“Hey,” I replied, kicking my shoes off. I made my way over to the sofa and slid into the space next to him. A cheesy laugh-track on the TV drew my attention. “What the hell are you watching?”
“Some shitty sitcom. It was already on, and I can’t find the remote.” He shrugged.
“Lazy fucker.” I grinned at him. Oliver just shrugged again.
“Oh, hey, I almost forgot. My mum rang today—” He began.
“How is she?” I interrupted.
“She’s fine. She rang to let you know you’re welcome to come to ours for Christmas this year. Y’know, if you want to. She thought you might be lonely seeing as your parents are abroad and that,” he muttered.
“Sure – better than hanging around here by myself.” I nodded.
Oliver sighed. “I can think of a million places I’d rather be than with my family at Christmas.”
“Scrooge.”
We both sat in silence for a while, watching the show. I eventually got up, struggling a little to get out of the dip my weight had made in the old, sagging cushions.
“I need to go to bed. It’s my last day at work tomorrow until after Christmas and I can’t wait.” I grinned.
“Sleep well,” Oliver replied, half waving without even looking away from the screen. I shook my head at him.
Once I was alone, I threw myself down onto my bed and pulled my phone from my pocket. The screen was bright in the dark room, but I couldn’t summon the energy to get up and switch the lights on. I lay there a while, simply scrolling through my social media when my phone buzzed, and a notification popped up. Becca.
BECCA: Are you ever going to tell me what happened on the weekend?
I grinned and tapped out a reply.
MAX: There’s not much to tell.
BECCA: Max, I swear to God…
MAX: After you guys left in the taxi, Rowan gave me a lift home. We kissed. That was it.
I deliberately kept the details vague, both out of a desire for privacy and knowing it would irritate Becca no end.
BECCA: Who kissed who?
I swallowed. I should have known she would ask that. There was no doubt in my mind that Rowan had initiated our kiss, and yet I tapped out:
MAX: Not sure. It just happened.
I left my phone on the bed and got to my feet, ignoring the buzz of a new message. I tugged my uniform off and sat on the edge of the bed to slip my socks off. I threw them into my laundry basket before slipping between my sheets. I grabbed my phone and opened Becca’s message.
BECCA: What are you going to do now?
I sighed heavily and tapped out my response:
MAX: Fuck knows.
???
Despite my excitement for the Christmas break, the day drifted past too quickly. Rowan and I hadn’t had a spare moment to talk – it felt as if every patient he had registered with him had made an appointment, wanting to be seen before we closed for a week. I was exhausted. Though we hadn’t spoken many words aloud to another, we made ever more frequent eye contact.
Rowan breathed a sigh of relief as he came back into the room after showing a patient out. “That’s the last one.”
“Is it always like this at Christmas?” I stretched my neck, stiff from hunching over.
