“How’s this possible?” he whispered.
“What are you talking about sir?”
Aidan gently touched my face and at that moment I felt something I couldn’t explain. For a split second we were both consumed by each other’s gaze.
Aidan’s hand lingered on my face for just a moment too long, and I felt a rush of warmth flood through me.
“No, this has to be a dream… how…” Aidan murmured, his voice barely a whisper, full of disbelief. “You… You’re Alma.”
“I… I’m not Alma,” I said quickly, my heart racing. “I’m Amelia Thompson. You seem to be mistaking me for someone else sir”
Aidan blinked rapidly, as if trying to focus, trying to make sense of what I had just said. His face went pale, his breathing shallow, and his hands were shaking. He stroked his short dark hair in an almost absent-minded way, as if searching for something, something to anchor him.
“I’m so sorry,” Aidan said quietly, his voice full of regret, realizing his mistake. “I—”
Before I could respond, a man rushed toward him from the chaos. He was tall, his features sharp, and he moved quickly, his face tight with concern.
“Sir!” the man called out; his voice full of urgency. “Sir, are you okay?”
Aidan’s eyes, still filled with confusion, flickered to the man. “I’m fine Julian. Just… just get me out of here. I want to go home.” His voice was firm now, resolute.
Julian, who had to be some sort of assistant, looked between Aidan and me, his gaze narrowing as he took in the scene. He turned toward me, and his eyes widened with recognition.
“Miss Alma? How’s this possible? You are…” Julian asked, his voice full of uncertainty.
“No,” Aidan interrupted, his voice sharp. “She’s not Alma. I thought she was too. Please… I need to go home.”
Julian hesitated, clearly unsure of what was going on, but nodded, stepping back to help Aidan. My heart pounded in my chest, but I knew I had to focus. The scene was chaotic, and there were still so many others who needed attention.
I turned, trying to push the strange interaction with Aidan out of my mind, and looked around for other victims from the fire.People were injured, their faces twisted in pain, and there was no time to waste.
I worked quickly, doing my best to assess and treat the wounded, but as I moved through the crowd, my eyes kept searching. There was no sign of Finn.
Where is he?I thought.
I took a deep breath and climbed into the back of the ambulance with one of the rescued patients, trying to shake the unsettling feeling in my chest. As we sped off toward the hospital, the weight of everything pressed down on me, and I couldn’t help but wonder what had just happened with Aidan—and why it felt like there was something much deeper between us than a simple mistake.
The ambulance came to a screeching halt at the hospital entrance, the sound of the tires skidding on the pavement cutting through the haze of my thoughts. I quickly slid open the doors, moving to assist the team that rushed out to meet us.
The burn team took over almost immediately, transferring the patient onto a hospital stretcher with practiced precision. I stepped aside, my hands still trembling from the night's chaos, feeling the heat of the fire cling to my skin. As the patient was rushed inside, I glanced back, half-expecting to see Finn.
“Amelia!”
I froze at the sound of my name, familiar and warm. I turned to see Sienna striding towards me with her usual energetic pace. My best friend and flat mate, Sienna was wearing her doctor’s scrubs, her blonde hair pulled back into a messy ponytail as usual, a few strands escaping as she jogged toward me.
“There you are! You look like you’ve been through the wringer,” she said, concern lining her features as she looked me up and down. “What happened?”
I chuckled softly, though it didn’t quite reach my eyes. “Just another day at the hospital,” I said, attempting to brush off the tension. “You know how it is—fire, chaos, injuries. The usual.”
“You look like you’re about to collapse. You sure you’re, okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, though my voice was less certain than I’d intended. I was still shaken from the fire, from everything that had happened. But now that Sienna was here, I felt a little lighter. “Just a lot to process tonight.”
“Well, lucky for you, I’ve got a shift that just started, so I’m all yours,” Sienna grinned, her voice playful, but there was a glint of concern in her eyes. “Tell me everything.”
I shook my head, offering her a tired smile. “It’s been a weird one. There was this guy, Aidan... He—” I paused, trying to find the right words. “He mistook me for someone else, some woman named Alma.”
Sienna’s eyes widened in confusion. “Alma? What do you mean? How could he confuse you for someone else?”