Page 8 of Nate
She follows it up with a whole stream of emojis - a few of them of the aubergine variety - and a couple of GIFs of a man throwing glitter in the air and another of Cardi B twerking.
Me: Just in the parking lot now. Love you, too xxx
Taking a deep breath, I start walking towards the hospital.
That message from Ashley was exactly what I needed.
I’m never going to find the man of my dreams if I spend all my time locked up at home by myself.
I mean, yeah, my cat likes my company… and he’s not too bad himself, but it’s not the same as being in a real relationship. And now I’ve had a taste of Nate, I need more. Much more. Like, I need to explore every single fucking inch of his body with my tongue, tie him to my bed and never let him leave.
The hospital is busy, and it dawns on me I have absolutely no idea where Nate will be.
I head towards the front desk. Maybe if I just ask where the sexiest doctor in the world is, they’ll point me in the right direction. There are probably signs and arrows all over the place, like it’s some kind of tourist attraction where visitors have to pay to see him.
“Excuse me,” I say. “Do you know a doctor called Nate?”
The middle-aged woman with dead eyes looks me up and down. She attempts to smile, but it comes off more like a grimace.
I guess a few decades of dealing with the public will do that to you.
“Nate?” she says, going back to typing on her computer. “You’re gonna have to be a bit more specific than that!”
“He’s about six-four?” I say. “Looks like he could pick a car up with his bare hands and carry it down the road on his shoulder. He has these dreamy blue eyes, and hot tattoos all over his arms and his chest.”
“Plastic surgery’s on the second floor,” she says, without looking up from her screen. “Turn left out the elevator and head north towards the rear corner. You can’t miss it.”
“Thanks.”
I get in the elevator, squishing in with a couple of doctors talking about their golf game and a mother and her child. The child looks green and weak. The mother looks like she’s trying to stop herself from bursting into tears and collapsing on the floor.
When the doors pings open, I almost run out. I forgot how depressing hospitals can be. And that smell!
The clawing antiseptic aroma of the sick and dying fills my nose and brings back bad, old memories I’d rather forget.
But then I see a sign on the wall showing where the plastic surgery department is, and I remember why I’m here.
To get my man.
To bring him a delicious piece of chocolate cake and hopefully arrange another date.
I walk along the corridor, my high heels click-clacking on the floor, daydreaming about my upcoming encounter.
For some reason, all my nerves have disappeared. For the first time in ages, I feel confident. Happy. Like my life is about to get a million times better, and everything is finally going to work out.
No more lonely nights. No more angsty, sad feelings when I see two happy people walking along the street hand in hand.
And then I see Nate, and everything comes tumbling down...
There’s a woman with him.
A beautiful, blond woman in a pencil skirt and long flowing hair. Perky, perfect breasts. She has his arm around her shoulder. They’re laughing.
My heart sinks all the way to the floor. The cake box slips from my fingers. The mushy, creamy chocolate whacking the linoleum floor with a loud splat.
Nate turns towards me. His mouth falls open. A guilty expression crosses his face.
“Piper!” He steps towards me, but all I can think about is escaping.
