Page 61 of Meet You Half Way
If I had asked you to stay tonight
would you have?
MATEO:
Maybe. But you have an early
shift and I have to work
tomorrow too.
ME:
I know. Are you in bed?
MATEO:
Yes.
ME:
What are you wearing?
MATEO:
Something purple.
ME:
I’m going to need photographic
evidence. Immediately.
I waited with my eyes pinned to the screen, wondering if Mateo would come out and play. I didn’t have to wait long, a sizzling image lighting up my phone thirty seconds later which had my blood pooling and my pulse racing. It was followed with a simple message stating, ‘your turn’ and I smiled to myself. Yep, Mateo had come out to play all right.
Bill, of course, had noticed the increased frequency of text notifications popping up on my screen that week. A fact he took great delight in teasing me about whenever and wherever he could. Didn’t matter if we had a patient or a member of their family in the back of the ambulance. Bill took every opportunity available to him.
For my part, I didn’t mind the teasing all that much because I had discovered that Mateo had rather good texting game, a fact that was pleasing me to no end.
Unfortunately for me, Bill knew my passcode and I really should have known better than leaving my phone within reach of him. Especially while I was held up filling in paperwork after we had just finished transferring a patient to the regional hospital.
“Phwoar,” Bill gaped, eyes pinned on my phone screen. “Your man is seriously hot, Jamie.”
“Hey! Put that phone down this instant,” I demanded.
“At least that explains why you’ve been so distracted all week,” Bill murmured, ignoring my command as he continued flicking through the photos we’d been exchanging all week. Most of them were just thirst trap pics but some of them were certainly of the racy variety. I glanced over his shoulder, too faraway to snatch my phone but knowing what he would see on the next shot as panic rose in my chest.
“Stop right there,” I told him. “I mean it, Bill. I’m not sure our friendship will survive what you see on the next photo.”
“Ah, damn,” Bill grimaced, finger hovering above my phone. “I was really enjoying it so far.”
“I don’t know why. You’re supposed to be straight. Not to mention married,” I returned.
“I know, dude,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. “I’m feeling seriously conflicted over here.”
“Why? You scared cos you got hard over a guy?” I laughed.
Bill grumbled and shifted in his seat before blessedly shutting down my phone. I finished the paperwork and grabbed my phone from him, putting it in my back pocket.
