The Avoiding Series Boxset

by K. A. Linde

  John was in a crisp black suit and black tie when he met her outside of the glass front entrance to the Bridges medical wing. By the look of the suit, his work for Bridges was paying off handsomely. Years back, Chyna had taught her how to pick out an expensive suit, and Lexi would put her money on a Fifth Avenue boutique.

  She had dressed more casually in an oversized cream sweater paired with a burgundy skirt, patterned tights, and knee-high caramel riding boots. She had a navy knit infinity scarf wrapped around her neck twice, and her long brown hair hung loose. Her hands were stuffed into the long sleeves of her sweater as she jogged up to John. Her cheeks and nose were pink from the wind, and she shivered.

  “Inside,” she said in greeting and then walked toward the building.

  He laughed and caught up to her easily. “This is not cold weather.”

  “You told me that last year, and it didn’t matter then.”

  “Wow…was that a year ago?” he mused aloud.

  Lexi nodded. It was hard to believe that it had been a year and a half since she had walked out of Jack’s wedding, since she and Ramsey had worked things out, since she had told John that they couldn’t date. It was a bit surreal that they were all in her life still in some capacity.

  As much as John knew about her life, she never asked him about his. She tried to keep it as professional as possible. He always tried to cross that line just a little bit at every interaction, but she never tried. She wondered if she should ask him about his life, but then she stopped herself. What good would that do? He would just think that she had taken a renewed interest. He took that from everything she did.

  But she was curious. It wasn’t like he was actively pursuing her, but he still was trying to see her when he was in town. That made her think that he wasn’t dating anyone seriously. She hated when her curiosity got the better of her.

  Lexi blew on her hands as she walked into the hospital. She wished she had brought her coat with her. She hadn’t wanted to have to carry it around with her though in case Cierra wasn’t there to let her stash it.

  “Need me to warm you up?” John asked, coming up behind her.

  “No, thank you.” She jumped away from him, and her eyes darted around the cavernous entrance room.

  Ramsey knew that she was coming into the hospital today, but she hadn’t been sure when they were actually going to arrive, so she hadn’t let him know the specific time. He really could be anywhere inside, but she hoped that they ran into him. Maybe she should just text him.

  She fingered her phone in the pocket of her skirt, but then she decided against it. If he knew she was already here, then he would come seek her out. She preferred to avoid awkwardness at all costs. John, after all, was the man who she had slept with after she had broken up with Ramsey. He might say he was okay with it and even act like it, but she sure didn’t like standing between them.

  “This way,” John said, motioning her toward the elevators.

  “What’s the plan?”

  “Haven’t you wanted to walk every floor in the building?”

  “No. Not really,” she said honestly.

  “No, me either. So, we’ll skip some. Pop in here and there, and scare people half to death.”

  “You should have brought a clipboard,” Lexi said.

  “We’ll nab someone else’s.”

  They hopped onto the elevator, and John chose a floor seemingly at random. She was sure that he had detailed instructions about what he was supposed to be doing, but he hadn’t shared that with her. That was fine by her. She didn’t want to know any more about the inner workings of the medical wing than she already did from living with the person who had started the company over a year ago.

  They wandered up and down the hallways, talking about trivial things. He would stop to talk to people in various rooms, and she would wait outside for the few minutes that he would be inside. She did a lot of people-watching and felt a bit like she was watching a television hospital drama with all the people chatting and wandering between disasters—not to mention, the obvious love interests.

  John announced that they were halfway through, and they stopped for a minute, so she could pick up some coffee. She wasn’t sure why she was tired…or maybe she was just craving her coffee. Either way, the bitter taste was the pick-me-up she needed. Also, the liquid gave her courage to actually ask John the questions she’d had at the back of her mind.

  “So, are you seeing anyone?” Lexi asked, blowing on her coffee.

  “Why? Are you still interested?”

  “Nope. I have Ramsey. I was simply curious.”

  John looked at her sideways, assessing her, before answering, “Nothing serious.”

  “So, you are seeing someone! What’s she like? Is she putting up a fight?” Lexi asked with a giggle.

  She didn’t know why she found this amusing. It could just be because he always made fun of her about Ramsey. She just couldn’t hold it in.

  “I’m not seeing anyone,” he told her stiffly.

  “But you are or else you wouldn’t be acting like this.”

  “I also wouldn’t be here with you, would I?”

  Lexi snorted. “Yes!”

  “Well, I know you’re worried, but you can stop. It’s not serious. Just something fun,” he said, raising his eyebrows.

  “Uh-huh. So, what is she like? What does a girl have to do to hold your interest?”

  “I’m looking at it,” he said, staring her down.

  Lexi’s cheeks heated at the comment, but she pushed forward. “Are you saying that she’s like me?”

  “No, she’s nothing like you. That’s why it’s not serious.”

  Lexi didn’t know what to say to that. It had been a year and a half since they’d had any kind of sexual relationship. Sure, it had been a great month together, but she had stood her ground and put it behind her. If she could manage to be friends with Jack, then she could do anything.

