Page 18 of Love Sick

To my utter delight, Julian stumbles over his answers after I shine with mine.

Ha! Justice!

When the onslaught is over, we lock eyes, and I raise one eyebrow, unable to contain the smirk.

He cocks his head, unsmiling. “You proud of yourself over there?”

People rise for bathroom breaks and coffee refills, but Julian and I stay glued to our chairs, locked in a staring contest.

“I am.” I give him an innocent smile. “Are you?”

“What isthat?” He points at my mouth. “You think that smile’s fooling anyone?”

“Whatever could you mean?” I feign a confused look. “I’m merely smiling at my coworker.”

A dark rumble that can hardly be called laughter emerges from his throat, connecting directly to receptors in my skin. Pinpricks wake, almost painful in their recognition of him, like my autonomic nervous system understands something I don’t.

Danger! Run away!

His finger taps against his coffee mug, gaze burning into mine. “You’re gonna be a problem, aren’t you?”

“Don’t think you can handle it?”

His face subtly resculpts itself, forming a challenging smile detectable only in his eyes. “I think you’ve underestimated me.” He pauses to sip his coffee. “Sapphire.”

* * *

Sunday night, Alesha invites me to Mi Cocina, a popular Mexican restaurant with the best drinks on the planet. I slide into the circle booth beside her. She’s dressed in a multicolored flowy dress, very Boho chic. My shorts and racerback are out of place next to her.

“This is a huge booth for just the two of us,” I say.

She snorts. “Oh, no. I invited all the interns. I’m dubbing this our first Group Therapy session. Probably the first of many.”

Raven slides in beside Alesha, eyes ringed dark. “So tired, but need chips and guac.”

“How was your first twenty-four?” I reach for a tortilla chip.

“Awesome. Exhausting.” She perks up. “But I did my first C-section!”

My pulse flutters. “Really? Tell me about it.”

“Nuh-uh.” Sitting between us, Alesha waves her fingers in front of our chests. “You can explain that later. I need to know what’s going on with you and Julian before him and Kai get here. I told them to meet us in—” she checks her phone “—fifteen minutes.”

I feign a laugh. “Wh-what do you mean?”

She levels a stare at me.

Um. So what do I do here? It’s not exactly classy to throw shade at a new coworker. I don’t want to be seen as a gossip. During my indecision, the server approaches to ask for our drink orders. Alesha and I order Mambo Taxis. Raven asks for water and a side of guacamole.

“Fourteen minutes,” Alesha says, tapping pointedly on the polished table in front of me.

“Fine!” I scratch at a dent in the wood and take six of her valuable minutes to explain the apparent rumor as well as my first—and second—encounter with Julian Santini.

Our drinks arrive in the meantime, and Alesha takes a sip of hers before holding out a hand to stop me. “Wait a sec. They saidyouspecifically got into the program by sleeping with someone? Or justsomeonegot their spot, and they assumed it was you?”

“Does it matter?” I sip my drink. The limey-sangria goodness warms my spirits. “They all assume it’s me, so—”

“Yeah. That sucks, girl. I’m sorry.” Alesha rubs my shoulder.

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