She bites her bottom lip and says nothing, continuing to blink back tears.
A wave of regret rolls through me, and my eyes fill, too. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’ve done. Can you tell me?”
The dam breaks, tears rush down both of her cheeks, and she shakes her head in small little movements.
She’s like a magnet, and I step forward, not thinking, not even considering Billie, and cup her face in my hands, wiping her cheeks with my thumbs. “I dream of you,” I whisper, not thinking before I speak.
Her eyes widen and more droplets fall. “You remember me?”
I shake my head. “Not outside my dreams.”
She’s silent.
“Can you tell me what I’ve done?” I repeat.
“Are you still searching for Billie?”
“Yes,” I say, without even thinking.
“Because you love her?”
“Yes.”
She moves my hands off her face and takes a deep breath. “You have done nothing intentional to hurt me.”
“No?”
“No.” She turns and unlocks her locker.
“Charlotte—”
“Everything is fine, Xander. I hope you find Billie and are happy.” She opens her locker, slings her bag over her shoulder, and shuts the door.
“Charlotte—”
She puts a finger over my mouth. “It’s okay. We have to work together. Let’s not talk about this again.”
I stand stunned, not sure what I’ve done but knowing I’ve done something, as she leaves the locker room.
My shift ends aroundtwo in the afternoon. Surgery started early in the morning, and as soon as I’m done I go back to the hotel I’m staying and call Noah.
He answers the phone. “Xander, how wasyour first day?”
“I need to talk to you.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah. All’s good. You around later?”
“Sure. You want to go grab a beer?”
“Sounds good. Just text me an address. I don’t know where anything in this city is.”
Noah laughs. “I know the feeling, Don’t worry though. It’s smaller than New York, and you’ll learn it quickly.”
“All right. I’ll go work out. Meet around five?”
“Sure. I’ll send the address.”
