Page 17 of Four-ever Single

“What makes you think I will?” I asked, suddenly feeling defensive.

“You’re a nice guy, Jones. It’s always the nice guys who get screwed, and unless it’s literally—I don’t want that for you. You deserve better and shouldn’t be afraid to tell her that. It’s not that hard to agree to be with someone if you’re interested in seeing where things can go. I’m just saying, have a talk with her and make sure you’re both on the same page before you get in any deeper. At least draw a line on whether or not you guys are allowed to see other people.”

He pushed off the counter and walked away, leaving me alone with this nagging, ugly feeling clawing inside my chest.

Ten

Bella

“Hey, how are things going with the clinical rotation?” I asked, pouring cereal into a bowl as Lia entered the kitchen. It had been a few days since she had started, and our schedules hadn’t lined up enough for us to sit down and talk. By the time she got home every night, I was already in bed since I had such an early morning routine I liked to stick to.

“Ugh. It sucks,” she muttered.

“Why? What happened?” I frowned as I poured a splash of milk into the bowl and grabbed a spoon. I hopped onto the barstool and studied how her brow furrowed deeper as she thought about it.

“I HATE the attending I’ve been getting assigned to. He’s such a pompous ass, and all of the girls are practically in heat around him. It’s stupid. I wish I could get assigned to someone who doesn’t make my blood boil the way it does when he’s around.”

“I’m sorry. That sucks. Have you talked to anyone about getting moved?”

“Not yet,” she sighed, sitting beside me with her bowl of cereal. “I don’t want to be a bitch and make waves right away. The last thing I need is to get myself on the bad list where no one wants to work with me. I’m going to just have to ride it out and hope that I can get moved to general surgery before I kill him.”

My eyebrows rose as she smirked to herself, likely envisioning what said murder might look like.

“Try not to do anything stupid to get you kicked out of the program,” I warned.

“I won’t. I promise. But today is my only day off, so I already made plans for us to go to Tipsy Taco for dinner tonight. Kensy is on board, but I’m sure she’ll bring my brother with her. Want to invite Jones, or should I have Capshaw?”

I started choking on the bite I took, covering my mouth with my hand to keep from spitting milk out.

“Why would I invite him?” I asked, reaching for the napkins to avoid looking at her.

“Why wouldn’t you? It seems like the least you could do after all the extra security he’s provided around here lately. What with the outlets he checked and the call he came out for on Sunday. Seems like he’s been a little busy around here, tending to stuff.” Her smirk grew even bigger as she lifted her spoon to her mouth and studied my reaction.

I lowered my head and shook it.

“How long have you known?” I asked, cutting straight to the point.

“The second I saw him here Saturday morning. I knew you were lying when I mentioned the loud noises and banging on the wall, and you blamed the neighbors. Did you know your cheeks blush the faintest shade of crimson when you’re lying? It’s really quite adorable.”

“Why didn’t you just come out and say something?”

“Because it’s much more fun to watch you squirm. Plus, I kinda got a kick out of seeing Jones try to act like nothing was happening. The way he studied that outlet so intently as if it held all the answers of the universe. But I gotta admit—I lost my shit after I left when I kept picturing the look on his face when he held up your dildo when he was looking for something to test the outlet with. That was priceless.”

I covered my face with my hands, hoping I wasn’t turning another shade of red, even though she would enjoy it more than she should.

“But I think the bigger—and more important—question is, why didn’t you tell me you were seeing him?” Her voice changed, and when I lifted my head, I was met with the softest eyes looking at me.

“I wasn’t ready to tell anyone about it yet.” I shrugged. “It wasn’t like we had planned it or anything. Things kinda just happened.”

“Friday night?”

I nodded.

“We touched, and there was this electricity between us that I had never felt before, Lia. And so I made the move before he could. I think it was just the thought of not wanting to miss out on whatever connection we had between us but also wanting to be in control of whatever might happen to us. I’m tired of questioning whether a guy is really into me for me or just wants to brag and say he hooked up with a lingerie model. It’s exhausting, and I hate that I never know anyone’s true intentions.”

She smiled softly as she reached over and gently squeezed my hand.

“I get it. I really do.”

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