“Hey, Dax, I haven’t seen you in a while. Maybe we could go out for a drink sometime after work?”
I wince at the thought and her touch. I see something move in my peripheral vision, and I look at Liv at the desk, trying her best not to look at me and hide that she is listening to this exchange. I gently remove the girl’s hand from my arm.
“Sorry, Jasmine, but I’m seeing someone.”
Surprise flashes across her face. “Oh. Okay. No problem,” she stammers and turns away, hurrying down the hall. I let out a deep breath and made my way to where Liv was still pretending to look at a chart.
I lean over into her ear and whisper, “Twice in one day, I get to see my girlfriend’s pretty face.”
She quirks her lip up with a hint of a smile.
“I could get used to this baby.” I give her a quick kiss on her forehead and walk away.
I look back, and see her staring at me. I turn and notice Jasmine looking at her as well. Well, that takes care of that. I’m sure that in about another hour, the gossip mouth of the south, Jasmine, will let everyone know about my interaction with Liv up on the floor. That’s not such a bad thing. While staking my claim to Liv, I’ve also hopefully sidestepped any women who may have been hoping I’d ask them out again. Before Liv, my track record included one-night stands with a few women at the hospital. But I’m happy to give that up. Liv is everything to me now. I wonder if the gossip will make its way to Tatiana. I need to deal with that sooner than later. I head back to the office and ponder when I’ll see Liv again. I can only hope it will be tonight.
ChapterTwenty-Two
Liv
I watchDax walk away and am at a loss for words. That is two times in one day that he claimed me to be his girlfriend. But that nurse on the surgical floor. She has a history with him. And what about the bombshell I saw him with at the coffee shop? Nerves bubble up in my belly, and my thoughts start to race. Should I get tested for STDs? How many women has he slept with around here? My insecurities flare. I’ve been cheated on before. I don’t think my heart could take it again. Brodie gave me quite the complex.
“No,” I whisper to myself, trying to stop the downward spiral of my thoughts. “Dax is not Brodie. Dax is different.”
Great, now I sound like a crazy person talking to myself. I’ve known that this is different since the moment I met him. Never have I felt this strong attraction to anyone before. My phone vibrates, and it’s a text from Emma.
Hey! The girls are coming to visit. It's gonna be hella fun.
I silently thank Emma for the happy distraction and reply quickly.
When? I can’t wait!
It has been too long since I have seen my besties, and I look forward to them visiting us. I desperately need a night out. The only other time I went out, I ran into Dax. That encounter had ended on a good note. I will have to see how this plays out, but I must guard my fragile heart.
I push the door to our apartment open and drag myself in. It was a long day at the hospital. My brain and body are exhausted. I hear music coming from Emma’s room and wander down the hall toward it. I still hadn’t asked her what was up with Eduardo being in our apartment when I got home. I need to know so much about that story, but Emma is usually a closed book. She is the happiest person I know. Always full of energy and lively. She is the best friend I could ever ask for, but she never talks about herself or her past. I always feel like there’s something about her she holds back from me. As close as we are, I don't know much about her childhood; she never talks about her parents. In fact, I sometimes feel that I don't know her at all, even though she is always there for me. I mean, she even moved here with me to Houston to make sure I didn’t fall apart after the accident with Brodie and being low on funds for grad school.
Also different from me, Emma never has a money problem. She’s a saver and rarely spends anything but still manages to afford the finer things. It must be all her savings from her job. I hear the shower turn off, and she makes her way out of the room in a towel. She opens the door and jumps back.
“Oh dear god, I didn’t hear you come in.” I laugh and look at her. “Did you just get home from work?”
She makes her way over to the kitchen and grabs a wineglass. She lifts a glass in my direction, indicating a nonverbal question, and I nod earnestly. She honestly looks a little rattled and I feel bad about startling her. She shakily pours us both a glass of chardonnay and then proceeds to plug the bottle with some fancy Houdini device.
“Here, you look like you need this.” She hands me my glass as she gets a bit more comfortable. “How was your first day?” She takes a long pull from her glass and waits for my reply.
“Good.” I eye her up and down, noticing her avoiding my scrutiny by asking me pointed questions. “I saw Dax there,” I said quickly, bringing my glass to my lips to hide my smirk.
She raises her hands. “No way!” All her tremors are now gone.
I shake my head, nodding in confirmation. “I saw him twice, actually. Once in the café, and once on the floor when I read a patient’s chart.”
I think back to seeing Dax and how shamelessly all those women were flirting with him in the vicinity of the nurses’ stations. He brings so much attention to himself with all that manly hotness. I am glad that he is so attractive and into me, and I worry at the same time that I won’t be able to hold his attention. My expression sours at that thought.
Emma pulls me away from these negative thoughts and asks, “Where did you go, Liv?”
“Huh?”
“You are so into that head of yours that you get lost.”
I remember Dax saying something similar to me. I get out of my negative thoughts and shake them all away.