  Surely, all of John’s antics were more funny than serious. He was a man in a place of immense power. He’d graduated with a Harvard MBA, worked at Global, and had his own loft in the city. She just couldn’t see him pining after anyone—not when there were a million women in the city who he could chase after.

  “Well, I hope she changes your mind, erm…proves you wrong,” Lexi said.

  “It’s doubtful.”

  “I’m sure you can find someone else to keep you occupied fairly easily.”

  “Oh, I’m sure,” John said confidently. “There’s always another fish in the sea and all that. Is that what you’re trying to say?”

  “I mean, not…exactly.”

  “I’m the last person who needs your pity.”

  “I wasn’t trying—”

  John turned and grabbed her hand. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”

  Lexi was so surprised by the abrupt change in the conversation that she just followed him down the hall. She hadn’t meant to come across as pitying him. She certainly didn’t look down on him for not having a girlfriend or for not settling down. To each his own for whatever lifestyle he wanted. Of all people, she definitely wasn’t the model for how to go about relationships. It wasn’t her place to judge, and she hoped he didn’t think that.

  “Where are we going?” Lexi finally asked after they had taken the elevator to another floor and had rounded a corner to another hallway.

  “I’ll show you.”

  Lexi bit her lip, a sinking feeling settling into her stomach. She didn’t know where it had come from or what had made her apprehensive, but it just stuck in her gut. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear reflexively and continued to follow him down the hallway.

  They stopped at a closed door. John knocked twice, and when no one answered, he opened the door and ushered her inside.

  “What—” she began but then stopped when she saw where they were.

  They were in a relatively small room with two bunk beds and a small computer desk.

  “Where are we
?”

  “This is the on-call room,” he said, sliding his hands down her arms.

  Lexi jumped when he touched her, and she pulled away from him.

  “It’s for doctors to sleep or relax when they’re on-call in the hospital.”

  “Oh,” she peeped. Her heart was accelerating as she stared at the small room. She didn’t know how true hospital shows really were, but this was frequently shown as the room where all the doctors had sex. She wanted to laugh it off, but she didn’t feel like laughing in that moment. She felt anxious.

  “You know that night when you told me that I didn’t compare to your ex…to Jack. You said that you gave it up easy, but you didn’t do commitment,” John said, walking toward her.

  Lexi took a step away from him. “I didn’t say that…exactly,” she whispered, wondering where he was going with this.

  “I think you did. And I’m a bit confused by a couple of things,” he said. “Would you care to explain a few things to me?”

  “Um…sure,” she said, taking another hesitant step backward. She didn’t know what he was going to ask her, but her unease was peaking.

  “You dated Jack a long time, right?”

  “Um…no. We’ve never dated actually.”

  “But you were together.”

  “Well, not exactly.”

  “Sleeping together,” John offered.

  “Um…yeah.”

  “And you’ve been dating Ramsey now for over two years?”

  “Yeah. Two and a half.”

  “That seems pretty committed to me.” John arched an eyebrow.

  “I just said that getting me to commit is the hard part…not impossible.”

  “Committed to Ramsey and still seeing Jack though, right?” John asked, stepping into her again.

  Lexi took a few more steps to put distance between them again. Brushing her hair behind her ear, she glanced away and tried to wrap her mind around where John was going with this. What did any of it matter to him? And why did he look so angry? His hazel eyes were dark under his thick black lashes, and his body was stiff where he was normally relaxed.

  “Jack and I are just friends. We’re not seeing each other. I don’t know what you’re trying to prove in this conversation, but I think we should leave,” Lexi said, trying for her best courtroom voice.

  “You’re friends with someone you slept with since college?” he asked incredulously.

  “Yes, some people do learn to grow up,” she spat back. Then, it hit her. “How do you know about me and Jack? I haven’t told you about our relationship. Who did you talk to? How do you keep finding all of this out?”

  John just shrugged.

  “Why do you want to know all of this anyway?” she asked. “What do you gain from it?”

  John strode forward quickly, and Lexi took another unsteady step backward. Her back hit the wall, and he hovered close over her. She held her breath as he stood there. A million scenarios went through her mind at once.

  She didn’t want whatever he was offering. She liked him, and they got along, but he also put her on edge. Most of the time, it was because of the physical attraction that was still there between them but not at this moment. This felt different. She could feel the physical need simmering underneath it all, but there was something else there that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

  “I told you once that I wasn’t going to play fair. You don’t play fair, so I wasn’t going to. The more that I found out about you, Lexi, just proves that you’ve never played fair—leading Jack on for years and forcing Ramsey to be around Jack. All the while berating Ramsey for being around Parker when you’re around Jack.”

  “What is the point of all this?” she snapped. “Don’t judge me for the life I live! You don’t know what I’ve gone through to get here, and I’m perfectly capable of making my own decisions.”

  “Walk away from it all.”

  Lexi’s eyes bulged at the comment. Where the hell had that come from? Walk away from her life? From the life she had fought tooth and nail for?

  Was he mentally insane?

