I leaned on the opposite side of the hot tub. “Is this how you’re getting through med school? Soakin’ by the jets every night?”
He glided through the water to kneel on the seat in front of me. “You’d be surprised how much a crush on a classmate can motivate a person.”
“Anyone I know?” I joked.
“You might see her in the mirror now and then.” He smiled, urging me closer with gentle fingertips on my elbows.
So cute. Such an easy distraction.
I lowered my head. “What about next semester?”
He rubbed my arms. “I’ll manage.”
Goosebumps broke out across my skin as the smears of water evaporated.
Unlike me, he’d probably graduate. But what if he moved on? Where was this going, anyway? What if our relationship held him back?
I rubbed warmth into my arms and sniffled. “I, um, I saw what was in your medicine cabinet.”
He tensed, then continued tracing circles along my arms. “Yeah?”
“I wasn’t snooping. Meds fell out when I was putting the deodorant away. I guess I’m wonderingif…they helped.”
He eased back. “You’re asking a medical student if they believe in the effects of medication?”
I snorted. “No. I know we believe in science. I’m not anxious about your medication or a diagnosis. People get depressed. Sometimes it’s situational and other times it’s persistent. I guess I…I’m trying to figure out my next steps. Our next steps. And get to know you better in the process.”
He tilted his head, his eyes bright and curious. “I thought we’d enjoy the hot tub, tonight. You can get to know me then.”
“Right.” With a halfhearted chuckle, I sat on the edge of the tub and dangled my feet in the hot water. “I should probably relax.”
Dates weren’t supposed to be downers, and that’s where this conversation was headed. He probably wanted a more casual relationship, a physical one without as much emotional mess.
He cozied up to my knees. “What’s on your mind, pidge?”
I looked away so I wouldn’t be distracted by his pretty face, but ran my hands over his shoulders to keep me grounded. Maybe he did want something deeper between us. All I had to do was slide in…to the water, to him, to the whole conversation.
“My sister’s not the only reason I didn’t want to go back to school right away,” I said.
“You were worried about momentum,” he recalled.
“Kind of.” I frowned. “I got into a car accident.”
He straightened his spine. “What? When?”
“Right before winter break.”
“Were you hurt?” He scanned me as if searching for any lingering bruises.
I brushed my hair behind my ear. “Minor abrasions. My car took the brunt of it, though I did scratch a highway divider. Thankfully, no one suffered from my lapse in judgment.”
Just me and my stupid, naïve self, thinking I could do it all when I couldn’t even get home without an incident.
He stared at me with his piercing blue eyes, something swirling behind them even more intensely than the jets in this water.
“I passed out at the wheel. Just for a second. But it was long enough to do some damage,” I admitted.
He let out a shaky breath and caressed my face. “That’s terrifying.”
