt her pulling away.
“I… better go.” She sighed.
“You’re not going back into the club, are you?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I already told Jamie I wasn’t feeling up to staying long.”
“Want me to drive you—”
“No, I drove us here. I told Jamie that she needed to get a ride home from Blaine.” She dusted her black pants off after he helped her stand up.
“If I didn’t mention it earlier, wow,” he said, motioning to her outfit. “Is it new?”
Her smile grew. “Yes, we went shopping today.” She did a little twist for him. “Course, now I have sand everywhere.” She laughed and went back to dusting it from her pants.
“Sorry, not sorry.” He laughed and leaned in for another kiss. “I’ll walk you to your car.” He took her hand in his as they walked back across the sand.
He watched her drive away and then jumped on his bike and headed towards his place. He felt lonelier than he had in a long time.
Crawling into his bed alone made him think long and hard about his future. No matter what he decided, he knew he wanted Emily in his life.
The next few days were as busy as he expected them to be. Starting school up again was like taking a breath after surfacing from a long dive.
He loved being in the classes, working with students. Hell, he loved learning, and knowing he was moving closer to his goal. He knew he could be stuck for three to eight more years for the surgical residency at UMH. He was still waiting to hear back from the hospital’s director, Mark Hallberg, to see if he’d gotten the position, which had finally come available again.
Still, he was thinking about going for his doctorate degree. There had never been a doubt in his mind what he’d wanted to do in life. With his position at the hospital and the money he’d saved up over the past few years, he figured he could pay off his student debt in the next year. Not that it was great by any means, but at least there was an end in sight.
But the more he thought about his future, the deeper he got into adding Emily into it. By the next morning, he was positive of his next move with Emily.
When he heard Blaine’s bedroom door open, he glanced around. He did a double take when Jamie cursed under her breath and leaned her head back against Blaine’s door.
“Problem?” Rafe asked, causing Jamie to jump slightly.
“Go away,” she groaned and closed her eyes again. He chuckled.
“If I believe hard enough, maybe last night will just… disappear,” she said.
Rafe chuckled. “That bad, huh?” He walked past her and into the kitchen. She followed him, and he figured the least he could do was get some food into her stomach.
“Toast?” Rafe asked, pulling down a loaf of bread from the cupboard.
When she groaned again, he chuckled, knowing just how she felt. Then her eyes darted towards Blaine’s door and he could almost read her thoughts.
“My roommate may be many things, but he’s not someone who takes advantage of one of his best friends when she’s drunk.” He glanced over at her and scanned her eyes. “Whatever else he may be, Blaine isn’t that guy.” He tossed a few pieces of toast into the toaster.
She sat on the barstool and glanced back at Blaine’s door.
“Eggs?” Rafe asked as he took the carton out of the fridge.
“No,” she said softly. “I’ll send for an Uber.”
“Don’t bother. I’m sure Blaine will drive you…” Just then a door opened down the hallway, and they both turned.
“You, uh, forgot this.” Blaine handed Jamie a phone. “Someone called.”
She took the phone from him. Rafe tried to avoid watching the awkward exchange as he started making some eggs.
“I have… to go.” Jamie turned towards the door.
“I’ll drive you to your place,” Blaine added, rushing back to his room. Jamie sat back down and sent off a few text messages.
He wondered if she was texting Emily. Once Jamie and Blaine were gone, he’d call her and fill her in on what had happened. Emily had probably been worried about her friend all night. Especially after finding out about Crissy.
“Are you sure you don’t want something to eat?” Rafe held a plate with toast and eggs on it towards her.
Her face turned pale and then she dashed towards the bathroom. Blaine followed her into the bathroom, and Rafe sat down and enjoyed his breakfast instead of getting tangled up in that mess.
When they both walked out of the bathroom, Jamie’s coloring was back to normal and she looked much better.
When they walked by, Jamie flipped him the bird, causing him to laugh again.
“Love you, too,” he called after her, then added to Blaine, “Make sure she gets something to eat.”
“Yup,” Blaine answered, a serious look on his face.
He was due to start his TA assignment around ten that morning but figured he’d better call Emily to fill her in. Besides, he just wanted to hear her voice.
“Morning,” he said cheerfully when she answered.
“Hi.” He could hear her moving around and figured she was making her own breakfast.
“I figured I should let you know that Jamie and Blaine just left. If all goes well, Blaine will get her to eat something before dropping her off.”
He heard Emily sigh. “Thanks.” Something banged in the background. “Tell Blaine I’m sorry he had to sleep on the sofa again.”
