Page 22 of Love, Academically
Marked by overconfidence or presumptuousness
Lila
They had been waiting for hours. Well, two. But it was still a plural.
“Here,” Rhys said, handing her a plastic cup of hot chocolate. He sat down next to her again and pulled her leg onto his lap.
He really wasn’t all that bad. Sure, he could be a bit direct, but this was the second hot chocolate he’d bought her and he had stayed with her all this time.
“Kit Kat? The vending machine didn’t have any cookies, not that they’d be any good anyway,” he said with a wry smile, offering her a Kit Kat Chunky.
“Rhys, I would kill for chocolate,” she said, snatching it out of his hand, barely getting it ripped open before she stuffed it into her mouth. “What? I missed my afternoon cookie.”
“You have an afternoon cookie?” he asked, his eyebrow crawling up his forehead.
“Yes, and a morning cookie. It’s what makes me so sweet.”
The corner of his mouth ticked up in a tiny smile before he caught himself and forced his eyebrows together in a frown.
“Is it going to be much longer?” Rhys checked his swanky watch for the thirtieth time. “It’s been hours. I’m going to ask.”
“Rhys, don’t. They’re doing their best. They’re just overworked and under-resourced,” Lila said, gripping his strong arm. Which was very strong.
He was probably used to private health care, GPs and A&E staff at his beck and call, with all his international business money. Well, now he could experience how the other half lived, with waiting rooms and hot chocolate from vending machines.
“Fine.” He huffed and sat back.
“It won’t be much longer.” Dealing with Rhys was like dealing with an overgrown child.
She really hoped it wouldn’t be much longer because she was absolutely starving. There was only so big a hole chocolate could fill.
They sat in silence. At some point over the last two hours, Rhys’s forearms had rested on her shin, which was only fair as she was using his lap as her leg prop. He rubbed the fabric of her pink trousers absently between his fingers.
Lila sighed. She should probably text her mother.
The waiting room had filled, and more important cases had been seen before her; a couple of kids, two extreme bleeders and a projectile vomiter.
It was an hour later when her mother texted back and even then it wasn’t really much of a text.
She may be an adult, but what she needed was a big hug, a soft blanket and someone to stroke her hair. Instead, her parents were busy living their own lives, and Lila should get on with living hers.
In the end, it was nearly three hours before she was called through to triage.
“Finally,” Rhys grumbled under his breath, helping her up. He wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her to the triage room. For a well-built man, he was really quite gentle.
“Are you coming in?” she asked as they reached the triage room door. Suddenly, she really wanted him to.
Rhys frowned, his eyebrows drawing in. “Uh, sure?”
It was definitely a question.
Lila swallowed and nodded. She was vulnerable and tired and so hungry, and for some reason, having a warm body next to her helped.
“Okay then.”
