Page 37 of Breakaway Heart
“Feeding the pets.”
“Yep. All of that. He’d leave the room and go get his stethoscope. Then he’d come back into the room all doctor-like.‘Now, let’s see about this patient, I think we might need to take emergency action’,annnnnd… Some other stuff I don’t really want to say.”
“Sounds kinda hot. Especially as he was anactualdoctor.”
“Right! Then he’d put that cold steel drum on my chest and the stethoscope in my ears,” Hannah looked over hershoulder again, and in a low voice she pointed downward and mouthed, “Right before he went downtown.”
“Oh!”
“And fuck, Lucy. He was good down there. I mean, if a doctor doesn’t know what he’s doing, who does, right?”
“Right.”
“I’d lie there listening to myself, hearing my heart pounding in my ears, everything getting more and more intense, until I would literally hear myself come in my own ears.”
“Oh, fuck.”
“Yep. Ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom. That was a few years back. But any time I have to go to a doctors and I see them touch that stethoscope, I’m so goddamn aroused I can hardly speak.”
We burst out in a cackle of embarrassed laughter, drawing a few looks.
“So, what you’re saying is, I’ll never enjoy the simple pleasures of a peach again?”
“Most likely,nope, never again will a peach be innocent in your eyes.”
“I’m gonna need tequila. Hey, your chest is flushed, you okay?”
“Yep. Fine. Just got a headful of doctor images that is making my head swim. Okay, let’s get tequila! But whatever happens, don’t let me call him!”
A few hours passed between us, happily chatting and laughing, until I started to feel a bit unsteady.
“Why don’t you go see him?” Hannah asked.
“Huh, who?”
“Randy.”
“Oh, right. I’ll just call him up on the number I don’t have for him and be like,hey, you ruined peaches for me.”
“You know the Ice-Hawks let anyone in to watch their training sessions for free?”
“I’m not the stalker type, Han. Too weird. Anyway, what would happen? He’d come skating over, pick me up in his arms, and carry me off while the crowd goes wild and ‘The Power of Love’ plays out in the arena?”
“Well. It’s definitely all over with him and Georgia Moss. She’s been posting crying reels about it. Completely fake though. It is sort of weird he’s not on social media anymore, though, isn’t it?”
“Yep. He took everything down.”
“Doesn’t do interviews after games. He’s like, off-radar.”
“Apart from appearing on massive billboards in only his underwear, you mean?”
“Hey. Man’s gotta make a living.”
“What are you doing?”
“Just looking at my phone…”
Hannah flashed me a smile.