“He didn’t this time,” he said, sipping the last of his coffee.
He could tell she paused what she was doing since all sounds stopped. “He didn’t?”
“Jamie came
out of his room and he followed less than a minute later.” He moved to the French door leading outside to the balcony and looked out over the water.
“You think they slept together this time?” she asked.
Their friends’ sex life had been a topic they had discussed numerous times before. It wasn’t as if they were curious, just… cautiously watching in case disaster struck.
“No, yes.” He shrugged. “I thought not, but… I’m not one-hundred-percent sure now.”
“You’re starting back at the school today, right?” she asked, changing the subject.
“My TA position starts up again today as well as my doctorate classes.” He sighed and glanced down at his watch. “I’d better get going. What are you up to today?”
She was silent for a while. “I’m going to have a talk with my roommate. I have a paper due, but figure I have time before Tuesday to finish it.”
“Good luck. Can I see you later tonight?” he asked, hoping she’d say yes. Needing her to.
“Text me when you’re done with class. I’ll see where I’m at,” she answered easily. “Have a good time today.”
“Will do, see you later,” he said before hanging up.
When he parked his bike at the school less than an hour later, he felt as if he’d returned home. However, by the time he climbed the stairs to his apartment later that day, he was wondering how the hell he was going to go back to busting his butt for eighty hours a week.
He tossed his tired body down on the sofa and wished for a nap, but his phone started going off.
“Hey.” He smiled as he answered Emily’s call.
“Jamie passed out,” she said quickly.
“What?” He sat up.
“She’s okay. Blaine took care of her, but we had to drag her down to the ER. Anyway, we’re back home. I just didn’t want you to hear about it from Blaine and wonder why I didn’t call you earlier. I knew you were still in class and figured you were probably done by now.”
“I am.” He shut his eyes, wishing for a few minutes to recover, but wanting to head over to their place to check up on them both. “I can come over…”
“No, don’t bother. Jamie is resting.” She sighed. “I’m going to try to get my paper done.”
“Okay.” He leaned back down and closed his eyes again.
“You sound tired,” she said. Just hearing her voice had him relaxing even further.
“I am. Six classes including my TA position.” He thought about having to work a night shift after a full day like the one he’d just had. He wasn’t due on shift at UMH that evening, but starting next week, he had three days a week where he’d be heading to the hospital after classes.
It made him even more determined to quit at Sunset Strip.
“Get some rest,” Emily added. “Maybe I’ll see you later.”
“Em?” He stopped her from hanging up quickly.
“Yes?” She waited.
He had so much he wanted to tell her, but instead, he just said, “Good night.”
“Night,” she said and hung up, confirming that he was a fool.
Chapter 13
Emily and Jamie had decided to hang at their apartment complex’s pool. Jamie had fallen asleep while Emily worked on a paper. One minute, her friend had been flirting with their new neighbor, Rocko, the next she’d freaked out and turned pale as a sheet and slid to the ground.
Seeing her friend pass out had been scary. It was different applying first aid to someone you knew and loved. But thankfully, her training had kicked in.
Still, she checked up on her several times while she slept. It took her almost an hour to finish the final touches on her first paper of the semester. Knowing there would be many more she’d have to work on in the coming months made her smile. She loved schoolwork, liked writing papers, hated not getting perfect grades on them.
When Jamie woke, they ordered sandwiches from the deli down the street and ate in the living room while they watched one of Jamie’s favorite shows. Emily just couldn’t get into it. Just as it ended, there was a knock on the door.
Emily rushed to her bedroom to take a minute to freshen up, knowing it would be Rafe. When she returned, she smiled at Rafe from across the room and said hello to Blaine.
“You drove all the way over here, just to check up on me?” Jamie asked them.
“Sure,” Rafe said as he moved over and sat on the sofa, then nudged Emily down with him, making himself comfortable. “That’s what friends do.” He leaned in and kissed Emily, causing her heart to skip.
“Want something to drink?” Jamie asked, disappearing into the kitchen.
“I’ll take a beer if you have one,” Rafe answered her easily as he kept his eyes locked with Emily’s.
Emily heard Jamie and Blaine talking in the kitchen, but she was too preoccupied with how Rafe was looking at her.
“Hi,” she said with a smile. “How was class?”
“Fine,” he answered as Jamie came back in and handed him a beer.
“You’re feeling better?” Rafe asked Jamie.
“Yes,” Jamie answered. “I took a very long nap.” She smiled down at Emily. “Back to normal.”
