Page 10 of Crash: Love in Scrubs
“Not crazy,” I finally said, my voice softer than I intended. “Just...selective.”
“Nothing wrong with that.”
“Thank you. For taking me to visit. I know it’s past hours.”
“I understand what it means to worry about your mama. My queen, Yolanda, raised me right. So, to me, family comes first, rules come second.”
The mention of his mother sealed the deal on him being too good to be true. He was fine, had a career, kind, smelled good, well kept, and respected his mama. His whole face lit up when he said her name, like a little boy talking about his hero. My danger meter was going off in full force. I didn’t want a mama’s boy but a man that lit up like he did knew how to treat a woman and provide without her needing to say a word.
Energy.
“You and this southern charm are kinda cute. But I think you may be running game on me.”
“Get some rest, Sametra,” he chuckled, pausing at the door. “Doctor’s orders.”
After he left, I stared at the ceiling for a long time, my mind spinning between worry for Samaj and thoughts I had no business thinking about his doctor. I grabbed my phone,needing a distraction, and remembered I still hadn’t checked whether I’d been accepted to South Silverrun University.
I scrolled through my 62 emails until I found the one that could change everything.
Dear Ms. Andrews, we would like to formally welcome you to South Silverrun University for the summer semester...
I had to bite my lip to keep from squealing out loud. Finally, something was going right. This accident was the wake-up call I needed, about Samaj, about my life, about the fact that I’d been playing it safe for too damn long.
As I settled back into my pillow, my phone buzzed with texts from Halo and my team. Messages of get well soon and prayers flooded in. I wanted to be sad, but I couldn’t, especially looking at the flowers and balloons covering my room. I thought about what Malik had said - sometimes bad things just happen. But sometimes they lead you exactly where you need to be.
He said he was in trouble, but I knew I was the one in trouble. You didn’t look at a woman the way he did to play friend zone games.
The drive home usually cleared my head, but tonight I couldn’t shake her. I pulled into my driveway, looking at my glass house with all its clean lines and expensive views, and for the first time, it felt cold as hell. Empty.
Inside, I poured some Hennessy and settled into my chair, but instead of appreciating the city lights, all I could think about was Sametra. Those eyes that still had fire in them even when everything was falling apart. The way she looked at me with bunched eyebrows when I called her beautiful, like she couldn't figure out if I was serious or just running game.
But I was dead serious. She was stunning in a way that made me want to stare at her all day like a beautiful captivating piece of art. She was a masterpiece. That Hershey-kissed skin, those bright eyes that made my heart skip a beat, the softness in her face when she thought I wasn't looking. I'd lost count of howmany smiles she'd pulled from me in the course of an hour, and that never happened. Women didn't catch me off guard like that.
She already had an effect on me.
My phone buzzed and was slow to pull it out. It was probably my Mama checking in and she’d let it ring until my voicemail picked up. She was the only person who still left voicemails. I laughed about to answer when I looked at the screen, it was Moniece from work.
Damn.
“Dr. Holloway,” she purred, already working her breathy voice. I rolled my eyes because this shit was getting out of hand. She was always calling and not hearing me.
“What do you need, Ms. Parker?”
“Well, I was wondering if you wanted to grab drinks after my shift tomorrow. There’s this cute little place on the corner of Juke.”
“I’m good on that. We ain’t on that level.”
“Malik, come on. We’ve been playing this game for months. It’s not my fault we work together now. Plus, I heard you were flirting with your new patient. Not you tryna cheat and we ain’t together.”
“Moneice, it’s Dr. Holloway, that’s how you need to address me from here on out. And mixing business with pleasure ain’t my thing, I been made that clear.” I paused just long enough for her to catch the chill. “You have a good night and lose this number.”
I hung up before she could say anything else. Just like that her voice had irritated me. Not to mention she was acting delusional as fuck, We’d hooked up back when she was still working over at Central Side General. She was fine, cute face, body crazy, lips even better. but now she worked under my roof. And I’d learned the hard way that nothing dried a vibe up fasterthan a clingy situationship with hallway access to your office. I didn’t need those problems.
Moneice had been good for what it was. One night. Two, maybe. She was a throat goat, for sure, and there were nights, long ones, where the thought of walking into a house like this, cold and too quiet, had me considering dialing her up again.
But those nights were getting fewer.
I wasn’t pressed. I had options. Boundaries. Rules that kept shit simple. But if I was honest a nigga was bored. Over coming home to an empty house. No dinner cooking. No life. Just me left to my thoughts and work. I was tired of women trying to hook something deeper to a moment I’d already forgotten. Tired of the repeat requests, the “Can we talk?” texts, the way they lingered like nightwalkers. I was good on all that shit. Especially after today.
