Page 52 of Bloom: Part 1

“He does. If he didn’t exist, Logan wouldn’t be going out with him.”

“He’d just go out with someone else. I’ll only tell you what I know about him and where they’re going to meet if you promise me you will not hurt this man. That’s the fastest way for you to lose Dr. Collier.”

“Just tell me what you know.”

“Bloom—”

“I won’t fucking hurt him.” But I couldn’t let Logan go on a date with him either.

“All right, then. Listen to me and do exactly what I say.”

14

LOGAN

Getting dressed for dinner while Bloom was on my mind shed light on how much of a mistake it was to go out with Nicholas. A date with Nicholas wouldn’t fix what was wrong, because the problem was Bloom—him worming his way into my life and refusing to leave. Now that he had, an emptiness had grown inside me that no one else would fill.

No one else was Bloom.

No one else couldbeBloom.

No one else made me feel desire like Bloom.

Nicholas, with his sunny smile and insatiable needs in bed, couldn't fill Bloom’s shoes. Not even in my dreams. Those too were full of Bloom lately.

How ironic that Bloom’s over-the-top declaration of his feelings for me might be false while mine had developed into something genuine.

To be fair, I called Nicholas to cancel our date, but his phone was off. I felt bad about standing him up, so I went to the restaurant to have a platonic dinner with him and let him down for his expectations tonight.

Nicholas had made the reservation, but he was late. Not surprising, since I’d waited on him every single time in the past. Somehow I knew Bloom wouldn’t have kept me waiting. On top of that, I was hungry. I’d only had a protein bar for lunch, so I dug into the complementary rolls while waiting for Nicholas to show up.

The rolls were warm and buttery, the tang of rosemary cutting through the richness. On a whim, I unlocked my phone and dialed Bloom’s number, although I didn’t expect him to answer. He didn’t. I swallowed down my disappointment and called Nicholas.

“I’m so sorry,” he answered, sounding out of breath. “I’m parking my car now.”

“Good. I was about to eat without you.”

“Very funny, Doc. See you in a bit.”

He ended the call, and I opened my messaging app. Bloom had read the message I’d sent him a week ago. Why hadn’t he responded? Dammit. I knew my blow job skills weren’t good enough for an Oscar, but they were worth an honorable mention. He’d gushed about making my mouth his afterward, or had he just said anything he thought I needed to hear?

None of this made any fucking sense. Bloom wasn’t devious like that. He was an open book and didn’t mince words. One of the reasons I’d taken a liking to him. He was as real as they came.

We need to talk.

The message lacked something, so I added,I miss you.My mouth went dry, and my finger hovered over the Send button. I was being honest. What was the worst that could happen? I couldn’t stop thinking about him and how interesting he made my life. Even Dr. Simms’s words, which I’d taken to heart earlier, had faded into nothingness.

I hit Send, locked my phone, and slipped it into my pocket. My stomach was no longer churning from hunger but from what would happen when he read my message. What if he didn’t respond? I would have no one but myself to blame, given all the times I’d pushed him away and said mean things to him. Could I let him walk away if that was his choice?

I downed my glass of water. What was taking Nicholas so long? The restaurant wasn’t that crowded for him to not be able to find a parking space.

Where would I take Bloom for a dinner date? A little premature to consider, given I didn’t even know if he still wanted to date me, but one thing was for sure. I would never take him to this restaurant—not to this generic place that was a default for all my hookups.

“Sir,” the hostess who’d shown me to my table earlier said. “Your party has arrived.”

I almost spat out the water. I swallowed and coughed into my fist. “Bloom,” I croaked. “What are you doing here?”

His eyes were as hard as granite, even though he had a smile fixed on his face.

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