Page 121 of Love Sick

I ignore her and give the woman at the registrar’s desk my name. She files through a stack of envelopes and hands me my check. Each resident receives a yearly stipend for books, conferences and educational equipment. Each resident also buys books on Amazon, prints the receipt, then cancels the order to cash in the reimbursement check from GME.

Is this considered fraud?

If it is, I don’t care. I made less than minimum wage last year, and they yell at me when I try to take the hospital’s disgusting complimentary food home for dinner to save money.

Alesha and I pass Steven Langston as we head toward the door. I suppress my glare while Alesha nods a reserved greeting.

“Don’t you hate that guy?” I ask.

She waves her hand in a dismissive gesture. “He has a thankless job.”

“He’s the COO of the hospital. His thanks is his pretty salary.”

She chuckles. “I heard about your CREOG score.”

I stare at her a moment before we enter the stairwell that leads to the main lobby. “How do you always know everything?”

“This stuff gets around. You just don’t pay attention to all the gossip.” She points at me. “You’re lucky they’re talking about this and not about you boning Grace. I know y’all still trying to keep that hush-hush.”

I tilt my head. “That’s true. She’s keeping me her dirty little secret.”

The front doors of the hospital whoosh open and let us into the cold February air.

“Do you wonder why?” she asks.

Yes.“I have a couple theories.”

In the lot, we head to the farthest corner where residents are allowed to park.

Alesha hooks her arm around my elbow. “Care to enlighten me?”

“I think it’s the rumors.” I sneak a glance at her face, curious how she’ll react. “I think she’s afraid to let anyone know because the rumor mill will go crazy again.”

Alesha’s expression pinches. “You really think so? I don’t think they bother her that much.”

I lift my shoulder. Grace has spent the last eighteen months laughing it off and rolling her eyes, but I still remember the tears and anger the day I met her—the day she learned what people were saying about her. But I also know Grace, and she’d rather shred every flashcard she’s ever made than let anyone see how much it upsets her. So I don’t argue with Alesha. Arguing means divulging things Grace might not want revealed.

“Would it bother you?” Alesha asks in my silence. “If you were public and people talked about her sleeping with other people?”

We reach my truck. Alesha’s Prius is four spots down, but she perches on my bumper.

I drop my messenger bag to the ground. “I have a naive hope that her being in a relationship will tone down the gossip. But yes, it would bother me. It’s always annoyed me that she has to deal with this. Doesn’t it bug you?”

Pressing her lips together, Alesha stares at the ground by my feet. “She’s always told me she doesn’t care.”

“Trust me. She cares.”

She studies me. “This isn’t a fling for you, is it?”

I snort and bend to pick up my bag, blowing her off.

“Julian.”

Her serious tone stills my movements, but I don’t look her in the eye.

“You love her?” she asks.

Something lodges in my throat and I can’t speak. Instead, I tighten the strap of my bag unnecessarily and glance at the sky.

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