Page 10 of Forbidden Romeo

Instead of addressing it, I grab my chow mein and dig in heartily. “Maybe I just don’t want to be harassed when you make it as a famous actress.”

She pokes me with her chopsticks. “Aren’t you excited, though? You’ve barely spoken about it.”

“Of course, I mean residency in a New York ER is super competitive and everything, and I’m honored to have a position.”

“But?”

I hesitate, “But… I don’t know, it’s easy to be honored about something, isn’t it? I think actually doing it will be a lot harder. Besides, I’ll have interns now. I’m not used to being the kind of person people look up to like that.”

“Hey, I’ve been doing it for years, and look how I turned out.” Roisin puts her food down to look me in the eye. “A bullet wound is a bullet wound; it doesn’t matter if you’re in LA or New York.”

I pout at her. “You don’t know that. They could have different bullets here.”

“And if they do, you’ll be able to handle it, Aimee,” she replies, but it comes across as more authoritative than reassuring.

I raise an eyebrow at her, utterly unconvinced.

“Don’t make me hold you down and give you a pep talk!”

I shudder. “I’m good, honestly.”

“Then say it.”

“Say what?”

She puts both hands on my shoulders for purely dramatic effect. “Say that you’re the best goddamn doctor the world has ever seen.”

“That’s not really true…”

“Say it.”

“Fine! I’m the best goddamn doctor the world has ever seen!”

Roisin grins. “We’re young, free, and single in New York City. We can be whoever we want to be.”

When I don’t repeat her words, she hits me playfully in the arm.

“We’re young, free, and single in New York City. We can be whoever we want to be,” I say monotonously.

“And you can be the kind of person little interns will cower from in fear,” Roisin continues.

“Nope.” I shake her hands off me and go back to my noodles.

Roisin sits back moodily. “Okay, fine, but you’ll tell me if any of them are cute, right?”

“Roisin, real life isn’t likeGrey’s Anatomy.Physicians are usually just tired and skinny.”

She lets out a long, drawn-out sigh. “Can’t a girl dream, though?”

“Dream away,” I concede with a giggle.

Yep, she’s going to do so well at Julliard.

“May I propose a toast?” I say after a moment, raising my tumbler in the air with the gravitas of someone holding a fine chalice. Roisin imitates me immediately.

“To new beginnings.”

“And hot physicians.” Roisin clinks my glass.

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