“Molly or X will dehydrate you,” Rafe said causing Emily to tense slightly. “Besides causing all sorts of other damage. Elevated heart rates, muscle breakdowns, kidney failure, bleeding in your brain, just to list a few. You were lucky this time.” Jamie remained quiet. “You’re lucky Blaine didn’t report you.”
“Shut up,” Blaine added, giving Rafe a look.
“What do you mean?” Concerned, Emily jumped in. “Report her? For what?” She’d been so worried about her friend that she hadn’t thought clearly of the legal implications of what Jamie was doing.
“What the lab found in Jamie’s system,” Rafe added.
Emily looked over at Jamie. “What did they find?” When Jamie continued to drink her beer in silence, Emily stood up slowly. “You promised me.” Anger caused her body to vibrate.
“Relax. It was just this once.” Jamie rolled her eyes. “Besides, that had nothing to do with me passing out.”
“Oh?” Blaine sat forward. “Then what did?”
Jamie downed the other half of her beer in one swallow and stood up. “I need a smoke.” Jamie grabbed her bag and stepped out the front door.
“She smokes now?” Rafe asked her.
“Only when she’s stressed.” Emily rolled her eyes as Blaine followed Jamie out the front door.
They remained silent as Emily sat back down on the sofa.
“I shouldn’t have brought it up,” Rafe said quickly.
“No.” Emily shook her head. “I’ve been a fool. Believing her when she told me she’d stopped.”
“When was that?” he asked.
She thought about it. “Shortly after… we… after… we started seeing each other.”
He was silent again. “She’s trying to protect you,” he said.
“What makes you say that?” She turned towards him slightly.
He reached up and brushed a strand of her hair aside. “People will do crazy things for the ones they love.”
“Jamie doesn’t love me.” She chuckled.
“Yes, she does. She doesn’t want you to worry about her, so she lied to you about the Molly.”
Emily was quiet for a moment, thinking about the last conversation they’d had about the drug. Sure enough, playing it over in her mind, she could clearly see the lie and the reason for it.
“I’m stupid for believing her. How am I supposed to be a good RN if I can’t tell when someone is lying to me?” She leaned back on the sofa in defeat.
“You’ll learn.” He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. Just having him this close to her did things to her system.
Glancing up, she brushed her lips against his chin, enjoying the dimple he had when he smiled. Her fingers brushed over the spot and she couldn’t help but smile. “You didn’t really come all the way over here to check up on J
amie, did you?”
He chuckled. “Maybe.”
“Liar.”
“See, you’re getting better at this already,” he joked just before his lips covered hers. He pressed his hard body against hers, pushing her farther back into the sofa as his lips moved over hers. When his fingers dug into her hair, holding her, moving her lips to where he wanted, she groaned with pleasure, desperately wishing she could invite him back to her room. But her classes started too early in the morning.
“I wish you could stay,” she said against his jaw.
“Me too.” He kissed her again. She was so lost in his touch that she almost missed the soft words he spoke next to her ear.
“I quit my job at the club so I could have more time with you.” He pulled back slightly.
Shaking her head, she closed her eyes as she tried to process all the feelings that flooded her. “You shouldn’t have. I don’t want to be the cause of you going into debt.”
“You won’t be,” he said, a hurt look on his face.
“Rafe, it’s just…” She shook her head, unsure of what to say.
“I’ve… got to go.” He stood up and before she could get her mind to think, he disappeared out the front door.
Sitting there by herself, her mind finally started to unfreeze just as Jamie walked in, carrying a couple of empty beer bottles.
“Are they gone?” Emily asked.
“Yup,” Jamie answered casually.
“Rafe told me he quit his job at the club,” Emily blurted out.
“What?” Jamie paused and looked at her.
“He said that he did it so he could have more time to spend with me.” She tucked her legs under herself and smiled up at Jamie.
“Okay,” Jamie said slowly.
Emily rolled her eyes. “It’s a good thing. I think.”
Jamie recovered quickly and then whistled. “He loves you.”
“What?” Emily said with a frown.
“I’m sure he had the job for a reason. If he’s willing to suffer financially, it must be love.”
Emily shook her head. “I don’t think…”
“Let’s get this straight. A man you’ve been madly in love with for years has just told you he’s quit stripping so he can spend more time with you.” Jamie chuckled as she walked past her. “You’ll piece it all together and figure it out soon enough. Don’t worry, you’re pretty smart.” She stopped and glanced over her shoulder. “Not as smart as I am, but then… who is,” Jamie tossed out with a smile. “I’m heading to bed. Night.”