Page 17 of Hearts Clash

“Thanks,” Gianna said with a dry chuckle, shaking her head in disbelief. “Sorry. I’m having the worst day right now. I’ll stop giving you a hard time. You really don’t need to do this, though.”

“I’m on my lunch break, and I’m not on call today,” Scarlett insisted, shrugging her shoulders. “Seriously, if you want to talk about it, I’m all ears. Not trying to be nosy. I just thought maybe you could use a friend, I guess?”

Gianna blinked in surprise, then offered a weak smile. The usually magnetic and self-assured surgeon was subdued, and there was something like fragility in her features that made her look younger. Something vulnerable and reluctant lurked below the surface. Although Scarlett still found her as attractive as ever, this Gianna made her chest twist with compassion as she studied her delicate face.

“You sure?” Gianna asked, leaning back against the sink with a wry little smile. “It’s very stupid, and you’re probably going to regret offering.”

“Positive,” Scarlett replied firmly. “Want to come sit down in my office? It’s less public.”

Gianna considered it for a moment, then nodded gratefully. The two walked back down the hall and slipped into Scarlett’s office, where she gestured politely toward the guest chair and sat down at her own desk. Gianna sat across from her, crossing her legs and gazing blankly at the window as she chewed on her thumbnail pensively.

“So, what’s up?” Scarlett offered gently, clasping her hands over the polished desk.

“My ex is in town,” Gianna replied with a sigh, rolling her eyes. “Haven’t talked in almost two years, and she decided to show up here out of the blue. Just ambushed me in the lobby. Like, who does that? That’s crazy, right?”

“Uh, a little bit,” Scarlett agreed with a cautious chuckle. “Bad breakup?”

“Ugh. The worst,” the brunette groaned, running a hand through her hair. “We were together for eight years, you know? Our whole lives were intertwined. Friends, colleagues, families. It’s hard to untangle yourself after that. That’s why I moved out here, actually. I needed a fresh start, and that wasn’t going to happen back home.”

“That makes sense, yeah,” Scarlett replied. “I can’t imagine. My longest relationship lasted six months, and that was difficult enough.”

Gianna laughed. Her posture relaxed a little, and she met Scarlett’s eyes with a warm smile. Despite all their differences and animosity, it was surprisingly easy to talk like this. Without the pressures of competition and power dynamics and whatever weird attraction was going on between them, they could just be human beings talking about life and sharing their experiences. It felt nice. Comfortable. Friendly, even.

“So, what did she want?” Scarlett asked, tilting her head curiously. “I mean, you seem pretty shaken up. What did she say to you?”

“Just showed up demanding to catch up,” Gianna explained, shaking her head. “She’s been texting and calling for the last couple of weeks. Guess she got bored of waiting for a reply and decided to corner me at work. I haven’t actually seen her in at least a year, and it’s like it all just came flooding back, you know? I guess I just wasn’t prepared for it.”

She shrugged helplessly, twirling a lock of silky ebony hair between her fingers. She glanced out the window again. It was a cold and overcast autumn day, and the office overlooked the parking lot—it wasn’t exactly picturesque or inspiring. Still, Gianna watched the clouds for a long moment, looking rueful as though caught in a memory.

“That seems pretty intense,” Scarlett acknowledged with a slow nod. “What happened between you two, anyway? If you don’t mind me asking?”

“She cheated,” Gianna said with another roll of her eyes, “a lot. She’s a videographer, so she’s constantly traveling around the world for her projects. I guess she figured I’d never find out.”

“Wow,” Scarlett breathed, shaking her head in disapproval. “Well, you deserve better than that, I’ll tell you that much. Good riddance, honestly.”

“You think so?” Gianna said, her lips curling upward into a familiar mischievous smirk.

Scarlett felt herself start to blush and quickly picked up a glass of water from her desk to distract herself. She took a sip, buying herself some time to recompose herself. God, this woman was ridiculously attractive, even with her eyes red and puffy, not wearing any makeup. It was unsettling. Scarlett had always prided herself on her level of self-control and composure, but in the presence of Gianna Rodriguez, somehow, she felt herself losing her grip.

“I mean, yeah, obviously, nobody deserves to be treated like that,” she quickly amended, fumbling to find the right words. “I mean—”

“Oh, relax, come on,” Gianna said, laughing cheerfully. “I’m messing with you. You’re too easy to rile up. Seriously. Don’t worry, I don’t mean anything by it. You made it very clear on Saturday that you are not interested in women. Right, Doctor Miller?”

Scarlett’s face grew even hotter. Once again, she averted her eyes, unable to maintain eye contact and hating herself for it. Instead, she drank more water, desperately searching for something to say. God, why was this so complicated? Why was it so impossible for her to even act like a normal human being?

“Uh. It’s complicated,” she said.

That was the closest she’d ever gotten to admitting it. Those simple words made her stomach twist in anxiety. Saying them aloud seemed to change something fundamental inside her, making her feel lightheaded and exposed. Vulnerable. Gianna leaned forward and studied her face carefully as though inspecting every little movement, the microscopic expressions flickering across her features.

“Look, that’s your business, and I’m not here to force you out or anything if you’re not ready,” Gianna said kindly, reaching out to pat her hand reassuringly. “Sorry. I shouldn’t be teasing you about it. Not everyone gets to have it as easy as I do with that, I know.”

Her fingertips were warm where they touched Scarlett’s skin. The small gesture sent tingles shooting up her arm and reverberating through the rest of her body, sending blood rushing to her brain until all she could hear was the pounding of her heartbeat. She felt strangely light-headed, like something was happening to her beyond her control. Her vision blurred for a fraction of a second, and the whole room tilted before snapping back into focus.

“Thanks,” was all she could manage, clearing her throat, “and sorry about your ex. Sounds like you dodged a bullet there, if you ask me.”

For a while, they sat and stared at each other, silently studying each other’s faces. Gianna’s hand lingered over hers, resting lightly on her wrist, and Scarlett’s mind whirled. Every bone in her body ached to touch the beautiful brunette again, to relive that confusing, fiery, passionate moment from a few nights ago. It should never have happened, but it had, and right now, as those intense amber eyes bore into her soul, it was all she could think about.

The moment seemed to stretch on for an eternity. Scarlett’s skin sizzled where they touched, as if heat was radiating from the contact point, melting through her skin and sinking into her bloodstream. Her stomach clenched as Gianna gently bit her lower lip, watching her intently as if gauging her reaction to the unspoken question hanging heavily in the air. This was such a bad idea. And yet—

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