Page 2 of A Kiss on a Dare
I instinctively veer into a beeline toward them but hesitate as I get closer, unsure whether to approach or wait until their conversation wraps up. I slow my pace, trying to decide, when James suddenly looks up and locks eyes with me.
My breath catches. He blinks.
Panic starts to rise in my chest. Now that he’s seen me, there’s no way to back out, no pretending I didn’t just spot them. I have to go over there unless I want to confirm to the universe that I’m exactly the swoony, awkward mess I’m trying desperatelynotto be.
As if on cue, Cat notices me, too. Her face lights up, and in her drunken enthusiasm, she starts waving like I’m a long-lost friend returning from war. Oh, and because she’s Cat, she throws in some ridiculous eyebrow waggling toward James for good measure—the eyebrows, really, Cat?Just in case I needed any more reasons to wish for spontaneous combustion.
Heat floods my face as I force myself to walk toward them, my feet dragging like they’ve turned to lead. My mind races, scrambling for something—anything—to say. Something smart, maybe even funny. What do you even say to someone you’ve already seen today?
“Heeeeey, Sunshineee!” Cat drawls, stumbling forward to throw her arms around me like we haven’t seen each other in years instead ofthree hours ago.
I cringe internally.Sunshine.I hate when she calls me that in front of other people. Ray is already a weird enough name—it sounds fine until you say it out loud and realize it literally means a beam of light. But now she’s addingSunshineinto the mix, and I just know everyone’s going to assume we’re sleeping together or something.
Because nobody at the hospital really knows I’m gay—except for Cat and Nadine, one of the nurses who’s become a bit of a mother figure to me.
I hug Cat back briefly, trying not to glance at James. The last thing I need is to see if he’s looking or—worse—judging.
Cat untangles herself from me and waves her champagne glass in James’s direction, spilling a little on the floor. “James and I were just talking about you!”
My heart skips a beat.James?Since when are they on a first-name basis? And wait—they were talking aboutme?
As I approach the table, I finally let myself glance at Gabrielle. To my disappointment, he’s not even looking at me—he’s already checking his phone.Really? Am I so boring that he can’t even say hello without needing a quick hit of dopamine?
“Hey,” I say, forcing myself to sound casual.
When he finally looks up, his eyes have that slightly dazed, deer-in-the-headlights look—cute, innocent, and somehow disarming. For a split second, I wonder if “hey” was too casual for a fellow to say to a senior attending. Panic flares.
“Hi…sir,” I blurt out, tacking on the last word awkwardly.
Oh God. The second it leaves my mouth, I realize how ridiculous it sounds. Gabrielle’s eyes gleam with a flicker of amusement, and I can feel my face heating up to match the Christmas lights on the walls.
It doesn’t help that the guy looks like a damn Greek god—lean muscle showing just enough under his button-down, golden skin, and dark hair that falls slightly over his forehead, making him look like the lead in a cheesy rom-com.
While I stand there, burning alive from the inside out, Gabrielle blinks at me, quirks a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, and says, “You can ditch the ‘sir’ while we’re at the party, Ray.”
“Okay…thanks,” I mumble awkwardly, shoving my hands into my pockets. I try to calm down, to get a grip on my racing heart, but the sheer proximity of Gabrielle—especially without his lab coat—is doing something to me that’s definitely worth a session with my therapist.
“What were you talking about?” I ask, shifting my gaze to Cat and trying to sound nonchalant like my nerves aren’t currently on fire.
“I was telling James that you just moved into your new apartment closer to the hospital,” Cat says, swaying slightly as she leans against the table.
“No more hour-long commutes,” I add, stretching my lips into that awkward, polite smile you give when passing a senior doctor in the hallway. “Twenty minutes now.”
“You two live together?” James asks, his tone casual, his expression neutral—except for a quick glance at Cat.
“No,” Cat and I answer in unison, and I can feel my face heating up again.
James nods, takes a small sip of his drink, and then his pager goes off. He glances at the screen, frowning slightly. “Excuse me,” he says and steps away from the table without another word.
I watch him disappear into the crowd, disappointment settling in my chest like a weight I can’t shake.
“Shit,” Cat mutters, downing the rest of her drink in one gulp. “I thought this was your chance to finally talk to him.”
“Whatever,” I say, though the frustration in my voice betrays me. I know it’s not Cat’s fault that James Gabrielle doesn’t care about me—not the way I want him to—but it doesn’t stop the sting.
“Maybe he’ll come back,” Cat says, though her tone isn’t exactly convincing.
I nod, even though I don’t believe it either. Taking a deep breath, I push away the ugly flicker of jealousy I felt toward her earlier. Friends like Cat are rarer than sexy guys with brooding gazes and muscles for days. At least, that’s what I tell myself.
