Page 52 of The Beat of her Heart

Perhaps she could tell them to leave her be for now. She’d heal faster without them peering over her shoulder and calling every damn day.

The ringing finally stopped, leaving a silence so loud she could hear her thoughts screaming at her. Maybe she’d call her parents back after work.

But even as she thought about it, she knew she wouldn’t. Not today. Maybe not tomorrow, either. She adjusted the papersagain, this time stacking them perfectly square, a distraction that barely lasted a few seconds.

Giselle stood up and paced a few steps around the room. She glanced at the small calendar on her desk, noting the appointments lined up for the rest of the week. None of them involved Addie. That was disappointing. She wanted to think it was just a professional preference—after all, Addie was good at what she did. But if she was being honest, it was more than that.

She walked to the window and looked out at the hospital courtyard below. People moved in and out, some in scrubs, others in street clothes, and yet Addie was the only one she could think about.

That night, it had been so easy to forget her own rules. Addie had pulled down those walls Giselle had spent years building like it was nothing. Giselle ran a hand through her hair, almost laughing at herself.

With a quiet sigh, she moved back to her desk, glancing at the phone once more. No new messages. She knew it was silly to expect anything.

Finally, she walked to the door, her stepsslower than usual. Part of her knew this was a mistake—seeking out Addie, allowing herself to let her guard down. She should stay put, focus on work, and let these feelings settle into the background. But her hand reached for the door anyway.

Her steps carried her down the hall, passing the occasional nurse or fellow doctor. She kept her gaze steady, ignoring the curious glances. The hallway stretched out in front of her, seeming longer than she remembered.

There it was: Addie’s office. She stopped just short of the door, her hand lifting to knock, but then paused.

What was she even going to say? She didn’t know. But if she knocked on Addie’s door, she had a feeling everything would change.

Giselle stood outside Addie’s office, rubbing a hand over her forehead. The fluorescent hallway lights reflected off her face, highlighting her furrowed brow.

Today had been pretty long, but it wasn’t stress written on her face. It was indecision. For so long, Giselle had been fighting the urge to see Addie and share in her space.

Fighting?

She almost laughed. The fact that she was standing outside Addie’s office showed how well she was “fighting.”

She raised her hand, hesitated, and then sighed.

“Just knock already,” she muttered to herself. But her hesitation wasn’t because she couldn’t handle being in Addie’s space—it was because she couldn’t handlenotbeing in Addie’s space.

Everything reminded her of Addie, from the white hospital walls to the little bits of art that filled the pediatric ward.

Maybe it was just her head, but that was another problem on its own. Why couldn’t she remain as stoic as she’d been when she first came here? She was Giselle Carlisle now, so why did she love like she was still Giselle Nova?

Giselle sighed. There was no going back now. Her heart wanted what—who—it wanted. She raised her hand again, but this time she knocked.

No response. Her heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t have signed out already. Giselle knew that for certain. She’d checked Addie’sschedule for the day. She still had a couple of hours before she clocked out.

Perhaps she was so busy inside that she wasn’t paying attention to the door. She knocked again.

“Addie?”

No response.

“There’s no one in there,” a soft voice called.

Giselle spun around to find Addie standing behind her. Her light brown hair, as usual, was nearly tucked behind her ear. It was the glint in her hazel eyes that blew Giselle away. That, and the slow smile that was spreading over her lips.

“Oh, I was…” Giselle began. “You’re here.”

Shit. Giselle screamed at herself in her head. In her defense, she hadn’t thought out what she’d say when she saw Addie. All that made sense in her head was the fact that she wanted to see her.

“I might’ve stayed a little too long at the cafeteria,” Addie said, her eyebrows lifting slightly. “Hey.”

Hey?

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