Page 6 of Yard Sale

“Thanks. Uh…and can I have water?”

“Ice chips only,” he said. “There’s room in the OR for you tomorrow morning. Isn’t that lucky?”

Lucky? Was this man serious?

I listened to him leave the room, then flopped back, closed my eyes, and pressed my hand over my face. “Do me a favor, eh?”

“Sure,” Aravind said, uncharacteristically quiet.

“Don’t write about this.”

He took a breath, then said, “I won’t. I wouldn’t. I don’t even want to be here right now, but my dad thinks I need to start listening to my boss, who insisted I get first dibs on your condition.”

“You don’t listen to your boss?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking.

Aravind snorted a laugh. “No. I kind of fucking hate the guy, but my contract with them is almost up, and I’d like him to stop screaming at me every time I walk into the office.”

I didn’t really know what to say. I knew it was his job, and I really didn’t want anyone screaming at him, but god, I didn’t want people digging around in my life right now either.

“If I give a statement, will that get your boss off your back?”

He sucked in a breath. “Maybe. But why would you do that for me?”

“Because you’re kind of a shithead, but you’re also here to hold my hand and help me during one of the worst moments of my life. I guess that means something.”

His fingers shifted back to mine, and then he turned my wrist so we were palm-to-palm. He squeezed, and god, I wanted to pull him into my arms because all I really wanted was a hug.

But that would be too far. Too much.

“What would you like to say?” he asked after a long beat.

“Are you recording?”

“Yes.”

Of course he was. I cleared my throat loudly. “I’m feeling alright. I’m nervous but very optimistic about my recovery. The doctors at this hospital are amazing at what they do, and right now, all that matters is my boys do the best they can and make both me and themselves proud.”

There was a long beat of silence, and then he said, “You’re so full of shit.”

I opened my eyes, and something about the spot where he was standing against the light, I could see him. Like, really see him. Better than I’d ever been able to before. And fuck, he was so pretty. He had honey-amber eyes and tawny-brown skin he liked to show off with his loose-collared, crop-top shirt.

As he leaned in a bit closer, I could make out faint purple eye shadow on his lids and a red-tinted gloss on his lips.

I’d never ever met a man like him before. I wanted to reach up and trace my fingers over his dark, shadowy facial hair that made him look even more beautiful.

But I didn’t.

He bowed his head, and a lock of dark hair fell over his forehead.

“Will you be okay if I take off?” he asked.

No, I wanted to say. Please stay. You’re the only one so far who hasn’t made all of this feel like too much. But I couldn’t do that. That wasn’t who we were to each other. He was just some guy I couldn’t stand who made rude comments about the fact that I could see better than some of my other teammates and didn’t give a shit when I tried to explain why he was wrong.

But now he was also the man who stayed, and that had to mean something…

Didn’t it?

“I’ll be okay.”