Love is an illusion

9

"Uh, are you alright?" Nurse Susan asked, catching me off guard.

"Huh? What?" I replied, feeling a bit confused as I blinked at her.

"Okay, but hun, you've been staring at Dr. Rochefort for the last seven minutes, and I think he's feeling a bit uncomfortable," she said, giving my shoulder a gentle pat.

"Was that obvious?" I chuckled awkwardly, feeling heat rush to my cheeks.

"Aww, very much," she grinned, clearly enjoying my embarrassment.

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could form a coherent thought, she continued, "I don't want to pry, but I heard rumours about you and, you know who, holding hands outside the hospital the other day." She winked at me and walked away, leaving me in complete shock. People saw us?!?

Somewhere around lunch break, I decided to search for Miles. I found him eating his lunch in the staff room, and thankfully, the place was empty except for us.

"Miles..." I said softly, almost whispering. He looked up, concern flickering across his face.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" I stood there, searching for my words, but suddenly I found myself walking over to him.

"Did you think about my offer?" he asked, looking into my eyes without blinking. I froze, my heart racing as he stepped closer, our faces only inches apart.

"Please...say yes," he urged, his voice low and smooth. I couldn't help but stare at his lips—those red, juicy lips that seemed so inviting. They looked too good, I mean, not good but good, you know? I wanted to kiss him so badly. But then reality hit me: I barely knew this man, and he was my supervisor. Panic coursed through me, and before I could think twice, I snapped back to my senses and pushed him away.

When reality hit, I realized I was sweating, my face likely resembling a ripe tomato. I touched my forehead and wiped the sweat off my brow, feeling utterly flustered. He just stood there, watching me, his expression unreadable.

"Are you at least thinking about it?" he asked, his eyes searching mine.

I couldn't look at him because we both knew I was considering it, but I couldn't bring myself to admit it.

"I really like you," he said again, his gaze unwavering.

He stepped closer again, taking my hands in his. "Are you considering it?" he asked again. I tried to pull away, but he held on, repeating the question, as if saying it enough would somehow change my mind.

What was there even to give? I felt so far from him—educationally, socially, financially. I wasn't even close to his world, and it felt overwhelming. He just didn't understand that. For him, it seemed so easy.

Just then, the phone on the table rang, cutting through the tension like a knife. Miles dashed over and picked it up. "Yeah," he said, glancing back at me.

"Are you a good runner?" he asked, and I blinked, caught off guard by the random question.

"Uh, I was on the track tea—" Before I could finish, he grabbed my hand and started running out of the room.

"We need to get to the ICU in three minutes; Mrs. Hunters is having a seizure!" he said, his tone all business now. I followed him, trying to keep pace, my breath coming in quick bursts.

By the time we reached the ICU, I was totally out of breath, my heart racing for more than just the sprint.

He quickly asked Nurse Susan if the OR was ready for the operation and pointed at me, saying I was going to give the patient AEDS while he and Susan prepared for surgery. With shaking hands, I grabbed the AEDS and got to work while he was away. Susan returned shortly after and wheeled Mrs. Hunters to the OR.

"You can get ready too," she said as she pushed the bed away.

I hurriedly changed into my scrubs, washing my hands before entering the OR. As I walked in, I locked eyes with Miles. His gaze was warm yet serious, a mixture that made my heart flutter. I smiled back, trying to shake off the tension from earlier.

The operation went smoothly; we removed the part of her brain that was causing the seizures. As we washed our hands afterwards, he turned to me with an unexpected question.

"You haven't changed a bit since the last time I saw you 15 years ago," he said, looking at me in genuine surprise.

"What?" I said, my mind racing to catch up. "Road hills summer camp?" he said and I slowly started to remember a bit by bit.

"Fifteen years?" I couldn't believe it. How could I not remember him?

He chuckled softly, brushing a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I was a scrawny kid back then, but I remember your laugh. You were the brightest light in the room."

I felt my cheeks warm at his compliment, but I was still in disbelief. "Wait, you remember me from back then? How is that possible?"

He stepped closer, his expression softening. "You were unforgettable. Even back then, you had this spark about you. It's nice to see you again, even if it's under strange circumstances."

I stared at him, feeling a whirlwind of emotions. "I... I don't remember much from that time."

"It's okay," he said gently. "Life happens, and we change. But I remember wanting to be around you. You made a lasting impression."

His sincerity made my heart race, and suddenly, all my worries about our differences and his engagement seemed to fade into the background. In that moment, all that mattered was the connection we shared.