He paused. “You okay?”
Well. Seemed Hollywood wasn’t about to come calling.
“Yup.” I added a slightly manic thumbs-up. “Just a Monday, you know. Other than that? Thriving.” I turned before he could ask again, setting off down the corridor, focus pinned on the rhythm of my steps. Not lightheaded, nope. I was a competent resident with things to do and places to be.
Then a door opened right in front of me. And—oh. Jesse.
He stepped into the corridor, right into my path—his hair slightly mussed, lab coat open over navy scrubs. God. His attention snagged on me, then he swallowed and let his gaze settle on Tay, following me at a slightly slower pace.
“Hey. Mind if I borrow Dr. Hayes for a minute?”
My pulse skipped and skittered, thudding against the side of my neck.Casual.I tipped my chin up just a hint and tried to keep my shoulders loose, as if this was a thing that happened all the time, no big deal, just about to have a relaxed chat with my former supervisor who’d ditched my ass.
For a good reason, though. I knew that. I just needed a day to feel it, too.
“Knock yourself out,” Tay told Jesse before he gave me a little shrug, allgo on, then.
I followed Jesse down the corridor—far enough to grant some privacy, close enough to prevent questions. We stopped next to a window. Sunlight cut in at an autumn slant, casting shadows across the linoleum floor. A respectable gap stretched between us, my hands in my pockets, his arms crossed over his chest. Anyone watching would have thought we were talking labs or discharge notes—something safely boring and totally not worth overhearing.
Jesse took a moment before he looked at me. “This is not a punishment.” His voice was a shade too steady, eyes clear. “Just wanted to reiterate that.”
Something inside my chest tugged loose and left me a little lightheaded—as if I’d needed to hear it straight from him to truly believe it. I pressed my tongue against the roof of my mouth and flicked a glance back toward Tay, who was now chatting with a nurse.
When I turned back to Jesse, he was watching me closely. The focused intensity made me feel strangely buoyant, warmthrising into my cheeks. “Yeah,” I said, low. “I wasn’t sure at first, but…I get it. I get why it’s the right move.”
“It is.” Jesse hesitated, expression shifting into something I couldn’t read. “And Tay will be a solid supervisor. Someone you can go to for questions and support.Fair.”
Unlike Jesse.
“Because you see me through rosy glasses?” I kept my voice quiet. “That’s what Tay said.”
He exhaled through his nose. “We both know I can’t be evaluating you. Not just because I’m hopelessly biased, but also….” His jaw flexed, just barely. “It’s just a little exhausting—constantly pretending that I hardly even know you.”
God, yeah—didn’t I just know it. I smiled a little, crooked and small. “Goes both ways.”
He nodded, silence settling for a few seconds. The distance between us felt carefully calibrated—no leaning in, no softened edges. Two professionals, but fuck, I wanted to reach for him and smooth out the tiny crease between his brows, wanted to pull him close the way we’d been two nights and a lifetime ago.
But I couldn’t. Which… Well. It sucked. It just really, really did.
I inhaled, heavy. “You understand why I left, right? That it wasn’t because I wanted to.”
“I know.” He sounded like it cost him to say it, jaw tight. His eyes were calm and sure, though, and that should’ve been enough. We’d cleared the air, needed to end this conversation before Tay started wondering.
This wasn’t a breakup. It wasn’t anything.
Another beat passed, then I took half a step back. My head was stuffed with wool. “We don’t have to go back to—like…strangers. Or whatever it was we tried for before. Right?”
“No. Not entirely.” Jesse’s mouth twitched into something marginally lighter. “Benefit of partial honesty, I guess—I don’t have to fake indifference.”
“Good.” It came out slightly too heavy and serious.
“Yeah,” he said, the shade of a confession.
A second passed while we stared at each other. Then the burst of a laugh down the corridor reminded me we weren’t alone—Tay, the nurse chuckling along. Right.Right. Life, still merrily marching on.
Jesse seemed to agree, his lips tilting into something soft and careful. “You should go.”
“Yeah.” Still I looked at him for one more beat before I made myself turn away with, “See you later?”