  There was no way that she was going to walk away from Ramsey. They had their ups and downs, but he was the real deal, the sure thing. As long as Elisa was behind them and she could trust him around Parker, then they would be fine.

  And Jack…

  Well, Jack, she had finally made peace with. They were friends. Just friends. Nothing else. Not ever again.

  She wasn’t going to give that up now that it was finally working. She never thought that she would be able to call Jack her friend in any real sense. The sexual tension between them had always been too palpable, but they had made it work. And she needed him.

  “Walk away from what? My life?”

  “Just leave it all behind,” he said softly. He looked like he wanted to reach out and touch her, but he didn’t.

  “I can’t leave my life behind. Do you know how crazy that sounds? I just want to get out of here,” she said, pushing against his chest to try to walk past him.

  John caught her wrists and pulled her in against him. The breath whooshed out of her lungs as her chest collided with him roughly.

  “I’m offering you an out. You want to get away. I want you to get away with me. Come back to New York. Hang out with Chyna. Spend time with me.”

  Lexi shook her head back and forth and tried to wrench her hands back from him. “No. You can’t tell me to give up my life because you want to date me. I already told you no…a year and a half ago. Now, let me go!”

  “Why do you fight like this?”

  “Because you’re hurting me,” she said, gesturing to where he still held her in place.

  John released her, and she pushed back against his chest again.

  “I told you no. I’m sorry that you can’t accept no, but my answer hasn’t changed. I love Ramsey. I’m dating Ramsey.”

  “Do you want to marry him? You said you’re not the marrying type…is he?” John asked.

  “That’s none of your business. You seem to know everything else about my life. How come you don’t know the answer to that question?”

  “I already know he is. I just want you to see how wrong you are together.”

  “And what?” she asked angrily. “To prove that we’re right for each other? You prove that with actions, not words.”

  “Then, let me prove it. You’re going to look back on this moment and regret not taking the out. I can see it all over you. I know you, Lexi,” John told her.

  She stepped around him. “We were talking for a total of one month. We had sex once. We might have hung out since you were working on the Bridges hospital, but I’m not walking away, and I’m not going to regret it.”

  Lexi turned and walked toward the door. She couldn’t believe she had just had this conversation. The audacity of that man to actually say these things to her—to try to convince her to give up Ramsey, her friendship with Jack, her life in Atlanta for something with him in New York—and the very idea of it all was outrageous.

  John stalked after her, keeping her from the door. “I’m not saying walk away because of me. I’m saying walk away with me. We could very well fall to pieces in a couple of months, but at least you would know. You wouldn’t be doing this run-of-the-mill thing to satisfy anyone else but yourself.”

  “And how do you know that I’m doing this for anyone else but me?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “You think that I decided to love Ramsey because he wanted me to? That I decided to move in with Ramsey because he wanted me to? That I decided to be friends with Jack because he wanted to? I’m pretty sure I had a say in all of that!”

  John laughed softly and shook his head. He actually looked distraught from her speaking. “The fact that you’ve deluded yourself into thinking that is the saddest part of all of this,” he said, forcefully opening the door and walking out into the hallway.

  Lexi stormed after him, ready to give him a piece of her mind. John stopped short just out of t
he door, and she faced him, ready to yell at him some more, but then she got a good look at what had made him stop.

  Ramsey and Parker were standing only a few feet from the on-call room. They were talking to each other but were walking straight toward Lexi and John. When Lexi had stormed out of the on-call room, Ramsey and Parker had both looked up at her.

  Fuck!

  No way did this look good. She was all angry and flustered because of the conversation she had just had with John, and now, she had to deal with this. Ramsey was in a suit, as usual, but Parker was dressed in scrubs with her hair up in a messy ponytail. Walking away in that moment didn’t sound so bad.

  “Lexi,” Ramsey said, “I didn’t know you were at the hospital already.”

  She knew that she should have texted him to let him know that she was here, but she had planned to do it when she was done, so she could spend time with him. Now, she had been caught walking out of the room known for where doctors had sex. Just fantastic.

  “Yeah, I got here a while ago. We’ve just been wandering the hallways as John does his report.”

  “Part of his inspection was in the on-call room?” Ramsey asked, keeping his voice even.

  But Lexi could see that he wasn’t pleased.

  Parker forced a stilted laugh. “I’m sure it was nothing.”

  They all stood there awkwardly in the minute of silence. Lexi wasn’t sure what to say. She knew Ramsey would be pissed if he knew what John had been saying to her. She figured the extent of Ramsey acting cool with her being friends with these men extended only as long as they kept their distance. John had crossed that boundary. No, it was more like he had hurdled the line at a full sprint.

  “We just finished anyway,” John said casually.

  Lexi glared at him. Of course he would find a way to make it sound dirty.

  “He was just showing me around. I didn’t even know what room it was,” Lexi admitted.

  “I’m going to finish my inspection now. I believe she’s yours to take care of,” John said crisply, offering Lexi up.

  “Yes, perhaps you should finish your work here,” Ramsey said, taking Lexi’s hand and pulling her toward him, claiming her.

  “I can escort you the rest of the way,” Parker said immediately.